GRUMPS The Towman

I would have to take an educated guess and say that the gearbox failure happening during a low-line pull off the tail board was nothing more than coincidence. Like Mr. Coupland mentioned, I too have busted chains, snatch blocks, wire ropes and even bent a boom on a 750 back in the day and never had a gearbox let loose. Those old beasts are pulling monsters.

And this is EXACTLY why all these fancy "safety" systems that come in these vehicles should be outlawed in my opinion.

Thank you to all my brothers in arms, Past and present. The fight for freedom is never easy. U.S. Army 75th Ranger Rgt. / 101st. AIrborne Recondo/Lrrp

I will do that Mr. Resch. I will try to clean it up a bit grammar wise too. Lol I would have to say adding cones/flares adds about 1- 3 minutes depending on the situation. I have my cones mounted right behind my door so they are easilly grabbed as I get out of my rig. Most times I will simply collect them and toss them up on the deck in the chain bed by the headache rack to speed up the process of getting out of there. After we are off the highway, I repack all my gear and complete the securement of my casualty vehicle. ( Yes, I am a one-tie back chainer/strapper untill I am off the highway. Although I have never been ticketed for this practice, I am aware it is "illegal" and I will gladly accept the ticket if one is issued. At least I will be alive to answer the summons. I suppose it falls into the old saying of I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6..

I send my condolences to the victims family and friends and get well wishes to the injured. It is made to seem that Mr. King made a series of small mistakes that ultimately cost him his life. ( No seatbelt, wandering into oncoming lanes, etc..) Yet, I am sure that somehow it will get twisted into the tow truck operators fault sadly.

My rule has always been to secure the customer in my cab before I even turn my p.t.o. on. For the customers that insist on standing outside or are just watching, I show them that i need them to not pass the rear tire of my truck. I also over-express the dangers of getting anywhere near or behind the back of my truck while I am loading their vehicle. I also make it a point to work the side of the truck that they are standing on so I can better watch them. ( in parking lots, driveways etc..) For customers that are broke down on the side of a busy road, I have been making it a point to instruct the customer on the phone when they call to wait in the passenger side of their vehicle for my arrival. I do this for a couple reasons. Obviously, so they are a little better protected should someone hit them while they are waiting for me. The second reason is More times than not, people have a tendency to jump up right out of their car the instant I pull up, most times without even bothering to look behind them. ( I have witnessed a few close calls ) With them hopping out of the passenger side, It gives me a few extra moments to get parked and out so I can take control of where they are and give them my typical " dangers of the roadside routine ". Like dperone, Road cones and flares are deployed upon arrival in needed situations. Walking up to greet a customer (on the curbside of course) with a arm full of road cones also helps to amplify the seriousness of where we are. I have practiced how I approach these scenarios to streamline how I do it to get the whole deal over and done with in quick time. I will always believe the best way to not get hit out there is to get in and out of there as quickly as possible

It would appear that this particular person is going to pull at every straw they can to attempt to make them feel like they have "won" persay. I have had my fair share of those types. They screw up, park illegally or whatnot, get towed then do all they can to deflect the fact that they were in the wrong. Because of my "satellite" storage yard as I call it, I have been accused of running a shady business, a scam yada yada. Problem for them is That I have made sure that I am following the city, county and state law to a T in regards to how I conduct my storage yard. ( Insurance, Lighting, Signage etc.. ) There is nothing there that requires me to provide them with any sort of amenities Nor do I even have to release any vehicles after 5pm unless I want to. ( I usually do, Unless they are real MnFer's )

My impound lot is a remote location that I rent downtown. It is located behind a repair shop so I dont have any office space or anything there. ( I have considered putting a office trailer or old camper in there ) I meet my customers at the gate and handle business out of the cab of my truck. I clearly explain what the customer needs with them when they call to inquire how they can retrieve their vehicles and the process only takes a couple minutes. All the companies here have remote yards so It is common knowledge for the locals to call and schedule a time to meet.

Sadly, with all the manufactures having their own system, there is no "one way" to bypass them really. Now realistically, at some point in all those parking brake systems there has to be a mechanical mechanisim of some sort to physically apply the brakes. That would be my point of attack if I was to attempt to disable one I suppose. I usually give them one shot with a jump pack to shut them off, if that is no go, then out come the skates. Charge accordingly of course..

I am Very happy to hear this Operator recognized the impending collision and survived. I am trying to picture how he ended up getting his foot run over. Did he fall as he ran around the front of his truck? Did the semi make any contact with his rig? I am interested in seeing what other details might come from this. If anyone might have more FACTS about this please post them. Wishing the Operator a speedy recovery from his injuries.

Well said Mr. Resch. Please Brothers, Watch your 6 out there. I know we dont need yet another worry on our plates, but we can handle it... We tow operators can handle anything thrown at us.

What year and make is the truck? Engine? What brand of programmer is it? (Bully dog, Banks, H&S, Edge) Is it a plug and play unit? Internally installed? (hardwired) Software re-write?

He is referring to adding a performance enhancing programmer to his trucks pcm/ecu. As well as deleting some of the trucks emissions equipment Mr. Resch. Now, If I may ask, Did you perform these modifications on a commercial tow truck? If you did, Then I hate to break it to you, But you have broken federal law. If you are a business for hire with U.S d.o.t. numbers and get pulled in for any level of d.o.t. inspection, The moment the inspector sees you have altered the emissions system and modified the ecu, they are more than likely going to impound your truck, revoke your d.o.t. #'s and nail you with a littany of violations that will cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars. Believe me, If I could LEGALLY delete the emissions systems and install a proper programmer to my trucks, I would in a heartbeat. But as a for profit- legally run towing/recovery business, that is not possible. Many programmers out there are cheaply built in nature, although the prices dont reflect such( mainly due to the fact they are illegal ) and usually end up causing more problems than they are worth. ( like transmission, driveability, body controler issues, or completely cooking the trucks ecu ). Of course all of this depends on the programmer, type of truck, new or previously used programmer, etc.. I hope for your sake, this is not the case. I would remove the programmer and see if the trucks ecu " forgets" the transmission faults. If it does, then the problem is in the programmer. If they dont disappear, then my guess would be that installing the programmer damaged the trucks ecu. In any event, I would stay very clear of any and all d.o.t.weigh stations and spot checks and get your rig back together with all the operating emissions gear back on.

Certainly sounds like an outdated regulation. Kind of like an early 1900's law that is supposedly still on the books here in NY ( albeit, I havent been able to find any such law but, I have heard this from more than one person ) that mandates that all motorized vehicles have someone on foot, horseback or bicycle at least 1000' ahead of it with a red lantern announcing a motor vehicle is coming through.

Done it dozens of times just like that in mud and snow. Pushing in the sand probably wouldnt get him too far. I am guessing he got it buried pretty good to the point where it was twisting the frame, then tried to push himself out with the deck and/or wheel lift, hence the reason why they couldnt get the deck back in the locks while it was stuck.

I cant speak for PA Directly, But I am pretty sure the Laws regarding tag lights are the same as NY whereas ANY vehicle in tow MUST have tag/tow lights installed regardless whether the towing vehicles lights are visible or not. As far as rolling down the road with your Amber lights/beacons on, I strenuously disagree with that practice. Amber lights are a warning device used to warn oncoming drivers of a possible road blockage or impingement. If your casualty is secured properly on the appropriate tow truck and your travelling along then what is the point of having them on? you can travel down the road like any other vehicle. If it is infact a law in your state to run down the road with your beacons going, then that is one law I would be breaking. Having those lights going constantly only de-sensitizes the motoring public to them. So when your on the side of the road with them going where you actually need to garner a little attention, They pay no mind to them. I personally only activate my beacons when I am on the side of a trafficked road working. If I am in a private driveway, parking lot or anyplace where there no chance of any traffic advancing towards my set up area then I dont turn them on. I have been told by some that I am a "beacon Nazi". There is some clowns around here that will have their lights going all day long. Even when they are parked at a store to get coffee or fuel. In any event, The man that would most likely be able to depict the Pa. law verbatim for you would be a member who goes by Brian991219. He runs a company in Pa. called Fleet Compliance Solutions. ( I think I have directed you to talk with him in the past if I remember correctly ) He Knows his stuff when it comes to these issues. Especially since he is based out of Pa.

Actually I did... The deputy on scene was giving out hersey's kisses to all the kids standing by and watching us. Naturally I just had to scoff a few from her LOL.

I got called out for this one yesterday evening. This customer was going a bit too fast for the roadway and as he crested the hilltop, there was a group of trick n treaters crossing the road. Thankfully he did not hit anyone But He ended up upside down in the ditch. The driver was not injured but did receive multiple tickets for driving infractions. I was only able to get the two quick pics. We used my partners 2012 Ram / Chevron to perform the quick roll then loaded the casualty on my 2017 Ram / Jerr-dan rollback. I towed the vehicle to the customers home, Collected payment and was back home in an hour and a half.

The Vulcan strapless systems have been an on-going debate with the towers and the local d.o.t. boys for years around here. Pretty much all the tow companies around here ran the Vulcans up untill the past few years. After much debate, It was agreed that operators would secure between the cross bar and the vehicles suspension/chassis whenever possible. Back when I ran a Vulcan, I actually ended up going to the state police barracks With literature in hand directly from Vulcan and demonstrating what happens when you put a strap on from the scoop because they were constantly stopping all of us for improper securement. We had this one Trooper who gave us all sorts of crap even after showing him the Vulcan paperwork and showing him how the pins dis-engage when strapped up. This was actually one of my main reasons for switching back to Jerr-Dan and Chevron. That and the Steel bodied 410's and such would rot right off the trucks in a few short years due to the amount of salt they dump around here in the winter.

This is a neat subject to touch on. New york has some "Hinkey" laws regarding certain types of what they consider "equipment". For instance, A regular, run of the mill 4'x10' utility trailer that you would haul your lawn tractor on requires a registration and state inspection in order to be towed on state roadways. Yet, a tow behind, 2500 lb., diesel powered wood chipper that an arborist company would use or one of those tow dollies that you drive the front wheels of a vehicle up on for instance are considered equipment or machinery and does not require registration or inspection. As far as laws regarding securement straps on tow truck dollies, there is no real written law. What I have found is D.O.T. here tends to use the manufacterers recommendation in regards to securement. So if a set of Collins dollies instructions say they require straps ( which the owners manual does say they do ) then the state will require them. I personally have always used straps on my dollies although I see alot of companies around here do not. We have a lot of rough, pot hole filled, steep and off camber roads around here that will easilly knock a car off the dollies. Happens all the time around here. Even with straps I had one get knocked off on a monster pot hole I couldnt avoid. But they stayed secured to the casualty from the other side and stayed all together. I have witnessed other guys have them bounce off and then of course disassemble themselves so there 2 bars and 2 dolly frames bouncing all over the road for other drivers to try and avoid.

Awesome pics of old school iron at work. Like the last poster on the thread had said, there was no Rotators, airbags etc.. But on the other hand, rigs were built like brick s#!t houses back then and could take a little man-handling..

Rest easy Operator Clayton, We will drag those chains from here.

Glad to hear the Operator will be OK Thanks to the quick actions of the officers... Just goes to show, Unless your properly trained in water rescue or recovery techniques then STAY OUT OF THE WATER..

The parking brake is set on my rig before the p.t.o. is even engaged. It is just a habit I developed through the years. ( probably the only 'good' habit btw...)

One of the biggest problems I see with the current laws is the lack of REAL enforcement and a major lack of responsibility laid upon violators, particulary when a driver strikes a road side worker like you had mentioned in the tragic, fatal accident involving Operator Ellis in Charleston. Maybe I am looking at it in too simple of a manner for todays politically - driven laws But, the offending driver KILLED someone. PERIOD. Maybe the driver didnt intend to kill him But he did. That is why there are varying degrees of murder and manslaughter charges in my opinion. Your actions or in-actions for that matter caused the death of another human being. Therefore the appropriate charges should be brought against the driver. Aside from the bevy of moving violations or other associated motor vehicle infractions. If I was to accidently shoot and kill someone with my properly registered and carried side arm while showing it off or something does that relieve me of the legal responsibility that I took someones life? No it does not. I would more than likely face at least a invoulintary manslaughter charge. Now replace that side arm with a properly registered motor vehicle. Where is the difference? Start putting these Incompetant, inattentive, Dont give a crap about anything other than them selves drivers in prison and maybe, just maybe people will think twice before racing through another work zone or buzzing another tow operator on the side of the highway. I agree it wont completely stop all these deaths from occuring, but I really feel it would make a good dent in the massive epidemic we are faced with.