GRUMPS The Towman

Congrats to this years inductees

picked this one up for a customer. It is starting its transformation into a rat rod.

I am not quite sure I am understanding what your trying to describe. What type of tow truck do you have?? What size is your wrecker unit?? What was the weight of the truck you were trying to tow? it kinda sounds like you didnt have enough tow truck to handle what you were trying to pick.

My god.. How terrible. The article makes it sound like the operator might have darted out into traffic trying to avoid the initial impact of the honda and got struck by the mercedes as it drove by. I dont like to speculate without knowing all the facts but it certainly troubles me that this operator chose to run out into active lanes if that is in fact the case. Rest easy operator.

Here's a 98% complete F100 headed to the hot rod shop. the original flathead V-8 still runs. The owners plans include adding a late model Ford Crown Victoria front frame clip, Brembro brakes, and a fully built and supercharged 4.6L from a SVT Mustang cobra. This same customer has another 53 Ford pickup that has been done up rat rod style and has been Chevy powered. This one i am told is to be the "pretty one"

Nice job. That is one sexy rig you got there.

I agree it does appear that the cruiser was running code 3, And yes, for some unbeknownst reason the tow truck decided to try and beat the light early. But man, those officers were hauling serious A$$ and it didnt appear that they slowed for that intersection at all. I myself have taken numerous EVOC ( emergency vehicle operations course ) training courses and all of them have always emphasized intersection awareness even if the traffic light is in your favor. I feel that there were mistakes made on both sides that ended in this monster wreck. It could be looked at as a kind of blessing that it was that tow truck that got hit and not a mini van full of kids. I pray that the officers and the operator make full and speedy recoveries.

From the looks of the heavy damage, I am gonna say the officers were moving at a pretty good clip. It shoved that truck sideways through the Intersection 40'-60' and through two more cars They hammered that wrecker HARD. The wrecker got banana'ed good style. Hoping for speedy recoveries for all.

I have seen them for about $ 175-$200 price wise. I can see how it caused that damage if he was skating the vehicle on using the universal tow eye. If the vehicle doesnt roll freely, then I wouldnt use any tow eye.

After just a little bit of tinkering and a good carb cleaning the old girl fired right up and ran like a top. the electric starter and the hand crank starter work perfectly. the owner didnt want to do any real major repairs and chose to leave the patina on it. here are the pics of her going home. I was also told that the model of this chevy is called phaeton.

Excellent work. A very nice plan and well executed. i love jobs like this because they really show what a real operator and his equipment are capable of. Good Job!!

I actually just noticed after reading Mr. Resch's post that the truck pictured is not a roll back. By no means did I mean to come across like "newbies" shouldnt ask questions. ASK away, thats how we all learn. I also just assume that anyone posting on these forums are in our industry be it a newbie or experienced just because of the nature of the forums. I have to remind myself that may not always be the case.

Anyone out there have one of those Steck universal tow eyes? how does it work? I was thinking of getting one but Im not too sure if I trust it. Seems a bit pricey to just buy one to check it out.

I personally do use factory tow hooks as long as they are in good condition and the port on the vehicle is clean and aligned properly with the opening in the bumper cover or valance. i have had ones that just didnt appear right and after closer inspection I have found the car was poorly repaired from a wreck and the bumper support or another piece was bent or twisted causing the hole not to line up. if that is the case then I will not use it because I cant tell if there is any issue with the section that the tow eye screws into. I found one once that after taking a good look at it I noticed there was only 1 bolt on each side of the bumper support that were re-installed after repairs. outside the car looked excellent but hidden behind that shiny bumper cover was a disaster. I pointed it all out to the owner and he was not impressed and stated he would be contacting the body shop that did the work a couple months back. If things are twisted or broken back there and have been hidden by a nice bumper cover then i dont trust them. I also do not use any type of catch strap because it will cause alot of damage if for some crazy reason the tow eye was to let go. Keep in mind, those tow eyes are only meant for loading and unloading the vehicle off a roll back. they are NOT meant for recoveries, locked up wheels or lifting the car. They are also not meant for securing the vehicle to the truck. I always slack off my winch after I get the vehicle secured to my truck with wheel straps or 8-points etc.

Come on George, You cant use a flatbed for a recovery.. Ask any big dollar company or a t.v. show.. Your supposed to use a rotator, another heavy as backup and have a whole crew of guys there as well.. Lol Im just being a smart a$$. Nice work Sir

I am assuming that I will be returning her when shes done. Not only is the cars owner a regular customer but the resto shop doing the work is one of my accounts. I will post more pics of it when I get the nod to bring her home.

Secure it from the frame at a point forward of the rear axle ( assuming you have properly loaded it forward facing ) using cluster chains at the t- slots or another solid point in the frame. I do not mean to offend you in any way, but If you are asking a question like this I assume you are new to this industry and I HIGHLY recommend you get some type of formal training. For example, There are Wreckmaster courses on video and dvd that can be purchased from AW-Direct that will cover a lot of the basics for you. Stay safe and remember, Knowledge is power and professional.

Unfortunatley, If his home situation is that bad that it affects his work and you have already sat down with him and spoke about it, then I would have to say it is time to part ways. As you are aware, our occupation is dangerous enough and if his head is in the clouds over serious personal issues, then it is not a matter of IF a mistake will be made, it is WHEN. And that mistake could cost someone their life. Not to mention money, equipment and business reputation. I personally know all about family issues and the toll it can take on you at work if you let it. ( my wife is physically disabled and in and out of the hospital constantly). I would be lying if I was to say It doesnt get to me while working but when it does I know it is time to take some time off and let my partner run the show. I know it can feel like a shitty thing to do to an employee who is having issues at home, but you as an owner MUST put your business first.

Mainly, just a real good cleaning and some light mechanical work to get her running again. I know the original owner had passed away a few years back and his son ( my customer ) has decided to get his dad's old car going again. I am told it was driven to the storage unit back when it was first put in there.

GOOD!!!! This exact same investigation needs to take place in my neck of the woods. Slime balls like this do nothing but hurt the honest, hardworking guys in our industry

Towed this today to a restoration shop. This is the first time in 30+ years that this complete original car, right down to the original ignition key has seen day light or been touched by a human. Been stored in a climate controlled storage garage all that time.

Sorry to hear of Kens passing. Aside from all the t.v. crap he was a really good and devoted operator. rest easy Ken, your shift is over.

I did the roll call... Right??... Forgive my ignorance.. i am what is called " computer irlitterate"....

Ideally, If I could get close to the casualty, I would like to put a lil lift on it with my pull to break the suction of the mud. If that is not possible then a low line to the front and dig away some of the built up mud to prevent damage. I am assuming there are keys available which will be helpful to steer the casualty and also to get it to roll up on top of the mud while winching. Depending on the resistance and length of pull, it would probably be nessesary to 2-part the low line.

Is this a once a week thing for the t-shirt drawing? Do I check in once a week or is my first reply good? If not heres this weeks check in... LoL