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I'm seriously considering getting a recovery truck..


DaveDorson

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Because I plan to move more and more tat about as the workshop gets more and more busy, I'm considering whether it's worth me getting something like a transit recovery truck.

I'd want something older, cheaper, and smaller as I tend to really only deal with smaller stuff if I can help it, ideally the sort of thing that sportsman racers use to get them and their kit between races.

Where would one usually shop for such chod?

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What I noticed when I looked for one is how many are 3.5T or not much more. With a lot of this stuff it is very easy to go overweight with a bigger car or 4x4 -  and then get stopped. Check you have the right insurance too. 

There is also I think these days some checking of the weight on the individual  axels - gross weight might be under but individual  axel weight might still be over.

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I had been after a cheap one for a while too, but as Agila says at the 2 grand end of the scale you're looking at trucks that are too knackered to work anymore. After welding my mates' pikey Transit tipper up recently I've kind of lost my appetite for cheap work trucks 😆

I've since bought a 2.5t twin axle trailer instead, as I already have a 4x4 that can pull 2.8t which is enough for what I do - the logic being that it doesn't mean another round of MOT/Tax/Service costs added to my budget. If it proves itself invaluable I can always look at picking a recovery truck up later. The main disadvantage of the trailer is that it can't quite get everywhere that a rigid chassis truck would, but I think it's a small compromise seeing as it's already bailed me out of the crap a few times now and it costs barely anything to run.

If you've got something that can tow, I'd be inclined to suggest a trailer at least temporarily - 2 grand would buy something decent enough.

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I also want to buy one. But 3.5 ton versions are rare here in Norway and if they show up at a fair price, they will be sold quickly. Payload I do not see as a problem with these as the ones I have seen have a payload between 1.2 to 1.5 tons and that is enough for my use. Trailer is also an option but then I still have to buy a bigger car and trailer and I also have to extend the driver's license, which is so much trouble here that I do not want to do it.

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A two thousand quid recovery truck would be absolutely fucking fucked. Unless you can find something like an old Bedford CF but even then it’s going to be much more than £2k. Also bear in mind the possibility of it leaving you at the roadside with a car on the back. 

Just seen there’s an LDV one in Deptford. Tested but it looks like it’s had some serious welding done on it. Worryingly there’s a big bowser of water in the cab as well so that would suggest on the face of it that there’s trouble ahead. But it’s £2,500. 

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I used to have a beavertail Transit that I'd go and pick up the odd car for scrap in. Despite the rust and being an early Mk.3 it still weighed 2100kg unladen, add driver, a few tools, ratchet straps etc and it all eats into the load capacity. I remember pitching up at the weighbridge with an old E36 Touring on the back which had had a few parts removed, it was still over weight by 100kg. 

I'd second the suggestion of a twin-axle trailer, better capacity, won't get the attention of VOSA like a Transit does, and will be worth its purchase price when you come to sell it.

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1 minute ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

 

Out of curiosity I took a look and on gumtree this is for sale for 2,450

LDV, CONVOY, Recovery truck car transporter  1999, 2496 (cc)

https://www.gumtree.com/p/trucks/ldv-convoy-recovery-truck-car-transporter-1999-2496-cc-/1423741563

Quote

Runs and drive's like an L.D.V . 

I like his honesty, listing the negatives as well as the positives.

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I follow our Kent traffic police and Highways Agency on Twitter (it is very useful for some practical stuff) as I am often on the M'way to and from Dover. 

I'd seen that - it was retweeted - a good example  of the challenges. 

These police Twitter feeds do show some of the nutters on the road and the practical steps to keep us safe.

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If you want to look further afield there is still a lot of old recovery  vehicles in France.

Every country garage had a 'depanneuse' vehicle.

So there are some nice 'classic' vehicles about.

A bit of a faff to import and lhd - but might find something for running about locally and MoT exempt if pre-81.

These are currently  on LeBonCoin at around 6000€ with French MoT.

Both pre-81.

There is also a lot of cheaper stuff needing work.

Screenshot_20220120-103616_Leboncoin~2.jpg

Screenshot_20220120-104227_Leboncoin~2.jpg

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Our iveco flatbed is 2200kg on the weighbridge with nowt on it and no one sat in it. That gives you 1300kg to play with. I'm betting recovery bodywork will be a chunk heavier than what's on ours so say you get 1100 to 1200 kg to play with, after deducting payload for passengers and so on. Even my mk6 fiesta is 1040 kg. Only much use if your going to shift older smaller stuff, I get a decent trailer instead bud.

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I saw a scruffy Transit recovery wagon yesterday in traffic and was thinking about this. This thread is pretty much my train of thought. Modern cars now too heavy for these, especially electric cars. 
Questions and thoughts that came to mind: What real use are these smaller recovery vehicles now? Will they be worthless except for moving classics? Surely these are a bit safer for the inexperienced than towing a car on a trailer. 

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25 minutes ago, Cheezey said:

I saw a scruffy Transit recovery wagon yesterday in traffic and was thinking about this. This thread is pretty much my train of thought. Modern cars now too heavy for these, especially electric cars. 
Questions and thoughts that came to mind: What real use are these smaller recovery vehicles now? Will they be worthless except for moving classics? Surely these are a bit safer for the inexperienced than towing a car on a trailer. 

Not a lot of use, most I see are at these classic rallies carrying something like a Lister Petter diesel thing doing something utterly pointless like pumping water from one bucket to another. Unless it’s a real beaut most of these tatty old Bedford CF you see are held together with pigeon shit welds and goodwill. You couldn’t depend on something like that to carry a car any distance unless you were absolutely mad. Plus as said VOSA will be rubbing their hands once they see you carrying anything more than a sack of potatoes on board. 

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