I have a problem...

The Barth I bought has been sitting and most of the tires are shot AND some of the tires and wheels are gone, anyway.I believe I have 8 rims, maybe 3 iffy tires and 2 that appear to be holding their own. Please keep in mind that she is gutted and there is nothing in any of the holding tanks... No idea how much lighter than baseline, but there are absolutely NO furnishings, other than the cockpit and the bathroom... I could even yank and burn the limited carpet, and interior paneling and ceiling panels, since it needs to be done, anyway... (Yes, she's in THAT kind of bad shape).

I need to move her, as cheaply as possible, as soon as I can. At very-slow limp/crawl speeds at night, would using 6 wheels and tires be a functional solution? 2-front, and 1 on each end of the drive and tag-axles... Call it 45 mph for 4-6 hours, sticking to back-roads, if I can get her running..., and lights working,...?

I'm not getting any sort of answers from the one cheap towing service, which would need a long low-boy trailer to do anything, anyway (she's 35 ft). I have maybe $700-$850 to work with and not finding any sort of deals, even on used tires.

This IS a worst-case-scenario, not a 'what-if'... It's REALLY that BAD and I'm REALLY getting THAT desperate..., but I am NOT giving up. I need a real-world working-solution.

Jeff F.
Desperate in
Cedar Creek, TX

I feel your pain.
Let us not forget that if you get it to the point that you can do the tow, you must still be able to stop the thing!!!!
Have you given U-Ship a try? Also check around for Load Brokers for the trucking industry that may be in your area. Also if you have any construction companies with equipment and the machinery to move it in your area you may be able to work out a deal with one of them.
Just some suggestions. Hope it helps.

Either ship it or get new rubber. A blowout could jeopardize your coach and you. Good luck. Richard

I wholeheartedly agree! Some things can be trifled with or deferred - tires are not among them.

Going to try shipping, first, but no way to even guess at the curb weight. I just don't have the access to measure the weight. I have missing rims and multiple flats. I think I have 5 out of 8 rims and only 3 holding air. Would it be safe enough to trailer, on 4, with one on each front corner and one on each end of either the drive axle, or the tag axle?
Just so busy with trying to empty and clean it out, in the heat, I haven't really got a good mental image of the wheel and tire situation. I KNOW she has 3-4 flats at the rear with at least one missing rim on the passengers' side. I think the drivers' rear has all 3 flat. The guy sold the property without emptying it, so he's in a rush, which puts me in a bind, and we're almost 2 hours away with crappy weather coming in.
Haven't even had the time to pull the inside cover off, much less attempt to pull plugs, shoot in some knock-'er-loose, check fluids and try to turn over the engine.
Most of the rubber is so rotten it left skid-marks on packed grassy sand, when they drug it out of where it has sat for years.
If I can get all 4 corners up, it'll be far easier to winch onto a trailer, than trying to drag her.
Once she's 'here', I can jack her up and put her on blocks, to prevent the same situation, while I work on her. Need to finish gutting her and start over, almost from scratch.

Jeff F.
Cedar Creek, TX

I have some spare 6-lug Budd steel wheels, 6x19.5 for when you get home; I don't know what your chassis takes.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
I have some spare 6-lug Budd steel wheels, 6x19.5 for when you get home; I don't know what your chassis takes.

Thank you! Will keep that in mind. Not sure if she has the 6, 12, 5, or 10 hole wheels. I know the tag axle and front hubs have half as many lugs as the drive axle.

Jeff F.
Cedar Creek, TX.

So, here's what we did...

Back in November, we bought a Premium AAA Roadside service membership. I called AAA, argued with them, demanded a supervisor, and they finally sent out a wrecker and road-side service to assist with a wheel-change and intended flat-tow, which turned into a backward-tow with ONLY front wheels on and got maybe 10 miles, before pulling over and waiting for a LARGE flatbed tow. Got to within 5 miles of the house and did that last bit as a backward tow, at about 5 mph, then mounted the wheels I have and pushed her into the current spot... BUT, she has arrived!

In the process, she has earned the nickname "Big Bad Bertha"

Glad you got " Big Bad Bertha " home . Now the FUN begins . Best of luck with the project .
Bob

Thank you. There's nothing significant worth saving inside. She was used for storage and rat-infested. No odor, but it's definitely tear-down-to-the-shell and rework everything.

Not even going to feel bad about the dash, or overhead compartment. Yes, THAT bad... For $2k, I didn't expect it to be this good... Fortunately, I live relatively close to several pick-a-part type salvage yards, with a wide variety of vehicles to choose from, for the cockpit, and for the rest of the interior, I already have ideas.