Ford F-450 Wrecker

[Mike Ellis]

I was at car dealer in Dallas the other day, and while there I saw a Ford tow truck like the one below roll in and hook up to a car. I was amazed at how fast this rig had the car up and ready to roll - literally less time than it takes most people to park and get out of their car. I was also impressed at how maneuverable the rig was. Any of you guys ever driven one of the Shorty Fordies?

The owner of the one I saw had pimped it up a bit, it had some large mag wheels, stripes and a booming stereo. It actually looked pretty good IMHO...

 

[TFucili]

Repo man special. Hook it and book it.

 

[jgillott]

You don't see too many traditional style small wreckers around here. About the only ones using them are repo companies.

 

[Wayne M.]

Yup. Mostly flatbeds, because that’s what folks demand, and with all the AWD systems, etc.
Aside from the body, I can tell you whatever you want to know about that C&C.

 

[Wiredawg]

Yep they dress up pretty nice. A few years ago, my wife and I were out cruising and came upon one black with red and yellow flame job. We actually raced a bit and messed with each other until he got a call, turned on the emergency lights and shot off.

Pretty cool.

Cheers, Ron

 

[Mike Ellis]

Wayne, are they fairly decent trucks? How does the engine and transmission hold up? The speed and maneuverability of the rig were impressive, very well designed for that specific job.

 

[TFucili]

I see the wrecker portion was Jerr-Dan. Good stuff in my book. I had a Jerr-Dan rollback and it worked great. The Chevy C30 it was mounted on, not so much.

 

[Wayne M.]

Wayne, are they fairly decent trucks? How does the engine and transmission hold up? The speed and maneuverability of the rig were impressive, very well designed for that specific job.

Mike, the Ford and Ram HD trucks are both decent. They both have their strong points. Strong points for the Ford are- cheap and available parts, the transmission, option versatility. I do not like the new Dana rear axle on this current Ford. Was never crazy about the V8 diesels, this one included.

 

[jgillott]

Wayne, does the city have any gas powered F350-550's in their fleet? I've noticed quite a few here lately.

 

[Wayne M.]

The other agencies like parks have gassers. Diesel is the prevalent fuel for us.