Fast-load articulating car dolly with pintle hitch

[panshark]

I've got an idea of something I want to build, and would like to run it past the group first.

A friend has recently shared with me the need to repossess a pickup truck that he was selling to an acquaintance, who has ceased to make payments on the truck. The truck has a blown motor (hence no payments). I've loaded a car onto a flatbed trailer using a crank-operated winch before and it wasn't fun. So instead of using a flatbed trailer to recover the pickup, I was considering possibly constructing a beefed-up car dolly (think single axle U-haul special) to tow behind my duece.

In order to make the dolly as versatile as possible, I would like to build it to max road width which is 8 1/2 feet in my state. On a side note, 6 inches of overhang to the right is acceptable in Idaho. For an extreme circumstance, I could go 14 feet wide, and get a wide load permit.

In order to not tear the heck out of everything in transit, I would want the platform on the tow dolly to articulate.

And this is where it gets wierd: because I don't have a rear-mounted winch, I would be looking to construct an "emergency load" apparatus, Maybe like a 2-pronged grapple hook that I could chain into the holes on my rear duals, and then pull forward 3 feet to speed-winch the towed vehicle into place. Strap down the towed vehicle, then back up to run out the chain of the duals.

Note: I use the term "Fast-Load" because it seems that it would be A LOT faster than cranking on a winch for 45 minutes. Maybe even faster than sweating out a come-along. In order to do this process safely, it would have to be repeated many times, but slowly to assure safe practices are in place and to trouble-shoot any potential mishaps.

This dolly could be used potentially as a safer alternative to flat-towing MV's during recovery.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[harleyhouse]

Find one of these to mount under your truck.

super fast repo work!

SNEEKER - Pickup Model

 

[gimpyrobb]

Heh, no sneaking when driving a deuce!

 

[spicergear]

With the ground clearance the Mog has I could slap one of those under and start doing repo/recovery work.

 

[panshark]

don't know if I would want the weight of something heavy hanging a few feet off the back of the duece (if it were used to tow another duece). You would have to put some counterweight in the front of the bed, and might be easy to angle yourself into being overloaded. That is a pretty slick setup though!

 

[quickfarms]

Whose name is the title in?

Are you the lien holder?

Be careful about how you do this because if the paper work is not right you could be charged with GTA or shot.

If you have the legal authority to take Just hire a tow or repo company to pick it up

 

[panshark]

The title is still in my friend's name. I know this because that's the way he sells vehicles (accepts payments after the sale is reached, it's not the first time he's been burned). I'm not the lien holder, but I've personally encountered a few (voluntrary) repo's before, and know the paperwork I need.

Your advice is sound, quickfarms, thanks for bringing up those points. In my neck of the woods, being armed isn't a hanging offense, which is why the third guy on the project would be strictly security, and probably sporting a smoothbore with double-ought. That way things go as smooth as possible, with one guy providing protection, 2 guys concentrating on the task at hand.

 

[Kohburn]

if you are going to the trouble of making a dolly why not slap an electric winch onto the trailer tongue.

 

[panshark]

if you are going to the trouble of making a dolly why not slap an electric winch onto the trailer tongue.

Not rednecked enough. The sneeker setup is plenty redneck, but probably plenty spendy, as I couldn't locate a price tag.

But in absence of countryboy ingenuity, or to cut down on workplace accidents, an electric winch is an excellent idea!

 

[wreckerman893]

Use a hand cranked winch like on a boat trailer.......you will not be pulling it up much of an incline and if you use a small snatch block it will increase your pulling power.

Anything on wheels has a low rolling resistance.

 

[panshark]

Last time I tried the hand crank winch, well, maybe it was geared too low... I was loading a dodge shadow onto a flat bed, and I was definitely Soldier B. I thought all the cranking was going to give my old man a heart attack, so I did all of the cranking, and flat wore myself out. And that was when I was 19.

I guess it depends on if I want the platform between the wheels, or over top of the whole shebang such as a converter dolly would have it. That would be a pretty extreme towing/winching angle, for sure... I would have to have a long tongue, and tow the pickup backwards. Might be able to rig up a HIGHER GEARED hand crank to a bumperette...thanks for making me reconsider!

 

[ARLawrence]

what about like a boat trailer winch mouted on like a raised tounge.... we had this electric winch that we wired to the back of an old jeep cherrokee... we used a 9 pin wireing harness and had that power the winch... made it real simple all being in the same harness... would it really be nessasary to have it that wide? i could see putting a winch on a u haul trailer type car hauler..... that would make getting it on super easy. they slide out wide enough for a standard size truck.... just my 2 cents..

 

[Recovry4x4]

If you really want to go redneck, use a chainfall.

 

[panshark]

what about like a boat trailer winch mouted on like a raised tounge.... we had this electric winch that we wired to the back of an old jeep cherrokee... we used a 9 pin wireing harness and had that power the winch... made it real simple all being in the same harness... would it really be nessasary to have it that wide? i could see putting a winch on a u haul trailer type car hauler..... that would make getting it on super easy. they slide out wide enough for a standard size truck.... just my 2 cents..

It seems that those who have attempted to use the U-Haul special for CUCV's have complained of width issues, and I believe the articulation would exacerbate the issue. You turn right, the right fender/tire turns right...right into the passenger door! Good idea though.