Truck and Camper Break Down

I've needed roadside towing service twice. Always requested flattop. Truck and camper sat even and secure. Would not have it towed with any other method.

I have to tell you. I WAS VERY CLEAR in regarsds to what I needed to be towed. I have to say. GSERS was unable to secure a tow for my vehicle and gave me the name and phone number of who to call. However when I called this first company they said that they had nothing to move my set up and referred me to a second co. Who I then called. I again explained my truck and camper combo. They sent a flat bed and a seperate truck to move a trailer. They did infact have a wrecker large enough to move me. Just not with them. I decided screw it and chose to take the camper off so they could get it back to the shop to make the repairs.I cannot say enough about Central street Garage in Foxboro Ma.They did tow my truck And they repaired my truck over night so I could get my camper off site the following day. It just seemed like to much confusion to me.

It happened to me ONCE !! I told the company and they sent the appropriate truck..

Spring of 2012, I had ERS tow me off a mountain pass. The operator or tow company did not understand truck camper or over 10,000 lbs gross weight. First they sent a small tow truck that could do nothing but waste time walking around, then they sent a roll back that got me to a parking area after I removed my SuperTruss to clear the loading angle (sat 12'+ high on top of the rear deck), and finally sending a MDT that disconnected my drive line (even though I could put the manual transfer case in neutral for towing) and pulled me to service using a stinger. I ended up exaggerating my vehicle as a 25' Class C RV at 13' high and 12,500 lbs to get the right equipment to me.

The whole process took 12 hours from my initial call to the final drop in the service lot. All three dispatches were paid by ERS but I had to pay up front and submit for reimbursement.

Yep; here it is: http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/15935697.cfm

Man, that was a long time ago. :) :)

Brad

We've had ours towed. Same deal-truck that showed up was a bit light however it was not a flatbed but had a stinger. He towed it just fine. I dont have any pics though there is a thread in the TCU-pic of Brads truck on a stinger.

I'm unsure, though I wasnt comfortable seeing T/C on stinger, just a lot of weight, that setting on top of flatbed would be any better or doable because of height.
As to the jacks, not a problem on ours-actualy gen tailpipe, backuplights under bumper are lower.

Tom Orlowski wrote:
Even though I explained what I had they still showed up with a truck that could not take both.

If I read this correctly, the OP "did" tell them what he had. Sounds more like a miscommunication between the GS operator and the tow company.

I have notice many times here on rv.net that when a person refers to a "camper"...it can mean anything from a popup to a motorhome and of course, a slide in camper.

When the OP called, maybe the GS operator heard "camper" and assumed a TT and relayed this info on to the tow company.

Just guessing...

Ron

I have not had my truck & camper towed but I have had my daughters car towed a couple of times recently. A few things that I have found out are even with coverage (I have AMA) the towing companies are the BIG difference. Around here the towing company has everything and can winch a semi on a flatbed or bring out one of the big wreckers to tow you or a small truck to get around a parking garage. But in some locations you are limited to one tow truck and that is it, if you are too big for him you have issues.

Like has been said you also really have to explain the situation as the call centers have limited knowledge as what we are talking about. I was told if I have to call about my truck and camper to make sure that I relay to the call center that my rig weighs 10,000lbs and that the camper is attached to the truck. Otherwise the tow person will be told that he is towing a truck and the trailer can be dropped. You may have to have a tow unit come from further away to do the tow as well and if this is the case make sure that you tell them that you will wait for the bigger truck / unit to arrive.

I think the KEY is to always make sure you convey what your NEEDS are when calling for assistance. Not much assistance if they send someone who can't get you back to help. Shouldn't be that difficult since 18 wheelers are towed regularly and not many RVs can be that difficult.

I saw a topic recently about a TC/Truck break down, and i can't find the topic. I just was reading through and found it. He was going to Alaska and the Dodge 3500 DRW he was driving broke down in Canada some whare. He had pictures and the tow truck was a big Rig Tow truck, towing both the truck and camper with the rear wheels of the truck on the ground. He said he was going to have to replace all Dual wheel tires due to the tow. Maybe he will respond to your question.
Hope this helps,
Scott