SP8500 – SP Series™ Sidepuller^®

The SP8500™ was designed with the smaller Light and Medium Duty Chassis in mind. An SP9000™ on a short Chassis, like a 4X2 Dodge 4500, would put the stabilizer leg dangerously close to the ground and risk not only damaging the SidePuller^®but the truck as well. Also, the smaller body would put the light bar pylon too high above the cab if not modified. That’s where the SP8500™ comes in. The SP8500™ maintains a comparable pulling power to the SP9000™ in a smaller package. The stabilizer legs are able to retract far enough to maintain a safe ride in the stowed position and the shorter pylon mounts and pylon options fit the cab much better.

The SP8500™ was designed for those Class 5 and 6 chassis that are too low for the SP9000™ to be used on. The SP8500™ is the only Side SidePuller^® on the market that is designed to fit chassis under 32”. We have also designed vehicle specific mounting plates, so as an installer you don’t have to drill the mounting plates anymore. We offer an ITD4882 – SP8500™ Dodge Mounting plate kit, as well as an ITD4902 – SP8500™ Chevy HD & International CV Mounting Plate Kit that doesn’t need drilled. For the other chassis, we offer an ITD4903 – SP8500™ Universal Mounting Plate Kit that will require you to drill holes in the mounting plates. For more specific fitment, refer to our fitment guide.

You can purchase your SidePuller^® from any Authorized In The Ditch SidePuller^® Distributor. We do not sell direct to end users but we would be glad to help you with any questions you may have.

Yes! Patented under US Patent No. 8192135B2

Please understand we could use larger tube as the main structure, but why add size and weight when it is not needed? We have been working for years in the towing industry to make equipment lighter and stronger to keep axle weights down. Many Car Carriers are pushing Legal Weight Limits as it is. It makes no sense to make things bigger when it is not necessary. We are very proud to have the lightest model in the industry!

I can only guess that it is based on marketing and advertising. If you look at being able to scale a wrecker or carrier on a 26,000 GVWR chassis, you would see that being heavier than the SP8500™ is nothing to brag about. Think about it. If 6″ tube is better than 4.5″, then why not use 8?”, or “Hey lets go to 10″ tube size!” Where do you draw the line? We have over 1,000 units in the field using the 4.5″ tube size with ZERO reported failures. To claim that a design is stronger and heavier because of bigger tubing than the SP8500™, I say WHY?

It’s all about having choices when doing a recovery. With our design, you can pull straight back from the center boom head, something no one else can do. If you have a wrecker, you can run the winch line straight back and have an extra line off the wrecker boom. If you have a carrier, you can have the SP8500™ winch line pull straight back along with the carrier winch to help pull items up the deck. Just by using the center boom head, you have almost 180 degrees of straight out pulling ability & almost 90 degrees of up and down pulling ability. No one in the industry can match that!

Again, it’s about giving the operator choices. By installing the outer boom head, you can pull forward, backwards, and down. The possibilities are endless with our design. For over 15 years we have been listening to the people who are using the SidePuller^® every day and they love having multiple recovery options that you get from either pulling directly off the center boom head or by using the outer boom head.

Do you mean in more directions? Absolutely not. No other brand has the ability to pull in as many directions as the SP8500™!

If the chassis all weighed the same the SP8500™ would pull more. You need to understand that what is important here is the tipping moment. The tipping moment is when you are pulling over the side and the opposite side of the truck starts to come off the ground. The only way to increase pulling power over the side is to widen the stiff leg stance, lower the height of the pulling point, increase vehicle weight or change pulling point to the center of the SidePuller^®. By pulling from the Center Boom Head there is virtually no tipping moment. It has unbelievable abilities.

Well if they want a 10,000lb winch, why not go with 11,000lb, or better yet, why not a 50,000lb winch? I mean, where does it stop? If you need a bigger winch buy a SP12,000™ or a SP20,000™. These are models that were designed to do more work. Their structure size and strength was increased as well as chassis GVWR requirements to handle the increased loads. Putting a bigger winch on a SP8500™ is like putting two 4-barrel carburetors on a stock V6 engine and expecting a performance gain.

Let’s Start with the SP8500™ with Integrated Controls. We made this unit to be a totally self-contained, plug and play unit. We have already installed the valve body and plumbed everything. We also pre-wired the Wireless Remote Control system. All you need to do is mount the SidePuller^®, supply incoming Hydraulic Pressure, add a Return line and supply 12 volt Power. That’s it; we’ve done everything else.

Now let’s talk about the SP8500™. When you order a new wrecker or carrier from a manufacturer, you can have it equipped with extra controls. These controls are generally factory installed near the rear of the chassis. We offer the SP8500™ without integrated controls (which means that this unit does not include a Valve Body or wireless remote control), for those who wish to plumb these factory-installed controls directly to their SP8500™. All that is needed is to run hydraulic hoses from your wrecker or carrier’s valve body to the SP Stabilizer Leg Cylinders and Winch. This is a job that we recommend that you turn to your local Towing Equipment Dealership to do.

The SP8500™ does not come with a Light Pylon, however it does come standard with a Light Pylon Mounting Base. If you want to add a Light Bar Pylon, you can order one of our optional Light Bar Pylons. All of our SP Light Pylons will bolt directly to the SP8500™ Light Pylon mounting base.

If you think about peace of mind and increased profits, the SP8500™ will give you both. Imagine getting that police call when you are in a Car Carrier equipped with the Recovery Abilities that the SP8500™ offers. You will not have to worry if you have the right piece of equipment, you can go to the scene with confidence that you can get the job done. No one in the industry has more experience in using the SidePuller^® than we do. We will give you sound advice and will be here day after day to help you with any service problems that you may have. At In The Ditch we are committed to the Towing Industry and all of you who are out there day and night making your living “In The Ditch.”