I know you'll never tell, but I have to ask. Is the Gold the MACK or is it Protecting the Gold?

Now, that I look at it a second time, I see there is another Pot of Gold just beyond the trees.

I'll let someone much more knowledgeable than I explain the recovery mechanics  for the split booms. I never used one, but they were for side pull recoveries. A Wrecker Driver/Operator would swing the booms, side to side then tie off on one side while winching off the other. Sort of an early day rotator or simply side puller.

Here are some more images found in the archives.

Image supplied by LarryLange

Image supplied by Larry Lange

Images supplied by Townhooker who added:

Here are a couple shots of my Fentron Wrecker. We bought the truck in Oakland CA, had it trucked to PA. It was a 78 Chevy 4X4, it was a great truck, we parked it in the summer and ran in during the winter months. It was rust free! It was a nice truck, liked the auto idle for the winches, was a beast in the snow or off road. It was totaled out Jan of 08 when a wreckless driver plowed into the rear of it while I was working a wreck on the interstate. I almost lost my leg, but the truck took a hard it at 60mph. I loved those older Chevys, was a good wrecker I worked it hard!

Michael Myers said:

They went out of business in the late 1970's. They started out being called the Oberg Hydraulic (twin-boom) Wrecker. The same folks who do the Oberg Racing oil filter. Then they changed the name to The Fentron twin-boom wrecker Mfg'd by Fentron Hi-way Products. They were manufactured in Lynnwood, WA. north of Seattle, WA. Due to the high cost of labor in the Seattle area compared with that of Tennessee they just couldn't compete.

Michael Myers - 253.588.1757 ext 150

I'll have to see if I can prompt Danny Cassello into this topic as he has more images.

Michael Myers is one of the best I know is the industry when it comes to identifying vintage tow trucks. He said he thought it may be a mid 70's Fentron

@michael212

The new system did not pick up on quite a few of the Owners from the Previous system. So, that was a reason for this topic. Some Owners who were able to access the Old Owners Den found they could not access the new one. Several have not spoken up and some who did not have a supporter status requested access. Those members were advised of the requirement, some followed through others did not. While the industry has slowed and funds are not at a needed level for any of us, I have decided to Open the Owners Den to All Verified Owner Members through the end of 2020. Access will continue regardless of supporter status after January 1, 2020. Though non supporters will be asked to provide this needed support, we all want to get back to where we were before this Virus Event took us out. For TowForce we have been hit more than once with the system change a couple of years ago. I see once this passes for business to return to all industries very quickly as the economy kicks back in. I do not see a slow return, but I could be wrong. Take Precautions, Increase Your Precautions as the next 2 weeks will be critical. Now is the TIME to STAY OUT OF ALL VEHICLES, Require the use of PPE. When possible keep your drivers out and away for the office and shop. This will reduce the risk of spread within your operation. Companies are getting berated for extreme actions, keep that in mind when a tow company reports they have been directly effected.

God Bless and those Owners who want in the Owners Den add a reply here. Drivers are always Welcome to request access to the Drivers Lounge, they is no requirement other than verified company information. Understand TowForce Members can only access one or the other and not both.

I do not recall Charlies having a Super Cradle though I do recall they had several Early Cradles. There was one that sat in front or the Gulf Station on Poplar Level for years. I also know where one is in near showroom condition. I check on it from time to time and let the owner know I would like to retire it to the Towing Museum when he retires. If he outlasts me I sure home someone gives it a good home. This one pictured died in an Alley behind a business and was hauled away as scrap. I thought about saving it, but the only think left was the boom. The rest needed far too much work.

Actually if it did, it never showed it during the 18 months I drove it. We'll it may have only been on there for about a year. It was lighted so it could be seen at night. A company that made them for cabs made it. I honestly didn't care much for it, but it was creative. Sure, got a laugh from other Tow Companies!

The Owners Den is a designated Owners Only Forum. The Topics in the this Club Level Forum are By Owners For Owners. It has been a supporter level forum on Tow411 over the years. Now for the first time I can recall we are opening this up to a select number of Non Supporters for the remainder of 2020

Simply ask for access either in this topic or via inbox. See you in the Owners Den.

Drivers there is also a Drivers Lounge that has never seen much use. Drivers have never been require to attain a Supporter Status to access the Drivers Lounge. Sorry. No Owners or Managers.

However, Do Not Become Complacent and fall into a false sense of security because the traffic volume is much lower than normal. There are just as many stranded drivers on the roadways. Truckers are being pushed, Drinking & Drugs are on the menu when Alcoholics find the bars closed and the liquor stores open. Social gatherings are still occurring in small groups. Some of which include drugs, then there often on the roadway. It only takes that one distracted driver and a tow operator to let their guard down. This occurs went not follow procedures which have been followed for months. Officers are not responding to many runs, that does not mean they will not respond to a tow operator in the highway or interstate. Since this does not involve social contact you my very well get them when otherwise you would have to wait. Use Common Sense!

Use Gloves on everything, use surgical gloves inside your work gloves. If you haven't to this point, how is the time to start. This virus has not yet peaked and while you may believe you cannot be that sick. Do Not Take This Home with disregard. I have heard from several drivers that had to leave the company they worked for either on their own or were fired. The Driver Pool will be Huge when this is over and the best companies will be the ones that either had a plan in place prior to or when this began. Don't Stick Your Head in the Sand....

TowForce is OPEN no Social Distancing required and numerous topics are waiting. Take this time to get your fleet ready for action when this breaks and give some experience advise to those seeking it on TowForce. Seems we don't find the type of topics we once did on Tow411. I suppose that is because on other forms of social media the posts seem to go off in other directions. We need to get back to those days...

Here are a few of the Topic Titles from the past week.

COVID-19 Be Smart - Are towers included in the COVID-19 hours of service relief?

Truck Struck - 03.14.20 (TN) - WreckMaster Blog - Does it really matter if I calculate resistance?

Extreme metal fatigue with total boom failure - 2020 Florida Tow Show Press Release

HERO TOWER - 03.16.20 (TN) - Blocker Trucks - Effective or Not ? ? ?

Mark Yourself Safe Here! List Equipment for FREE this Weekend.

Note: FREE Equipment Listing Extended through the end of March...

Numerous YouTube and now TikTok videos have been added this week.

Using Rims for Rollover Recovery ? ? ? ?  - Is Too Much Sanitizer Harmful ? ? ?

And Is Bob Watson at it Again?

Welcome our Newest Sponsor Grime Wipes. We reviewed these at the 2020 NTEA Work Truck Show.

Check Out the Video Here https://www.towforce.net/topic/8993-grime-boss-wipes-your-partner-in-grime/

The York Regional Police Homicide Unit have charged two men with ties to the tow truck industry with first-degree murder after a man was killed in Richmond Hill back in 2018.

On the evening of Dec. 24, 2018, police responded to Barnwood Dr., Bayview Ave. and Stouffville Rd., for sounds of gunshots.

When officers arrived, they located a 33-year-old man who was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The victim was identified as Soheil Rafipour, of Toronto.

On Tuesday, police arrested two men with ties to the tow truck industry

Mohamad El-Zahawi, 38, of Toronto, and Abdelaziz Ibrahim, 23, of Hamilton, are charged with first-degree murder.

The investigation is ongoing.

RESOURCE LINK

On another note I have implemented all types of warning devises and have found it comes down the the amount of time the tow operator is on scene. When every minute counts. if the vehicle can be loaded and moved to a safer location then the minute it takes to deploy a warning devise may not be justified. My issue is that many will spend the time to do a full hook up/tie down rather than move to a safe location.

This incident is much like a number of others where the tow operator would have picked up the warning devices and was re-entering the truck. It often does not come down to minutes but seconds. I find that many tow operators do not actually have a plan to react in seconds. On every scene you should visually plan an escape route, position customers away from the danger, even watching out for law enforcement can increase the tow operators ability to react.

Had the media been fueled during the 2009 Swine Flu or H1N1 to the level today then thing would have likely been much the same.

The swine-flu pandemic of 2009 may have killed up to 203,000 people worldwide yet there was not the same reaction back then.

Randall Thanks, TowBot is a Robot Program that pulls articles from websites with RSS feeds. It has worked well over the years and within the new system was given the name TowBot. Watch for many more resource links to be added.

Randall, did the driver in the Light Duty Wrecker possess a CDL?

I have taken quite a lot of heat for stating my position. But, until this National Emergency has been called off it should be the Tow Company and/or Operators decision to have persons unknown to them in close proximity of up to 6 feet and not within the closed environment of the cab of the truck. Customers should be advised for their health and the drivers health they will need to arrange alternate transportation. This does not have to be a continuing policy, though it should be an option at this time to slow the spread of the virus.

We hear about new cases every day and many have been going on with their regular activities either not knowing or thinking this is just the common flu. The first sign is said to be at High Fever which intensifies if not treated. Those with low immune systems are at high risk. Meaning if your come in contact with someone that is infected and have a high tolerance level in your immune system you can still carry it back to family members or anyone you come in contact with such as another customer.

I feel it is a good policy to simply limit possible exposure for a short time. If that means losing a customer to a competitor then you must decide the risk. There is no we'll do it this way for this customer and this way for that one. It's either all in or all out and take the risk. I'd like to say one region of the country is safer then another, that simply isn't the case and this will likely be with us up until the end of the year.

Tow Operators and Truckers may be some of the least to fully understand that they are not often the ones at risk. Unless they have had a medical issue that has effected their immune systems they can often be a carrier. They could potentially take this virus back home to their family member who has a lowered immune system. That could be someone who has a medical issue or an older family member. They say that age 60 plus are at a high risk and those 80 plus are at the highest risk. Why chance it as so many are down playing the situation. Yes, I believe there is quite a bit of hype. But, why take the chance? What is that they used to say "An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure."

I am going out on a limb and suggest All Motor Clubs seriously consider restricting ridership to protect their service providers. This would only be for the next 30 days. The small space inside the cab of a Tow Truck increases the odds of exposure. The member/customer would be advised to find alternative transportation. Riding with the Tow Truck Operator should always be a Privilege not a Right.

Updated:

I have already had one Motor Club contact me and say they are on top of this one. They have sent out information to providers. However they are not ready to issue an industry press release at this time. If a Motor Club has sent you anything pertaining to recommendations and procedures for dealing with potential risk please copy that to me. Thanks

You will find several of these images online. To my knowledge these have not come from AAA.

"I got a flu shot and immediately came down with flu-like illness that took a week to depart."

I have never taken a Flu Shot because nearly everyone I know that takes the Flu Shot general get sick anyway.

Now, with that said when a Flu Shot specifically designed and formulated for this Virus. I will take it just as I do a tetanus shot regularly, every tow operator should get this shot. That may be a question that should be asked as one would wonder if this important shot may be neglected these days.

Does your company have a barrier between customers and office staff?