Towing a 4X4 truck

[captmello]

I'm looking at buying a truck that was previously some kind of commercial vehicle. It has a receiver hitch in the front which makes me think it may have been towed in the past.

Questions:

1. Would miles being towed register on the odometer?

2. Should this be considered a drawback? It doesn't seem like it would wear out much on the truck beside the tires and wheel bearings. Is this hard on the front end?

Thanks for any feedback!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

They have small plows that plug into receiver's...... some people front mount receivers to accommodate moving trailers around..... yes towed miles appear on the odometer.

That front receiver could have had a multitude of reasons and uses.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

What brand of truck? Automatic or manual? Transfer case w/neutral?. Most automatics won't lubricate their main bearings while being flat towed, that's why the transfer case with a neutral is key here. Many full time 4X4 setups don't have one nowadays. The old rule of thumb also was to have manual front hubs for the same reason so the front axles would be free and wouldn't go dry. Many full time systems don't freewheel so this is also a concern.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Most vehicles that have been towed are usually hooked in two places ..... I suspect that receiver had other uses and it was not for towing that truck.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Is it the style of front receiver that is used to tow behind an RV?

 

[cedarjunki]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

I'm looking at buying a truck that was previously some kind of commercial vehicle. It has a receiver hitch in the front which makes me think it may have been towed in the past.

Thanks for any feedback!

reciever in the front.....
ease of trailer movement
hitch mounted winch
push bar
hitch mounted vice
spare tire carrier
many many uses...

nearly impossible to be towed by a single front reciever..... yes i said nearly impossible, very dangerous but have seen it done. chances are it has probly never been towed.

 

[captmello]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Thanks for the feedback. The guy seemed to think they mounted the hitch, which is a standard 2" square receiver, to use a winch in case they got stuck in a ditch. They could winch themselves out from the front or back. He said it was a cable company or something...I guess that makes sense.

The truck is a 2005 f150. It has the manual transfer case on the floor with a neutral setting. I don't think it has manual locking hubs. Its a florida truck which is nice because all the trucks this age around here have been through 5 winters of road salt. Its super clean. I just went and drove it.

I think i'm going to buy it.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Florida truck...... southern truck.....do a VIN check and a background on it...... make sure it was not a hurricane flood salvage

 

[captmello]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Florida truck...... southern truck.....do a VIN check and a background on it...... make sure it was not a hurricane flood salvage

This is a good idea Bob. I looked at Carfax, its $35. Is that the best option?
Or is there another way?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Well..... carfax is probably the most expeditious way and I personally have about 75%+ faith in them. I have seen carfax reports that have missed accidents etc but they will normally pick up on salvage title reports

 

[captmello]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

I ran the VIN through carfax. That turned out to be a great idea Bob!

In the report it had all the fleet maintenance records on the truck since new. Oil changes, brake jobs, etc. It did have one accident reported from a couple years ago listing "right side damage." I guess I'm not too worried about that.

Getting the entire maintenance report was well worth the $35.

I'm going to pick it up today.

 

[642mx]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

True, its just been breathing moist salt air all its life.

There is some merit to this... My wife and I bought a 3000GT that was a Florida car. It was the first and last one too. The paint was horrible, even buffing it didn't keep it shiney for long. All the rubber molding was faded, etc, etc..

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

I ran the VIN through carfax. That turned out to be a great idea Bob!

In the report it had all the fleet maintenance records on the truck since new. Oil changes, brake jobs, etc. It did have one accident reported from a couple years ago listing "right side damage." I guess I'm not too worried about that.

Getting the entire maintenance report was well worth the $35.

I'm going to pick it up today.

Pictures??

 

[captmello]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Pictures??

Of course.

[/IMG]

front hitch

[/IMG]

Old and new

[/IMG]

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

looks nice and clean best of luck with it.

 

[642mx]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

That truck is loooooooong.

 

[captmello]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

thanks Bob VT, it's alway exciting to get a new truck!!

That truck is loooooooong.

Ya, it's long.

This is my third f150 now. I've had a '91, '96, and now this '05. All of the trucks have been this bodystyle, supercab, 8 ft box. Hope this one works out as good as the last two.

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

thanks Bob VT, it's alway exciting to get a new truck!!



Ya, it's long.

This is my third f150 now. I've had a '91, '96, and now this '05. All of the trucks have been this bodystyle, supercab, 8 ft box. Hope this one works out as good as the last two.

Nice truck.

I have owned 5 F150's:
83
84
87
97
98
I still currently have the 84, 4x4 reg. cab, C-6 auto, 300 6 cyl.
and the 97 ext. cab, 2x2, 4.6, automatic, a daily driver and boat tow'r, the 84
is a wood hauler/farm truck.

Ford does make a good truck don't they?
And just think how much $$$ you would have made if you bought some stock.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

Like BobVT says.

I have a friend who had a front receiver installed on her truck. She likes to launch the boat with the trailer attached to the front of the truck. She finds it much easier this way.

 

[moonfish]

Re: Towing a 4X4 truck

More likely for the winch or even a cooler rack.