A New Tow Vehicle

By: Kevin

If you read about my stressful trip south you should not be surprised to hear that I was in need of a new tow vehicle. I knew I had a minimum of three months to find a new tow vehicle so I did not need to rush out and buy the first truck I could find. I searched around including Craigslist and Facebook buy/sell groups. I looked at many trucks, some better than others. Some I was surprised that the owner could even fathom asking for the posted price. I had an idea what I was looking for, but had some flexibility in some of my wants/needs. I finally found exactly what I was looking for, and for a price I could afford. Meet the new tow vehicle, a 1996 F-350 dually long-bed quad cab with a 7.3L direct-injection Turbo-Diesel engine. THIS would be an appropriate vehicle to tow our 14,000 pound RV.

Now, if anyone knows me, then you already know that the vehicle changeover had just begun. I spent the next few weeks moving antennas, radio equipment, power wire, a new stereo, and emergency lighting from my former vehicle to the dually. I also installed a trailer hitch, bed rails for the fifth wheel hitch, a BackRack, and a tonneau cover. I also had to do some work in the fuel tanks which were showing their age and had started to leak. New tanks were ordered and installed which also eliminated the constant smell of diesel around my truck. While I may never claim that I am completely “finished” messing with my truck, I now had an appropriate tow vehicle with all my electronics installed. The 2500 was sold and we were again down to only 3 vehicles instead of 4 for Heather and I.