Hey Guys,

Im really working at getting setup for hauling multiple boats back from Georgia my biggest problem is the truck. I have a 3500 Dodge right now and it can haul 16500 lbs, the setup with the boats will weigh in a minium of 18000 lbs. Im having trouble justifying the need for an F650 since they are so damn expensive but I can't seem to find anything thats reasonably price that can haul this setup. The Kodiaks can't haul that much legally, looking for some ideas from you guys for how I can work this out.

Thanks John

We had Duramax powered 4500s for rollbacks...I thought they were dogs and overloaded with one on the bed & one out back.....F-650 would be my choice.

freightliner m2 or an FL model something like sportschassis or a wester hauler conversion. AMF has the 4500's and has a lot of trouble with them.

We Use F650s For Our Rollbacks And Are Having Multiple Problems With The Brakes, Hubs, Kingpins...i Currently Tow The Boat And Other Toys With 4500 Gmc And Have Had 15k Trouble Free Miles. We Are Moving Our Wrecker Fleet To Gmc Before End Of Year.

I bought a Ford Cargo flatbed with 24' wood deck that I bought simply because it had low miles for the year and lower price because people do not seem to like the cab over design..... My first choice would have been the Freightliner FL70. From looking the last couple of weeks seems Penske truck rentals has dumped alot of their Internationals S4900 and GMC's on the market around here. Most of the small used truck places have lots of them so prices are pretty fair........

Well thats a pretty hefty rig I dont want to get anything quite that big because it probably has air brakes which means you have to have an air brake certificate I was hoping I could get an F650 with hydraulic brakes or a kodiak without air brakes. Im hoping a C4500 can haul my setup but I dont know.

John

The 4500 is just a super-sized pickup truck. The F650 and the GMC are decent mediums but they're not nearly as sturdy or robust as a "real" truck like a FL, Int'l, Pete or KW medium. 70%+ of the mediums on the road are International 4600/4700- there must be a reason. It's common to see these trucks with 400K-plus on them on the original motor. Plenty out there with 600K or more.

We rented a International 4600 flat bed last year, no airbrakes and under 26K GVWR so no CDL or airbrakes. After getting our Penske bill of $12K for 4 months decided to buy a used one. Looked at a 2001 International S4700 with 70K miles on it diesel, 6spd., for $24K. My mechanic works for a major moving company and has nothing but praise for the International because they do last to 400K+ miles with heavy hauling. A "real" truck in the long run you'll get more service life and use out of it............