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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Tow truck operator John Hubbard knew his life purpose early on. Hubbard asked for a job at Passmore Towing and Recovery in Bessemer at age 20. Five years later, early Saturday morning, his earthly mission ended. Fellow tow truck drivers tell ABC 33/40 Hubbard was the type guy who went out of his way to help people. "He was a hard worker. He loved his job. He loved the towing business. You've got to love it to do it," said Dwayne Kizziah, owner of Dwayne's Towing and Recovery in Tuscaloosa. Wednesday, traffic homicide investigators mapped the scene where Hubbard was killed over the weekend on Interstate 59/20. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said two vehicles collided Saturday causing one to strike the disabled car Hubbard was servicing. ALEA has not determined if Alabama's Move Over Law was a factor in the crash. Either way, tow truck operators like Kizziah want you to slow down and move over. "I worked one [a crash] one time and all I heard was run. Everybody ran through the bushes and cars were piling up because somebody came through there and started hitting their breaks trying to see what was going on and they just piled up and it caused more accidents than we were working," Kizziah said while explaining why the Move Over Law is so important. AAA Alabama also released a statement concerning Hubbard's death. “AAA service providers face treacherous highway conditions every day in their efforts to help stranded motorists. Working on the side of the highway is very dangerous and emergency personnel are always concerned for their safety. It is extremely important that motorists understand and obey the Move Over Law to prevent these unnecessary injuries and deaths on our highways," said Clay Ingram with AAA Alabama. Tow truck operators from across the region will drive their trucks in Hubbard's funeral procession this weekend. After the funeral service at 2 p.m. this Saturday, the procession will travel from Crestview Memorial Funeral Home in Jefferson County to Pumpkin Center Baptist Church in Walker County. "We're going to take our trucks, show respect, and bring awareness to the law. We don't want anybody else killed," Kizziah explained. RESOURCE LINK John William “Bubba” Hubbard II, 25, of Quinton, passed away Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, after a tragic accident. As a result, John chose to give life to others as an organ donor. Bubba worked for Classic/Passmore Towing for more than five years, a true calling and passion. Being a tow truck driver allowed him to follow his love of helping others. He was a man that followed the Golden Rule. He loved his Lord and loved to live life to the fullest. His love for his Momma, “Jabo,” “Pooh” and “Baby Tula Jane” was strong. Bubba also had a love for playing music with his brothers and “Edna Faye,” and a love for animals, fishing, blowing stuff up and moonshine. He was loved and cherished by his family and will be forever missed. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Troy McCain and Vickey McCain; great-grandparents, Herb Grove, Grace Grove, Victor Moore Sr., and Lillian Moore; aunts, Dixie McCain, Yvonne Howard, and Denise Hyche; and uncle, Victor Moore Jr. Bubba is survived by his mother, Angie Smith (Mark Yarbrough); brothers, Jared “Jabo” Hubbard and Jason “Pooh” Hubbard (Devon Salter); baby sister, Olivia “Tula Jane” Hubbard; nephew, Gavin Hubbard; aunts, Lynn Higgins (Bruce), Christy Duncan (Roger), Victoria Shirley and Ryan Dailey (Jeremy); special aunt, KK Fout; uncle, Shannon Glaze (Misty); grandmother, Shirley “GS” Glaze; aunt and uncles, Bob and Cathy Carswell, Bruce and Janice, Ed and Linda Morris, Gerald Howard, Gail Howard, and Randy and Margaret Davenport; his “Pappy,” Wesley Passmore and family; cousins, Colby (Jessie), Vicki (Justin), Baby Bruce, Elijah, Desiree (Alex), Shelby “Edna Faye,” Lilly, Josh “Corn Dog,” John Stephen, Desmond, Xavier, Ariel, Cameron, Morgan, Bobby, Lynn, Lillian, Amber, JT, Booger, Lee, Amy, Jerry, Amanda, Scarlett, and Dee; and many other extended family members and friends; and especially his co-workers, who he considered to be his brothers and family. Funeral services will be Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016, at 2 p.m. at Crestview Memorial Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. until time of service. Burial will at Sunset Cemetery in Pumpkin Center. Pallbearers will be Bubba’s tow truck brothers, David Sanford, Frankie McMillian, Chris Hamric, Brad Pullen, Ryan Cartee, Josh Ward, Jeremy Hogg and Justin Rubin. The family would like to extend a special thanks to Wes Passmore, Ryan Daily, the Hoggle Family singers, and the many other friends who have helped the family through this difficult time. RESOURCE LINK Proud of our association for the work we did back in 2009 to make the laws discussed in this interview apply to our profession. Unfortunately, as this tragic accident proves, we still have work to do. Let's everyone remain vigilant and do our part to make sure our brothers and sisters come home safely to their families at the end of the day. There is still work to be done! We are also asking for anyone who can bring a truck out to participate in the funeral procession for John (Bubba) Hubbard tomorrow (Saturday) at 11:30 at Crestview Memorial Funeral Home in Adamsville, AL. Let's rally around this family and honor, love, and support them. RESOURCE LINK

Tow Operator Killed During A Dispute: BIRMINGHAM,AL (WBRC) - Two men were shot to death around 1pm today in the 2000 Block of 15th Way South West in Birmingham. Birmingham Police say a repo man and a man believed to be the owner of a Ford Focus being repossessed were both killed. Police say the man believed to be the owner of the Ford Focus shot at the repo man killing him. A female passenger with the repo man pulled out a gun firing back at the suspect hitting him. The suspect was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The shootings are under investigation. We will have more on this story when it becomes available. UPDATE: " Two men were shot to death around 1pm today in the 2000 Block of 15th Way South West in Birmingham. Birmingham Police say a tow truck driver and his passenger were dropping off a car for an insurance company when an altercation took place between tow truck driver, his passenger, and the owner of the car. The owner of the car shot at the tow truck driver killing him. A female passenger with the tow truck driver pulled out a gun firing back at the owner of the car hitting him. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The shootings are under investigation. We will have more on this story when it becomes available." Additional: BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A dispute over a towed vehicle has left two men dead in Birmingham. Police identify the dead as 21-year-old Roderious Smith of Fairfield and 48-year-old Timothy Kimble of Birmingham. Police say the men began arguing after Kimble towed Smith's broken-down vehicle off a road to a house where the shooting occurred. Shots rang out as the dispute got worse between Smith and another person who was riding with the tow-truck driver. Both Kimble and Smith were hit. Kimble was dead at the house, and Smith died later at a hospital. Police say they haven't made any arrests. Here's the press release from the BPD: Homicide Investigation The Birmingham Police Department reports that detectives are conducting a homicide investigation. The incident occurred on Saturday, November 24, 2012 at approximately 1:27 p.m. The first victim has been identified as: Timothy Kimble, W/M, 48, of Birmingham, Alabama. The second victim has been identified as: Roderious Smith, B/M, 21, of Fairfield, Alabama. West Precinct officers were dispatched to 2016 15th Way Southwest to investigate a report of a person shot. Upon arrival, officers observed both victims outside the residence suffering from gunshot wounds. Birmingham Fire and Rescue responded and pronounced the first victim deceased. The second victim was transported to U.A.B Hospital for treatment where hospital staff later pronounced him deceased. Investigators learned that both subjects became involved in a verbal altercation after Kimble towed Smith’s vehicle to the incident location from the interstate. As the altercation escalated, gunfire erupted between Smith and another subject riding with Kimble. No arrests have been made in this case. No Active Resource Links Available.

Topics Originally Created in October of 2009: Here are some great cab over model wreckers. I hope the Tennessee Tow Boss enjoys these as well as everyone else. Danny Cassello - TRPC "EST 1963" - East Hartford, CT HanksTow said: Those California stick booms have got to be my favorite of all the classics you post Danny!!! Thanks for sharing!!! Adam Dorr - Prell's Towing - Alpena,MI Underdog said: I can't get enough of those old Ford cabovers....what a great look. Thanks Danny. Stay Safe, Rich. Michael212 said: Those Old Ford COE's & LN's all were great lookin' trucks Especially when they had a Wrecker on the back.... PHOENIX50 said: Classic West Coast iron. I live about 5 minutes from United, and used to go look at their Don Heins trucks on my bike all the time when I was a kid. Those big Continental crashtrucks are pretty amazing too, they remind me of CHiP's and photos in the old Highway Patrolman magazine. I was told Tex Freeman built those heavy boomtrucks with steel bought from the old scrapyards on Alameda. In L.A. back in the day, Continental was IT as far as big rig crashes. AWESOME!! Phoenix Towing Company 1505 Bluff Rd. Montebello, CA 90640 jimmypinktruck said: Awesome pictures Danny! I love those classic paint jobs from "back in the day", as much as the trucks. Vulcanuk said: great pictures i really like the old pipe booms way ahead of there time. RedPete said: what is the history of United? Rotator60 said: That's a lot of History..I wonder whatever happened to all that Big Iron.. BlackTruck said: Great pictures. You gotta love the W series Fords. I used to see a lot of trucks like that a long time ago when I ran the west coast. It does make you wonder where did they all go? Who did make the big stick units that were so common out west? Thanks for posting the pics. Mellow and Sons said: Danny thanks for posting the west coasters, would love to see any more you may have not posted yet Dont remember much about United other than seeing a few of their trucks come by the shop years ago. Their trucks were always clean, polished, and standing tall. Most of the stick booms posted were built by South Union Bodyworks in Bakersfield by Don Heins and his crew. The Contental trucks were built in house. I think I see more of them around than the Heins trucks. We had quite a few Heins trucks and I know of about 5 that are still running today. There were also a number of other places that built the round boom trucks. There was a company in Seattle that built them as well as many guys building a handfull here and there that were more or less copies of Continental or South Union designs. lilmacsinc said: Danny thanks for posting. There is just something about those cab-overs that is awesome. Don't know if its the rarity or what. Ben said: I love that malcolm kenworth wish there was a diecast of that truck.I have 2 malcolm mack diecasts and that would be a great addition. PHOENIX50 said: RedPete, If I recall correctly, Gene and Milt Moore started United Towing in Hawthorne or Torrance, California and moved to Downey CA in the 60's. I believe they still have the PD contract for Downey. Milt later split to run their body shop in South Gate CA. Gene also owned United Truck Sales, a towing equipment dealer which used to be right across the street from United Towing, on Firestone and Ryerson in Downey. Around 1986-87 or so, I used to ride my bike to look at all the used tow trucks parked out front. Phoenix Towing Company 1505 Bluff Rd. Montebello, CA 90640 Da Wash Boss said: Thank You Robert for that piece of history. Would love to see the Holmes 850 on the Pete. ASAPautomotive said: Those Ca sticks are nice but I like that COE Pete with that Bro Interstater in pic #14. It just looks TUFF!!! tow2low said: i remember most all of those trucks,seeing those pictures bring back the good old days. united is still around,they have three locations now,they have a couple of sticks converted to hyd. with under lifts Trucker Jeff said: Danny you are the man. I don't have any real good pics of the Ben Warner trucks they were the ones I learned on thank you. The Pete c/o was the work horse of the fleet untill a 45 ton Challenger came in (and it was even red) . They told us not to cross the scale if we were empty as it had a large amount of weight on the front axle. It was powered by a silver v-12 detriot twin turbo'd and supercharged and would run like a raped ape loaded or empty. Lot of time pulling bumpers back in the day. I think starting around pic 13 are the brownies trucks the c/o had a bro u/l on it and at that time it was one of the 1st out there. Looking in the pic of the Ben Warners Dragon wagon (c/o pete) I see one of the Ford f-600's so I think that it was took around late 1986. Thanks for finding the old iron shots. PHOENIX50 said: Screenshots from 1973's epic "Cleopatra Jones". When Howard Sommers got the LAPD heavy duty contract for the San Fernando Valley, Continental built two cabover KW heavies for them, very similar to their own big stickbooms. The main difference was that they used a "tree" to support the first stage of the boom and pennant lines to support the boom extensions, whereas Continental's own trucks used only pennant lines. As far as I know, "Mighty Joe Young" and "King Kong" were the only wreckers Continental built for an outside customer. Phoenix Towing Company 1505 Bluff Rd. Montebello, CA 90640

Wreckercollector offered this for sale on Tow411 back in 2016: 1971 Chevy tow truck with Ashton boom, small block Chevy runs well, 4 speed, p/s, disk brakes, pretty solid old truck runs and drives, winch works great. Bought for another sign project at other location, but city snobs didn't like the idea! Thought i would restore or make Rat Rod, but have too many other projects! Make it your sign

Topic Originally Created by Paul on Tow411 in 2007: Yeah, the tray continues to upset people close to his area. It won best tilt tray at a 2007 working truck show last week. Photo taken from Towie gallery. wstowing11 said: That is definetely a " baseball cap visor " if I have ever seen one !!!

Original Topic Creator Unknown: Towing Penrith Towing Service in Western Sydney has restored an old 76 model F350 and has airbrushed it as well. FMS Mike said: Nice Trucks!! I love Blue. newtotow said: Hi how are you good to see another ozzie on here, Yes towie was on this bord befor but has not posted for some time hope he ok aatowing said: Looks like a new truck. And ready to add to your accounts receivables without adding to the expenses each month. That truck probley came with a title not a payment. The air brush work is cute too. FredsTowingNJ said: you guys down under love them old fords Reliable Towing said: he did a great job bringing towmater back to life. He used to post on here, tell him he did a great job and a big howdy from the US Steven Original Creator Added: Hey guys. I just got these pics off the gallery. Looks good in the dark too. Towie said: This was Mater's 1st tow by the way "just to keep in topic..." Tows pretty good for a 30 year old...

Topic Originally Create by Max King in October of 2006: Had this one yesterday afternoon. After they put it in the ditch they tried to pull it out with a grader but could not get the roller out of the ditch. Did not have a lot of room to work with the narrow road. I used tree for a dead man, thought I might have trouble setting with the new gravel on the road. It come out real nice and everbody was happy. They did not have any idea what it weighed but getting the roller and the frame work out of the ditch took a little tug. Bruce KW5030 said: Nicely done Thank goodness for the trees, huh? Makes you kinda wonder what if the trees were not there? Then what? I think of that too after the job is done. IBFLATII said: it the trees were not there then it would be a bigger road. Nice job with that recovery. Amazing how easy those roll when you are working on them .. SlimSanta said: The Holmes tree does exist, but not very often in this area. Bruce do you think you could have pulled that out with just two two-parted lines, with more of a pull down on the rear? Also I try not to run a live line though gravel and then though a snatch block. One litte rock can ruin your day. Just my 4 cents worth.Dakota Service & Repair, Brookings, SD Ed Barker said: Looks like a real decent rigging job,I agree you would of had a time holding your truck on that road,those tree's do wonders,,,,did you have them help with the machines power???,I see a lot of fellers that just pull things like that out dead weight and just can't understand what there thinking??????,,,,, john fenshaw said: you do a lot of nice rigging and recovery with that wrecker thanks for sharing Max King said: Thanks for the comments. Al, yes there might have been a chance with a 4 part line that it would have come out. They did not have a clue what it weighed, so I figured I would rig heavy and make sure she's coming out. I don't want to rig light and drag my wrecker and stand it on end and then rig again to get the job done. If I was all alone and did not have that many people watching it would be difference. Also thanks for the tip on the gravel. I was surprised how well the tree worked for an anchor. I only put my spades down about 2 " in the gravel. My truck never wiggled. Ed, I did not have any body try and help. We talked about it being Hydo drive but he said it had a neutral and I thought it would be ok. Maybe a little cautious about having some one on the equipment in case something goes wrong. Ed, I was thinking how much fun it would have been with you new tator. Boom over, pick up and set in road. I still had fun. The driver told me about a piece of equipment that they had buried once. Had a guy come out with a heavy wrecker. They had two graders on it and he singled lined it. One line broke and hit this guy in the back of the neck. He had a heavy coat on with a big hood and did not get hurt too bad. Scary! Darryl Burrell said: Nice work and rigging. timjohn said: Bruce Good job with the winch out. I like the title. Also, I really like the pics you take. You do a good job of capturing the situation and giving guys like myself good rigging ideas. Be safe out there Tim ole750 said: Bruce I was just wonderin how or what made him put it in the ditch? But i guess the more I think about it just another brilliant operator on a piece of construction equipment. Anyways great job way to to make use of the sorroundings. recoveryengineer said: Bruce...anymore the machine weight is always on a tag on the machine "somewhere". Just not always easy to find. If I have lines laying on the ground I lay blocks underneath for them to ride on. The rocks are tough on the cable. Looks like a really good job. Money in the bank! Max King said: Travis, it was suppose to rain hard that night so he said he was trying to pack down the edge so it wouldn't wash away and got a little too close. These are the mistakes that we all count on somebody making. Bruce

Haddick's Classic 2 Car Carrier Why transport only one at a time ? Check out the Butt Plate mounted on the rear of the bed ! I'm sure this was a Haddick's design. Danny Cassello said: very nice what a cool looking unit. thank you for sharing. Michael212 said: Nice. We called them Tow slings "Scoby" plates out here..... PHOENIX50 said: That's what the old timers here call them too, as well as the extendable towbar arms being referred to as "Scoby" arms. Phoenix Towing Company 1505 Bluff Rd. Montebello, CA 90640

Topic Originally Created by The Tow God on Tow411 in October of 2007. In March of this year, our company took over towing services for Irwindale Speedway. I wanted to share some pics with you. the driver of this Outlaw Figure 8 car is Jesse James. This last pic is of my family. Can't miss me, I'm the really ugly one in the AAA jacket. Our race year isn't quite over yet, and the pics are still coming in. Really can't post all of the pics we get, but wanted to share a few with you. Hope you all like them. And if by chance you get to Irwindale for the races, please come down and introduce yourself, the pleasure will be all mine. Mr Waialae Chevron said: Go in, get the car, and GET THE HECK OUT OF DODGE. You gotta be fast for this job. FTI Groups said: Great pics. Thanks. Tow 4 said: Got to love pics with race cars and good looking towtrucks! Should have brought in the new tri-axle Jerr-dan to use, looks like overloading the GVW on some of those trucks! LOL Thanks for sharing! The Tow God said: I've taken the 50 ton several times to the track, but the race director says its too big for the track. I told him it has enough reach it could probably get the cars from off-track, but he doesn't have a sense of humor. Thanks for the comment on the trucks. I order the trucks and letter them as well, so its nice to see someone other than myself likes them. DJ Freddie MAC's, Inc.South El Monte, Ca jj2020 said: does that wrecker with the number 2 on the side of it have a 3 stage boom????? -Jason- Perry's Wrecker Service 12 Middle St. Rome Ga 30161 706.234.5787 brattleborotowing said: i was wondering the same thing both trucks look like they have alot of reach The Tow God said: These trucks have a standard boom on them. I have a friend at Hydraulic Cranes, Inc. in Santa Fe Springs, Ca. I asked him if he could build me some extensions to keep the cars off the wheellift when they are picked up by the boom. He came to our yard and checked over the factory Jerr-Dan boom, and he fabricated the extensions for us. We asked Jerr-Dan if they built anything like it for racing. We were told that the boom extensions that are made for Jerr-Dan race trucks are destroyed when the truck is no longer in service at the track. They do have a lot of reach with the extensions, but with the added length, you loose a lot of structural integrity, and so your boom capacity is greatly reduced. In this pic, we had to bring the boom in to pick up the weight of the tires so that it wouldn't bend the boom. You should see the boom flex lifting these tires at full extension. DJ Freddie MAC's, Inc.South El Monte, Ca Brian Bell said: What kind of $ does an asphalt track pay for a wrecker service per night? Also what kind of $ are some of you guys that do dirt tracks paid per night and how many trucks do you supply? The Tow God said: The boss has never discussed what the track pays for the trucks. The driver's don't get paid a ton of money either. We supply 2 wreckers and 1 rollback for Irwindale Speedway. When they have televised events, there is a 3rd wrecker on standby at the track. Irwindale is a small track. It has a 1/2 mile and a 1/3 mile oval as well as an 1/8 mile drag strip. Irwindale has asked us for several years to do the towing for them. We have always told them that Haddick's Towing was doing an excellent job, and we would not do anything to take it away from them. When Haddick's officially told Irwindale they were no longer interested in providing the service, Jan agreed to provide it. Haddick's was gracious enough to allow one of the driver's to stay on with us, and he has been in charge of the track services. This guy has not missed a race in 10 years, he has given us good training and has no plans to end his race tow career anytime soon. DJ Freddie MAC's, Inc.South El Monte, Ca jj2020 said: we work the local track and we get paid 75 for one wrecker 3 guys in and free meal and all free drinks and if we give an advance notice we can get 2 people in the stands -Jason- Perry's Wrecker Service 12 Middle St. Rome Ga 30161 706.234.5787 Trucker Jeff said: Dj that's neat can't wait to see you guys on the Speed channel with the shoot out the Nascar puts on out there. Always thought it was a neat track (Didn't the track in Plamdale get closed.) We got to do the Long Beech Grand prix 2 or 3 times back in the day man it was a fun filled day. Congrats on the contract and also on the way Jan approched getting it . 1st class move by a 1st class company . Man you guys have grown over the years (Me I was a Ben Warners driver till the pick your part buyout and then Anaheim Fullerton till I moved back here.) Maybe with the reach of the of the tator you could sit it in the infeild and pick and swing. oh wait Chp would say it weighs too much . ResqTator said: 'Saw the Jan's trucks at the track the couple of times I've been there this season and wondered if you were there, DJ. Next time I'll track you down. The trucks look great; I've really liked the cool door design over white since seeing it the first time on the 50 ton at CTTA. Thanks for posting. That's a good lookin' family from start to finish! Rich Gotta add: The Jan's operators look very uniform and professional. The Tow God said: I am there most every weekend. Im usually on the track during the autograph session. There have only been two races I didn't work, but I was still at the track. DJ Freddie MAC's, Inc.South El Monte, Ca tow04 said: DJ, how about posting some pics of the 50 ton! Trying to decide between 50 ton or 35 ton tri-axle for a new toy. Let me know what made u decide for the 50 ton. Matt The Tow God said: Matt, We have a 35 ton Century, and all though it is really a good truck, it seemed to be lacking in its recovery abilities. We looked into both the 9055 Century and the 1000/565 Jerr-Dan. When you are looking at boom length and tip height and weight capacities, we were convinced that the Jerr-Dan was superior to the Century. We contacted Jerr-Dan and they had a 50 ton built to the specs that Stepp's uses sitting in Pennsylvania. So we bought it. Now you can't really compare a 35 ton to a 50 ton fairly. If you are looking for a truck to just tow with and you don't expect to do a lot of recovery work, then I would go after the Century 7035. It is light weight, handles most everything you will come in contact with, and in general is a damn good looking truck. If you plan on doing a lot of recovery work, like rollovers and such, then I highly recommend Jerr-Dan's 1000/565. This is the Century 7035. This pic is our 50 ton Jerr-Dan These pics below are both trucks at play. They both are really good trucks. The 35 ton will scale better than a 50 ton. The 50 ton will do more in recovery than the 35 ton. Hey Rich, were you at Irwindale for Fire Fighters Appreciation night? I was out there with the crew. Come over and say hi. I spoke with Pat Cahill and he said they contacted you about building you a rotator. I hope you guys took the tour of the plant and can work something out. Jan keeps teasing me saying he has them building me a rotator, but so far I haven't seen anything. If we get it, you'll have to come see it and try it out. Hope to see you at the track. DJ Freddie MAC's, Inc.South El Monte, Ca

Topic Originally Created by Liensailor on Tow411 in July of 2010: CLEM said: Is that a holmes 440? RedPete said: Got anymore Haddicks pictures... They looked great when they where silver.. Thanks for those old pictures Mountjoy 79 said: i believe that is a weildbuilt 5 ton unit model 5a i think if so then its a very capable unit. townhooker said: nice truck...looks like its a shop built unit.... but looks good! EnergizerBear said: Very cool, thanks for sharing. Vulcanuk said: Nice truck Liensailor said; Found this old one of a silver truck. When I started they were all red. But there's an old TowTimes magazine that did a story on Haddick's and on the cover of the magazine is a whole fleet of silver trucks. Danny Cassello said: Love that cab over!!!!! very nice thank you for sharing. Derek Gould said: The cabover looks to be identical to the one that Haddicks brought all the way to the Toronto Canada tow show in the mid 1970's. That was one very long ride to support the show (California to Ontario Canada). I have a number of photos of it in white. What is Haddicks doing today? Do they have a web site and where is that truck now? Derek RedPete said: I always liked their midsize GMC, I think it was a century with custom body...

Topic Originally Created by Mr Waialae Chevron on Tow411 in 2005 Found these while surfing the other day. The web site said it was ok to dowmload images for non-commercial use. CF truck number 10-297. A body tank pulling a pup misses the curve near Libby, Montana in July of 1966. The tanks were empty at the time of the accident. The Ford pickup is CF's Missoula, Montana bulk commodities terminal pickup. 1950's CF Truck chained up on it's side Da Wash Boss said: nice pics,,,,, and to think no rotators there no air bags no wreckmaster professionals and wow job was done. just real men who knew how to do things right. nice pictures thank you for sharing. Dan Cassello

FROM THE PASSED Topic Originally Created by datowman in July of 2005: City Council to delay wrecker bid decision By Tiana Hubbard Print Article 7/27/05 The issue of whether to competitively bid wrecker service used by the city of Cleveland led to considerable debate during Monday's meeting of the City Council. Ultimately, council members unanimously approved delaying the opening of the bids, which was scheduled for Aug. 13, by 60 days. Wrecker company owners and operators showed up in force to object to the competitive bid process for wrecker service. The question of bidding out the service is not new. But it became a hot topic again earlier this month when Councilman George Poe questioned the disparity in rates charged to customers who use a wrecker independently of the city - a $40 minimum - and those charged when police or city officials request the service - a minimum of $110. "I don't have a problem with the price. It's the difference in the price," said Councilman Richard Banks. Speaking on behalf of the wrecker companies was Mr. Lynn Wagner. Wagner told the council that serving the city requires the companies to provide locked storage and carry more than twice the amount of insurance they would otherwise. Additionally, Wagner said that being included in the city's current rotation system taxes the companies' resources as city calls are given priority over regular calls. There are also various exposure hazards that employees who are on-call for the city may face, which are not typical of private calls, Wagner explained. "Everything that has been said is exactly the reason this process should be bid out," said Chief of Police Wes Snyder. "I don't want to subjectively decide who's on the (rotation) list, who's not. This should be about who can provide that service at the cheapest rate to the taxpayer. The only fair way for government to involve itself in towing is to bid it out like we do everything else," Snyder said. But Wagner insisted that no towing company in Cleveland or Bradley County would be able to handle the demands of government service alone. Gary Norris, owner of another local wrecker company, Norris Towing, explained that the Bradley County Sheriff's Office had required the companies to determine an all-encompassing flat fee, which had been negotiated to $110. "We have to pay for the privilege of being on the city (rotation)," Norris said in defense of the higher cost for local government calls. Norris said that the wrecker companies were under the impression that the city was in agreement with the county's $110 flat fee. "It's wrong to tell the citizens that because the city calls them they have to pay double, sometimes triple," said Councilman George Poe. "It embarrasses me." Councilman David May asked whether the city could determine a minimum flat rate to be included in bid specifications. "Should the chief of police decide that? I don't think so. ... I don't have the authority to control him," Snyder responded, referring to Norris. "We are looking for a fair and equitable way to decide. It's going to be hard to subjectively decide what's too much, what's too little." Local lawyer Jim Logan joined the discussion on behalf of the wrecker companies. He noted that the state of Tennessee approves a rate on an annual basis - currently at $125 per service. The city of Chattanooga has adopted the state's fee. The city of Athens employs a rotation system and charges $45 for a basic tow. Logan suggested that the appropriate fee for the city of Cleveland might lie somewhere in between. Mayor Tom Rowland recommended a joint meeting of the wrecker companies and city and county officials to try and determine a rate for a basic tow before the bid process is completed Stay Safe John my wife's definition of a "male".......Made Another Lame Excuse. sound familiar??

Topic from July 2005: This one will surely spark debate! I know I have so many emotions just reading this garbage. It's bad enough people think a private industry should work for FREE. But then that industry gives their local governments reason to step in and regulate. That's enough you read the story and we will likely end up moving this too and listed member forum. Fantastic company image being protrayed in the article as well. Anna MacKay thought the worst was over when a St. Louis police detective told her that her Vespa scooter, stolen two weeks earlier in University City, had been found. But it wasn't. To get her scooter back, MacKay went to the St. Louis City Towing impound lot. There, she was slapped with a $260 bill. The scooter was missing its battery and wouldn't start, said MacKay, a Washington University graduate student. Nevertheless, the person behind the window demanded the money. "It makes you feel very helpless," she said. If your vehicle is stolen and then recovered, you'll likely wind up at the dingy window at an impound lot, where victims of auto theft are treated the same as chronic parking ticket violators. Both have fees to settle. The total can be several hundred dollars, often cash only, and sometimes exceed the value of a damaged scooter, car or truck. If the wheels remain in the lot after 30 days, they often go to the highest bidder. "It's sad," said Sylvia Johnson, who drove her son, Lorenzo Johnson III, to pick up his stolen Chrysler Sebring at the city lot last week. "You're a double victim." The process is similar throughout the St. Louis area. Police who recover the vehicle contact the department in the city where it was reported stolen. An officer there contacts the owner, and most of the time the vehicle gets towed. The owner is required to arrive at the lot with a drivers license or proof of identity. Bringing vehicle registration papers speeds up the process, but they're usually in the stolen auto or destroyed. A photocopy is fine. Fees vary from city to city, as does where vehicles end up. Cars recovered in Hazelwood end up at a tow yard in Ballwin. In Kirkwood, they go to Valley Park. Autos found in University City and Belleville go to yards within city limits. There are fuel surcharges, fees for towing, use of a flatbed, and storage. In some cities, police request tows from companies with the best response time regardless of what they charge the rightful owner. "We don't dictate the fees. That's on them," Belleville police Sgt. Don Sax said of the towing services. For Casey Ray, a University City hairdresser, it was like getting kicked twice. In March, after her 1996 Sebring was stolen a second time from her St. Louis neighborhood, Riverview police recovered it at a church parking lot. They contacted D&L Rideout Towing to haul the convertible to St. Charles, where Ray's invoice shows she was charged $105 for retrieving a stolen car, an additional $80 fee, $35 for use of a flatbed, $9.50 for fuel and $45 for mileage - at $3 per mile. She picked it up less than 12 hours later. Her bill: $274.50. "If they'd just told me where they'd found it, I would have gotten it there," she said. On rare occasions, police contact the owners and let them pick up their vehicle where it was found. Florissant police regularly do that if the auto can be driven, Officer Tim Green said. The city also allows owners to say where they would like the vehicle towed, which helps them avoid storage costs. "Discretion is upon the officer," said Capt. Gerry Pollard, spokesman for St. Charles police. "We're not going to stand by for an hour or so waiting for someone to pick their car up." About 2,500 stolen vehicles pass through the St. Louis City Towing lot annually, towing service manager Claude Gunn said. Officials are looking at ways to waive towing and impound fees for auto theft victims, but in the past they've never gotten anywhere. For one, Gunn said, it would be costly to taxpayers. "The hope is that everyone has insurance," Gunn said. Not everyone does. Ray and MacKay had liability insurance, but they lacked comprehensive coverage. As a general rule, comprehensive coverage includes "reasonable" tow fees and storage charges associated with recovering a stolen vehicle, said Tia Lindell, a spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance. Police and impound officials agreed to reduce MacKay's bill, she said, because she was charged storage costs for nine days during which she didn't know the scooter was there. Rather than pay the reduced fee, she decided to let her scooter dealer buy the scooter for salvage. "I got $250, and two years of using it," MacKay said. "The scooter was worth about $3,000. I'll still be paying it off." Steve said: This is where we as an industry fail to make all sides known. The reason we buy insurance is to mitigate risk. If I choose to only carry liability, then I accept the risk of a theft with no coverage. What if the vehicle was never recovered, should the government purchase a new vehicle for the victim? Just went through similar conversations with Dallas officials. Dallas operates their auto pound and we receive payment for every tow we take in, regardless of what the City collects. We had a City Council member who believed auto theft victims should not be charged for recovering their vehicle. The City already gives them 2 free days of storage. The police department estimated a hit to their budget of 750,000.00 for that one exception. My question in these conversations: what about the hundreds of vehicles impounded every year because the owner was intoxicated, crashed the car, left the car, and ran home and reported it stolen to avoid prosecution? This person should also recover his vehicle for free???? Needless to say, the City is no longer pursuing this avenue. The reporter on the St. Louis article needs to realize we are the only privately funded player in this game, and someone has to pay us. He needs to ask his tax payers if they want to foot the bill for the “assumed risk” tow. ForgivenOne said: This is interesting news. I feel for those people who have had their car stolen, but when found, we provide a service to them by taking possession of it, storing it until they can make arrangements to take it. We must be paid for that service or it will cease to exist. The police can't wait there an hour or more like was stated in the article. They must be freed up to take care of more serious calls that come in. So what do they do, do they let it sit there and go on to the next and then if something further happens to the car, are the police responsible. Yeah right! They call rotation to take possession of it. Now, this may sound innapropriate to say, but let's examine who really should be responsible for the car being stolen, that would be the owner or driver. Sometimes these cars are stolen because the key is left in the ignition while they run into the store real quick. I've seen it done and I'm sure you have too. What about the person who lends their car to someone they just met? What the heck is that about? What about the fact that we know cars are stolen, we don't think it'll happen to us? So what if they've stolen three other cars in the neighborhood. Why don't we buy a good expensive alarm and protect our investment instead of the cheap one? Pay more now instead of later at the impound yard. Wait a minute, that didn't sound right, but hey! What about the lock that locks the brake lever from being used? I'm not gonna recommend a steering wheel lock bar as we know they are easily removed with a hacksaw to the wheel. Anyway, If you better protect your investment, can your car be stolen? Am I alone in my feelings here? I provide a service and I think I should be paid for getting up in the middle of the night for towing and storing your stolen car. Okay, sorry for the long windedness, this is a subject that does this to me. Michael McGovern said: This one is real simple. If the community as a whole feels that victims of crime should not have to pay towing/storage bills, then the government should pay the charges. I call it "towing welfare." If a citizen can't afford food, the government (society) has decided to give them food stamps; it doesn't make the grocery store give them food for free. If a citizen can't afford medical services, the government gives them Medicade or other government-paid medical services; the doctors sure as heck aren't asked to work for free. If a victim can't afford towing/storage fees, let the government pay for them. There is no way that towing companies should ever be forced to recover stolen vehicles for free. Tow_Zone said: Only one flaw to that plan. I do not want my tax dollar going to pay for someone stolen vehicle to be returned to them for free. Yes, some may very well be victims. However, I do not consider the majority victims because they did not take precautions to guard their vehicle from being stolen and do not have adequate insurance to cover the expense. They fail to realize that the vehicle could have been left there for them to recover themselves. However, authorities choose to impound the vehicle in order to insure it is secure from futher damage or theft. The so call victim or their insurance company is paying for that security not the recovery as they could have done that themselves. The best system for a municipality is to charge everyone. Then allow those who wish to appeal those charges. But, no this was something a politician dreamed up to make themselves look good. Then to make matters worse the towing industry took it laying down. Now just as I perdicted 5 years ago it is spreading throughout the country. You say your getting paid for these tows by the local government. Well don't expect that to continue as these local governments realize towers in other area are doing them for FREE. Geesh it's been like talking to a wall, and this virus continues to spread. I've got more to say but I'll save it for a more appropriate time. Unknown Member said: That idea would lead to abuse...Lots of drunks wreck their cars and then run off to avoid arrest,after their car is impounded they call us and tell us that it was stolen,thinking that they don't have to pay to get it back if it was stolen. I'm sure others run into this also.I feel for people that really have their cars stolen and don't have insurance,but it is their choice not to purchase theft coverage.Owning an Auto has risks and this is just one of them. North County said: Okay, I understand the originality of this post, but there are many deffinitions of stolen car aas well. There's the good ole' boy who just done screwed up so he left kees init hoping it would go live somewhere else. Problem solved. There's the owner who can't afford two things: a) car payments for too long b) insurance Thus car goes bye bye, If it was worth keeping (at the time of theft) because car was mint condition they would have been all over picking it up quickly. I don't know, where we are there's many scenarios of abandoned cars we get called for (for rotations mostly) these cars are usually 'growing' in a field.......? Some are almost recent. Insurances should cover this completely if it's truley a stolen, but they puusy-foot around until they try to not take any responsibility. Sorry, just another rant from a tower who 'LOVES" to get rid of cars that aren't ours..... Karen from Cali. TowTrk1 said: I Have to agree with Mike on this one. But I can only predict that towing services will not only paid by the state, but also performed by the state first. I do think the government should pay though, but I will agree with Ron when he said he doesnt want his tax dollars paying for someone's junker getting returned to them. Unfortunately, if that was the worst thing our tax dollars paid for, then we'd be better off. You and I both know that our tax dollars pay for more ludicrous things than this. With that being said, I dont see the horror with this story. Did the towing company steal the battery and such from the scooter? We pick up the stuff in whatever condition it is found in. It's not our responsibility to track down the missing parts, it's not our responsibility to repair the thing before its returned to the owner, and it's certainly not our social obligation to do ANYTHING for free. Tow_Zone said: "certainly not our social obligation to do ANYTHING for free." Those were the words I was looking for here. buggage said: As far as that four-letter word "FREE" goes.... I really wish that the citizens of a given area would understand TANSTAAFL Anyone know what that means? Anyone read Robert A Heinlein in their teen years? What it means is There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch..... Of course, your average sheeple defines free as "I didn't directly pay for it, so it must be free". BS!!! How bout in higher taxes, more laws, etc etc? Oh yea, you *did* pay for it, and methinks the cost was more dear than if you'd just written a cheque for it. Jesse Corby said: his idea is insane, the tower is going to be the victim for doing there job. And I think those rates were more than fair. The lady let herself get ripped off by selling the scooter for 250 and it only needed a battery. Dave Tow_Zone said: While we have this forums attention, let's once again discuss these FREE tows related to Stolen Vehicles. I wonder how many more tow companies have now been forced to release stolen vehicles at no charge over the past couple of years. Unknown Member said: City of Fullerton not only makes their rotation company rlease vehicles for free, but also will come to my office and strongarm us for PPI's that come back as stolen to give them back to the R/O for free. I have even had Officers come to our office and wait inside our storage building and allow the R/O to take their car for free and tell us that we will be arrested if we don't comply. Graciesdad said: I do, and pay out the wazoo for it....if you CHOOSE not to carry insurance don't expect sympathy from me. It is not our responsibility as a industry to waive the very fee's that pay our insurance because you choose not to have it, or pay for it. Responsibility for your actions and choices has turned into a history lesson of yesteryear. If you cant afford insurance......well not to be heartless but your not my friend, family, or kids so its not my responsibility to help you. This is a business, not a government handout like most of these people are accustomed to. I cant stand to be persecuted because I charge for work I do just because you want to save some change and go the cheap route on insurance. The day I get told to tow for free to save some smuck from paying insurance is the day I close shop. As far a tax dollars.....if you cant eat or get medical help I may not gripe about my taxes the government makes me pay.....but if ya just cant drive.......sorry jack its time to walk or ride a bus. I let the government make me feed, house, and provide medical attention to you but if your just lazy then its on you pal. What will be next, cable tv for the underprivileged??? How about Starbucks gift cards??? As far as the charges.......maybe they wouldn't be so high if they didn't discount people's bills, or be made to give cars back for free.....its all bull. Government loves to help people and give stuff for free, but its not their pocket its coming out of....its ours. Now they want to attack your bottom line as well......gotta love it. Its like not having homeowners insurance and then yelling at Circit City for charging you for the tv lightning struck.....what the heck would they say to that..... Jay Indiana

Tow truck driver threatens lawsuit in Hancock death By CHERYL WITTENAUER Associated Press Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) - A lawyer representing the tow truck driver involved in the fatal crash of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock is giving Hancock's family 21 days to drop its wrongful death lawsuit. If the family doesn't drop the suit, attorney Robert Pedroli said Wednesday he will countersue and seek punitive damages from Hancock's estate. "They're ignoring all the facts and proceeding with a frivolous lawsuit," he said, adding that he's not looking to punish Hancock's family. Keith Kantack, a lawyer for Dean Hancock, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Hancock was killed April 29 after his sport utility vehicle plowed into the back of a tow truck while it was stopped in front of a stalled-out vehicle on Interstate 64 in St. Louis. Authorities said the 29-year-old pitcher had nearly twice the legal limit for alcohol in his system when he crashed into the back of the tow truck. He also was speeding, using a cell phone and wasn't wearing a seat belt, authorities said. Hancock's father, Dean Hancock, of Tupelo, Miss., filed a lawsuit in May claiming negligence contributed to Hancock's death. Named in the suit were Mike Shannon's Restaurant, where Josh Hancock drank before getting on the highway; Shannon's daughter, Patricia Shannon Van Matre, the restaurant manager; Eddie's Towing; tow truck driver Jacob Hargrove; and Justin Tolar, the driver whose stalled car on Interstate 64 was being assisted by Hargrove. Pedroli said the evidence shows that the crash was caused by a variety of factors - Josh Hancock's blood-alcohol level, his cell phone use, and lack of significant braking. He said there is no evidence that his client, Hargrove, contributed to dangerous road conditions. In fact, he made them safer by coming behind an unlit, stranded vehicle that had hit the median, he said. Pedroli said Hargrove turned on his truck's lights, called 911 and reported the accident location. Hargrove was sitting inside the tow truck when the accident occurred. Pedroli said his client was "banged around pretty good" and suffered emotional scars. "It's a frivolous lawsuit in our opinion," he said. The demand includes dropping both the tow truck driver and the towing company from the suit. "We're taking the high road here," Pedroli said. "This lawsuit is against all good reason and common sense, and it's receiving the wrath of the nation." Hargrove was served with that lawsuit Tuesday, prompting Wednesday's call for the Hancock family to drop it. The lawsuit accuses Hargrove of "negligently parking his vehicle in the left lane of Interstate 64 and blocking oncoming traffic and failing to adequately warn approaching motorists." bigd1 said: No one wants to take personnel responsibility anymore. If they don't drop it go get them if the driver needs financial help count me in because tomorrow it could be one of us. Dion Towmaster B said: I'm glad the towing company is standing up for what is right!!!!! It is in my opinion nonsense that the towing company and driver are being sued in the first place. Somebody kills themselves by drunk driving and the family sues everyone else?! That is not right. I hope the towing compoany sued the family for the damages occurred to his truck when it got hit by the DRUNK driver! towingtech said: Eddie's Towing and Jacob Hargrove stick to your guns Why not sue the family for not raising their son to be responsible for his actions. Why was a family member not at the restaurant to baby sit this person so he did not drink too much and cause the incident to happen. The new word that I hear all the time is I will "sue" you and my response is does your lawyer need a new BMW. Lawyers are the source of most of these CRAPPY suits. MY TWO CENTS 750 600 said: Five years ago we towed a box truck that had crossed from south bound 95 into the center median becoming air born doing a nose dive onto the north bound lanes ejecting its load ( this was a moving truck ) across all the lanes finally coming to rest upside down on top of the guardrail on the right shoulder. State highways (CHART) brings out a loader and pushes all the load into the left median ditch area.Five hours and six flatbed loads plus the heavy tow later we were done,mind you this was on a mid August Sunday in 100 degree heat.I had also called in two drivers who were off to get their trucks and help with clean up at triple their normal pay. Needless to say there was not much left of the load after the wreck and CHART pushing it into the median. Short version. Moving company from the west coast was hired by a woman to move her life to the east coast,along the way they transfer her load in Chicago to another mover who in turn transfers her load and another load in New Jersey to another mover with an additional load to be dropped at locations in the Baltimore/Washington area.She does not insure her property the two other parties did,her declared value of the property was under $3000.00.The last mover was not insured at all,no truck or cargo,and had expired tags. We found a bill of lading in the truck and after talking to all parties involved we all agreed it was a losing deal for everyone.Never the less we all agreed to seperate the load by owner and split the bill for cleanup by weight ( three ways ) per each party.We were paid by the two insurance companies involved for their part and the owners came out and got what they could salvage the rest we disposed of.The owner of the uninsured property became an issue because after mulling it over she decided she should be held harmless and get her property ( what was left of it ) back at no charge.It turns out she was starting a new life here in MD and got a job as a paralegal so she sued everyone involved seperatly including us. She sued us for the declared value of the property plus replacement cost of the property,lost wages and for counsaling ( shrink ) services plus $500,000.00 in punitive damages for conversion,emotional distress,depravation of the use of her household goods and a few more legal terms i have forgot.She filed the same basic suit against everyone just changing the wording as she needed.This went on for more than a year,motion after motion delay after delay.We finally got into court and after the Judge chastized her for filing one of the most frivilis lawsuits he had ever seen he ordered her to hire legal counsal to help her review two things under MD law.One,there is a law that says a tow company MUST CLEANUP AND REMOVE ALL DEBRIS from an accident scene and the surrounding area including grassy off road areas ie: median strips and ditch's.Part of her suit said we should have left her property on the side of the road for her to remove.Two what her responcibility was under midigation basicly telling her she was responcible for her property and the cost of cleaning it up.He then ordered her to do so within thirty days " if she felt the need ". My lawyer had asked for dissmissal at the start of this and every motion there after.He asked the judge why he gave her another chance to file.He said that he understood why she did it but that ( he had seen this before ) as a paralegal she thought she understood the law and needed time to REVIEW AND RETHINK what she was doing. We did not get another notice and our lawyer again filed for dissmissal which was granted. She also had gotten a court order preventing us from disposing of the truck and her property which by this time had sat in our lot for over a year.Once we got our dissmissal I got rid of the truck right away.We had a counter suit against her for her share of the bill,the cost of buying a 20' container to PRESERVE her goods since I had a DUTY to do so plus an ongoing monthly fee for storage. She settled this with us for half the cost of the cleanup on the condition we let her sort through her stuff and at our cost dispose of the rest,As for the container and monthly fee I cut my losses and got it over with. I know it was off the cuff a little but this goes to show you we can be sued for anything.This cost me over $10000.00 in legal fees and over a year of unnecessary stress with no way of recovering any of my out of pocket expense let alone what was actually due to us. Hope all goes well for the driver and company.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The tow truck driver who was involved in Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock's fatal car accident says he suffers every day when he remembers the event. Thirty-3-year-old Jacob Hargrove tells KSDK TV in St. Louis that he has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome since the accident. Authorities say Hancock rear-ended Hargrove's truck in April while Hancock was driving drunk. Hancock's father is suing Hargrove's company for negligence in the accident. Hargrove says he thinks about the accident every day. He remembers seeing Hancock's truck speeding toward him without showing any signs of slowing down. Hargrove says he braced himself in the truck but was thrown around like a rag doll. Wreckerman05 said: hes the one who needs to be talking to lawyers--iam sure he has suffered as much or more than anybody else has- Towmaster B said: He needs to file a counter-suit due to the damages of his truck caused by the negligence of a drunk driver. 60 Tonner said: You know what its people like this in this world who shouldn't be here josh hancocks dad wants to sue dude your son was the dumbass who got in the car drunk what the hell do people think. Muskegontowguy said: I didn't think of a Pain and suffering suit that way. But you guys are right. Physiological pain and suffering is just as real and even times more debilitating than Physical Pain. I think this driver should Definitely file a counter claim against the Players estate. Greg Kowalski

Swansea wants to close tow yard By Aaron Sudholt SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH 04/16/2007 SWANSEA — Village officials are trying to shut down a towing company because nearby homeowners complain that it promotes vermin and reduces property values. "Everyone would feel a whole lot better if that place just went away," Swansea Mayor Charles Gray said. In December, village officials had backed off plans to revoke the business registration of J & K Express Towing on the condition that the site, at 2511 Caseyville Avenue, be cleaned up, the number of towed cars limited to 10 and non-working tow trucks removed from the property by June 20. Now, new complaints from neighbors have the village again exploring ways to shut it down. Advertisement "It's not really a place for a tow yard," Gray said. "It's off a major business street, but it butts up against a residential area." J & K Express Towing, owned by Butch and Chris Hamann, tows cars for the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department. Cars put there can remain as long as three months. The tow yard sits at the end of Caseyville Avenue facing North Belt West road and is surrounded by a chain-link fence. Vertical white dividers inside the links obscure the inside of the yard from the road. Chris Hamann said the property looked far worse when the Hamanns began running the firm in 2001. "It was a monstrosity," she said. The Hamanns cleaned it up on their own, then did more after the December agreement, they said. "There's no reason for them to revoke (the business registration)," Chris Hamann said. "I don't understand why they're doing this." Chris Hamann said she believed that political motives were at work and that other tow yards were being favored over theirs. As of Thursday afternoon, there were 11 cars on the property, 14 tow trucks and a recreation vehicle. Hamann said the number of cars would be reduced to 10 again within a few days as one was taken to a junk yard. Non-working tow trucks remain at the site because they belong to the property owner from whom the Hamanns rent, Hamann said. That means the business has not entirely complied with the December agreement with a little more than a month before the deadline. "The only reason I'm still in there is because Swansea won't shut up," Chris Hamann said. "I don't need that impound yard. If they don't shut up, I'm not going to move."

Emergency crews with the Boone County Fire Protection District respond to a wreck yesterday on Interstate 70 that left two people hospitalized. The accident occurred about 8 p.m. as tow truck driver Raymond C. Ziegelbein, 44, of Sturgeon was removing a Jeep from the shoulder of the eastbound lanes of I-70 near Highway 40, Boone County Fire Battalion Chief Gale Blomenkamp said. A car driven by Richard Carpenter, 24, of Columbia ran off the right side of road and struck the Jeep, tow truck and Ziegelbein, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The car overturned, landing on its roof in both eastbound lanes. Carpenter, who was wearing a seat belt, was in fair condition at University Hospital this morning. A passenger in the car, Jubal J. Bowers, 23, of Columbia, suffered moderate injuries. He was wearing a seat belt. Ziegelbein was serious condition this morning at University Hospital.

Diamond Towing owner shuts down business to help victims By Todd G. Higdon / Daily News Staff Writer JOPLIN - After the destruction left by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, Louis Pike and three of his employees decided to act. And act they did. “We saw the destruction on the television and the people begging and pleading for help and we decided to help,” said Pike, who owns Diamond Towing and Recovery company in Joplin. So he shut down his business for the time that they were gone and paid his employees. Prior to leaving, the samaritans purchased canned food, bottled water, put together all the equipment (such as shovels, rakes, chainsaws) and an RV. “We went on eBay and purchased a 1971 Winnebago, so that we could camp in it for two and a half months,” Pike said. “We paid everything out of our pockets.” The group left and took their supplies and two tow trucks. They later had to have a third truck sent down. On the way down, Pike said that they started seeing destruction in the middle of Mississippi and then later on, saw billboards trashed. They camped in Baton Rouge, La., and worked in the New Orleans area and also in the Mississippi area. In order to get the emergency vehicles through the roads, the local group helped in the cause, running two people on a 24-hour shift, seven days a week. “We would clear the roadways of cars, boats, yachts, trees and other debris,” said Pike. “We even pulled cars off of a three-story building.” This was the first time that Pike had been in the New Orleans area. It was one thing to clear the debris from the area, but it was a memory that will stick in the local group's mind. “The hardest thing was handing out supplies and seeing the children in such a need,” Pike said. “Overall, the average citizen there was very appreciative.” Traffic was horrible and in order to get around, the group used a GPS with a laptop computer to navigate their way through the area. Pike said there was no power in the area and no signs. According to Pike, his group was not the only one who had responded to the cause. He saw people from not only the United States, but from Canada, Germany and London. “I encourage adults to go down and help out,” Pike said. Helping in one hurricane is one thing, but being in the middle of another is something else. “My wife called me and told me that a hurricane (Hurricane Rita) was coming our way,” said Pike. “It had high winds and rain similar to winds in Kansas.” When they decided to leave, they sold the RV and headed back home. “It's good to be back in the area,” stated Pike. There were numerous replies of congrats which have not been transferred here

Topic Originally Created on Tow411 by Jeff98970 in February of 2008: Fire hydrant was in the way so we couldn't close the box on the ground. wstowing11 said: Very nice recovery ! BigWheelRecovery said: We always close the dumps up first to me it make it allot safer and so you don't damage the piston if it is not already, damaged I'm not say its a bad job at all I'm just saying what works best for us . thanks for posting hay nice tater .thanks Eric nullstowing said: Very nice job, from reading the description you did not have much choice then to set it up the way you did. How bout some more pictures of the tator. Wrecking Ronnie said: That is a tuff call, drag it back to close the box or upright it like you did. Looks to me like you made the right call. Great recovery. Ron Veurink K&R Towing, Holland, MI. Rotator60 said: Nice solution to the fire hydrant problem...Great recovery pics...Thanks for sharing.. Allenstowing said: when you retracted the cylinder did it go down on its own, or did you use the boom to push it down? perfectly preformed job. Canadiantowman said: nice job WheelLiftWarrior said: Nice work thanks for the pics In Memory of Scooby who said: in case you didn't read the explanation before the pics...here it is again "Fire hydrant was in the way so we couldn't close the box on the ground." Martin Ganley said: as long as you have enough boom height to do it then why not,and from what I see boom heigth is not a problem for you...gotta love NRC BigWheelRecovery said: Scooby, my fault didn't read the directions as usual, nice job no awesome job thanks eric

Topic Originally Created on Tow411 by Anaron in April of 2007: My wire rope supplier suggested I go to 7 ton bearing swivel hooks instead of the standard ole swivel hook. Says I would probably have less problems with uneven wrap on drum as the bearing hook would let the rope rotate under load. Anyone using the bearing swivel hooks? If so, are there any benefits to spending the extra money which I don't mind if they work! Ed Barker said: never have any trouble with the standard swivel hooks,,,I looked at the bearing hooks at the suppliers display but I can't see where the enormous price difference would be worth it,,,just my opinion Jeff98970 said: A true swivel hook has a bearing in it to allow it to swivel under load. The swivel hooks we tend to use with wreckers will not turn under load because of the friction caused between the ring and the retainer nut. If your using a standard wire rope you need your hook to lock in this manor to keep the rope from unwinding itself under heavy loads and damaging itself. If you speak to a wire rope manufacturer instead of a supplier they will tell you the only wire recomended for a bearing style swivel hook is a true "non-rotational wire". Even a rotarion resistant wire will sustain damage with a bearing style swivel hook when approaching it's WLL. If you e-mail me I can send you some proper literature from some reputable rope manufacturers. Wade200 said: We use Crosby swivels on some rollbacks and our heavies. They don't swivel as much with a load, but they do a little bit. Ours have a washer looking thing that cuts down on the friction. We have some of the standard swivels and they don't hardly swivel at all (they are kind of junky). I wish we have true ball bearing inside our swivels, that would be really nice. I haven't seen many with them though.Daniel Wade Tony's Towing, Inc. In Memory of BrotherandSons who said: Swivel hooks are not a good thing for a wrecker unless you are doing a total "pick".entire casualty off the ground. The layed cables whether fiber core or IWRC, which are the norm in our industry, work on rotational compression or "wringing" for strength . As load is applied, the outer strands twist radially( just like wringing a wet cloth) around the inner core wire and compress, making the individual wire strands compress against each other and become less likely to seperate or break. in THEORY a wire loaded from end to end without any bends in it could achieve the same strength of a solid steel bar. When the swivel hook ( non bearing) is loaded it allows the wire to do its thing and all is well. The no bearing swivel is to facilate hook up, not stop rotaion of the wire. using a bearing hook with layed wire doesn't allow this "wringing" and could even , under extreme conditions cause the layed wire to unravel under stress....thats not a good thing. non rotaional wire isn't really desigend for our application, again unless your doing a lot of total "picks" . It works on a principle of linear compression, kinda like the "chinese thumbcuffs" us old farts played with as kids..the harder you pull the more the wire compresses and the stronger it becomes Using non rotational wire on a wrecker is kinda costly and it doesn't work as well in dirt, gravel, etc as any particulate matter in the wire body will abrade individual strands to the point of breaking much faster than on a layed wire. And without the "twist" it abrades itself every time it goes around a bend under extreme load, such as a sheave or winch drum spend your money on making sure your tensioners are doing a good job, thats usually the reason a cable won't rewind properly. I probably could have just typed "save your money" .but then I would have sounded like an old cheap miser .but any way .......Save your money! BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW......THEN CHEW IT ! Anaron said: Thanks guys! Did not think about unraveling the rope under load, makes sense. Jeff, thanks for the phone call! Curt Sharp said: Great answer Jeff DW Carter said: nother example of the knowledge that is on this board. I had been thinking about using a bearing swivel on my rollback, partly for the low profile and partly wondering if the line would last longer. Now, I'd better rethink that. Thanks for that information .DW Carter WM92343

This Topic was created by Owl Wrecker in July of 2009: A fertilizer spreader that was really stuck in the mud, just NE of Minot. With the soil being so saturated, it was impossible to get a heavy duty enough wrecker close enough to winch out the spreader. The winch box attachment for the skid steer was a great success to this recovery.