ZF 5 Speed Trouble

[Diesel JD]

How about Allstate? They sure treat the customer right, do they screw the tow truck driver as well? I have always had my F250 towed with the front wheels on the ground, rear wheels on the towtruck. Is this right? C6 and 2WD soon to be T19 and 2WD right or wrong?

 

[towcat]

How about Allstate? They sure treat the customer right, do they screw the tow truck driver as well? I have always had my F250 towed with the front wheels on the ground, rear wheels on the towtruck. Is this right? C6 and 2WD soon to be T19 and 2WD right or wrong?

JD-
there isn't a service consolidator that is liked by any towing company. The problem is that with a "low bid" system, those businesses who don't have a accurate model for making a profit will bid too low. The consolidator already knows what they are willing to pay in order for them to make a profit and if the contractor is looking to cut their own throat is order to get the job, it's no loss to the consolidator. There will always be someone else who's ill advised to step in. I wouldn't sign onto any of the "towing clubs" ever. When their dispatchers called, they would pay my rate with a credit card when the job was completed or I wouldn't do the tow. No PO's were accepted and certainly no checks were accepted. Who did I like towing for the best? State Farm. If I had a existing agreement with the agent, I would take a signature from the insured and bill the agent or I would bill the insured and they would seek reimbursement from the agent. I charged and got paid at my rates. Needless to say, the State Farm customer got priority treatment.
Take a look at your insurance policy or ask your agent if they have emergency roadside/towing coverage. Chances are most established companies do. Some policies are lower in their coverage amounts and some higher. Ask your agent what your coverage amounts are.

 

[Mr_Roboto]

How about Allstate? They sure treat the customer right, do they screw the tow truck driver as well? I have always had my F250 towed with the front wheels on the ground, rear wheels on the towtruck. Is this right? C6 and 2WD soon to be T19 and 2WD right or wrong?

Towcat hit it pretty well. Basically the various "Motor Clubs" have set themselves up as the towers' competition, selling cheap (free) towing then subcontracting the work out to the lowest bidder.

Allstate called me yesterday, first words out of my mouth were "Are you willing to pay my retail rates or are you wanting to pay your rates"? There was only one answer that was going to keep my on the phone. The customer had been waiting 3 hours for their cheapo service providor so their answer was "We will pay you whatever you want". (This is NOT the norm!)

If you want "towing coverage" State Farm will reimburse you for out of pocket costs. No program that pays the tower directly pays consistantly fair rates (Remember that the towers' pay pays for the proper equipment, training, insurance etc and the cheap guys are going without).



As far as properly towing a rear wheel drive truck..... They can be towed from the rear basically forever, or towed from the front for VERY short distances and slow speeds, or towed from the front safely after dropping the driveshaft. Or my personal favorite, throw the thing on a flatbed where no wheels are turning which eliminates my liability for drivetrain issues.

Note that if towed from the rear, the steering wheel MUST be secured to hold the wheels straight. There are straps and holders sold for that purpose. The steering column lock (that engages with the key off) is not adequate.

 

[porscheman87]

I spoke with the Owner of the Towing Company today and he first tried to get out of it then stated he would turn it in to his insurance. Now he wants to cover the cost on his own and have his mechanic pull out the transmission and take it to a local rebuider that I know and would trust to fix whatever is wrong with the transmission. He first wanted to put in a junkyard transmission that would cost him $975 plus install with 90 day warranty. I did not agree to that. I told him I would go $500 of it if he would take it and have the transmission rebuilt. I really hate to spend anything but it would be better to have it tore down and fixed right.

 

[BigRigTech]

You want to tow my truck from the front you better have the tools to pull the driveshaft - end of story....Your ass is covered and so is mine....Look at big rigs - when they are towed nose up the driveshaft must come out to prevent damage to the tranny. It's like Towcat said, if the input shaft isn't turning then the pump isn't being turned either. Why take the risk...Pull the shaft and your safe.

 

[icanfixall]

You need to ask yourself what condition was the trans in BEFORE THEY RUINED IT... That is the deciding factor if you should pay anything for their mistake..... This wasn't your fault so why should you be paying anything for it. But if paying something for it helps you sleep at night then go for it.....

 

[Diesel JD]

How about securing the steering wheel with the seatbelt? Acceptable towing practice?

 

[towcat]

I do have one concern on towing from the rear. I call it the curse of the "twin-I-beam" suspension. All the years I've towed these trucks, I have yet to see a Ford that has any miles on the suspension not pigeon-toe on me. As the truck is going down the road the front tires is doing this.... / \ . The strut rod bushings weren't designed to take weight and run backwards. Have I been guilty of towing like that? You bet. When doing repo's(civil/bank) and asset seizures(gov't), My safety and well-being takes priority over your accelerated tire wear. I do stay on city streets and keep the speed down in order to manage my risk. If the tow is a long distance one, I will find a place to stop and drop the driveshaft and rehook from the front but only if I am sure I haven't been followed.

 

[towcat]

How about securing the steering wheel with the seatbelt? Acceptable towing practice?

In short, NO.
Why? seat belts are a safety item. They can/will fail when "overstressed" improperly. Any chance of opening yourself(tower) to a potential liability should be avoided. Many modern cars and trucks have electo-mechanical seat belt tighteners that may activate when it senses a jerking motion on a belt. IE...a steering wheel twisting when hitting a pothole or uneven bump. It's a one-time use item too. Once it fires, you have to replace the whole assy. Easily to the tune of $1500. Steering wheel rope is cheap

 

[porscheman87]

Towing Company picked up the truck today to rebuild the transmission, I found that the Transfer case was stuck in gear and will not go in neutral as he claimed that he had it before the tow. Now he probably has the transfer case also to have rebuilt, could that too have been damaged?

 

[towcat]

Towing Company picked up the truck today to rebuild the transmission, I found that the Transfer case was stuck in gear and will not go in neutral as he claimed that he had it before the tow. Now he probably has the transfer case also to have rebuilt, could that too have been damaged?

this one is a wobbler without detailed info.
first...how often do you use the transfercase?
why? the BW1356 was chronic for having shifter issues when it was infrequently used. Often you will find the shifter "frozen" in 2HI. When forced, they can break.
If this is the case, the demise of your trans is very easily explained.
tell us more.

 

[porscheman87]

Towcat, This truck has not had much use in the last 2 years maybe 2 thousand miles. I have used the transfer case this summer engaging the 4 HI and it never moved with any problem. It now will move from 2H to 4H with no problem but will not move past 4H to Neutral I do know this summer it would go into Neutral.