Andy

Was just up in the snow zone near Mt Adams on a Volvo tow total sheet of ice where the roads have been plowed four to six inches of fluffy white stuff where it hasn’t. Glad no elk wanted to play tag.

You cant make them longer later on. Id go 24 or 26 as well. Just from being able to tie down longer loads easier and safer. I just bought a 22 foot international was worried about being to long for a lot of the places I hae to navigate now that I have it I wish I had a 23 or 24 foot deck. Not complaining happy to have it just what I know know.

True tree hugger.

Gives me wrecker envy.

Sure saves a lot of time and effort like that. Ugh.

With all the dangers in this line of work at least theres the good that is not mentioned very often. I towed a Prius off the highway last night about 10 pm. Dark blind corner. Enough that a trooper stopped and put out four cones. Loaded them and left them in there car. Flat tire so they were able to remain warm and buckled up. Dropped them at a motel then delivered the car to the tire shop. Woman and her two young daughters 120 miles from home twenty miles from nowhere. They were all so excited and happy they wanted a picture of all of us at the truck. Doesn't happen every day but it happens enough to be worth mentioning. Ive been in the repair side of cars since 1981 it’s so rare anyone is happy to be in my shops usually just a traveller that we managed to find parts and get them rolling with minimal delays. Don’t ever recall anyone being so happy in the shop they wanted a picture.

The standard J hooks will not fit most newer 3/4 and heavier gvw truck axles. Washington state does not allow fabric straps on metal so those are now out. Im looking for something fast. Loading these larger trucks on a busy highway with minimal or no shoulder is risky. Being able to put a hook on a rear diff is the quickest way to get loaded and off the side of the road.

State of Washington it’s illegal to have fabric straps on a metal component. No more straps through the wheels over axles etc. tensioner required on four points as well.

Any of you have this chain hook set up. I want to know if the hooks large enough to work on 3/4 and 1 ton axle tubes for securing a truck to a roll back deck. There descriptions kind of vague in this area and is there opening even large enough to go around those larger axles. And then lastly are they strong enough for this task. There working load limit is high enough but there just isn’t enough information out there on them hers a picture of the item I’m looking at.

I think it was over the summer I took a call on a tire change. The company sated they were partnered with AAA I thought it was odd but I am not contracted with AAA and out here often AAA cannot find in network providers and I get calls from them in weird ways at times. The company sent me an email with CC and all dispatch information. Also not how AAA typically works. Which looked very legit. I did the job. But the customer told me how the call went on her end. They told her that AAA was backlogged and that to get the service done she would have to pay them and then AAA would reimburse her but they charged her a huge amount for an in town tire change at her house. I performed the service then tried to run the CC which it ran but for like $5 or $6 dollars. It was really weird because my CC machine showed approved and then printed out this much longer receipt from and out of country point of origin and then only processed for the amount I put above. Just strange. I then tried to call the company. I got the run around for several days but I did finally get ahold of someone who issued a new payment over the phone and it ran. After which I talked with the actual customer and she had found out that she had misdialed when calling AAA and it was a company that probably has phone numbers that are close to AAA numbers and scam people like this. I did tell AAA about it but who knows what actually occurred. I cannot remember the name of this company but I did post about this event on here shortly after it happened.

Outfitting the new rollback. Need ideas on organizing my boxes. I have the ability to weld, bend and machine aluminum or steel for shelves, dividers and pockets. But really just don’t know what I want. How to build better storage on the top of the boxes for things as well. I would like to incorporate a draw from a tool cart in a couple boxes if I can find the time. I have a roll cart to steel parts from. some pictures would be great The passenger side will have three boxes total of seven feet the drivers will have two boxes totaling five feet in front of the rear wheels. Behind the rear wheels im hanging a 24”wide by 14” H 14” Deep box that will house rear tie down stuff that will make for quicker access. My thinking is a lot of jobs I will know what I need before I land on some busy highway. I’ll load that box with them making my loading faster and get me off the road quicker. I expect this box to get hammered with road spray but I’ll move gear in and out of it as the job requires , I was thinking I would drill a couple holes in the bottom and rinse it regularly. But maybe it wont be that bad. We have a lot of dirt roads. Dirt rain snow and ice roads. Everything behind the rear tires is subject to a hard life.

long event getting the new truck home but it’s here. Rolled in about five pm. It was my own version of planes trains and automobiles getting it home. if i could change anything I would have a 23 foot deck but that’s just me rambling. got it measured for logo’s yesterday tried to register it but forgot about Oregons luxury tax which has to be done on line. now I have to figure out tool boxes I want more boxes and drawers.

I have an update to my update. After getting the new wheels and tires road force balanced the overall feel of them was decent. I took it to a truck shop to have it aligned and they rejected it becasue it had play in ball joints tie rod ends etc. None of it was really waht you call worn out but combined there probably was 1/4 of play. Replaced all ball joints tie rod ends front shocks and steering shock. I picked it up tonight and man my truck is like new. I think it’s needed the front end overhauled for 20,000 miles. Kind of helped me feel better about the time and also money I put into the larger tires.

Tough if anything breaks here getting them fixed regardless of brand. It’s like living on the dark side of the moon. It’s even harder trying to order something. I found a 2024 international Navistar MV 607 with a 22 foot dual tech roll back price was decent a lot less than something I would have special ordered. I head to Georgia next week to pick it up. It will ad a new Dimension to my life like I needed more. It must work out right financially because the wife was more excited about it than me which means the money it represents must be ok. I think anything that keeps me working makes her happy. I should retire sell some of my land and live the dream. Which would probably last about two months and I would go stir crazy. I don’t do nothing very well. Heres a picture

I tried to order the same truck you want theres a builder in Portland but gave up. What I want in a truck doesnt really exist so it’s a matter of how to set myself up for the work that I see paying the most. Im afraid of sued equipment I also want to be done with the physical side of wrenching. New doesnt mean things wont break but someone else can fix them. I think I can live with a truck in the 26,000 pound class. It will be different than the F550s I currently own. Between them Im covered for the type of work I see the most of. And there are a lot more of them being made. Some of it’s kind of stupid on my part. I have low overhead in reality. When the shop closes I could go any number of directions including just using that property for impounds and a staging place. But long term I have ten more years to work probably so I might as well bite the bullet and set it in motion.