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We're never too far from an American flag, in fact the first picture here is our t shirt design but I had them add a bigger flag. We participate in both the Memorial Day and 4th of July parades each year with our flags flying high and proud. *Edited to add this year's 4th of July parade photo

The Boys were out tonight on the Interstate to bring in a F550 with a Turbo issue. The message board is really worthwhile to keep people moved over if possible.

I got a call for a flatbed C30 in a ditch with roofing material in it, I said what's the weight, he said not much bring the small truck . Nick & I brought the 2001 F550 with a Chevron 408 & found a fully (over) loaded C60 with asphalt roofing backed in the ditch, guess they had difficulty getting it up the hill & backed into the ditch, lucky it didn't roll as it had a hard twist/lean. Guessing at 25,000lbs, good thing we have Holmes trees in the area, scotch blocks chained to rear D rings, drivers winch line low to the tree then a 3 part to the drivers side frame rail for a low pull, passenger side winch line 2 part high from the boom to the passenger side frame rail for an upward pull. Engaged the winches & she came right out.

This recovery is a few years old, I had time to actually take some pic's. We had a weeks worth of snow & high winds, this Suburban was a paramedics personal vehicle that he was using for aid calls as the ambulances were not able to get up many driveways. It rolled 4 times & ended up 75' off the narrow road, the worst injury was a broken arm of the 3 occupants. Thank god for all the trees around here, there always seems to be one in just the right place for an anchor or change of direction, fun stuff

Hello everyone, My name is Rick, i'm the son of the driver that died in this horrible accident. I am happy to update this board with the following article: https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/tucson-man-arrested-in-connection-with-hit-and-run-crash/article_3a13de0a-99c7-11e9-9ae7-77ecf65391ec.html WE CAUGHT HIM!! Thank you all for your prayers and support, it is amazing the communities that tradesmen/women create among themselves and their families. Sincerly, Rick Struble Jr.

Great response Brian. Once again ... your comments are well accepted and tow owners should take appropriate heed. In 1984, our police cars had "spiro-graph recorders" that created data when the police car was driven with its emergency lights on, it's siren activated, sudden acceleration and speeds above 65-miles per hour. We called it, "Cop in a Can", as graphs were reviewed for inconsistent or improper vehicle operations by the cop behind the wheel. It DID have an impact on the way officers drove as a means of changing driving behaviors and response protocols. Although telematic data is frowned on by many, I too believe that there's huge value in their systems and they make for a great management tool. Accordingly, if tow operators are driving in the manner that's acceptable to state law, company policy and procedures, the operator shouldn't be worried. That goes hand-in-hand with a tow owner or safety manager that get's out from behind their desks only to follow their drivers on a periodic basis. What also works is a folded up twenty-spot that's stuffed into your driver's pocket that says ... "Thanks for your safe driving habits." R.

I've been a huge Cobra fan forever. In November, the movie, "Ford Versus Ferrari" is coming out. If you are a fan of Carroll Shelby and the paath he created in American musclecars, I think you too will really enjoy this account of Shelby's life. R. Movie Trailer: https://www.google.com/search?q=movie+ford+vs+ferrari&oq=movie+ford+versus&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l2.10791j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

As noted ... of the tips offered above, they're a generic finding that doesn't identify a root problem. And, having tracked tow operator fatalities for more than 25-years, my data suggests as many as 308 +/- tow operators were killed for a varied number of reasons ... working the white-line being the greatest cause and 146 +/- operator lives lost in industrial incidents. Based on the data researched in many years, it's my opinon that tow operators are their own worst enemy. R.

Nearly 25 years in business and finally got a fenced area.... Not sure why we had to procrastinate so long but I'm sure glad we have it now....

Very nicely done. Do you have any pictures of your home made fifth wheel hitch?

I agree, size of the job/load determines the price/rate not the size of the tow truck. Always enjoy your recoverys.

Topic Created by MooreRD in June of 2007: This accident involved two tractors and trailers. The one tractor cut the other tractor off the road to avoid hitting a stopped car along the intertstate and took the second tractor and trailer with the first. Well, well. Who gets out first? Actually due to the recovery of these vehicles, the second got winched out first. Both drivers were uninjured and it was an actual happy ending! (Including the recovery) Happy viewing! RD wstowing11 said: Just curious as to why the right rear outrigger is up off the ground, when the recovery boom is well into rotation, and it is rigged for action ? John Scheidel said: In defense of the leg in the air. We were setting up at the time. He would not let me do anything wrong. MooreRD said: At That time we were preparing to pull it out Not yet set up THANKS FOR NOTICING .

Of course

Underhydrated then overheated.

Probably the earliest vehicle I have towed in 30+ years.

Received a call from the SD for a vehicle that had gone off the road after swerving to miss a deer. This is what we found as the deputy and I arrived about the same time. The Durango was almost straight up and down with about 2 feet of the hood in the water. The large steel culvert was over 8 feet in diameter and backed up somewhat. Decided to just pick it up to avoid damaging the oil pans to avoid leaks into the water way. Picked it up with the Century At this point I had to put a 6x6 on the stinger and push the Dodge away from me as the front tires were hooked on the culvert. Then just lift and set down on the ground. Then got the flatbed to haul back to the shop.

Happy Anniversary! Looking Good in Center Stage...

Tow Professional President/ Owner celebrating 11 year anniversary! 11 years ago I said I do, I never knew how much my life would change! I thank God for my family! A wife with the love and strength to lift me up and give me praise, and the courage to tell me when I am not living to my potential as God sees me. I have a child that knows me as Father, and that makes me proud every day! My cup runneth over, and I pray His Grace and Mercy follows our family, all of our days!

Hi, ProTower! We are in the midst of building out an integration with Square processors, as we speak. 🙂 That will be the first card reader integration, but more will be coming in after that.

Happy Anniversary, Darian!

Yeah, No, my hourly rate has always been calculated of the weight of the casualty not what I bring to do the job:)

Hdtowing aka John Hessman member since August of 2002. His father "Jack Hessman" known as "JACKSTOWING" is what can be considered one of our Tow411 founding members Jack left us in August of 2005 as the result of a tragic motorcycle accident. I continue to miss Jack along with many others who were very enthusiastic about communicating with other towers. It is unknown how many Jack touched in our early days. It's hard to fight back the tears, but the stories must be told. The list below of the Top Ten WreckMasters in 2005 includes John Hessman. Honored just a few months following his fathers passing. I am positive I am just one of few that miss Jack and we are proud that John has become the man his father would be proud of... And look forward to his passing on the knowledge to our younger members. Thank you for being there John aka Hdtowing. A List of 2005 Top Ten WreckMasters: Interstate Towing Matt Farrell 91212 Ace Towing & Recovery Barry Derbyshire 97645 Automotive Support Services John Hessman III 971205 Engel Towing Sean Koonz 001772 Buehler Automotive Ken Buehler 020110 Gene's Towing & Transportation Michael Myers 020905 Country Repair Michael Rutherford 030160 Bussanmas Towing & Recovery Jeff Bussanmas 030968 Tony's Wrecker Service Inc. Nick Schade 040123 US Tow Service Michael Meade 98780 And the WreckMaster of the Year for 2005 is "John Weaver" from Mauldin Body Shop in Canton, GA From the list above you will recognize at least half of the Towman as members of Tow411 now TowForce. Together everyone of our members are a strong Force in the Towing & Recovery Industry. I know I am missing some member stories along the way, so if other could help me along I would appreciate it. This is more than a roll call, since we have changed systems this is more like a reunion. Thank you!

I added two flag holders to my hobby wrecker: American Flag always on the right. Two small Bonnie Blue flags on the wheel lift and a Scouting anniversary flag on the mast. Sorry, no wind to move the flags when parked.

Thanks for the kind words. The die cast collection was my brother Wally's. He passed away 2 months after we got that KW. Mike and I started working on the Miller race recovery team in 2005 at Chicagoland Speedway. He was not able to work at the track last year do to him being sick. Since Miller quit supplying trucks Lynch Towing Equipment has supplied the trucks. This year, to honor Mikes work on the recovery team Lynch along with Miller Industries had a limited number of t shirts made with a picture of his 50s rat rad tow truck on the back. At the race track for a $20.00 donation a person got a shirt. There was 131 shirts made, and 127 went to donors. There were many people who donated money, from towers to track service people, such as fire fighters, clean up, ems, and even some people from NASCAR that did not want shirts. Total proceeds were $3190.00 that were donated to Mikes wife and kids. If I knew how to post pictures, I would post one of the shirt. This old dog is not that advanced. LOL. A huge thank you to Fred Grueber from Miller Industries, Miller, and Lynch Towing Equipment for taking the time and effort to honor Mike. To all who donated, Thank you.

Recovery was definetly worth more than the trailer. I was called in the evening for travel trailer over embankment on a steep narrow freshly installed dirt road, had come unhooked from tow vehicle & came to rest on a tree, it was safely off roadway so we decoded to recover in daylight. Arrived on scene with 2 light duties, a 2001 F550 4x4 with a Chevron 408 & a 2018 F450 4x4 with a Chevron 408TA. The 550 was placed in front, scotch blocks chained to tailboard with 1 line from each winch going to snatch blocks/grade 80 recovery chains around each frame rail at front of trailer then each line was terminated at large trees on opposing sides of the 550 for steer ability of the trailer as we winched. The 450 was backed up to the drivers side of trailers as we were concerned of it potentially rolling over & also to put a side/forward pull to keep it from sliding sideways during the forward winch. The 450 drivers side line went to snatch block/grade 80 5/16" recovery chain/frame at drivers rear of trailer & terminated at tailboard D ring of 450, passenger side line went opposite direction up hill to snatch block/grade 80 5/16" recovery chain/tree then terminated at drivers side of trailer spring frame mount, with the 450 rigged this way we could keep the 450 from dragging sideways by keeping even tension on both winches. Figuring the trailer heavy at 10,000lbs it was way over rigged with 7 lines to the load but the many lines were more for control than weight. All went as planned, winched it up to the 550, slipped my ball in the tongue, safety chained & towed to its final destination. 2 hrs from start to finish.

Looks like the stout frame saved this wobbly box. Nice Work.

Be honest. Provide value for the rates you charge. You will have more business than you can handle.

I so want the names of these company vehicles in violation of Slow Down Move Over. I want to send their companies a copy of this video. In hopes they have a safety director that could review the danger with their drivers. It's bad enough that a 4 wheeler does not respect the emergency vehicle. But when a commercial driver does it, that uncalled for and call needs to be made to there company. How can we as an industry get this word out to trucking companies so they are fully aware of our dangers and their drivers are a contributing factor?

Trees don't have tags one them!!

Joe got a "combination" wreck the other day....Sort of. Guy driving a Kia Soul...pulling a trailer if you can believe...full of firewood, and pulled out into an intersection to go up the hill. I guess the "little engine that could" was groaning to get out of the way & got T Boned in the intersection... He was pulling out on the right there to go the same direction as the rollback is pointing...sort of spun him like a top... Yea jack-knifed his rig there....Fire wood all over the place & a pretty large debris field so Joe called for a clean up truck to help him.... The trailer was going to his residence so we hooked that to the Support truck for transport.... The officer asked Joe for a broom just as Rob was pulling up on scene....He said I got something better than that...LoL. They cleaned up the mess & delivered the vehicle to a local body shop as requested.

Nice rigging, love the trees, sometimes there is a casualty though as there's no WLL on those darn things...

TowForce Congratulations to Jesse Trgo (Interstate Towing and Transport Specialists Inc.) @J TRGO

Did this a while back, logging company had called out crane also so was pretty strait foward.

Tucson police have arrested a man in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed two men earlier this month. Justin Lang, 32, was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter. He was located at a home near East 30th Street and South Marc Drive, near East Golf Links and Pantano roads, Tucson police said in a news release. On the night of June 10, Lang was allegedly driving eastbound on West Simmons Road at a high rate of speed when police say he crashed into a tow truck and the two men in a Discount Tire parking lot at 3760 N. Oracle Rd., near West Prince Road. Ramon Murillo, 32, and Richard Struble, 57, were both killed. Struble was a tow truck driver dropping off Murillo's car, police said. Lang is accused of fleeing the scene on foot. He has been booked into the Pima County Jail and is being held on a $1 million bond. Lang previously served time in prison for aggravated assault, auto theft and a drug violation, according to court records

Ron mentioned the need to discuss chasing a runaway vehicle after it disconnects and rolls away. I went back to count as many as 43-tow operators pinned or run-over in past years. This is such a tragic loss, but I understand the mentality that comes with seeing a customer's car violently roll away or that of a tow truck when the e-brake let's go. Christine and I send our prayers and sympathy to this young man's family and the company he worked for. So sad. R.

You have been dispatched to use your winches to lower a 40-yard roll-off dumpster into driveway that has a tree line down both sides creating a canopy over it preventing the roll-off truck from unloading it at the bottom without damaging the trees. The truck you are in is a 16 ton wrecker equipped with dual 15,000 lbs winches that have 150 feet of 1/2 steel core wire rope. The roll-off dumpster has rollers on all four corners which will allow it to roll down the concrete driveway. The curb weight of the empty dumpster is 6,500 lbs. The driveway is sloped towards the house. The layout of the driveway is straight from roadway with it ending right next to the garage. The garage door is to the right of the driveway. The length of the driveway to the spot where the contractor wants the dumpster is 100 foot with the first 40 feet being flat and level which will allow the roll off company to unload the dumpster on the flat part of the driveway. The rest of the driveway is at a 15° until it levels off at the bottom of the driveway. The contractor has swept the driveway to remove any debris that was on it. Once the roll-off is unloaded, it is chocked in place with two rubber chock blocks. After performing your survey, you note that there is room in front of the dumpster to position your truck directly in front of it. The front of the dumpster has two attachment points designed to have a two-legged bridle attached to for such instances. On the back of the dumpster, the company has painted its Name, dumpster number, empty weight as well as a list of items not allowed in it. The empty weight is 6,500 lbs. 1/2 inch steel wire rope WLL 7,490 lbs 1/2 inch Grade 100 12 foot Two leg bridle WLL 26,000 lbs @ 60° With the information, you were able to gather during your survey, answer the following questions. 1. What is the resistance of the dumpster? 2. Will the wire rope be within its working load limit if used as a single line? View the full article on WreckMaster.com...

Thanks Jeff, we're half way back to we once were. Traffic on the New Board is High, but as in the past few years there is more reading then posting. I honestly believe that the amount of topics on the old board had something to do with that along with other forms of social media many just sit back and watch. Participation will increase as we bring back to give a ways as we did in the early days of Tow411. Right now there is a TowMate 36" Wireless Light Bar up for grabs. With only 2 entries this could take some time. Soon a Light Duty Challenge will be added along with a semi annual roll call next month. Thank you for your continued support, I will not let you down again.

Searching for more details to add to this topic. Thanks

I found this one in an old post, one of the only surviving images found in that post. Image taken in 2007/08 at the William e Durr branch library Without a description I posted it to the Vintage Holmes Wreckers Group and tagged Kevin Kallmeyer. Kevin responded with "This truck is named dad's dream.." 1993 pete 379 3406 b cat 15 spd trans 2 speed rears Holmes 1801 with a zacklift On October 6, 2012 Kevin made the final post under his fathers screen name. This will be the final post under this screen name... Dad has been called to heaven to be with my mother his wife who preceded him in 1992.. The towing world has had a major hole torn into it today... a wealth of knowledge lost... only part of which was conveyed to me... (Kevin) May you all travel the road safely... In Memory of Ken Kallmeyer June 1941 - October 2012 (joined Tow411 in 2004). A Condolence post in Tribute to Ken Kallmeyer will be transfer to TowForce in the coming months. Thanks

Still Available!

2014 Landoll 342 Container Trailer - Stock Number U1116 12,000 lb Continuous Chain Drive System 24’6” Long Steel Deck with Keyhole Approach Plate 102” Width 15,000 lb Axle with Full Air Brakes Spring Suspension Hub Pilot Wheel Assembly with Outboard Drums 235/75R 17.5 Double Coin LRH Tires Pusher Blade 5th Wheel Plate Hook Up, Air & 7 Way Electrical Gooseneck Mounted Tool Box (24”W x 24”D x 14”H) 1 1/2” Tall x 1” Thick Side Rail Full Length of Deck Crank Down Landing Legs Ladder Left Side Mounted - Painted Snorkel Orange Contact: Mike Kornegay Eastern Wrecker Sales, Inc Clayton, North Carolina Cell Phone: 919-810-3090 E-Mail: mkornegay@easternwrecker.com

WIN THIS PROPANE-POWERED CARRIER! Thanks to a generous donation from Worldwide Equipment Sales, Jerr-Dan, and ROUSH CleanTech, we have an incredible, brand-new, propane-powered carrier for raffle! With clean propane technology from ROUSH and a Jerr-Dan body, this carrier will be the perfect workhorse addition to your fleet. All proceeds from this raffle will benefit the CTTA Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3), established to provide funding and support for education within the towing industry. As we celebrate 50 Years of protecting the California towing industry, we are looking to the future of tow operator education. The California Tow Truck Association has big plans for its training programs and the money raised here will go a long way toward making those plans a reality. Click below to get more details and secure your exclusive raffle tickets before they're gone! CLICK TO GET YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS! CLICK TO GET YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS!

1961 B-61 Mack delivering a 1928 AC Mack in 2001 to Gap Pennsylvania.

Topic Originally Created on Tow411 in August of 2009: Hot summer day, (for Wisconsin), Wisconsin state patrol calls for flatbed to recover travel trailer in ditch eastbound median. Sent out a unit right away, The traffic is really backing up. All the light duty guys are out, soooooo I jump in a rollback and head out. Got to west to get there, I crest the hill and see a LONG back up, then I see THIS. Grab the mic, " Someone, anyone climb in my truck and head this way NOW!! Swing around at next exit, and head east lights blazing, jump on median shoulder. I arrive 15 minutes later, (had to go 3 miles) the trooper walks up and says "Get this out fast, its rush hour!!!" My response is "What am I going to do with me 21' carrier?" I get the deer in the headlights look, I'm sure we all know it. "What are we going to do, district is going to have a fit." he says. Relax I have "SUPER TATOR" on the way. He says "HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE?". "Now, if you would have requested the proper equipment it would be here already." Needless to say, another 20 minutes my truck gets there with Dan at the helm. Trooper walks up again and says "Troop commander says you have 1 hour or we will have to do it tonite at midnight." No problem, yeah right! So, I do the only thing I could think of. Set up, lift it, swing it to rear, lock boom, and go 1/4 mile to scale entrance. I know this is probably not going to go over well with some, but it was crunch time. Just trying to keep the super slab flowing and our troopers happy. Created a 5 mile back up, and no secondary crashes. Midnight didn't sound like fun to me, I've been on days FOREVER!!! Its really dark then---LOL!!! Our fearless leader shows up during rigging process, and asks what the plan is, I tell him, and he gives me that look like your going to do WHAT!! But he did agree that it was the only option right now. Had to think fast & outside the box----alittle. This was 1 of 4 travel trailer rollovers in a 9 day period on this same 3 mile stretch of I94. Overall damage was moderate, no additional damage from lift. Insurance did total unit. Changed a tire with spare, aired one up, and off to the shop. Thanks for looking, be safe. Niemans Towing said: WOW nice job on clearing the road Jamie Dougherty said: You are a braver man than I. It looks like in the photo while you are driving it is already upright, If it was why not spin it and hook it properly on the shoulder? Just a question not trying to bash. JAMIE DOUGHERTY JANEWAY TOWING BigBen835 said: Thanks for replies, both left side tires flat, rims not so good. Again went a 1/4 mile to scale parking lot, and as I stated changed tires and towed properly. And if I would have spun it to the right or rear either way the whole interstate was blocked while hooking for tow. I figured some would not approve but TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK. LOL! Miracle1 said: Not your everyday practice, but it got the job at hand done I'm sure all involved were happy don't see a problem we've all done unorthadox things when in a pinch. stay safe Kenny Kenny Miracle ''Miracles Do Happen Here'' BigWheelRecovery said: Nice show of power that is a different recovery .Thanks Eric TowThis2002 said: Just asking - Did you unfold the under-reach and chain it to the crossbar to keep from swinging? That must have been neat to see driving down the other way(Westbound?)... Soonertator said: I think you did what you had to do. Some on here may criticize but I am willing to bet that the troopers wont even hesitate to call you next time they need some "out of the box" type help. Good job Blue Stripe said: Obviously there were no bridges along your route? LOL There lies the dilemma of doing it the right way, or keeping the state troopers happy. Keeping the state happy is very important. My idea would be to give the trooper 2 choices, we do it this way (the way you did) or I do it the right way here at the scene and its going to take longer. If they choose option A, explain to them that you will need him to escort (behind) you to where ever you're moving it to. Tell them its their responsibility to keep cars from attempting to pass this "wide load". If they can agree to that, then your road is clear in 10 minutes (or however long) Always leave the liability on the PD whenever possible, especially if they're asking you to do something out of the ordinary. Chris Flynn, WM 091008 Boardman Towing & Recovery

My truck has the steel cab, lighter duty trucks went to aluminum before the 650s did... to answer your question about buying it all over again if I had to it’s a catch 22. At the time I purchased this particular truck because I wanted an extended cab, 26k lbs truck with a cab and a half. I also had a falling out with my local international dealerships service department, after a half butted repair on a 4300, so I told them I swore off international, that left me with freightliner or ford, I opted for the ford because of the warranty primarily, and it was almost 10k dollars less then a comparably equipped FL... the only real drawback I found with my truck is the small cab, at 6’2” my legs get very restless driving after a couple hours, and it gets very cramped with a couple passengers. My bed angle with the air ride dumped is right close to 10 degrees, without the shark tail bed... hope this helps anyone looking!

I agree. As a towing company owner, I Do not promote one shop over another. Its just bad business practices and as stated above, Illegal in most states. When a customer asks for recommendations I always give them a couple options of reputable shops in town. Quality shops that I myself use. Do yourself a favor and become one of those reputable shops that provide quality service and fair rates and your local towers will take notice. Good Luck with your business!!!

Dangerous road! I think your best bet is to be the best at what you do, and have a good reputation for quality work. The biggest thing is to get to know the towers in the area, I mean really get to know them. Not just the owners, but the grunts, the cable draggers, the guys and gals that work overnight in crappy weather. Get to know them and take care of them when they are at your shop, not monetarily, but help them get unloaded, get them some coffee, warm them up, dry them off, clean them up, get them some quick grub, give them your cell number to reach you after hours and go to your shop after hours and meet them to help, make it easy for them ... Go to their shop after you get to know them and buy pizza for their staff or safety meeting. When they know you will take care of the clients they bring in in a professional manner, and you will make things easier and more efficient for them when they are there, it will bring you business. Additionally, it is just good business to have positive relationships with area businesses. That said, kickbacks almost never build goodwill long term, and are likely illegal, especially in Illinois.

I don't recall which wrecker you had mounted to your chassis. But, I can tell you that whoever estimated a 550 4x4 at 10,000 lbs your about 5,000+- light. My 2001 550 century 602 aluminum body/tunnel toolbox is right at 15.000 lbs and that's on the original 17500 gvw before they went to the 19500. I recall the days of the 350's 11000 gvw in ford weighed around the 10/10500 mark empty with a wrecker and a 460, it was mentioned the weight is behind the axle not on top like a camper or trailer so we are loosing before we get going!! The part about your extra leaf or overload just touching the bumpers is in all actuality where you want it. So, as soon as you're loading they are working. Unfortunately, it's a single leaf and really doesn't do much. I believe due to the arch I'm not sure you can double or triple it up. In my opinion if it were me I would look at the 3 options. 1) (I did this with my 550) I put air bags in 5000lb kit if I recall had them 10 years now +- but I put a leveling valve on my rear axle and preset it to where I wanted- weight goes on valve opens auxiliary compressor and tank I mounted in the toolbox kicks in pumps it up to height again just like a big truck, unload and valve dumps air from bags like a big truck- "air lift" was the brand and it was a complete kit with relays/solenoids wire kit and tubing. I didn't want to mess with the pump the bags up at the shop every 3 days because they will always leak and it's when they are empty or low is when you need the capacity, wasn't cheap but worth the money I think. Option 2) Is a product I installed on my 5500 Ram rollback it's called a sumo spring it is a similar design to a timbren but made by Super Spring it mounts right above or where the factory bump stops are located and they just rest on the rear axle or slightly above, I have mounted these on several "work trucks" they have different ratings but all I'm seeing for the 550 in your year is one rating part#SSR-120-54 (2800 lbs rating) not only do they take some load but the stability added to my rollback was tremendous they are available for the front axle also if you decide to counter weight. Option 3) again is another product by Super Springs (6600lb rating) part# SSA-26 it is simply an additional 2 leaf kit mounts in conjunction with your overload and you can pre-load it to suit your needs basically we always put enough tension on them to stay put when unloaded to maintain a decent ride height and so your riding on the factory pack but they pick up weight load as soon as you lift. Basically it makes your empty ride as it is and not a lumber wagon but gives capacity as soon as you add the weight. If it were me not knowing what you do mostly I'd go with the add on leafs to carry the weight and the sumo spring (timbren style) to help with stability I really think you will like the results. 6600lbs is the highest rating they have on leafs a couple less ratings are available. But, I wouldn't think they would apply to us in the towing world. www.supersprings.com Warranty on commercial use is 3 years on your weekend boat puller it's lifetime. Install time... you can pull it in your shop and have it back on the road in a couple hours vs. a day to disassemble spring packs add leafs and end up with a lumber wagon. I'm not trying to be bias to there product or dis respect your spring guy (I added 7 leafs per side on my f350 when I built it) but for the expense and quick turn around to install you can't go wrong. We use them on our equipment with no issues I have a pair on my Ram 2500 because I carry a plow on it, as mentioned I have both on my rollback I had the sumo style before the extra leafs and the stability they added was crazy. Let us know how you made out or anyone else who try's the product.

With some basic assumptions since most light duty trucks are about the same, your truck should be able to lift approximately 7,000 pounds with the wheel lift fully retracted and 5,000 pounds at full extension. Now this is the calculated capacities, NOT the structural capacities as determined by whichever wrecker manufacturer you have. Most manufacturers limit light duty to 4,000 pounds at full extension due to structural issues not chassis capacity. The way I determined this is using the basic tow capacity formula that has been industry standard for decades and some educated guesses as to what your truck weights. A typical F-550 4x4 should have a static weight close to 10,000 pounds with 60% on the front axle and 40% on the rear axle. The 2017 F-550 extended cab with a 60" CA body on it (you said no tunnel box) has a wheel base of 167.9" and typical light duty wheel lift overhang is between 72-96" (retracted vs. extended). Plug these numbers into the formula 1/2 front axle weight x wheel base / overhang = capacity. 3,000*167.9=503,700/72=6995.83 at full retracted. If your rear springs are collapsing then they are not doing their job to support the load or you are overloading them. It is very likely your springs are weak, or the truck did not have the payload plus package installed properly. Off the line the F-550 comes standard at 18,000 GVWR and requires a dealer installed upgrade to make the 19,500 GVWR which includes a frame reinforcement between the springs. Even when working properly there is no weight transfer from the rear springs to the front axle in a tow truck. Wreckers use the rear axle as the fulcrum point in a lever and the front axle is the counterweight. Your steering can be improved by either increasing the front axle static weight with a counterweight like a push bumper or brush guard, reducing the rear overhang or lengthening the wheelbase. Installing stiffer springs will help with rear end sag and provide better support for the weight that you are towing but will not help transfer.