[ChallengerRV]

My Dad's truck died today just outside of Santa Fe NM today. It is an 06 LBZ 3500 Dually. He was towing his 5th wheel (weigs about 13K). So the tow truck driver that the towing service sent out hooked up to the truck with one of those wheel lift tow deals that straps the front wheels. He pulled the truck and the trailer that way. Not a good idea in my mind but I don't know much about tow trucks. They did take the driveshaft out before the tow. No the real big problem. They dropped it .Aparently the strap on the passenger side broke then the whole tow unit broke off the tow truck and dropped dad's truck and trailer in the middle of an intersection rolling by them selves. It is currently sitting at the nearest GM dealer to have the warentee problem fixed and an estimate of damage. There is cosmetic damage to the front of the truck. What other kind of damage should I have them look for? I would think that the front end was not designed for those kind of loads so maybe control arme, tie rods, frame damage? Anyone have any ideas or is it up to that kind of tow and I am worrying about nothing? Sorry for the long post.

 

[mfbarnes]

My suggestion is to first take a chill pill, I know it was a real shock to start with. But they should first check the front end for proper alignment. (You should request it if they do not). If it is still in alignment, there is probably nothing to worry about it. If it is out of alignment, then they should then start checking proper geometry. Not sure what your concern was on towing it from the front. Dropping the drive line was the perfect thing to do, so they don't burn up the front pump on the Allison. The dropping it, doesn't sound too bad other than it took a big chance of being totaled, free wheeling down the road, before coming to a halt, could have been much worse. I'd say you and your dad were lucky. Just my 2 pennies. Good Luck to you.

 

[mvnvltn]

:drop_moutI'm glad I wasn't that tow truck driver! Everything should be ok. Tell the technician what happened and he should be able to tell if anything is wrong. The worst case it might need an alignment.

Tip: Cracked paint means bent parts.:cool_shad

 

[ChallengerRV]

Thanks. Not freaking out or anything just want to make sure he knows what to check out to that it gets fixed correctly. I would not want to be that tow truck driver either. I was a little worried about the pulling forces on the front end. Sounds like it isn't too big of a deal. We will have them check the alignment and then go from there.

 

[Ssniper3105]

How was the truck towed to the dealer from the intersection?

 

[ChallengerRV]

The intersection was 1 block from the dealership. The flat towed it with chains the last block.

 

[astieg]

Is your dads truck a 4X4?

 

[ChallengerRV]

Yes it is 4X4

 

[astieg]

Can you or did you put in 'TRUE NEUTRAL' besides dropping the driveline guys would their be any impact even if it is out of 4X4 on the transfer case etc?????

 

[astieg]

Another thought.. I would be a polite spaz about it .. They dorpped the RIG.. Take it to whoever the best alignment guy in town is and have him go through it with a fine tooth comb... Just to make sure that you are not getting :sheephump jmo....

 

[murphyslaw]

well to start what was the tow rig?

I tow for a living and own two trucks with a third one the way.

my '03 3500hd's wheel lift is only rated at 7500lbs tow weight and I bet ur dads truck pluss trailer was WAY OVER THAT.

by towing it the way they did was the right thing to do. the only thing that may have been over looked was the total weight of the tow and the rated cap. of the equipment. the new truck that is on the way has a very strong wheel lift but its still only rated at 10k tow cap, i still wouldnt have towed ur dads rig.

the best thing to have done would have been to drop the trailer and tow it to the shop/dealer then if necessary go back for the trailer.

I'm happy to say that I am a "Damage Free" company, In the 3 yrs I have been involved with the company I have had no claims, as well as no claims for many many years before I showed up.

being a dually it may to be wide to tow whith there wheel lift which would have also influinced there desicion(sp?) to tow it in that mannor.

If it was me that towed it I would have used my slide back, loaded the truck and used my stinger adapter to tow the 5th.

 

[TurboIndian]

Can you or did you put in 'TRUE NEUTRAL' besides dropping the drive line guys would their be any impact even if it is out of 4X4 on the transfer case etc?????

with the front wheels in the air & the rear drive shaft out of the truck it makes no difference. nothing is turning in the trans, so nothing is turning in the transfer case. technically you could leave the trans. in park.

 

[Diesel Dually]

Can you or did you put in 'TRUE NEUTRAL' besides dropping the driveline guys would their be any impact even if it is out of 4X4 on the transfer case etc?????

As long as the rear shaft is out, there should not be a problem.

 

[ChallengerRV]

My Dad has no luck. They came out with a Medium Duty truck to tow with but I don't know any more then that because I was not there. The tow company took the truck to a fairly large Chevy dealer because there was no GMC dealer close and now the Chevy dealer says that they won'r work on the truck because it is a GMC. I have never heard of a GM dealer that could not work on a GM product. Anyone else run into this problem?

 

[mvnvltn]

Call GM and tell them what you are going through. All GM dealers can cross brand except for Saturn. Thats bull sCensored

 

[Gunner0812]

Call GM and tell them what you are going through. All GM dealers can cross brand except for Saturn. Thats bull sCensored

I agree call GM and raise some hell!!

 

[astieg]

with the front wheels in the air & the rear drive shaft out of the truck it makes no difference. nothing is turning in the trans, so nothing is turning in the transfer case. technically you could leave the trans. in park.

OK just wondering thanks.... My luck the wif would leave it in 4X4 then when it got dropped ????

 

[ChallengerRV]

Thanks for all of the advice and support. His front end was just slightly out of line and it went back in just fine. There did not appear to be any damage to the front end. All the damage seems to be cosmetic. The estimate $2600. Original problem that started the whole chain of events: Bad EGR Valve. They are on their way home and the truck is running good and driving well. Hopefully their last 300 miles will be smooth. They are going to file complaints with both GMC and Chevy about the first dealer. That Chevy dealer said that they could work on the truck if they had cash money but if it was warrantee they did not have the equipment. My Dad hit the roof when the GM told him that. I have refrained from putting the dealers name into this pose to respect the forums. But if anyone is in the Santa Fe NM area and wants to know what dealer to stay away from please feel free to PM me.

 

[STPETEBLUE]

I have always heard that GMC is not allowed to do warranty work on Chevrolet and vice versa. That is just what I have heard, from different sources. They can do non-warranty work just fine.

 

[DURAMAX3500]

I have always heard that GMC is not allowed to do warranty work on Chevrolet and vice versa. That is just what I have heard, from different sources. They can do non-warranty work just fine.

GMC and CHEVROLET are both GM. the dealer here tried pulling that BS on me too. i just said ill call GM then and then the fat smelly service manager came out and said theyd take it in.

all dealers are lyin >>> :sheephump