Very unusual tow vehicle, see if you can guess it

[RobertRyan]

Saw this on a Australian site, I know we have unusual tow vehicles but this one, is pretty unusual even by our standards. Yes it does have a " Garage" on the bed.

[RobertRyan]

PAThwacker wrote:
All of these in use in the US. Repurposed or flat out worked to death.

Generally the Class 8's in the US, have been reconditioned. Here they are either old,( Kenworth) like the Mitsubishi or the Mercedes Actros not that old at all. Others have been reconditioned
Repurposing like the fire engine into a tow vehicle is extremely rare here.

[PAThwacker]

All of these in use in the US. Repurposed or flat out worked to death.

[RobertRyan]

Typical bed load of a Japanese " MDT" not equivalent to a US version

[RobertRyan]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:
Edit to/for my previous post, in re: Heavy Duty Trucks (HDT) with Smart Cars on the bed - which can be off-loaded to the side w/o un-hitching.

Heavy Haulers Resource Guide

The topic bar has a section for photos of the owner's rigs.

BTW - as a former 30 year pd firefighter, other than "well maintained", former fire apparatus is a poor conversion choice. Lots of collectors, however.

~

They have a vast variety here that can haul a smart car on the
Bed. You get Kenworths Conventional and Cabover, Japanese Semis and European MDT's as well as the other European makes like Scania and Volvo( Cabovers) As well not only smart cars but medium sized

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Edit to/for my previous post, in re: Heavy Duty Trucks (HDT) with Smart Cars on the bed - which can be off-loaded to the side w/o un-hitching.

Heavy Haulers Resource Guide

The topic bar has a section for photos of the owner's rigs.

BTW - as a former 30 year pd firefighter, other than "well maintained", former fire apparatus is a poor conversion choice. Lots of collectors, however.

~

[fj12ryder]

And then it would put you in a higher tax bracket...

[laknox]

fj12ryder wrote:

laknox wrote:

D.E.Bishop wrote:
As I have said in the past, "RVers are the most innovative folks around".

If only the manufacturers would realize that. 😕

Lyle

They do, that's why they leave so many things unfinished: so you can fix it up the way you want it. 🙂

Then we should send our timesheets to them so they can pay our wages. Of course, we'd need to sign up with HR so we can get our taxes, benefits and 401k contributions right.

Lyle

[bobsallyh]

Wonder what rear end gearing is that beast?

[ol_Bombero-JC]

RobertRyan wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Pretty cool tow vehicle. Do you suppose he bought it that way, or repurposed a retired fire truck?

No repuposed it, someone on that group is doing something similar, except he is putting a smart car on the bed.

Guess "repuposed" it - means *repurposed* (change the purpose) - or maybe it's a slang term for a smart car ("pup") on the bed!

You don't have to go to Ausie land - HDTs with smart cars on the bed,
towing heavy pin weight 5th wheels are common in the USA.

Yep - they are repurposed from towing 80 thousand pound trailers,
to towing long, heavy, fifth wheels. Often "singled" (one of the tandem rear axles removed). Plenty of whistles & bells, automatic trannys, and sleeper cabs. All the horsepower and torque you could ever want or need! Tow anything you can put behind it with ease!

Can be licensed in many states as an RV - and only requires a standard Driver's License.

Lastly, used HDT's in good to excellent condition are available at approx the cost (or less) than a new pickup. Check out (the gallery pics) on the Escapees HDT forum.

:W...:C

~

[toedtoes]

fj12ryder wrote:

laknox wrote:

D.E.Bishop wrote:
As I have said in the past, "RVers are the most innovative folks around".

If only the manufacturers would realize that. 😕

Lyle

They do, that's why they leave so many things unfinished: so you can fix it up the way you want it. 🙂

If only they were that smart: either to use that as their excuse for shoddily built RVs or to actually do it.

[fj12ryder]

laknox wrote:

D.E.Bishop wrote:
As I have said in the past, "RVers are the most innovative folks around".

If only the manufacturers would realize that. 😕

Lyle

They do, that's why they leave so many things unfinished: so you can fix it up the way you want it. 🙂

[laknox]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
As I have said in the past, "RVers are the most innovative folks around".

If only the manufacturers would realize that. 😕

Lyle

[laknox]

RobertRyan wrote:
It was a Valley Fire Engine built in Australia

I was just going to say that it looked an awful lot like a fire engine! :B

Lyle

[D_E_Bishop]

As I have said in the past, "RVers are the most innovative folks around".