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Bronco 2 as Tow Truck Wet Dream or possible reality


crazyjp

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OK so before you call me crazy here's my idea I want to use my bronco 2 as a tow truck for small cars and maybe if I think it can take it a small van or SUV. My question does anyone think its possible?
Here's my baby or grandpa what ever you wanna call my 1988 Ford Bronco 2 Eddie Bauer here are pics of it a few months after I got it http://imgur.com/a/53fn0#0
Now I should probably say I'm not planing to use a stock bronco 2 before this would be done I am planing to take the entire drive train from a 1991 to 1998 ford explorer or multiple explorers as in Engine (302w V8), Tranny, Transfer case, drive shafts, and front(Dana 35) and rear (dana 35) axles, along with all of the steering components off of it for simplicity other wise I have a few other ideas other then that but I'm mainly getting at that I'm gonna be upgrading the shit out of this truck I'm even talking new carpet turbo chargers maybe more.
So after all that is said and done do any of you think I could do this or am I just loosing my mind?:icon_welder:

Like the biggest issue i can see with this is the gas tank is mounted in the back but im neither for or against moving it except for the fact i just replaced it about 6 months ago along with half the other parts on this truck
 


alwaysFlOoReD

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When someone says tow truck I see a flatdeck with a lift or ramp. What are you talking about? Are you talking towing a trailer?
 

AllanD

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a bronco2 would make an awful tow vehicle...


Mostly because of it's short wheelbase increasing any instability issues
 

crazyjp

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I think it be great

im talking about the arm that lifts the car up by its wheels

i think it would be great cause you can turn tighter than most cars like say some ones car dies and theres only one spot to get in to my truck would fit right in youd have to back in at an angel with most if not all trucks plus its just plain slick

anyways is wasnt will it make a terrible tow vehicle the dam thing will get upgraded to it hold up to it if need be but do you think its even possible
 

alwaysFlOoReD

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One of the problems I see is the gas tank being in the way of the hydraulics. Of course I've never taken a close look at how a tow truck is configured so maybe it isn't a problem at all. AllenD is correct as far as the short wheelbase being a problem. Especially with the stock TTB. If you're planning on charging for your service it would be a real good idea to check with DOT or whomever is in charge of licensing tow trucks.
Good luck,

Richard
 

alwaysFlOoReD

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I like thinking outside the box too. I attached a three point hitch snow plow to the front of my b-2;



It isn't even close to the wieght of a hydraulic system and vehicle and it almost picked the back wheels off the ground. IMO, a b-2 is not a good candidate for what you want.

Richard
 

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LOL. This has got to be a joke thread.... Right? Please, tell me it's a joke....
 

crazyjp

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The sad part is no

The sad part is no this is not a joke thread its a serious question everythings gonna be upgraded and if i have to ill weight the front end if the 302 doesnt do it for me the other reason id like to have the towing arm is i cut grass for my grandpa in the summer on his properties and he keeps the trailer with the mower on it in a muddy mess he calls a yard and im sick of fighting with trying to hook up a trailer he refuses to put a lifting wheel on and i know with the towing arms u can put a trailer hitch in most of em and that be nice to be able to just lift the trailer with one hand and slide the hitch out with a remote idk its more of an idea that if anyone thinks is possible i might actually try

but my question is what the **** is going on with that snowplow set up you got going on looks like what i did with my lawmower just a little more extreme and with more random crazyness
 
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alwaysFlOoReD

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crazyjp

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well yeah it would but every time i put something nice on that trailer it gets stolen or broke like i used to leave a gas can on it and some one stole that i put a ratchet strap on it to hold the back on and some one stole that the only things Ive put on it that haven't been stolen is the boards that i replaced in the floor of it and the ramp i made for the back of it that also functions as the back wall and the tongue like its gotten so bad that if i have to leave the gas can on it cause i didn't use it all up i chain the gas can to the trailer

But now after receiving all this info about the towing arm and seeing how much one is gonna cost (5k for the don't have to get out the truck except to strap it model) Ive decided to revisit this later on if i decide to get a 3/4 ton or 1ton pick up
 

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im talking about the arm that lifts the car up by its wheels

i think it would be great cause you can turn tighter than most cars like say some ones car dies and theres only one spot to get in to my truck would fit right in youd have to back in at an angel with most if not all trucks plus its just plain slick

anyways is wasnt will it make a terrible tow vehicle the dam thing will get upgraded to it hold up to it if need be but do you think its even possible
ok, first off, if you say "the arm that lifts the car up by it's wheels" dont' even think about building your own tow truck, sorry, not trying to be an ass, but you obviously know nothing about towing or towing equipment. you are talking about a wheel lift, the name isn't important, but the bass knowledge that goes with knowing the name is important.

second, I have towed, I spent several years behind the wheel of an f-550 with a boom/sling and a wheel lift (if you don't know what a sling is, google images it) and I can confidently say that a B2 will be a useless tow vehicle, it isn't heavy enough to keep the front wheels on the ground, the wheel base isn't long enough, the weight of the body vs the strength of the suspension isn't enough to load anything on the back. the physics of lifting a vehicle on a wheel lift will put roughly 75% of the weight of the towed vehicle (extra) on the rear axle. (while simultainiously reducing the front axle weight by up to 90% [extremely dangerous, but absolutely required in some circumstances]) additionally the frame (subframe?) of a b2 isn't designed for this type of stress, it has a high likelyhood of failure.

for comparison, In my f-550, a $100,000 truck, after fitting the wrecker body and purchase of the new truck. It is a 2.5 ton truck, if I lift the front wheels of an f-350, (gvwr of less than half my truck) any cab/box configuration, on my wheel lift, I have understeer while going WELL under the speed limit and/or the recommended speed for any corner on the road. In my career as a tow truck driver there was a few situations I was required to tow this way, and it was right lane, slowing traffic down the entire way, and still white knuckled!

I really do hate to crush your dreams, but a B2 just isn't suitable for towing anything, if it was a ranger (difference in the weight of the back end of the body and longer wheelbase) you MIGHT be ok towing mini's, toyota tercells, or smart cars, but absolutely no way would it be safe to tow any mini truck, or suv, dodge caravan would be completely dangerous

also, FWIW, my 08 f550 reg cab short frame (C&C) had a tighter turning radius than any other vehicle i've ever driven, with the exception of my motorcycle, and i've driven hundreds of vehicles, including a b2 I had. the diameter of the f550's turning circle was probably smaller than my b2 by a good 5 feet




last but VERY not least, if you have ANY interest in owning your own tow truck, DO NOT learn by trial and error, while it's stereotypically a redneck yokle job, do not try to learn on your own, go get a job at a towing company and work there for atleast a year before you start thinking you know what you're doing, and once you know how everything works, and how the weights and fulcrums effect your tow vehicle, start deciding what can/can't do the job
 
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crazyjp

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yeah i decided against it and yeah i determined that it was called a wheel lift but see the think is i was always told it was called a towing arm so i went with it and im currently seeking employment with any tow agency there is one i want to work for but there office seems to be either unlisted or non existent on Google their supposed to have one on the other side of town but i haven't bothered to go look i mean i already do mobile mechanic work with my b2 and Ive flat towed vehicles to get them out of bad areas like the middle of the road it was just a thought and id figured id ask first and the more i thought about it the more i realized yeah not gonna happen
 

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im really glad you decided to do that, its not that the b2 isnt a good truck, its just too small, doing recoveries with it is fine, you could rip the truck in half, but its not a safety issue, youre not going to be cruising down the highway trying to stop double the weight of what your brakes were designed for!

towing can be a really fun job, i enjoyed it for a while, but younwork shitty hours, get shitty pay and often get treated like crap, but the job its self is fun!
 

crazyjp

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yeah i was planning on up grading the brakes all around or latest upgrading the rear to disc brakes cause atm my front brakes are so good i can lockem up doing 45 scary to do it but Ive done it
 

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