GRUMPS The Towman

No front safety tie downs and one tie back on the decked vehicle, piss-poor maintenance with the "sticky" valves, Siezed up or smashed -in crossbar slides that need to be bashed out with the L-arm, twist the shit out of the straps and dig the d-ring into the ratchets, Just put the 4-ways and a 'Electric flare" On cause you know, Tow lights are expensive and Being the stoner, pot head I am sure he is, He forgets them all the time... Throw a "big J" good n tight with no real slack as a "Safety chain",.... Then Just drive it right off over your wheel grids... Oh, Wait, you left the 4-ways on while you towed it down the highway and killed the battery.... Works JUST like Most of the fly-by-night bozo's around here... Only do Half the effort to get the car off your deck the right way, Just drive her right off slow so the bumper just drags "a Lil Bit... And you know, ANY of those holes in the frame are A-OK to throw those "different Hook thingys in.... And I Quote "The vertical ones are for the T ones....Maybe... I think"..... Are you F&#king Kidding me..... Then just "roll her off.... Who cares if we know the brakes are good, bad or indifferent...

This guy is a clown....Yet I am sure There are plenty of new guys out there who are taking this crap all in like Gospel... It HAS to be legit, It is on YouTube.....

The viscous cycle continues....

And BTW, How is it his truck has a 26,000 Gvw (according to the sides of his toolboxes) Being a 5500 Ram with the exact same Jerr-Dan unit on it as Mine??? Am I missing something??

Same here. There's One "Company" in particular that is doing the $35 any tow, anywhere in the city and promoting it like it is going out of style. Local radio, Papers, Bill boards and even those advertisement plaques they put on shopping carts in the local grocery stores... Of course they are underinsured, Poorly equipped, un-trained type of guys who feel that big J's on all tugs and one hook thrown in back as a tie-down is sufficient. And that's only if it doesn't run or move well enough to simply drive on the deck and throw it in park for the trip across town... 

Not only can I not even come close to touching that rate, I will turn the phone # off and sell everything before I would even consider working like that Just to save a buck...

My saving grace is My established reputation and dedicated long time customers.. The ones that know the difference in back-door shady deals and quality service.. It does make it difficult to snare any new or off the cuff customers. 

Your point is excellent and like I said, I am of the same opinion. I do recall telling the D.O.T. Trooper that his thought process was somewhat antiquated. ( As is most of NYS towing regulations ) 

I am also right there with you as far as these 550 / 5500 trucks and how a lot of people underestimate them.  Theres a few local bozo's here I have seen load one on their own 550 / 5500 roll backs like there isnt any issue. That same dump you guys had on your wrecker would have been "forced" up onto a 550 / 5500 roll back with the mentality that it is just a "pickup truck". They look the part, but after whatever up-fit they get, they are hanging around 12-14,000 lbs. empty.

A 12,000 lb. truck on top of a truck with a 19,500 lb. gvw..... Hmmm...

I am curious about this myself. I have noticed when picking up wrecks and whatnot from most of the surrounding companies in my area they are now charging a fuel surcharge on their tow bills.

. With the way things are going ( Thanks Biden or should I say President Pelosi?? ) I think I need to seriously consider it too.

So I will ask too. How is it calculated?? I have never done a "fuel surcharge" I would normally just bump my overall rates to cover the surge in fuel prices. It is getting to the point where that isn't feasible without looking like I am trying to gouge my customers.

Being only 1 of 2 companies in town that have  trucks that fits in our local garages, We get a few "tight" ones that take some thought, patience and ingenuity from time to time like yours here. Nice work.

I actually enjoy doing garage jobs. They are usually pretty dry and clean to work in, get you thinking and using your skills and pay well to boot.

Not to Knock your safety chain arrangement on that dump at all because I am an advocate for tying on basically the same way, But my local d.o.t. trooper woulda had a field day with you for having them cinched from the tail board, through the grab hooks on the cross bar then to the casualty. He claims they are to be run UNDER the cross bar, then secured to the casualty and tail board only.. When I have questioned his thought process, ( You woulda thought I just told him I was sleeping with his wife by "questioning" his authority,) He stated that they would "catch" the cross bar if it was to fail and fall off..... 🤨

Now, Not to say it cant happen.. I suppose anything is possible really.. But,.. I have been in and around this business my entire life and seen some pretty crazy failures when it comes to rigging, equipment etc.. I have NEVER seen a cross bar even with a totally pissed pivot pin fail and just fall off...  Your thoughts?

The property owner was the one saying that we were "pissing in the wind" I think were his exact words when we pulled in with the "winching quad" as we call it... The landscaper jumped right in and told the home owner to sit back and watch us work. ( we have done some tricky jobs for him in the past ) 

The main focal point of this job was No more damage to the property. He had already done enough on his own. Lol. This was the best way I could figure to get at it without tearing up the yard trying to get our wrecker or even my pick up ( with winch ) in there

I will have to make it a point to take and post some pics of the winching quad. I built it about 4 or 5 years ago after battling a VERY stuck ford ranger off on a seasonal trail for 2-12 days. It is basically a self contained winch and stiff leg system that can be secured to a tree, building another vehicle etc.. The Atv just carries it and charges it for the most part. ( It has a 12v truck battery tied into the atv's system. ) 

Took a call from a very worked up and upset landscaper this morning. He had been doing a final mow on one of his accounts and ended up getting his Zero-turn unit stuck alongside the property line approximately 400'-500' from the road with a 8' deep road side ditch thrown in as an added obstacle and completely around the house opposite of the driveway.

Like most everywhere else in the North east, We here have been getting hammered with torrential rains for a couple weeks. Flooding and soggy yards are the norm here. After evaluating the situation, I called in my partner and our 4wd ATV that we have set up with a 5,000 lb. winch and a reinforced plow blade assembly that I designed to use as a "spade" or stiff leg. When it is locked down, all of the downward force on the winch pushes down on it so there is no real weight or stress put on the ATV itself.

We have used this homemade rig on many a off-road recoveries through the years. After rigging up a snatch block for a 2-part pull, We set up about 10' behind the Excursion so we could get just a little bit of a "lift". After the "spade dug in, the Excursion popped right out.

The rigging was broke down and With some smooth and steady throttle, I was able to drive the Excursion all the way out to the driveway in reverse. We then went back in with our ATV for the mower. A tow strap and a quick tug, the mower was on its way out under it's own power as well. Both pieces were recovered with no more damage done to the property.

Both the landscaper and the property owner were very happy. 

Bill paid in full...

On to the next one.

A local cab company I work for called stating they had a car go down with a customer on board that was in route to a medical treatment. So I shot over to their terminal, Grabbed another cab and brought it to them so the taxi driver and his customer could continue on to the appointment. I then loaded the disabled cab and returned it to their terminal / shop. 

Later that evening, I got calls of compliments from both the taxi co. owner and the taxi customers daughter who thanked me for my efforts. The taxi customer was able to make it to his appointment on time.

It is nice to be recognized and appreciated sometimes...

One of my real good Body Shop accounts repaired this 2020 Lexus After a pretty hard deer-strike. Of course, being a fancy new vehicle with all the Trimmings and fixings, It needed a whole slew of systems recalibrated by a Lexus dealer after the repairs. The closest Lexus dealer to my area you ask?? 224 Miles... One way...I Normally don't do any long distance jobs because being just a 2 man show, It is tough to tie up a truck out of town for a day. There are exceptions to this rule of course...This particular account of mine Is one of my best and most loyal ( Not to mention 99% of the work I do for them are Insurance claim tows so I charge my full rates) And they are very flexible with my schedule when it comes to these deals so when they ask, I bend my own rules.

I brought it up last Friday Night for them And did an after hours drop at the dealer. Full hook fee and Mileage rates From my driveway to my driveway. Made for a nice pay day. Well......

When they set this job up with me, I asked if I would have to go back to get it. They said that if I had to, It would probably be a couple weeks before it would be repaired... Well....

I got the call from them the following Monday that it was ready for pick up... So much for that " couple weeks"... We set a Date for the following Wednesday ( today ) to go get it.. Another 448 Miles round trip, Another full rate job Billed door step to door step... I am Tired... Lol..

7 hours ago, EdsTowing said:

 

 

It's a Coupe...I love that car"

✋OH OH I KNOW, I KNOW THAT ONE!!!....

Goodfellas😎

21 hours ago, EdsTowing said:

Yea Caddy's hold a place in my heart as well....

 

 

That is SWEET Ed!!! 

Is that 77-78ish?

The last Caddy I had was a baby blue 77 Coupe Deville with a pearly white leather interior. Bought it when I was 18 for $500 with a blown engine. I had swapped a 500 Cu.In. into her from a 76 parts car I had. Man, I miss that car..

It was like lounging on your living room couch cruising down the highway in that beast...

They sure as hell don't make them like they used to..

Ahh... Memories....

Looks like it was a great time !!!!

I have been considering purchasing one of those body cams or even one of those chest mounts for your phone. I will defiantly have to up my "tech know-how" in order to edit the videos and pull the stills I want off of it.

We have a GoPro that we use in the race cars but I struggle dealing with that thing too.. LoL. My 19 year old usually deals with that.

I usually always snap the usual quick "4 corners" pics of pretty much any job I do but they don't really make for good pics to post the jobs here on Tow Force. 

Although it does sound a bit odd at first, I too have moved lifts and shop equip. late night for customers simply because their business is closed and we can maneuver freely without interfering with their work flow. 

Nice work Njsss.

That is Sexy !!

I have always been a sucker for 50's Caddy's. The body lines and shape are a work of art.

This survivor belongs to a good friend of mine. I transport it every change of season from his house for winter storage to his down town shop for summer where he drives it around town to run errands for his business pretty regularly. It was time to take it back home for winter yesterday.

The body was restored about 15 years ago, But the driveline and mechanicals are basically original and maintained with a slew of new-old stock oem parts he acquired from an auction many years ago. It is a flat 4, 3 speed manual with mechanical drum brakes.

4 hours ago, dperone said:

Yup, she's a goner. 

Oh yeah... She's all used up for sure..

I was a bit surprised to see no air bag deployment. It is a bit of an older model so it's anyone's guess if the system was operational at all. I did hear today that the young lady who was driving came away with just some bumps, bruises and a cut to her hand Requiring a few stitches. Seems the best outcome considering the circumstances.

It is coming along Nicely !!! Looking like she will earn her keep easily when it is ready to roll.

I always find it funny that some of the most popular vehicles out there are usually the ones you cant source parts for.

It doesnt really get any more popular than a 90's F-series Ford.

Took this call from city dispatch for a Lexus That lost control coming down the hill along the west main artery into the city Yesterday about 4:30 pm. The Busiest time of day for this stretch of road. The driver ended up going up through 3 separate yards and driveways, wiping out street signs and mail boxes along the way. before striking a culvert pipe crossing one and barrel-rolling another 75' or so before coming to a rest upright in a shallow ditch. The fluids and debris field was massive. This area is very steep, narrow and windy although the pics don't really show it. Once all the F.D. units were out of the way, I was able to work from one lane so that P.D. could open the opposite side and alternate traffic through. The load up was pretty straight forward, Clean up took over an hour. Did I mention the speed limit in this area is 30 m.p.h.?? I think it is safe to say she was moving a bit faster than that. Took the casualty back to the Yard and secured and covered it to protect the owners possessions ( Cell phone, Pocket book, Back pack Etc..) that I found strewn all about the scene. Insurance is up to snuff ( thankfully) so should be a quick close-out. I got to find the time and a way to take better pics of these scenes. I get a lot of jobs that I don't take any pics. As a lot of you know, it is hard especially when your working alone and trying to clear and open a road. 

Man lifts always look lighter than they are when in reality they are heavy f#&kers...

Animosus, Swinging the boom around would have made a difference, but not enough to say so really. Im with Ed, thats probably 40.000+ pounds in the foot print area of about the size of a full sized van. That had to be one serious pull

You have GOT to be kidding me....

Ditto to Ed and Dperone's comments.. You made the right call not trying to pick it from the rear. I would be more concerned with what you would take off of your rigs nose than what would transfer to the front axle of the casualty truck. You got to be real careful with those types of rigs when they are loaded out. I cant recall ever towing a loaded 450-4500 / 550-5500 that wasn't way overweight. Usually they hang around 21-22,000 here. People who buy these class trucks don't really seem to look at the fact they are weighing in between 11 and 14,000 after up-fit being a dump body, service body or even tow unit... Doesn't really leave a whole lot of room when they are grossed at 19,500.

I would recommend that if your going to be dealing with these trucks pretty regularly, then purchasing a set of those specified Super duty forks. They will pay for themselves in the end.

If you ever bend a axle tube on one using forks, I will call you "Sir" Derlyn Z from now on.. Lmao.

Seriously Though, If you have a set of forks that work on it, Your good to go. 

You made the right call leaving the disabled person and a care taker in the RV. trying to Move an ambulated person out of any type of vehicle on a road side shoulder is just asking for trouble. 

Nice work.