GRUMPS The Towman

I am with NJSS on this one. a PROPERLY installed and used tow eye is the way to go. I do question a couple things on that video. First, who exactly installed it onto the car? I was instantly concerned when the operator moved his rig around front and the eye was already installed (7:50 ). Then both he and the customer played with it as if it was not installed all the way or something. It is almost like she is asking him if it is on right. ( no audio ). Second, I question if that was even the proper eye for that vehicle. I use them pretty regularly and I am almost certain the ones on the mini's are much shorter than that. It almost looked like one for a newer Subaru. Again, I am not sure but it doesnt look like a mini hook to me. I have had customers hand me toweyes for other vehicles before. Third, There is a point on the deck where your winch is pulling down on the hook after the vehicle is far enough forward. I feel he way over did it on that one and put Alot of downward pressure on the hook. You can see it start to bend down at the end just before it snaps. Fourth, Now, I am NOT bashing this man in any way, But As for this guy being an experienced operator, WHY is he winching the car with the customers standing off the starboard quarter? NO ONE is to stand behind the end of my deck while loading. For this exact reason. WHY is he chasing after the car after the break-off? YOU panic, THEY panic. Look behind it. Where is it going to go?? Stand your ground and YELL to them to STAY BACK !!! Now before I get bashed as to I dont know what I would do because it wasnt me in the situation, I have had cars break-off before. it happens. I have never had a eye hook break, but I have had lines break, a winch that wasnt fully engaged, bad rigging from a brain fart or a swamper, etc.. I too have made mistakes. Even had a brand new line have the swivel hook pull off the swedge on its very first use because of a manufacturing defect on the stud and nut. I would have liked to have got a close up look at the broken eyehook after the fact to see exactly what had failed. Like most anything else in our Industry, There is a right way and a wrong way to use a piece of rigging. Those eye hooks have their place in this word, they just have to be used properly.

Glad to hear it went smoothly for you ESC. Now on to the next one...

Thanks for the info on the disinfectant Hookright. I will be looking into that product.

That is my main reason and intention for carrying it. Self preservation from a accidental exposure. And while I certainly agree there has to be a level of training in regards to carrying and using it, The real nice thing about Narcan is even if it is administered during a false overdose, It does not cause any adverse effects other than slight sinus pressure, headache and nausea. It is a real good "safe, not sorry" product. As far as blasting some complete stranger with a dose because you think they are in an overdose situation, I really feel that if you are not sure about what might be ailing them, You should best leave it to the professionals and call 911. And yes Mr. Resch, I was trained as a combat medic.

Beautiful rig !!! Heres to hoping she gives you many many years of trouble free service. Congratulations !!!!👍

Agreed Mr. Resch, This is a very nice example of having the right gear for the job. I also agree once it is secured, it doesnt matter if it is up front or to the rear, It wont go anywhere. I just feel it gets beat up more on the tailboard. No right or wrong in it at all. It is just a preference thing for me of course.

My condolences to the Victim. This was certainly a PREVENTABLE incident.. This calls back into play that an operator MUST take control of his work zone. Secure your customers guys.. I have a feeling this is gonna turn into a real mess for the operator/tow company involved.

This is exactly why I have been carrying Narcan in my in-cab first aid kit for over 2 years now. As if our occupation isnt dangerous enough, Now we have to deal with this..

Nice work. Can I ask Is there is a reason why you chose to secure it towards the rear of the deck? Maybe it is just me being o.c.d.but, I always load bikes up ahead of the rear end where it wont get bounced around too much.

I had a similar deal a couple years back. One vehicle in a parking lot caught fire and caused heavy damage to another next to it. Here in Ny, It ended up being covered under The No Fault insurance coverage of the vehicle that started the fire. It was State farm if memory serves right. They paid the whole deal on my end and took possession of both burnouts. It worked out ok Mainly due to the car that caused the damage in my case had full coverage insurance. If it had been the other way around, the other car only had Liability and would have paid on the car it damaged but, I would have been S.O.L. on that car. In these types of situations, I always try to write up a draft of My numbers and keep it handy so I can wait to see how the Insurance is gonna try and play their hand. Basically, I stick to my Numbers but I am willing to slice it up any way they want to choose. But in the end, I get the Numbers I am after.

I have been super sad panda all year because I had planned on attending Tenn, Maryland and making a good effort to go to Florida this year. I only get the chance to go every few years and this was my year. Might be another 3 or 4 years before I can arrange to get away again..😢

Inoperative a/c is a crappy thing, I agree BUT, It in no way is a reason to place a unit out of service or quit your job over. Dont get me wrong, I am an a/c enthusiast BIG TIME. There is nothing better than climbing into a frosty cab after slaving away loading up a vehicle on a hot day. Maybe I am "old school" and I would personally just deal with it if the a/c craps out in my truck untill I have the time to get it back up and running. I recall driving trucks with no a/c, power steering, weak, luke warm heat in the winter and a clutch pedal that would snap your knee to depress. Whats next? Does the seat not have enough cushion for your liking?? No Offense but, Put on your big boy pants and get back to work...

Very nice gear you have there. I would STILL be there cleaning up with my shovel, broom and pickup truck.. LOL.

My god.. I hope he is alive. There is no room left in there for a person.

Excellent work. Well thought out and executed recovery.

Another AVOIDABLE tragic, loss of a brother Operator.. Rest easy Operator Zuniga... We will drag those chains from here..

I have been intrigued with this accident and I got Curious about the hitch failure. That Curt 5th wheel has a 25k towing capacity with a 6,200 lb ( and change ) vertical load limit.. So, Long story short it is more suited for RV trailers. That 4 Runner on the top/front along with the nose weight of the trailer alone swallowed up most of its vertical capacity. Not to mention the 9,000 lb. pickup.... Guy buys a $90,000 truck, $18,000 trailer then goes and holds them together with a cheapo $600 hitch...

Wow. Snapped the pivot ears right off the plate.. I have never seen that happen before. I just noticed that Dodge "cargo" truck was a 3/4 ton DIESEL !!!! There is no way I would have put that truck that far up on that trailer.. That thing belongs down bottom, Over the axles IF ( and it is a big if for me ) even on that trailer at all.. I totally get that those trailers are supposidly beefy with their dually tandems and all But they are still rickety and unbalanced. I have never liked them.

SEXY !!! I always loved the HPL/MPL's... Simple, Sleek and rugged as hell. That appears to be one bad a$$ truck you have there. I am jealous. lol

There is some really really good conversation here and I want to thank ESC for posting this situation. Now with what has been discussed so far, what would change if lets say, ESC was able to recover and tow the trailer with the vehicles still secured to the trailer? They would almost certainly be considered "cargo" at that point, Right? I see this the same as if a semi loaded with cartons of books for instance was laid on its side and the wagon had to be off loaded prior to the recovery. You would have time equipment and manpower that needs to be paid for. Cargo is cargo regardless of what it actually is.

First off, Nice work on the recovery. It looks Like it was very time consuming but went well. I would guess from looking at the 5th wheel, it was not rated for the load he was hauling and it collapsed. Maybe more of an rv style setup? The insurance company is more than likely going to treat the 2 trailer-loaded vehicles as "cargo" If I had to make an educated guess. So with that being said, It might all be in the wording of your invoice to get your recovery fees covered for each "cargo" vehicle. I would sit down and figure out the numbers for both treating them as individual recoveries and tows as well as treating them as handling, recovering and transporting "cargo" then feel out the insurance adjuster when he comes so you can be ready for whatever way they decide to go with it. Obviously your bottom dollar will be the same amount for either. It is just a matter of wording it the way they see it. If you could post how it turns out for you I would be interested to see how they play it with you Sir.

Spring sliders were my best friends on my old HPL Back in the day.. There wasnt much she couldnt handle while using them. Man, I miss that truck.. Good luck with yours

I like the soft roller sides for a hot shot type of logistics company. Doing that custom/critical type of transport, You can end up with all different kinds of freight. as far as those fwd pro master chassis, I just cant get on that bandwagon. Just not "trucky" enough for me..

Goner for sure.. Nice work on the recovery Sir. It always seems to be mustangs that get wrecked right off the lot. Maybe it is the price of them is too low and these young kids and moron drivers can afford them. Too much high performance car for the price type of deal maybe. At least it didnt plow through a crowd of people standing on the corner.. That was such an issue for a while with mustang guys trying to show off at car meets and swaps. They would run out of talent and plow through the crowd. A buddy of mine who happens to be a mustang affectionanado thought it would be cute to get a custom set of plates for his Shelby that read crwdcntrl ( crowd control )

That could be a part of the problem sure. maybe it is something that has always been an issue but back in the day it was easy enough to have a new key cut off the vin#. All the fancy electronics and gizmos of todays vehicles make that a non starter now... Oh here I go again showing my age... Mechanical Keys and vin #'s.... LMAO