TOWMAN27

Even scarier is the number of people in this industry that would look at the picture and say "what's wrong with that?"

I just wanted to clarify about dollies. It is just certain years and series that dollies shouldn't be used. Also I think BMW strongly suggests that the dealer not accept a car so they do not get blamed for damage.

BMW manufacturer guidelines from Allstate Motor Club. Dealerships are not supposed to accept a car towed in by wheel lift and dollies. You are allowed to w/l it out of a parking garage or move it to an area where it can be skated onto a flatbed. Be careful with a flatbed too. The only approved tie down method is 8 point straps over the wheels. If you put a strap through a wheel and scratch it or damage it you will have to buy four new wheels. The paint can't be matched or something crazy like that.

How about cars too? BMW doesn't allow you to use dollies. When one is stuck in park, you are expected to skate it. Yes it can be done damage free just like those nifty tow show demonstrations. In the real world, how often is the car perfectly centered right behind the bed with the wheels facing straight? This is especially fun on the highway, in a short driveway on a main road, or a tight parking lot. How about when you go to drop. Not every dealership or shop has a huge lot with plenty of room to drive out from under the car. I've noticed they never show how to unload a BMW in the training videos.

The story as originally posted has been updated in the resource link. The tow truck was loading a vehicle and the tractor trailer sideswiped the tow truck. Tow truck operator Everett York is in ICU with serious injuries.

When I was a kid my dad took me on a no start call that didn't end well for a cat. I can still picture what it looked like when he opened the hood.

I totally agree with Stuart. The police rarely tell us what kind of car we are going after. More often than not we don't know the car is on its roof or over the guardrails and down an embankment. Having a truck that can complete 90-95% of the jobs beats having to call someone else in at 2 am.

I actually prefer to take the flatbed on wrecks and winchout calls now. We have everything on remote contol though. You can be very creative with the two winch lines and it can also save your butt. The sidepuller can do way more than just the deck winch and a snatchblock, and safer. If your operation was covering a smaller area and most of the recovery was just rolling a car back over to its wheels, a sidepuller wouldn't be worth the cost. Your company seems like the ideal candidate for one though. If you need any more details or help send me a pm.

We have three flatbeds with sidepullers. It can be economical, but I would really need to know more. Are you using it for police calls? Can you charge for it in your area? How many trucks do you have? Number of wreckers vs flatbeds. Do you cover a large area? How many towing operators in the company? How many guys work overnight?

I am assuming the rates for towing and storage are regulated. Can someone post the rates if they are? I'm sure the rates are nothing close to the $300 it costs the city to just cleanup the street. Why do we let them constantly ignore our costs of doing business?

Exactly what was going through my head when I was reading this.