Very bummed. Just received word that my tow rig/plow truck will not be passing inspection for several reasons. It wasn't a big surprise. 3 years out of an auction beater, that came with a plow, for under 1200 bucks in the land of rust is acceptable. It will still be able to plow the driveway until the frame completely gives up the ghost.
The reality is it was a regular cab truck, and it doesn't currently fit with my family situation anyway.
Probably do a tahoe, suburban, avalanche to replace it. I have been seeing some ford expeditions around for short money. How do they do they hold up for tow duty?
Not passing inspection...
Do you have any relatives that live in a state that does not have annual inspections?
In reply to jrw1621:
It's not passing for very good reasons. I'd be content puttering around town and plowing the driveway with it. It's life as a tow rig is done. Frame rot.
No you dont plow with it until it dies. You do something like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0rCEeWCi5Q&feature=related
ohio = win. my plow truck would never pass inspection anywhere. i have the rear brake line capped off at the master cylinder because one of the lines popped last winter. .
Sell the plow, sub-frame and hydraulics for $600 scrap the rest and call it good.
We're towing with a V8 Explorer with almost 200k on the clock - it's fantastic. Of course, we're towing a pop-up camper, but the larger Expedition should be great as a tugboat for heavier toys. The folks we bought the camper from tug a 24' travel trailer with an Expedition and love it.
State mandated inspections are overkill. It's just a tax on poor people. Sure, a few truly crappy cars are taken off the road, but in most cases things that are just fine get pulled. Same for emissions laws. Thats the one nice thing about Michigan, if you can screw a license plate to it, you're good to go.
Mental
SuperDork
11/3/09 10:06 a.m.
Full size vans are cheap and excellent tow vehicles. Not to mention the conversions will fit with your family. The MPG sucks on a epic scale, but as a secondary vehicle. they are pretty good.
But head south or west to get one.
We actually came close to buying a conversion van on a family trip to Colorado this summer. The price for a rental car, could have bought a decent van. We just didn't want the hassle of driving an unknown rig back to the east coast.
I really want a conversion, but the wife isn't a huge fan of them.
Probably two ways we might go.
Get something fairly new in the SUV/ double cab truck market.(4x4) Making that some sort of primary transport.
Possibly involving a car payment.
Or
Go the cheapie route and just find something good enough to get the job done, even if two wheel drive.
One of our daily driviers is a 250k+ subaru 2.5rs. We both love it, but it might have to be retired in a year or two.
In reply to Greg Voth:
No, thats the waste of a decent cherokee. Wonder where this was filmed? Its right hand drive with Euro style plates.
I should probably mention that the truck is at my buddies shop, and he is the inspector.
He owes me a fair amount, after some stuff due to his divorce....and it killed him to tell me it failed.
I was resigned to replacing the truck with something else in the spring(almost excited). Not a huge deal to me.
He texts me to say that it's slow at the shop and the truck will pass inspection by the end of the week. Guess he is keeping his help busy with the project rather than sending them home with no work.
