Towing Prep. & Insurance?

Spanky77707 · February 02, 2010, 07:57:51 PM

Hey Nellie
My eagle came with a front end tow bar, hope i never need it.
Hope you don't either....Steve "Spanky"

belfert · February 02, 2010, 09:19:35 PM

Quote from: Spanky77707 on February 02, 2010, 07:57:51 PM
My eagle came with a front end tow bar, hope i never need it.

My Dina also came with a tow bar, but I took it out. It is still sitting in my shed taking up space. I figured no tow operator in the USA would try to flat tow a bus.

Nellie Wilson · February 02, 2010, 09:35:29 PM

Geez, Belfert, I sure agree. Be like the tail wagging the dog, wouldn't it?

I've got tow hooks (OEM) but always figured they were for 'get off the road quick' situations. Can't feature trying something more ambitious.

Nellie

Nellie Wilson · February 04, 2010, 04:08:29 AM

Quick update:

I ended up going with Coachnet and was quite impressed with the service and simple registration process. A nice gal - 'Mehgan' - had me confirmed and paperwork back to me (by email) within a few minutes.

Mehgan, if you ever check in here, thanks again.

So I plan on hitting the road today. Still hoping for some contacts (Bus Nuts and bus friendly stops) between here (Arcadia) and Homestead (S. of Miami).

Thanks again,

Nellie

bigrigger · February 06, 2010, 08:53:56 PM

Your going the wrong way Nellie! We are leaving Wisconsin next Saturday for the big bluegrass show in Palatka FL. Lot of busses at that place. Hope to meet someone there we know from the boards. If any of you see us there, come up and introduce yourself! (we also have coach-net, hope we don't have to use it)!
John and Barb Tesser (GM 4107 Higher Ground)

Christyhicks · February 07, 2010, 07:53:11 AM

Here you'll see TempBus, pre-paint job, on it's ride, eventually paid for by Coach-Net. At first they tried to deny the claim but after I went into great detail and explained that it was a "failure of the bolts for the hitch" that caused it to knock a hole in our oil pan, not a wreck, they relented and covered the claim, which was around $800-900 for a 60 mile ride.

After our "ride", I swore I wouldn't raise the roof on a bus, because had we been a couple of inches taller, the ride would have involved escort and permits, none of which would have been available New Years Day, 2007! Yet, what do we do, we succumb to the beauty of a Prevost which puts us at about 12'4"! Oh well, we all know Prevosts don't break down, hahahahahahaHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAAHhahahahahahahaa

As for Coach-net, I rate them sort of like our system of government. . . they're not worth a darn, but still they're the best that's out there!

Here's the deal with Coach-net, you have to take their hand and guide them, you have to know WHAT you need, in great detail, and then you have to be prepared to help them find someone to help you. OTOH, if you do so, they will usually step up to the plate and pay for it, and they are really nice, they just don't always have someone who really understands your specific situation and the special requirements of buses. Once you know how to play the game, it's pretty straightforward and they'll do their best to cooperate. Some of the problem lies in the company that ignores what they say and agrees to take the call, not having what you need.

In this incident, I had specifically told Coach-net we needed to be "hauled" on a landoll, so when they called me back and told me they had someone coming, I insisted they tell me who, I called the company, and sure enough, they were sending out a tow trucka and didn't even OWN a landoll. Turns out, not many in the Tampa area do, so we found out WHO could take care of us, hired them, and then fought it out with Coach-net later. Another time, a guy showed up with a Wal-mart $29 booster to start our coach, so we chased him away, called Coach-net back, told them who COULD get to us and KNEW how to jump our system, and, after apologizing profusely, they made arrangements with THAT company to get paid directly from Coach-net. Still, I think they try to do the best they can and if you stay in control, you can turn a bad situation into a manageable one. If you have a sense of humour, you can laugh about it later, as per my previous post of "living on the slant".

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=2930.0

. .AND you meet some GREAT people! Christy Hicks

luvrbus · February 07, 2010, 08:11:43 AM

Nellie, don't think you are going to get a lo boy haul every time the deck on most are 32 inches high and they check all the bridges and overpasses before they send one and if you are over 13.6 here comes a hook.
Once you get into the system Coachnet will know what to send and remember to brake down within 100 ft of the pavement LOL because none of the towing outfits will get off the shoulders on a paved road so watch the beaches.

good luck

bobofthenorth · February 07, 2010, 09:13:19 AM

And despite what gets said here there's lot of trucks and busses get towed every day of the week on hooks so its not the end of the world if a wrecker shows up to pick up your bus. And chances are if dispatch gives him the keys to a big enough wrecker to tow you then he knows more than most of us about how to tow you.

luvrbus · February 07, 2010, 09:24:18 AM

Well said Bob (light on your feet) Evans we enjoyed the time in Vegas

good luck

white-eagle · February 07, 2010, 11:31:20 AM

Quote from: luvrbus on February 07, 2010, 09:24:18 AM
Well said Bob (light on your feet) Evans we enjoyed the time in Vegas

Stop that Clifford. The guys already got a swelled head and you'll make it worse.

yes, it was well said, but don't tell him, for pete's sake. he'll expect the really good scotch next time.

gus · February 07, 2010, 07:12:22 PM

Nellie,

Good Sam has a good road assistance program also and the price is more than reasonable. If I recall it is less than $100/yr, a real bargain at twice the price.

It also covers our other vehicles at no extra cost. GS never even mentioned the age of the bus.

We've only used the road service one time for Beth's car but it paid off even for just that one time. Knock on wood, I've never had to use it for the bus but I have called them a few times to get the names of the nearest truck repair shops. That alone is worth the price of the whole package.

As already posted, you cannot be without this service because one roadside problem can break the bank. I would rather be without collision on my bus than be without road service.

If you ever need a tow make double sure the person you talk to knows it is a real bus so they send the right size wrecker. They know how to disable your air parking brake because trucks have the same setup. I can't speak for DD3 though, evidently that is a different thing altogether.