1970 C50 with Holmes 500 wrecker

[80SPORT]

We picked up a very original C50 with a Holmes 500 twin boom wrecker from one of the towing companies;38000 original miles...belonged to a Chevy dealer ...just used for towing their own units...rigged up at the Holmes factory.It has the Accuride 25647 RH 5 deg rims on it ....we will have to find some 22.5 one piece rims as the tire stores here will no longer change out tires on the 2 piece rims.Everything else we can keep correct.350/2v with a 4spd/2 speed axle ....even has the linkage assist power steering and factory tach.

[special-K]

Custom cab to boot! Nice nice nice. I decided to sell my C/30 wrecker because one like this is what I feel I need to haul my 10-30s. You done good Jethro

[C10 - C90 Bill]

Real nice truck. Back in the Mid-70's I was looking for one exactly like it. I was slow on work and saw an opportunity to make some money with it. That Holmes 500 is one good Wrecker unit.

Bill

[junksaver]

Nice looking wrecker. Do you have any more pictures of the bed? It appears you may have a Holmes 600 wrecker bed on the truck. I would like to have that in my Wrecker collection.

[80SPORT]

Definitely a Holmes 500;has the optional larger drums and outboard legs;installed new on the truck in 1970.The SPID shows the Z62 custom cab.Most wreckers were used hard and worn out in the first 10 years;this is one of the most original and correct Holmes units I have seen.

[KQQL IT]

Sweet little tow truck.

[68panelman]

Very nice rig, Good luck with it.

[junksaver]

That is an unusual Holmes 500. All the 500 models I have seen were the same as a 480 just with a gear reduction on the winches. Yours appears to have all the specs of a 600, but is tagged as a 500.

[kwmech]

Wouldn't a 480 be a little small for a medium duty chassis? I've got a 480 that I recently removed form a 30 series

[junksaver]

I have a 480 mounted on a 72 C30 and it is wider than the rear chassis. It could be mounted on a C50 but would be on the light duty side for a chassis that heavy.

[C10 - C90 Bill]

I have a Holmes 440 (Single Boom) and once had a 480 (Twin Boom), both on 1-Ton Trucks. I believe the 500 is for Medium Duty trucks, but a quick call to Holmes would tell us all for sure. I contacted them once with the numbers on my 440 and they deciphered them all for me. Very friendly people to boot.

Bill

[undertaker72]

my 500 has one large spool and a small and pass only stiff leg, your has both and large drums , tailboard looks like it set for car sling and a med duty sling , did you get the hand cranks , 500-600-750 holmes all have the same gearbox, just larger mast and booms , I had a 600 bed on a Kodiak with extendable booms square tube , the lattis booms are just as strong , just short on reach , ill tell ya if you can glue any of them down they will pull till you rip the causulty apart or bust a pto shaft , they outpull a hydrolic all to hell , that's why you see a lot of holmes mast on kemp conversions , that's a nice piece you have there

[kwmech]

Originally Posted by junksaver

I have a 480 mounted on a 72 C30 and it is wider than the rear chassis. It could be mounted on a C50 but would be on the light duty side for a chassis that heavy.

That's what I thought, need any parts? I'm going to scrap out the 480. I'm keeping my 440 on my 4x. Of all things I'm using my wrecker for logging right now, Calif won't let me use my truck for commercial towing anymore due to the weight rating of the truck. I'm going to be selling my other truck soon, just has a wheel lift on it

[kwmech]

Originally Posted by undertaker72

my 500 has one large spool and a small and pass only stiff leg, your has both and large drums , tailboard looks like it set for car sling and a med duty sling , did you get the hand cranks , 500-600-750 holmes all have the same gearbox, just larger mast and booms , I had a 600 bed on a Kodiak with extendable booms square tube , the lattis booms are just as strong , just short on reach , ill tell ya if you can glue any of them down they will pull till you rip the causulty apart or bust a pto shaft , they outpull a hydrolic all to hell , that's why you see a lot of holmes mast on kemp conversions , that's a nice piece you have there

You're not kidding on the strength of the units, I'm constantly surprised how strong just my 440 is. I upgraded the cable to 1/2, it will keep pulling until something breaks or starts dragging the truck

[80SPORT]

Originally Posted by undertaker72

my 500 has one large spool and a small and pass only stiff leg, your has both and large drums , tailboard looks like it set for car sling and a med duty sling , did you get the hand cranks , 500-600-750 holmes all have the same gearbox, just larger mast and booms , I had a 600 bed on a Kodiak with extendable booms square tube , the lattis booms are just as strong , just short on reach , ill tell ya if you can glue any of them down they will pull till you rip the causulty apart or bust a pto shaft , they outpull a hydrolic all to hell , that's why you see a lot of holmes mast on kemp conversions , that's a nice piece you have there

The 500 was available with one small drum and one large drum;it was called the Town and Country option;I have the car sling as well ...as you can see from the brackets.The 500 was the smallest of the heavy duty line consisting of the 500/600/750/850 series;we did have one 500 on a one ton but it was too much wrecker for the truck;the 440/480 were a great fit on the one tons.In the 70's Holmes was the world leader in recovery equipment;even todays super hydraulic rotators would have a hard time outdoing an 850 mechanical on a straight pull...you might snap a cable or bend your truck...but you never broke a Holmes wrecker.

[undertaker72]

Originally Posted by 80SPORT

The 500 was available with one small drum and one large drum;it was called the Town and Country option;I have the car sling as well ...as you can see from the brackets.The 500 was the smallest of the heavy duty line consisting of the 500/600/750/850 series;we did have one 500 on a one ton but it was too much wrecker for the truck;the 440/480 were a great fit on the one tons.In the 70's Holmes was the world leader in recovery equipment;even todays super hydraulic rotators would have a hard time outdoing an 850 mechanical on a straight pull...you might snap a cable or bend your truck...but you never broke a Holmes wrecker.

another good thing holmes did was the pan dollies , in the old days you caould take a care that was a pancake if you had the dollies and the truck , the new pop ups are a lot weeker than the good old stuff , if you wanted to do a super pull take the cables of the boom and do a mast pull , 2 part lay-up to a couple deadmen and you could move some iron , why don't you sell me that that's a cherry rig

[1976gmc20]

Congratulations! Very nice old truck

I had a 1965 C-50 and I changed the tires on those 20" two-piece rims myself all the time. I used it for hauling logs so I had lots of flats, but I never had any problems with one blowing up. You just have to know what you're doing. Just FYI

[colgad]

Originally Posted by 80SPORT

We picked up a very original C50 with a Holmes 500 twin boom wrecker from one of the towing companies;38000 original miles...belonged to a Chevy dealer ...just used for towing their own units...rigged up at the Holmes factory.It has the Accuride 25647 RH 5 deg rims on it ....we will have to find some 22.5 one piece rims as the tire stores here will no longer change out tires on the 2 piece rims.Everything else we can keep correct.350/2v with a 4spd/2 speed axle ....even has the linkage assist power steering and factory tach.

Part Number 40016-11 22.5x9 at the Truckaccessorydepot $225. each fits your C50!

[greywuuf]

KwMech, I may be interested in parts.... is it complete ?

[kwmech]

yes but it needs some TLC. I was going to build strictly and off road unit but couldn't get the money together for the build

[djaap]

Nice wrecker. Want another one? 1970 C40 with a Holmes 500. Comes with a big Boom as well. Truck still runs. Engine has a knock. Hasn't been used on the road in decades. My father used it to move around cars in his paint and body business. Wrecker bed is extremely useful for lifting off truck cabs, beds or as engine lift. Single speed rear end, not much fun to drive on the road. I have no idea what a fair price for this truck is. Sorry some pics are upside down. I am too lazy to fix it.

Anybody know what a reasonable price is for this truck? My father is too old to use it anymore and I don't work on vehicles that much myself anymore.

[special-K]

Very interesting. On value I'd say it's worth less than he paid since it's upside down.

[djaap]

Thanks. I really struggle sometimes with computers. Let me try again. Didn't work.

Pic is fine when I upload it.

[greywuuf]

I would love to find one like that near me.... I missed one that went for a Grand a couple years back

[djaap]

A grand will buy this one.