Tow411

Topic Created by CMG Can Do said: We had a call to attend a double truck RTC in the early hours of this morning, The T&T was a straight forward suspend tow but the 18ton Truck was a little bit more Once we had removed all the debris with the Knuckle Crane the Rotator was rigged to lift the casualty up over the barrier and spin it round in the air, lower it down where upon it could be suspend towed away. Once all loaded up we all went home, from start to finsh 2 hours to clear the road, well done Billy , Passy, Vince and Phill. Unknown Member said: just curious, how come you didn't use the second line on the tator? I would think that it would provide more stability and lifting strength, not that you had a problem. Just asking Wessex1 said: Mark I bet your invoice doesn't show 2 hours start to finish.......... Or does it???? Glad to see you're still earning a fortune up in the north. Paul xcessiveforce52 said: good job......as far as using just the one line, I would think it was so he could spin it and set it down directly behind him in one lane, just my opinion.... ELIMINATORII said: Good opinion Jorge, my opinion on that would be the same , the load will spin were you want it to not were the lines take it. wstowing11 said: I would think your opinion is pretty darn right Mike ! I was going to give the same opinion .. newtotow said: Was going to ask about the line as well thank for the answer did any one see that there is hard hat storage places at the rear of the truck Nick Ovenden said: There's more and more UK posts here every day!! Keep flying the flag boys, looking good. I did notice the helmet storage by the way!! Byron Coleman said: Job well done Nick. It seems nrc tators are the unit of choice in your area is it due to their performance or the exchange rate from Canada? Leigh Bowden said: Hey Mark your helmet looks smooth matey. why put the wagon down backwards? and why your use the hiab for? CMG Can Do said: LEE, the hiab was used to re arrange the body and side as its quicker that the NRC, the reason it was put down back wards was because it had 2 flat tyres so it needed a RST Mark Leigh Bowden said: Oh Would that be the Hiab your trying sell me? What would you do if you didnt have a tator

Topic Originally Create by Imslookingood in June of 2007: We got dispatched by the wrecker company to respond and this is what we found. IMS pumped off the fuel from the tanks. Thanks to Ace Wrecker Service they were able to recover the rolls of alluminum hookit2 said: that is not the mayor. he wears penny loafers to wreck scenes just like important people!!!! Thomas Simpson said: sounds like somebody jealous.because he has been sitting behind a desk getting fat get r towed said: Nice recovery, Nice clean up. Was the trailer towable ? or did you have to haul on Landoll ?..............John Imslookingood said: Yes the trailer was towable.

Topic Created by Imslookingood in June of 2007: We received a call from the turnpike to respond to a 150 gallon diesel spill at mm 274. Upon arrival this is what we found. Johnson Wrecker Service worked this wreck. IMS did photo documentation and covered the site after it was all said and done. wm020494 said: If that was an Open Roads Call they had their work cut out for them!! Looked like a good wreck to work. Nick Unknown Member said: Clearing the road was the easy part and we are used to workin in the median but clean up was very entailed . I wish the original position and lane clearing was posted but MY hand are tied. xcessiveforce52 said: was the integrity of the unit so poor that you all just had to push it off the road????? just a question cause that is what it sounds like.... Byron Coleman said: The unit was resting right side of trailer down and tractor upright facing south bound with trailer facing east ,trailer across median and southbound lanes tractor facing south in nb. left lane. Pulled the trailer from the rear towards the median while I sat in the median and pulled the tractor into median .Took longer to push off the crushed produce than move the unit.All outside wheels crushed from impact with bridge and all axles shifted on tractor.Fifth wheel plate and bulkhead of wagon including reefer pulled loose as well as all cross members for landing gear. Several feet of mangled doubled guardrail as well as lots of fuel soaked cabbage made for a real messy clean up. Heavytowman12 said: I have a question and a comment the question first. If that was what is called a RISK call. To get the bonus money do all pieces have to be removed in 90 minutes. Or do the travel lanes or a travel have to be open within the 90 minute time frame. The reason I ask is I went to seminar Friday where the speaker from what was called. The I95 Coalition was talking a little about the FL turnpike and mentioned your company Johnson's as one of the towers. He was not sure on the process for the bonus money.He also stated he thought the average time to cleanup a tractor trailer accident. Or something similar was 47 minutes. Sounded rather far fetched to me. Thought maybe you could give us some insight on average time to clean up a incident. Then to get the bonus money what is reguired . If you will if not I undersatnd. Now for the comment. Every job you guys have posted here Johnson's & IMS has been done in a professional manner. With quality equipment and personnel. Keep up the good work and stay safe! imslookingood said: To answer your question...You have 60 minutes to respond, You have 90 minutes to clear travel lanes. The Turnpike official is advised when your ready to start the clock. The average time with plenty of practice ,we have got it done to about 47 minutes....note...that means ....no one missing a beat .. to accomplish the job. Any other questions don't hesitate to ask. Thanks Heavytowman12 said: 60 minutes to respond then 90 minutes to get the travel lanes open. So at least the travel lanes must be open in 90 minutes. That's not bad the one hour response time is kind of odd. But good though. Thanks! THE TOWBOSS said: Classic carnage, love them jobs !! Send in the landoll's and the dumps or rolloff's.

Topic Created by MooreRD in June of 2007: This accident involved two tractors and trailers. The one tractor cut the other tractor off the road to avoid hitting a stopped car along the intertstate and took the second tractor and trailer with the first. Well, well. Who gets out first? Actually due to the recovery of these vehicles, the second got winched out first. Both drivers were uninjured and it was an actual happy ending! (Including the recovery) Happy viewing! RD wstowing11 said: Just curious as to why the right rear outrigger is up off the ground, when the recovery boom is well into rotation, and it is rigged for action ? John Scheidel said: In defense of the leg in the air. We were setting up at the time. He would not let me do anything wrong. MooreRD said: At That time we were preparing to pull it out Not yet set up THANKS FOR NOTICING .

Topic Originally Created by CMG can do in June of 2007: SORRY BOSS THIS IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT IF IT WORKS ALL THANKS GO TO WESSEX1 Wessex1 said: Mark You just got to work on the text bit now...!!! Glad to see you're busy at it still. That ash tree would take some hit to break it like that, the recycled Messerschmitt took a fair old beating though. Nice job... Stat (-£) or owners request ££££££'s ? Paul Jerrys Road Service said: Well at least his front window said "Caution" i guess that was ment for others to stay away from him LOL.nice tator peelman said: good job mark looks like our kind of work up here in jockland. see you have a new volvo on boniface web page looks the part. CMG Can Do said: thanks for the compiment with the new Volvo hopefully going on the road on Tuesday just come back from the tow show, now its graphiced i look the dogs bo******** Jordan Coopland said: well done great pics. i like your truck and the colours they will be easy to to see at night . From jordan Be safe be cool

Topic originally created by Towman3167 in May of 2007: A long time customer called and asked if i could meet him at this boat ramp because he had a problem and o bring you're big fishing pole. Ok. 40 mile drive and this is what i find. This is a 32ft. glacier bay cat. He drove it on to the trailer and his son drove the truck up the ramp OPS. forgot to hook the winch strap to the boat and it slid 3/4 of the way of the trailer landing on the final drives and props. And of course a lot looki-loos pointing and laughing at him and his crew. Underdog said: That's definitely embarrassing! Nice job. Stay safe, Rich. Ed Barker said: Now this is a prime example for all those "TATOR HATERS",,,,,,,look how hard that would have been with a stick boom or a mechanical??????,,,that truck made short work of that job,,, Curt Sharp said: I understand that this is not a very heavy lift, however, I feel that "tator operators had better become a little more disciplined in setting outriggers properly. Not only is it proper, safer, and easier on the truck to have them placed properly...but it is easier than standing your truck back up!

Topic was originally created in 2010 by a member that was purged at some point. The relaunch of the company I bought is just around the corner. We have to decide on uniforms right now. Couple of possibilities. 1. Uniform shirt and jeans or pants supplied by driver. 2. Uniform Shirt and Pants 3. Uniform Shirt and Pant with 2 Days of drivers pants by driver. In the past I have always liked full uniforms. I have operated companies with just shirts and let the drivers handle pants. Option 1 saves the company about 44% from uniform company Option 3 saves about 18% What do you think? What do you do? Have you changed with the economy? Next we are thinking of staying with a simple cost effective lettering. 1. Plan Jane = $85 a truck 2. A Little Bit Nicer = $180 a truck 3. Much Nicer = $400 a truck 4. Making a statement = $900 a truck I know which way i'm leaning but want to hear your thoughts. Thanks OKTOW said: Here's the answer. Marketing 101. Spring for the absolute best that you can afford. Always. You will never regret it. Graciesdad said: My guys have full uniform service, reflective shirts and jeans, and safety vests paid for by the company. I usually also have reflective gloves on hand......although I need to order more. I go all out on lettering, and have for years. It gets expensive, but I only use quality material and have it professionally installed.......usually cost a grand a truck.I am looking at vinyl wraps for new trucks. Next to service image is everything in this business.....you give customers the "wow" factor from personal appearance, uniforms, trucks, paperwork....everything, they will remember. Years ago we had very simple trucks, clean.....but simple. Since I went all out and did some crazy stuff over the years I always get positive feedback. Uniforms solve the dress code problem, plus a new hire may simply not have the funds to "look" the part, may be a GREAT driver....but comes in dressed in torn jeans and a AC/DC shirt......but its all he can afford. This solves that. Good luck! roadkillwi said: Are company pays for the reflective uniforms to make sure the drivers look professional and are safe. I have worked at places that had you put a deposit on the uniforms and pay for half of the cleaning charge also. On our trucks we go little more then basic but we have it done in reflective. Eds Towing said: I'm the same as Jay other then the attack on AC/DC..... Just kidding LoL I supply full uniforms for everyone, jackets and gloves. I want a certain look and am willing to pay for it. Sometimes I meet in the middle a little...I have guys that complain about the uniform pants so I get Jeans from the uniform company for them. I do get pissed when they don't wear them. I also supply T shirts to everyone when I have them. Trucks? Well I'm "old school" and appreciate painted lettering, stripping and murals. There is nothing wrong with vinyl but I like the personal touch of a good painter. It's harder to maintain...expensive...and time intensive to put on. The average truck is around a grand and takes 2 days to complete. My new unit will probably be twice that. But I have used the same guy since I started and I love the craftsmanship. I can pick out Magnum's work anywhere. It's an extension of his character. I have had cheaper painters try to get our business but I always find a flaw somewhere. My guy knows if it ain't right I won't be happy. I once had a guy do a full hood mural on a new Ford. He dropped off the hood all proud & shit but I wasn't there. I came in and immediately got pissed because it wasn't what we discussed. Then I could tell the paint wasn't what I requested...It just gave me a general attitude problem. I took thinner and wiped it right back to the white base (we were clear coating it). He comes in later and says "what do you think?" I said it all fell off on the floor...? He walked over and about dropped to the floor. He did it again to my satisfaction the next time... Anyway, image is everything. I wouldn't skimp on the appearance of either. I have seen some beautiful trucks that looked like they got their lettering at the hardware store. Whatever they had left over they could outfit their mail box with. I know it probably makes the same money as mine but I would rather eat dryer lint then run stuff like that. People know my equipment and I think expect a certain quality based on it's presentation. As long as they are willing to pay for the quality then it's all good for me. Good luck with your decision. BlackAutoload: Do company shirts and mandate X color pants(drivers pay for). Best of both worlds. $500 ish truck for lettering is about right for me. annettemcd said: We have coveralls with company name and driver's name embroidered on the chest and reflective vests. The coveralls and reflective vests are paid for by us (the company). The coveralls are the same color as the trucks. Regular clothes worn under the coveralls and jackets are the employees responsibility. My husband is always recognized as "the tow truck guy" because he is always in his coveralls. People call him by name because they can read it on his chest. He now wears coveralls with reflective strips and just bought a new reflective winter jacket. If our employee wanted a reflective jacket, we would probably pay 1/2. On our trucks, the lettering is fairly plain-Jane with reflective yellow lettering and a black shadow in a basic serif font (Windsor) with the company name as big as we can get it on blue trucks. Along the side of the bed and on the doors is our toll-free phone number, again, as big as will fit. City, State, and DOT # and an outline map of the state with our location marked complete the lettering. On regular tow trucks, I hate lettering which is illegible because it is too small, too fancy, or not in a contrasting color. There are a few local companies which have small black letters on red; there is no way to read it unless you are standing next to the truck. Our trucks are rolling advertisements, so, in my mind, they should look great, but also be clearly identifiable as ours. I want our phone number and company name out there for all to see. Kenny Miracle said: With the fact employees and equipment is considered a extension of your company and the very first visual impression that people get, I believe in sparing no expense...I supply all drivers with any equipment,clothing,(even work boots) Basically anything that they need to ensure my company is thought of in a positive light by my customers Past, Present and future...And it's all tax deductible......I do prefer a basic looking clean truck....Kenny In Memory of PlanBTransport who said: We've always had Custom T-shirts and Sweat shirts for our employees to wear letting them choose there own pants. About a month ago we went with a uniform company for both shirts and pants and I can see a significant difference in appearance. We went with the reflective shirts and grey pants, Our company name and drivers name are clearly visible leaving no mistake who he is and who he represents. As an owner I feel that it sets the company apart from the others and gives off a sense of pride. Our lettering on the trucks all match so why shouldn't our drivers? We have custom reflective hats that we had done, now everyone matches from top to bottom. unknown member said: I can’t speak for the other operators here but for me if I went to apply for a job and the owner/manager told me I was going to be in jeans and T-shirt and not in a full professional uniform I would turn around and walk out I’m a professional operator and I will look like one at all times. I’m willing to even pay for the cleaning of them my self but there has to be a uniform service or I will go find a job somewhere else as for the trucks as long as the have the equipment to do the job and the are clean and well kept how they are lettered is not important to me as long as it has the name and the number because with my professional appearance and attitude they are going to remember me and not the truck I was driving Towing U said: I love that feeling. people seem to use us than the another guy for the same reason. it takes money to make money. We supply uniforms, hats, jackets and etc. rollbacks we tend to spend around 500 -600 bigger units well over a grand. Whatever you can afford and be the best you be be and you will be fine. GraciesDad said: I forgot to mention reflective jackets also.... Id love to find a person here to do it by hand.......think they have all passed on or got out of it because of Vinyl......we used to have them all hand done and you can tell the difference, and like stated, you cant beat the look of someone who knows their stuff. Those were the good old days when a new truck was 30 grand or so and throw a guy a hundred and he's paint any lettering you wanted........ capptow said: uniform shirt and jeans. shirts are reflective striping. IN the winter; black bib overalls, reflective green jackets. rain bibs and jackets also provided. not the pvc kind either! I offer to buy steel toe boots once a year. As for trucks, some look good with wild paint and lettering. some look good plain. A nice combination is all you need. PS:i cant stand for someone to complain about ruining THEIR clothes while on the job.. If your driver is comfortable he will perform. KIRBYSTOWING said: Standard uniforms with reflective striping, option of uniform pants and/or blue jeans thru Cintas. Boots and gloves also supplied. You can look real nice in your uniform, and have crappy shoes and look stupid. Lettering varies, but simple works just fine. Bold lettering and a uniform appearance seem to do the trick. Dicks911 said: I have reflective green button up shirts, pants supplied by Cintas. Boss pays the rental bill. I had to buy my own coats, gloves, and hats. I buy my own boots. Have two sets of Winter coveralls for the long days spent winching in the freezing cold, all embroidered up with company logo. We have two trucks. The vulcan wheel lift is clean and very plain. The Flatbed has a wrap of an American flag and diamond plate. We get compliments on both. Older people tend to like the plain wheel lift, while younger people compliment the flatbed more. Grenadier said: I agree with 90% of these guys. Protective clothing and truck marketing are significant upfront costs but I think you will reap great sustainability if you invest wisely and market yourself as a professional. Your clothing on your men and women will say more then words. Keep us posted. -Michael BTech Emergency Management - CBU - 2012 BBA - UNB - 2007 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada urbanarcana@gmail.com The Tow God said: I believe that a complete uniform (option 2) is the most professional look for your driver. We tow for many police agencies, and I have noticed that all of them wear a complete uniform and look very professional, and since we work for them, we should look the same...professional. As for the truck, we use a lot of vinyl lettering on our trucks, and we get a lot of compliments even from other tow companies. However you decide to do your trucks, they should all be the same color and have the same graphics, again it looks more professional. I wish you the best luck in your new venture. Finances play a big role and you should really do what your budget allows, you can always upgrade later. Brian Bell said: I say option #2 I'll supply 5 or more Uniform Shirts, 5 pair of Dickies Pants, Boots for Full-Time Drivers I wash my own they wash theirs...Gloves, Reflective Vest & Jackets are in all trucks. Firetow434 just gets a Hat and a couple of Shirts.. Since he don't "work" for me is always willing to lend a hand I don't think I'll "require" him to wear black pants. I think he does sometimes though....... He supplies his own glasses too.. I spend about $400 on the little trucks and my H/D is "Just a Black Truck with $800 worth of stickers on it" ( I tell people that all the time) rlc4523 said: Uniform shirt absolutely as for the pants I buy my own black carhart pants my boss likes his black jeans but im alot harder on my pants i guess. It also saves us a little money by not having to replace company pants and I have no problem with that. As for the shirts get set up with a laundering service because they will be able to clean the shirts a lot better than your employee at home and this way they will look cleaner every time they put one on. A uniform is soooooo much more professional and people truely look at the operator differently when they get out of the truck. Lettering and color scheme, especially in our area, is a huge thing to each tow company. We use a simple yet bold lettering in a bright color with reflective in the vinyl and its clean easy to read and uncluttered but we didnt scrimp on the type of vinyl lettering used. You've got to remeber to keep your truck advertising clear and easy to read as the truck is moving down the road or sitting across the parking lot as your providing service so others can see it. twinbulls said: Dress nice weather a truck or a person..... I like getting the best letters and designs I can afford at the time.. bling is bling today or next week .... we supply all shirts and jackets... I want to supply pants to ..But have not yet .... I HATE to see rips on the knees or else where.... Blue Stripe said: We provide full uniforms and laundry service through Cintas. The trucks have reflective vinyl graphics, our cost is around $550 per truck Chris Flynn, WM 091008 Boardman Towing & Recovery wm050915 said: I have always had just a plain grey work shirt with a crest for company name and my name on the chest. Clean jeans etc. Always thought this was acceptable. Until recently.Now I am wearing a red uniform shirt with 1 in reflective around chest and sleeves.Our logo embroidered on right chest CAA on left, my name on the right sleave and my WM crest on the left. Navy blue cargo pants with 1 inch reflective down the leg. We also have navy blue hoodies also embroidered for colder weather and matching bomber jackets with reflective around the chest and sleaves. This new uniform has brought us a ton of attention and customer respect. Cost about The shirt and pants cost around $100 per set. and the jackets were $85, the hoodies were under $30. All in all a great investment. Sets us apart as professionals compared to the junkyard dog look. As far as the trucks go. keep it reasonable for the bulk of the units. if you get a flagship so to speak do it up right. Keep them all looking good to strt out with . too much of a statement can cause people to think you charge too much to pay for bling and toys. The 1st uniform is on the company(pants and shirt) then employee must buy them there after with the exception of the embroidery.Jackets are used as bonus type things same as hoodies. Toques and hats as well. Laundering is up to the employee. @OKTOW @roadkillwi @BlackAutoload @annettemcd @Kenny Miracle @EdsTowing @Capptow @Dicks911 @Brian Bell @WM050915

Topic was created by Internationalstar in October of 2013: What is everyone using for rain gear ? looking for something good that wont rip easy. Spitz said: I just ordered some frogg toggs, will let you know how they are. Scooby said: I have WreckMaster rain gear. going on 6 years. Chuck with Noltes : ^^^Like^^^ Towman21 said: I don't have but Wreck master is good. We personally use rain gear from Badger Glove and Safety. http://www.badgergloveandsafety.com/ We use the coat with the removable vest and non insulated pants. We wear these pretty much year around. They keep us dry during the winter and it is not overly bulky so you can still do all of our work. Spitz said: Got the frog toggs in, not really a fan of them or the fit. Would be something I would consider to throw in a car for emergency or use for mud running with a 4 wheeler but not for working in a ditchline, just not strong enough material. ASAPautomotive said: Frog Toggs are amazing when fishing or running the boat on the lake, but not so for the work environment. They just wont handle the grease and sharp edges we run in to. Spitz said: Yeah, I got my eyes on the occunomix brand, looks like they are a lot sturdier. TowZone said: About 10 years ago I purchased a Occunomix Occulux Rain Extended Coat. That has been the best rain coat ever and it still looks good after 10 years. Sadly, I do not believe they offer this Extended Coat any longer. I really liked that it came down past the knees and hope that I can find another when this one does wear out. Oh, the upper portion of the jacket is Yellow and the lower portion is Black. There is some reflective material as well. Spitz said: Just bought some rain gear from here: https://www.reflectiveapparel.com/ Turned out to be really nice stuff and it fit perfectly for me. They give the sizes of everything and when ordering online you NEED to have. New Zealand Towing said: I asked who the police supplier is for their wet weather gear and pickup the same gear looks more professional when on site doing a police callout only issue I have had is they are to warm if your working hard you cook in them but the thermal lining is removable so you can pull it out if you have to GregTowzIt said: I have been looking for a trench rain coat for a while now, and the quality just isnt there anymore. Insurance For Wreckers said: Bought Occunomix Gear last year. Its okay, the sizing is entirely off the chart wrong. Took it to the local Law Enforcement supply where I buy my 5.11 uniform pants to have it taken in accordingly and it still wasn't right. Gave it to another operator, he loves it. So the only thing I have to complain about is the sizing. Went with Spiewak (spiewak.com) this time, it's what the Missouri State Highway Patrol wears, no complaints yet. They make everything from simple uninsulated gear to parkas with zip-in fleece and thermal liners. New Zealand Tow said it perfectly. I've had more luck using appearal designed for law enforcement than I ever did using the uniform company's clothing. 5.11 Tac Lite Pro pants, Danner Acadia boots, ANSI shirts - that's a toss up between a few different manufacturers depending upon weather conditions. TowZone said: VisGaurd, every review I have read is negative. Occulux is obviously not the quality it was a few years ago. I am going to be looking hard for a new quality rain gear. I may have to buy a few different ones so keep an eye out as I review them over the next few months. If anyone here has purchased new rain gear recently please inform us of our membership of your experience. Towman33 said: I have the brilliant series jacket & pants from ML kishigo very nice fit keeps the water out pretty well and the prismatic stripping really stand's out in the rain. krnydsl said: I have a Lacrosse coat that always looks dirty but has held up very well. TowZone said: These would be of interest to me, however I am concerned about what they mean by adjustable wrist wraps. https://mlkishigo.com/product/long-rain-coat-rwj108-rwj109/ gen5towman said: I wear frog toggs and my vest. I know its not great to wear the vest but frogg toggs are the best rain gear i have ever worn. ATR1 said: ill second the frog toggs for the top and as strange as it sounds wal mart has some pants that fit better to me the ones i have are black and like a cargo pant with a rip stop material for like 20 bucks, but i spray mine with the stuff you use to keep tents water proof about every month depending on use and ive been wearin the same pair for a little over a year now Towvts said: Try Galeton.com. My dad and I both bought suits off of them. You don't know you have them on! They breath very well and still keep you warm and dry. No they're not insulated. Put a sweat shirt under them and was warm all winter. Leroy Hedrick said: WRECKMASTER turn-out gear dry and warm plus grease wipes right off dollartow said: My set of turn out gear are three years old and still look good Terry Heffy004 said: Myself & a few employees still have the WreckMaster "Turn Out Gear".....That I purchased in 2000. PLUS......To my limited knowledge (?) it meets OSHA ANSI 3 requirements. HEFFY

Topic Created on Tow411 in 2012 by Reds : I see a lot of conversation of towing garbage trucks/packers etc on here and even though there alot more common in the bigger cities we still see them in the midwest, my question is I've read alot on rear towing these units but I've always wondered how that would be done as any garbage truck i've had to move has always rolled down the road on ones with rearend issues we pull axles etc the normal stuff but if there out there pictures of rear tows on the front loads and just your average everyday conventional garbage truck. Thanks svcmgrnow said: Is the question 'How' or 'Why'?? ..."my question is I've read alot on rear towing these units but I've always wondered how that would be done as any garbage truck i've had to move has always rolled down the road on ones with rearend issues we pull axles etc the normal stuff "........ I've towed one or two from the rear over the years, and if there isn't a critical problem (i.e. burned up wheel bearing, broken spring pack, broken axle housing, broken trunion or walking beam) it's not really worth the risk involved. It is not the same as towing an empty dump truck from the rear weight-wise, and you need a lot of truck and an experienced operator to get it done safely, and that's when they're empty. More truck and more operator required when they've got weight in them. Front end trucks can normally be forked on the frame or at the tag axle if equipped.................... Rear loaders are all different, usually use chain forks or end caps, aluminum angle and wood, run the chains under the hopper to a secure part of the chassis, either crossmember, frame rails, or pat of the rear suspension........ Towgodess14 said: These trucks had a cracked rearend housing. Not my first choice to tow but it can be done.They are heavy and you have to be stretched out a lot to clear. One of the big issues is over loading the front axle of the trash truck. Heavy to begin with, load transfer makes it far worse. Height is also something to watch out for. Unknown member said: I prefer to remove the dot bumpers and tow bar them with end caps at the end of the frame rails. Chains ran forward to what ever you can get. Less weight on the tow truck. Be careful on expeditors rear towing you are transferring a lot of weight forward and the ends of the front frame rails are very weak. They break off just driving down the road.We get a damage waiver signed before rear towing them even thou we do all there towing. Reds said: The ones I was referring to is the type with the barrel back like the single axle and the green tandem I would like some close ups on the hook-ups. I get the grab the frame/crossmember something solid but how the chains come around to the tow-bar I'm guessing is what's used. can a guy run the chains right on the barrel or do you need to crib it somewhere? Had one a few weeks back that grenaded the rear axle houseing and pulling axles was a ... hookin from the rear would've been quicker easier I've just never done it and don't want any problems if/when I do do it. Thanks lad12der said: Yes on the rear loaders you can grab and section of frame. ( I grab from in front of the front rear) Then up under the belly of the hopper and then up to chain forks. Depending on whats on the back of the hopper you then can either use a piece of angle iron or atleast old mud flaps and sling the truck. If the hopper has tippers or such on the back you can still sling them you just have to ensure none of the lines are pinched etc. Sorry I don't have any pics on hand, I'm sure Mr Jason most likly has em. Next one I get I will try to photograph. svcmgrnow said: Is it just me, or is this the only topic on this entire forum in nano-font?? wtf?? My eyes are bad enough......lol First, make sure the turnbuckles that hold the hopper against the rear of the body are tight and in good condition. Chain routing under the hopper is nothing special, they can usually handle the weight of being 'cradled' like that but if there are weak points 4x6's are handy. The back is where it gets tricky. At the least I usually have to remove the inner lights and grommets so my angle iron doesn't damage them and a 4x6 under the rear lip helps spread the weight out across the back. The ones with hydraulic can tippers are even trickier, some un-towable, some not. You're going to have to figure those out. It can be done, and I have pics, but no way I'm posting them on here because my sanity would be questioned........... The fact is that regardless of the type of failure (springs, bearing, housing) or location (left or right, front or rear tandem) most can be towed from the front with some work, some chains, some wood and a tire guy. All they have to do is roll........that's what I do when they're loaded. Couple More Three-Leggers, Bad Front Paws Had two of these in the last week. First one had the wheel bearing fail on the front left tandem, walked the wheels/hub/axle out a foot or so. Driver stopped driving it when truck stopped moving in the middle of a busy resedential neighborhood. Apx 3/4 loaded with yard waste. No action pics, too busy dodging angry home owners that think their trash magically disappears after being placed at the curb!! Lfted the rear and blocked up rear tandem, removed wheels from front axle and slid hub/drum assy back over brake shoes as far as it would go with brakes released. Set parking brake and blocked off air line so brake shoes would hold the hub in as I came down the road. Gently towed back home. Second unit broke down in the left turn lane into the landfill, broken spring bucket on right front tandem, and needless to say, they don't go to the landfill empty!! Lifted rear, blocked front and rear axles on right side, and hooked from front. Eased on to the scale, truck came in at 62,240lbs, then off to the top of the hill to give birth! Front tandem.......once load was off, there was no weight on this block, was removed for tow back to customer's shop. Up to the top of the hill............. Truck is dilated and ready to give birth........ Ahhhh, much better now, time to go home..................... ATR1 said: are you just lifting from under the back door flat on the crossbar, had one the other day and would have made it easier to get the wheels off and axle blocked but didn't trust the back of the body svcmgrnow said: Yeah, those particular Leach bodies are stout, but definitely worth checking the turnbuckles securing the hopper to the body prior to lifting. Eric Smith aka Just Another Hooker said: Ahh yes, From the top of Brown station the view is great !!! On a clear day, you can see the White House. srvmgrnow said: Had this one last week, front end truck out on the D.C. Beltway, right side wheel bearing on rear tandem trashed, loaded with cardboard. Jacked up rear and removed wheels, lucked out w/hole in subframe for hydraulic lines and ran 2 3/8's grade 80 chains/binders, then blocked up front tandem. Could not find an oak 2x4 on my truck to save my life, had to improvise with a random pull pin to make up difference between frame stop and my handy-dandy Mack frame stop channel, limped off Beltway and back to customer's yard, apx. 8mi. @ 30mph max speed. Customer happy, but not as happy as I was to remove from the back of my truck!! Customer: Just a little light cardboard on her........... Me: A little light cardboard doesn't make its own gravy............especially in front of the tandems! Old school hook up - chains under front axle, over tie rod, hooked into frame behind rear spring hanger so I could keep her as close to the ground as possible. Sometimes you just get lucky when you need to.......... Pretty? No. Pretty effective? Oh yeah. Concern about that pin moving? Well I know that gravity is only a theory, but I'm a firm believer! No style points but got her from A to B. capptow said: nice tow. With all the time you spent under that packer i bet your glad it wasnt 100 degrees and magot soup. ryan ratif3 said: Been there, Done that!!! good job! Brinkleys said: Looks good to me. Common sense is great tool to have in ur box. Firm believer in gravity as well. mrbill said: A well thought out plan congrats Jerrys Road Service said: Thats thinking outside the box Just Another Hooker said: See I told you could do it !! Now lets go see Dr Powell and his magic blocks. Eric S. svcmgrnow said: Yeah, this getting old crap sucks, the mind needs jump starting every now and then, thanks for letting me bounce some ideas off you. Really, with one small oak 2x4 (now available at the local Int dealer, and coincidentally now in stock on my truck!), it would have been perfect and I could have collected "style" points!! lol Don't think the good Dr. has his blocks anymore, but I kind of prefer spreading the weight out with the oak anyway. Towmanjc said: Do you tow them the same way if the are grossed out?? I had a tri-axle rear loader with the right rear with a bad wheel bearing. I got off the road until mechanic can look at it..The one I got has walking beam suspension.. Any ideas?? svdngrnow said: Yeah, same deal. This one was probably in the 55K-57K GVW range but I've had 'em heavier. Getting that front tandem blocked up really well is the important part, that's achieved by jacking the rear axle up as high as possible when removing the wheels and chaining it up, then block up the front and let it down. Not a pleasant tow but gets the job done. I was asked to clarify something on this tow as it affected another tow company here locally last week. My customer diagnosed this breakdown as a brake problem; it wasn't until I took a little closer look that I realized the severity of the issue (gear oil all over underside of body, brake shoes 1/2" out of drum were real obvious signs). Never take what your customer tells you as fact when it comes to wheel/brake problems, it can end up like this: Or if your looking for real headaches, like this: Yeah, that's Heat 'N Glo alright, misdiagnosed by both customer and tower as brake problem and I can only assume costly to both! From what I understand, boys from Montgomery County Fire Dept. responded to this vehicle up in Gaithersburg due to right rear being "en fuego", at which point tow service was called by owner to bring back to PG. I can only assume everyone involved thought it was a brake issue because a) all the brake chambers had been pinned, no sign of air run to truck, and b) who in their right mind would tow a packed out front end truck from the front from Gaithersburg to Bladensburg on a bad rear wheel bearing?? Either way, made it to the DC Beltway @ Riggs Rd. before it required serious attention from the PG Fire Dept. From what the people at the repair shop told me (and from the marks on the packer body subframe) unit reached it's destination being towed from the rear off the Beltway?!?!? Bet that wasn't a fun tow, ICC bar still intact so tall forks and stands would've been needed, as well as a large set of balls...........unit is loaded heavy. MTA412 said: WOW! I don't see no way in hell the steer tires/king pins/spring shackles would hold up under the weight of a rear tow. I smell a RGN in that trucks future!!!

Topic Originally Created in May of 2012 by Fantonio247: Century 612 with Dump truck A freightliner classic reckmaster1 said: is that not a little much for the ole' 12 ton? upNout said: Ya have to love Tow411. LMAO Patton's 5 Star Towing 29700 Lorain RD. North Olmsted OH. 44070 440-777-4070 Fax, 440-777-4028 InternationalStar said: wow talk about having big balls i would never do that Greenwich Towing said: wow I put a F-550 on mine and I think im doing something. Greenwich Towing www.greenwichtowing.com Steven R. Peterson Silverhawk said: I would like to say never, but that is the way we used to do it back in the 60's and 70's, when we were young and dumb and full of ? Had a Studebaker with a 525 Holmes w/hydraulic brakes. Would be put under the jail if we tried that these days. I will say that I will never do it like that now. Got wiser in my old age. Safety is now job one, not the ability to get it done anyway we can. 203-869-5523 dragonwagonII said: I have a 12 ton iv towed a dump truck from the front , either that dump is damn heavy or your rear springs are giving pretty easy . Mine is only 96 ca and it didnt go front lite as your truck would appear to be in the photo . I picked up an IHC which is a lighter truck . That dump would be what , 18 to 20 K , 10 to 12 on the front axel . Seems to me he is with in the ablity of a 12 ton but that photo looks like his rear springs are sure sagging . Um the truck is empty i assume ! BalckAutoload said: The pics are terrible... hard to see how you are hooked. Chain thru tow hooks ? morrisandsons said: Please stop. Spend some time researching the way things are done and the true capability of your truck. What you are doing is unsafe, and you could really hurt yourself or someone else. Acestowing said: I'd guess that dump around 21K appears to be a steel box. Even on the sling that is too much weight for that truck, sure it will lift it but I know a single axle won't stop that kind of weight in any hurry at all. Let alone the steering ability. Bryce Weber - Aces Towing WM 091409 Level 6/7 1-519-889-3350 fantonio247 said: thanks for all your comments, I'm in El Salvador, I just wanted to show my work. timstruckservice said: Noticing that things are done differently in other parts of the world, It appears that your Unit has Air Brakes and hopefully a Steel Tow Bar instead of a Sling ! Guessing this is the Largest Truck you have for Towing with ? A Century 612 is a Nice Unit and Capable of alot of things, but Personally I would not Attempt to Tow something that Large / Heavy with our 12 Ton. Nice to see someone from El Salvador on here Posting .... Hopefully You will continue to Post more & take Constructive Criticism as a good thing - not as Bashing. wreck85 said: You got the job done i would presume you are tapped into the brakes or running a brake buddy , if not that was a white knuckle ride . I had an 897 on a topkick and the brakes and the pul power were the issue the truck would lift all day and not say no but the chassis was screaming. fantonio247 said: "upNout wrote:Ya have to love Tow411. LMAO" you're so right. "wreck85 wrote:You got the job done i would presume you are tapped into the brakes or running a brake buddy , if not that was a white knuckle ride . I had an 897 on a topkick and the brakes and the pul power were the issue the truck would lift all day and not say no but the chassis was screaming." well, my truck it's the Topkick C7 I think, air brakes, all double frame, rt6610 tranny and turned up cat 3116, the power never was a issue, when I'm towing my top speed it's about 50 mph on 8th gear, and I really love the mpg of this truck. Here is some recent towing. Acestowing said: We went to El Salvador to a resort 2 years ago, the roads and traffic system there are much different than ours, if I remember correctly there is minimal rules on the road? Our bus ride was 2 hours, speed really seemed to be enforced there but saftey of commercial vehicles was much different from ours. I saw the rural fire stations too, very minimal equipment. You have to do the job with what you have, I only saw single axle wreckers there, a lot of old holmes units. We went through a fatal accident where a garbage truck had rolled, with kids on board, it was a very sad thing to see. Its nice to see towing from other parts of the world! What other equipment does your company run? Is that your biggest wrecker? Bryce Weber - Aces Towing WM 091409 Level 6/7 1-519-889-3350 Reds said: Century 12 ton translates to 24,000lbs. boom looks to have a 12,000 steer(rating) on the dump the old Holmes truck bars the smaller ones were rated at what? 8000lbs lift 50,000 tow?? I think the big ones were 13,000 lift and 80,000 tow, most likely 7/16ths wire rope cant tell in the dump photo for sure but in the second one it appears as lines are doubled. pretty sure everyone agrees that size of wrecker isn't going to pick that dump loaded. I think hes within the "ratings" of everything (and being from elsalvador..what ratings/laws-lol) Hook 'er up and let that dog eat!!! Heck air brakes on the wrecker unit that chassis isn't really and lighter or shorter than the old fords or chevys with the 600's on the back and guys towed stuff like that all day and everyday.

Drivers Pay Discussion from 2004: Columbia Tow: We start our drivers out at 25% commission on everything they do. We do not cheat our drivers out of mileage though like some companies out here do. We run this for the first 90 days to see if the driver is compatible with us and vice versa. If the driver has prior towing experience, then we raise them to 27% after the 90 day "getting to know you" phase of their employment. Drivers with no prior experience must wait 1 year before moving up the pay scale. It works pretty good here. 13thrattler: I pay a weekly salary for Mon. thur Friday--8 to-6. Anything they do during company hrs. is just earning that weekly pay check. After hrs. is 25% of the gross. If a driver goes out at 4pm. and returns anytime after 6pm. (closing) he gets $15.00 per hr. If he goes out at 5:30 and gets back 4 hr. latter than the call is his. However if he gets back at 6:30 then the call is the companies. It is a give a take situation, you just have to use your head, and be fair. Not all calls fall into the "his or mine" category. Gilbert Jeepers1: We pay 30% and I have a driver that has been with me for a few years at 35%. We have found that being paid on commission keeps them motivated to work. The night calls everyone does - even the bosses (my husband of course - he occasionally makes me go) if need be - percentage is still the same but are rates go up $10 from 7-9 pm 9 to 12 another $10 and so on and so forth - got to make it worth doing. Laurie datowman: we pay hourly during the day from 8 - 5 and then evening weekend work at 30% Stay Safe John My sole purpose in life is to answer only "yes dear" while kneeling before the blonde that I serve. Heidi: I pay my drivers a base salary or 30% whichever is more, and if they work extra hours then they get 30% of what was brought in for the extra hours. Jimstowing: I pay my employees strictly 35% commission here and they seem quite happy with it. I also pay on Mondays, they NEVER miss a Monday and by the time Friday comes around they are out of money so they figure that they might as well work the weekend!!!Timothy Peck - Owner Jim's Towing Monroe, Michigan WM040571 4/5 TRAA CT 1482 VegasValleyTowing: I think 10 an hr is a good pay that is 8-6pm then 30% after 6pm. Unknown: $10 bucks an hour thats $500 a week minus about 30% taxes=$350. Could you live on that? Single living at home maybe. Married 1 kid, wife works takes home about the same. Rent, daycare, food, insurance,gas, etc. I dont think so. Think I'll work at UPS, DHL, FEDEX don't have to lay under the truck or car. Nice uniforms, medical, and bennies OH yea! The folks say thanks when I drop off nice packages, and that better than gettin a tip. DragNTow: I pay my drivers 1/3 of what the truck makes. The theory is the driver gets 1/3, the truck gets 1/3, and the company gets 1/3. Storage charges are exempt from drivers commissions. All drivers start out with a $200.00 Christmas bonus the first year. (CASH). It goes up $100.00 each year.(OUCH) This is my incentive to work for me and not the competition! I guarantee a $300.00 base pay for 5 days work whether the phone rings or not. Seems to work well for me! Happy Haulin........DragNTow towincarz: I pay 30%, commission only. With the exception of my longest employee. He gets 3% more. The guys checks run anywhere between $1200 -$1600 every 2 weeks. I've aways believed, that if you pay drivers by the hour, they won't get anything done. Mind you, we have account work, and the cars are set up for you each day. No weekends, but work until your cars are picked up. TOWMAN27 : 30% of $18 isn't too good, especially at 3:00 am Many guys around my area driving 90 to 100 hours to make ends meet. Isn't that illegal and dangerous to the driver and the public? annettemcd: If you are paying with commission, how do you compensate drivers for GOA's, cancelled calls, impounds that are never claimed, etc? We pay hourly and if we send them on a tow, we pay them for their time, even if the job goes south on us. They might do well on 30% commission on the jobs that pay, but I do not want them deciding which jobs to take and which not to take and I do not want them to be mad at me or even question me because I send them on an impound in the middle of the night and it turned out to be a junker which will never be claimed. That is the company's problem and A.P. and I have to work it out with the Troopers or the customer. As it is, we have had drivers complain about wasted time, even though they are being paid. I guess that part of our situation is that with our distances, that we can drive 100 miles or more for a job with no income (it would be different if it was a simple job of jumping in the truck and going down the block) --you can be sure that we do everything that we can to avoid this, but it happens and it seems to happen more with off-peak hour calls. It is not the driver's fault or problem or choice or decision, it is the company's. We are also not high enough volume for this to balance out for the individual drivers. Unknown: I think my company pays fairly well compared to other companies in our area that lowball tows so its kinda hard to make good money when your tows are typically $5 to $15 more than the competition meaning it's hard to make this a good paying profession in our area when people keep towing cars for cheap$ but anyways we have a different system where we make $10 for an after hours call no matter what you do or what your hourly pay is for regular day hours. If I work for an hour or more I will pay myself $15 and sometimes I will use a combination of time spent on the call and the final bill total and figure 20 to 25% of the bill and how many hours worked x $16.50 for overtime for my standard hourly rate of $11 per hour and try to average the overtime and percent of final bill. For accidents and w/o's we pay $15 no matter what and if theres cleanup and additional work I'll make anywhere from $15 to $35 bucks for accidents. For a long distance after hours tow from Des Moines to Minneapolis (235 to 250m tow) I only pay myself 20% of the final bill and usually average $17 an hour for a 7.5 hour trip(not bad I think) My boss lets us pay what we think we deserve within reason and he has never not paid me what I put on my timesheet. If you have any questions about our on call pay just message me and I'll try to explain it better. Jim Krohn Ankeny Towing whether you support war or not please support our Troops and stay safe out there! POW MIA Unknown: I get paid 25% on tows 30% on service calls and tows back to our shop. 50% on the overnites 11pm-7am on anything i do. I love it. I stay busy except this time of year. If i dont make more than $9.00/hour during my shift from commissions then i get the $9.00/hour. Hodgiemomma: everyone is talking about pay well when does the owner of the company get a pay check i think im going to work just so i can see what a pay check looks like again lololol i pay my guys 40% of there night calls and there day time is salary at 450.00 a week and every thing after 6 pm that is 40% i think i will have to evaluate the numbers now that i now everyone else is only paying 25 % markacampbelljr: I pay my LD drivers 38% and they run boy! let me tell you. They average between $1200-$1600 checks every week. Before paying commission FSC goes to the company. The only problems I have is on GOA with my fuel costs and loose $$$ and we sometimes have drivers complain about getting to many wholesale account calls. But in saying that it all works out. I pay my HD drivers 30% on all regular calls again after FSC and $30.00 an hour on recoveries. Now I can't give you a solid average on their pay because we have only been doing HD since I started that side of the business 1.5 years ago and we are still growing but the highest check to a driver was $4300 and lowest was $700 but off a year basis they made 46k in our first year. My MD drivers get a split commission 38% on cars 30% for MD calls. My drivers are all very happy when we are busy, but gripe in spring and fall. But business is good since I walked in the door and started doing hard selling and training we have added 4 trucks to the fleet with four full time drivers, and added 2-4 part time drivers. I understand that my payroll expense is high compared to most of the other companies in this forum, but without reliable drivers our trucks are nothing more than lawn ornaments.

Dtowingfl Wrote in December of 2009: First thing I will admit is I am not a tow guy. I come from an automotive background and the few recent months I have spent managing a tow company have been an eye opener for me. Long hours, lots of stress and tiny little profit margins seem par for the course! My situation is this. The co. I am working for does about 2000 calls a month, runs a fleet of 15 trucks including a medium, hvy and a landoll. They do some rotation work as well as have a small municpal contract. From what I have seen, they are not unlike alot of other towers. Problem (to me anyways) is that around 1000 of their tows a month are for AAA, with an average charge of $33 ea. We are bringing in about 125k a month in revenue and have 125k a month in expenses. Now of course all the new trucks they leased through Sterling a few years ago are miled up from all these low buck calls and are falling apart. To me, the writing is on the wall. If they keep up at this pace the fleet will deteriorate faster than the revenue comes in and this place will self destruct. I have done the math and if we dropped AAA cold turkey we would lose about 30k a month in revenue, but would actually drop 30k to 35k a month in expenses! This from what I gather is also not unlike many towers who blindly get sucked into the motor club business and never do the math to realize its not profitable. Problem is the owner is terrified to drop them. Try as I may I cannot get him to see the wisdom in letting go of this unprofitable, stress laden volume treadmill to focus on more profitable sources such as PPI's, commercial accounts and cash business. Have any of you found yourself in a similar position and how can you break someones irrational and destructive dependance on motor clubs before it takes them under? Adams Towing said: What are you going to do if those other sorces of income slow down? They always do. Maybe have a meating with your rep and discuss a better contract. If you are a quality provider for them they will understand you have to make a profit. You might be able to cut cost on your end as well, look at the big picture you might have more than one thing that you can cut back on. It's just my opinion but you got to do whats best for you. Dtowingfl said: Man you hit the nail on the head. I started towing for myself in 1996, and was contracted with all the motorclubs, and small P.D. Rotation list. I done this up till 2004, after the stress and costing me a mariage, I finally parked everything for about a year. During this time I was so scared that if I didnt have the calls the trucks would sit and I would have to pay the payments on the trucks out of pocket, so I thought I had to have the motor clubs to make the bacon to give it away. I only had 5 trucks now heavy nor landoll to make the other ends meet, just light duty, medium duty, and 2 service trucks that is not part of the 5 mention for battery service and what have you. Now since I have came back into the game through the divorce got to keep 3 trucks 2 paid for, and the service units, I am not as fast to contract, now I do contract with a hand full, but letting AAA go was a good thing no more stress no more reports of poor performance ect. Only thing I can say is good luck, I had people telling me the same thing for years of what you are trying to get across and never listen I knew best. How wrong I was after I add up what I lost in this process. wyomingtowpro said: You cannot make profit @ 33.00 per call. Those days are long gone. All you do is spin wheels and ware out trucks and drivers. This is a hard reality I faced at one point in my business, b4 I closed it. And fyi...it was closed due to wifes illness not financial issues. Now heres my suggestion. You must do a cost audit. In order to put thing in prospective you have to know basically what it cost to operate the truck (s). Luckily for me my wife is a accountant and auditor by trade. Once you have done a cost audit, you must cut your cost and eliminate unnecessary spending. Tighten the belt. You cannot operate a business without knowing the numbers and putting all you finances in prospective. Being able to sustain in business will be easier after you have done a cost audit. As far as AAA...You must contact them and explain your situation. Im sure there are other comapnies in your area that are on a waiting list to go tow at the same if not a cheaper rate. You can call them b4 you do a cost audit and possibly get a small increase that will give you some short term relief. But you have a better bargaining tool if you know where you need to be b4 you call them. Be prepaired for them to turn you down. Very few customers are loyal and compassionate to the needs of service providers. They have too many idiots that will work cheaper. You have to find out what it cost to operate, and set your rate based on that cost, and stick to it in order to make a profit!!!!!!! I found that it is truly ok, to fire a customer if they cannot or will not give you an increase based on you true cost of doing business. You will find that once you shed yourslef of the unnecessary expenses, and you get rid of the cheap rate customers you can keep you head above water. This may cause you to downsize your fleet. You need to replace the cheap customers with new customers. You will need to start a mass marketing campane in your service area. Both national accounts and local customers. Its a lot of work to turn a business around but with the support of the owner you can build a better model of the same company. If you need advise on cost audits and stragities give me a call. 6154895749. Jeff C. / Buffalo, Wyoming tlwtowing said: I think the total is a bit higher than 33.00, my brother gets more than that for a hook up with AAA. He has a repair shop also. I would say with enroute and loaded miles it has to be over 40. figure 40 dollars you have one hour of labor at 10.00 and 2 gals of fuel at 6.00 that leaves 24.00. 1 truck runs 10 calls that leaves 240.00 after fuel and wages. take out 15.00 for workmans comp and 11.00 for insurance you get 216.00 profit per truck. 216 times 30 = 6480.00 per truck minus 480.00 for maintenance equals 6000 dollars profit per truck per month. Provided you dont run out and buy all new equipment and watch you overhead I showed you your are making money. If you cant make it with each truck bringing in 6000 a month your living beyond your means. Insurance is based on what I pay for garage keepers 1,000,000 liability and 50,000 on hook at 330.00 a month. so if you run 600 calls a month the profit would be 12,000 dollars thats 2 trucks 10 calls a day heck even take out another 2,000 for rent and a part timer your still clearing 10,000 a month. Dtowingfl I think your math is off 2000 calls times 40 is 80,000. But lets say the do bring in 125,000 a month, I dont care if all the equipment is new the most in payments should be is 40,000. say 6,000 for insurance and 8,000 for fuel is 54,000. wages for 15 guys say average 500 a week. 30,000 thats 84,000. set aside 7500.00 for maintenance and 2500.00 for workmans comp now your up to 94,000. say 2,000 for rent and 3,000 for utilities your at 99,000. The owner is clearing 26,000 a month. maricle1 said: You are grossly under-insured if your on hook is only 50k,A king Ranch F-150 will cost that, Much less if you are carrying doubles.Your numbers in your example are also unrealistic for a tow.Try using REAL LIFE numbers and see if your still making a profit!!! The best advice I can give is do exactly as Jeff said and do a cost audit. Know what it cost you every time the key turns, every mile the truck runs factor in everything and contact the clubs be point blank let them know what you NEED to continue the level of service they have become accustomed to.I do this each and every year (my mom is a accountant and wife is going to college for it) So far No club has refused and if they did I'd drop them! really it's as simple as that YOU have to make a REAl profit and you can't make it by drivers for 10.00 like suggested.........Kenny Kenny Miracle ''Miracles Do Happen Here'' wyomingtowpro said: Nothing personal tlw towing, But....your math is wayyyyyyy off. He stated 2000 call a month and 1000 AAA were an "average of 33.00 per" And in your comparison math you need to remember that there are a lot of other expenses besides the obvious. A cost audit will require not only for you to look at quick books or your accounting programs accounts payable, but to look at the check book and see where you wrote checks that are not accounted for, and what about all those " Cash calls"?? All the expenses that you paid and didnt keep the receipt. A true cost audit will take you so deep in your personal and business finances that you will be amazed how you can save money once you look at EVERY DOLLAR you spent in physical 2009 vs EVERY DOLLAR you made in physical 2009. That Why you need to wait until after the year end. You need to do all 3..End of month books, End of quarter books, and the close out the year, get your taxes prepped and know what you tax liabilities are. The reason most businesses struggle is because they cant break the cycle of wasted spending ....and they don't look out side the box. My 1st cost audit was in my 3rd yr in business. I did 10 more after that. Every February after we closed all previous yrs books we re-ran the numbers. It made me a lean profitable business. In this economy you HAVE TOO budget not only personal finances but business finances as well, and stick to that budget not varying off course and spending money on eye candy items and wants ..Only spend on your needs and stop buying crap you don't need or can live without. tlw towing said: Kenny your thinking about what you pay for heavy haul, say even 100,000 on hook only adds 200 dollars a year to the insurance. and your not going to be hauling doubles for AAA. And how many jobs do you know of these days that start at 10 dollars an hour? If you re read what I posted I covered everything from fuel to maintenance to workmans comp to insurance. I am using real world numbers based on my state of ohio. And I was just using this as an example. I looked at my policy and I do have 100,000 on hook and I pay 330.00 a month for 9 months. that's all. So go ahead and add 2 or 3 dollars an hour to my example and you would still be making money. And I don't need a computer program telling me I am making money when I can figure that up myself. If you study what I laid out you are making money. does not take rocket science to figure that out. And I also used 40.00 a call net. 33.00 is unrealistic that is probally the hook up fee not counting enroute or loaded. And what tax liabilities? If you show the IRS every dollar you bring in you wont be in business long. Back to you kenny if you cant make it making even 5,000 clear per truck I don't know what to tell ya your living to large buddy. In Memory of Charlie Amann who said: i run hard and i make money all motor clubs started 5yrs ago with 3 trucks now we have 15 trucks all motor clubs i reinvested the money in the business so i make money doin it too wyomingotwpro said: There are ways that you can deduct , depreciate , and write off...on your taxes. I never made any mention to the above quote , and never will. Any atempts to Cook da Books, is a risk you may choice to take, but not me, my freedom is not going to be taken away because of my need for greed and illegal business practice. Yes ur CPA may have some creative adjustments with in the letter of the law but im not gonna push that envelope. Anyway..... I do not care who you are...Top Level Patron and Sponser on Tow 411, newby or old school tower, greenhorn business owner or United Freeking Road Towing Nationwide anybody ..YOU AINT MAKING PROFIT @ 33.00 OR @ 40.00 DOLLARS A CAR. You might make crap loads of money when u hide it from the irs and screw uncle sam his part''...You have lost ur mind to go out and buy 15, 20, 40 , 60 trucks at todays intrest rates on installment payment or one of those sucker i c u coming leases and haul for that cut throat rate..... the comments in this post are mine and only mine which under the 1st amendment of our constitution are afford me be out spoken on this post... tlw towing said: Wyomingtowpro, I showed you that you can make money at the 40 dollar average. If your too blind to see it I cant help you. Obviously Charlie is making money. And you also put the cart before the horse and assumed someone run out and bought or leased 15 trucks. I know charlie and he is exactly like I am. You buy used, pay cash, and rebuild them from the ground up. A heck of a lot cheaper than payments. Its obvious you went down this road and failed hence the bitterness toward club work. The are folks who do club work and those who dont. Its all a choice that the individual makes. My company is growing, Charlies is growing, And my brother has been running AAA for 25 years so somebody must know how to make some money. And guess what we didnt need a program to tell us how to do it. Maricle1 said: From 50k to100k cost me 358.00 a year per Truck.On my heavy I carry 250k. My total premium for 12 months is over 16,000 for 5 trucks.For this state it's a good rate as I just shopped it and no one could match it.You'veer gotten a AAA call and the member was pulling a trailer?My drivers make 20.00 per hour and 25% after 6pm.Hell the guy that mops my shop floor makes 14.00 per hour.(And worth every dime)A employee being paid 14.00 p/h with matching with holding will cost the employer around 20.00 P/h .You example does not show all cost of doing business.And it doesn't take a ROCKET SCIENTIST to figure it out.(Office phone,cc processing,lights,cell phones for drivers,computers for the office and the list goes on)I'm not saying you can't make it on Motor clubs.I'm saying you have to be paid for what you do and what your worth.I do everything above board. I do not hide money from the IRS.They have no sense of humor,So you don't play games with them or you will not be in business long.As for me ,I will not be content making 5000.00 per truck,If I should have made 15,000 per truck.I charge for what I do and what I'm worth and what my guy's are worth and I've been pretty sucessful doing so.It's about MAKING it.It'sut GROWING AND PROSPERING.You can make it working at WalMart. AS FOR LIVING TOO LARGE,I DON"T THINK SO!! I own my equipment and shop and homes outright no bank note attached and I pay my help a wage, they can raise their families off of. And I even pay my TAXES and not try to cheat the goverment.In my opinion,It's people running for pennies, when they should be charging dollars that have hurt this industry and have forced many a great company out but that's for another topic.Bottom line is if your going to give examples, Give accurate, complete examples and if you don't know ask someone that does.Someone on here will know.........Kenny Kenny Miracle ''Miracles Do Happen Here'' wyomingtowpro said: Let me say up front ..I have never, and will never as an owner or (previous owner) worked for AAA or any other motorclub. My 13 years in business was not a failure, It was a choice to close it, when my wife was on her death bed in the hospital. And the long recovery was more important that making money. I feell very comfortable in my financial status in life, and choose to werk smart and not hard for a 40.00 reward. I relocated to Wyoming and started plans for retirement. Back in the early 70's my father was the owner of a large company in Nashville, rates were 17.50 local, in mid late 70's i can remember 22.50 and 25.00 per car. Rates went up over the years until in the late 80's AAA started this crap of dangling volume werk for cut throat rates. He never did it either. Now I know for a fact that there is a company in Nashville who is one of those AAA premium service vendors. He has 9 rollback, 5 self loaders, 1 med 1hvy, 1tator, 4 equipment haulers. I have heard he say, and i quote..." Need more werk," hard to make payroll, ect..This is because he chooses to work AAA at 23.oo starting rate. Brother those rate went out the window along with Disco, and urban cowboy fades. I work as an employee in a place where everyone has AAA. We see about 250 to 300,000 visitors a year by car come thru here going to Yellowstone, and about 25,000 to 30,000 RV's a year. My employeer DOES DO ALL Motorclubs. BUT>>>>>>>>the start rate in 50.00 plus mileage. There are no sweetheart deals here, and even RV Plus rates @ 150.00 per hour to start. One motor club / dispatch forwarder CCM 55.00 plus 3.50 a mile one way. Im a heavy duty operator, I do very little light duty towing , but in a bind ill jump in a truck and gogogo. The rates are "fair" Ive gone 3o miles out on a gas call it pays about (to the company) 137.50. I have told thge owner , if its a 40 dollar call and I'm on 30% dont wake me up at 2am for 12.00. That's some crap..... I have alway been a believer that the business I own is just that , Its mine. I refuse to let ANY potential client or customer tell me what they are gonna pay me to do a job. If they need my service to do a job, they will be given a rate. If they don't like it, shove it. go find that guy that runs junk equipment, has untrained and non-certified drivers come work for you. Get paid for the job based on fairness not based on whatthey are willing to give you. They don't and never will have your best intrest at heart!!! Everyone has the right to run their business as they see fit . If you are making money good for you. If you choice to buy junk equipment, rebuild junk equipment and do cut rate towing and be under insured or rite at the legal limit, good for you. You have to account for your time u spend in that business, and I place a great value on my time. You have spent a great deal of time werking on that junk equipment to make it road worthy , to do towing for A 40.00 rate that was obsolete in the early 90's. good for you. Best of luck in your business as you spend time turning wrenches, rebuilding junk equipment for that a 40.00 tow.... Unknown Member said: My head hurts from all this reading,and we are at the same place in this discussion that we were in the beginning! Can't we all just get along? wyomingtowpro said: I can get along with any one, I'm not a Hater at all, but i also reserve my rite to speak my mind as does the other members on this post. I do feel that is not gonna change anything. In every industry you will always have some one who chooses to do a job cheaper. That's a trend nationwide. Why some people will work for almost nothing is beyond me but if it works for you by all means be that guy who cuts the rates to get he job or work for those customers who dictate how you run ur business by demanding or strong arming you to accept thier rates or not get the job. When you surcome to thier demand you might as well hand the the keys to everything you own, because they now run your business when you allow them to set your rates .I just refuse to accept chump change for a job that should pay a fair market rate.... Randall L Dawson said: Every time a tower finds out that doing motor club work is at best a break even venture and asks how to drop them , the same couple of " m/c cheer leaders " post how they make money doing m/c calls , which was NOT the question the gentleman asked. I'd prefer not to have to pay taxes either but , I don't want Bernie Madeoff as my roommate. Please work safe, We've lost to many already this year. Randy. Maricle1 said: Yes Sir,I wonder if they are not the motor club reps sometimes or just have really bought into the BS that some clubs feed them.I actually do make some off of M/C calls though.Only because I refuse their rates and they agree to mine.I still face the same issues as everyone else that does club work.The ever present short pays!!!!!! Kenny Kenny Miracle ''Miracles Do Happen Here'' jal70 said: All, A few items which are being left out of this post, which offer a slightly different viewpoint..... First, I would respectfully disagree with the original author of this topic in that mc business is a "habit". I am wondering if he is aware of the sheer volume of work globally that the mc industry represents?? Between CCMC, Signature, Geico, NSD, RAMC, Asurion and various others, estimated annual dispatch volume is in excess of 7.5 million episodes and this does not take into consideration AAA... It would be very difficult to imagine that this level of business is a habit or would simply evaporate, when you truly understand the value these products delivery to the clients. Additionally, much has been made about low rates as compared to retail, but again here the " entire" picture is not being painted for the community, so let me help. Most of the rates being discussed here are NOT the avg total invoice amount being paid for the service rendered, obviously we are all aware that typically club contracts offer a rate PLUS both en-route and loaded miles. When these amounts are paid for services over time, you will realize that the avg revenue per service is considerably higher than simply pointing out the base rate. Of course the mc industry is aware that the rates are not retail, however with the aformentioned dispatch episodes, we would be considered a corporate account in any industry, warranting some preferred rate be negociated between the parties. This is common practice in almost every business within automotive, towing and just about any B2B I can think of at the moment. Let us also not forget the opportunity that additional exposure to mc clients bring your businesses, for example to name a few: Driving repair shop refferals to your shop or perhaps a shop you may have a business arrangement with, opportunity to market your retail services to these customers, mobile battery sales, tire sales (commerical lines) , collision repair refferals, specialty vehicle towing (heavy , cycles), etc... In the end, this is a business decision which must be made by knowing all the facts about your own operation and what type of accounts mc's can be. But let's please not paint all mc's with the same brush... As with towing operations, not all mc's are created equally.... Joseph tlw towing said: Joe, Its like this, Most dont realize between motor clubs and insurance control 60% or better of the tow volume. And Allstate is giving away memberships now that will bump the number up some. Its the evolution of the industry. Ever changing. Some of these guys will let evolution pass them by. fairway said: Yes, m/c's should be warranted a preffered rate, I would say it should be about 70 to 75% of the retail rate, not 30 to 40% like it is. What is a common % off of retail for wholesale customers? 25% or 65%? Also, the percentage off of retail should be based on the actual volume received, not promised. If you are feeding me one call a day, you should get less of a discount than a customer feeding me 15 calls a day. Also don't forget that along with the generous discounts and preferred rates, you are also not paying at the time of service. Maricle1 said: I agree motor clubs control a percentage of tow volume However,The real problem is many towers are naive and think they are making money at the low rates clubs pay.If all towers stood their ground and demanded a decent pay scale,The clubs would have no choice or they would go out as they would have no contractors doing their calls.The sad fact is they contract with other company's and pay their contractor less then half of what they collect in many cases.I contract with quite a few clubs but,only ones I can make a fair profit on.There is no sense in doing a call and only making 3-4 dollars profit,It's nuts!!!! I think we all understand clubs have to make a profit.Now they need to realize, we require profit to.Personally I dislike motor clubs,I feel like they are a cancer sucking the life out of the industry.Many calls that use to pay a decent rate like wrecks are now handled by motor clubs and a low ball rate.Dealership tows same thing.It just blows my mind at the number of towers, who just pucker up to these clubs and agree to do calls for less then half of retail on a promise of great volume.It just seems some of you THINK your making money, when in fact Clubs are taking MONEY right out of your pockets By involving themselves with accidents,Transports from storage yards,and such.They are tapping into the only real profit source we as towers have and putting OUR PROFIT IN THEIR POCKETS.Bottom line is they don't know your goals,overhead,or your business plan They shouldn't be dictating your rates. Joe ,Since you do seem to have answers for everything.What is the AVERAGE profit clubs make per call ? I really don't think you'd let the clubs little secrets out.The clubs seem to have a pretty good idea how much profit we make so why is it a kept secret what they make?I'm pretty sure though,It's possible to pull up a financial for them that should show payouts and profits. Kenny Miracle ''Miracles Do Happen Here'' Original Topic Creator Dtowingfl said: Whoah, looks like this thread got a bit of discussion going! Thanks to everyone for their input and thoughts. For any who took offense, I wasnt intending to bash any M/C's, its just that as a stand alone tower with no repair facility or body shop, I have seen no way for us to make money running these $30 and under calls. More importantly, I was stunned by the degree of denial that the owner was in and after investigating it a bit, it seems that many towers have the same mindset and have grown dependant on the M/C cashflow without understanding how detrimental it is to the health of their company. Finally it seems after making it clear that M/C's generate 30% of his revenue but encompass 60% of his expenses, he has finally stopped drinking the kool-aid and agreed to shed some overhead. I'll resurrect this thread in 3 months or so and post the results from dropping over half our M/C business actually accomplishes. Wish me luck! Falcon1 said: I worked for a towing company that had over 75 units on the road, after a year of doing no M/C calls we noticed that we did less calls BUT that we were available for the retail customer! Calls were down, income did'nt change and profits were up! DodgeTowGuy134 said: Ok, I will chime in foe a brief moment, Wile I do TOTALLY agree with those who said that you need to know what your operating costs are, I agree with the Road America rep, that NOT all motor clubs are equal, as one club for one tower may be the best ever, they may be the worse for another tower that is many states away in a different region. That said, I think that a business owner/accountant/office manager, SHOULD know the cost of doing business and know that is costs $$$ per call to do a call and even go as far as knowing that you need to make $$$ per mile/per minute, etc and then when calls come in base yates on your cost plus your profit margin to determine what you charge per call. Now, with motor clubs, I agree that since they do send some volume and we can market other services to their custoomers, that they get a discount. A also agree with what was said that you have to also include not only the base rate of a call, but also the enroute/loaded mileages, cause if you get a very high enroute and/or loaded mileage rate, then it can offset a little lower on-scene rate, BUT... I do agree with the other towers that the motor clubs should NOT strong arm us towers into things like including taxes in the base rate of a call, cause in our area we charge tax based on the county rate ans we service 5 counties, all with different rates and additionally, it is ILLEGAL for the tax to be included in the base rates of a call and tax MUST be calculated seperate and shown as such as according to state law. The exception is items such as gasoline and diesel fuel.. Additionally, I agree that motor clubs should get a discount, but NOT a 75% discount, as that is just too much.. They should get a 25% discount base and then if the volume over that month is really high, then they can get a higher discount for those calls due to increased volume sent to the tower. This was already stated by "fairway".. Another thing about motor clubs, is that I TOTALLY DISAGREE with them putting in their contracts and "requiring" a tower to accept a certain percentage of calls from them and if they cant accept a call that it counts against a tower... Come On!!! Some days we the towers are running our rears off cause we are soo busy, and work is sometimes more than we can do or days without a call, so if we cant run a call for whatever reason, then sorry, but it should NOT count against a tower in a negative way and that in turn affects the overall rating of the tower and then the motor club sends lett business to the tower... cause during the blizzard we had here this winter, we had to take certain calls over others due to many reasons, from priority due to safety/location of the vehicle to be serviced, to it being a car stuck in the driveway of the custoomer isnt a high priority compared to a car that has a yound single mother with a newborn baby that slid off into the ditch... I think that motor club reps SHOULD be polite and understanding and actually, really LISTEN to towers and not just blow them off, now some motor clubs reps do, but others dont, as I have my #1 motor club and their rep works with us, but another motor club we just dropped cause their rep was an overall "asshole" and he wouldnt listen to us and would ACTUALLY hang up on us, not return phone calls or emails, so we dropped them!... So, this is my lil ramble on the subject to start my day off, now back to morning office stuff before the day gets rolling! ~later yall tlw towing said: I agree with you Dodgetowguy. They want you to do a certain percentage or your volume goes down. Had that happen to me also. I talked to my rep and due to me having the shop opening next week I decided to cut down some of my zips. I decided to do zips that keep me 30 minutes of my shop or about a 10 mile radius. That way acceptance will go up since I am one man and I wont be stretched to thin. On a brighter note I towed in an engine job to start on next week. Man I would have to do a lot of tows for the labor thats paying me.

DrHook541 posted article: Harold Hamon liked to start his days with breakfast at a small establishment near 198 Street and 57 Avenue. It was almost always eggs Benedict with tea or milk. He didn’t drink coffee. Then the owner of the Langley-based Hamon’s Towing & Recovery would head out in search of breakdowns and other people needing assistance. When family and friends decided to organize a memorial drive for Hamon, they agreed it should begin at his favorite restaurant. At least 35 tow trucks and one ambulance have said they will participate. It will start 9 a.m. Sunday at the cafe, pass by Hamon’s home and proceed along the Langley Bypass before ending at the Fort Langley Community Hall on Glover Road, where a public memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. The 57-year-old Hamon died after he was injured in a two-vehicle crash on the Langley Bypass on Friday March 11. He had a reputation as a hard-working, big-hearted man who would never leave anyone by the road, even if they had no money to pay. Two of his brothers will operate his company, something Hamon asked for in his will. RESOURCE LINK After everything he’d been through, the collision that sent Harold Hamon to hospital didn’t seem so serious to his family. Over the last 10 years, Hamon, the 57-year-old owner of Hamon’s Towing & Recovery in Langley, had dealt with diabetes, the amputation of his right leg, kidney failure and the aftereffects of open heart surgery that left him clinically dead for just over four minutes. A shattered hip was not a small matter, but it didn’t seem like anything the resilient Hamon couldn’t recover from. Hamon suffered the injury when his blue Ford F350 pickup was hit by a white Chevrolet panel van around 9 a.m. Friday (March 11) on the Langley Bypass east of the 200 Street intersection. According to police, the van was making an illegal left-hand turn onto the bypass when the collision occurred. The force of the crash sent the Ford into a ditch, injuring Hamon and his passenger. The first thing Hamon did was reach for his cellphone. He was still inside the damaged truck when he called his brother. “Ron, you better get down here,” he said. “A guy just cut me off. I’m cut pretty bad.” Eyewitness Tressa Japp saw the blue Ford F350 pickup truck spin out of control and land in a ditch. “The smoke started billowing out of the front of the [Ford] truck,” said Japp, a First Aid instructor from Boston Bar who rushed to assist the injured occupants of the pickup. “The driver was more lucid than the passenger,” Japp told The Times. “They both had serious head trauma.” Both men were rushed to hospital by ambulance. When Hamon’s sister Lorraine went to see him in hospital, she said he was in considerable pain, and fretting about the fate of the other people involved. “I didn’t kill anybody, did I?” he asked. In fact, the driver of the van walked away from the crash and Hamon’s passenger was treated and released. “You don’t need to worry,” Lorraine told her brother. It was, the family says, typical of Hamon to worry about others more than himself. They describe him as a hard-working big-hearted person who would tow people even if they were broke, telling them to pay him when they could. “He never left anyone high and dry,” says brother Ron, who occasionally drove for Hamon’s towing company. Hamon, one of 11 kids, spent almost his entire life living and working in the town where he was born. He never married, but he had many nieces and nephews, and they adored their uncle, who liked to build slick, fast cars and trucks. His pride and joy was the 800 horsepower street-legal 1964 Ranchero with the black cherry paint job. There was also a bright blue 1980 Chevy short-box pickup that he built with his brother Terry. Most of all, Hamon loved his job. He liked to keep working. He would go out in all kinds of weather, even working Christmas Day. About 10 years ago, a dropped dolly caused a foot injury that turned into an infection and led to the amputation of his right leg. It barely slowed him down. He did need an assistant to help him hook up vehicles, and every now and then, his artificial leg would fall off, likely because he was losing weight. Hamon would simply put the errant metal limb back on and carry on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The failed attempt to quell the infection in his leg with antibiotics is believed responsible for the kidney failure that required dialysis treatments four times a week. About 14 months ago, Hamon underwent open heart surgery, and his heart stopped beating for about four minutes after the operation. He survived and quickly returned to work, with a doctor’s note that allowed him to drive without a seatbelt post-surgery. A week before the crash, Hamon was discharged from hospital where he’d been treated for pneumonia. He was back at work half an hour later. Hamon died Sunday morning, just hours before he was scheduled to undergo surgery on his hip. The family said an autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death. Meanwhile, the police investigation of the crash continues. Both vehicles have been seized and will undergo mechanical inspections. Langley RCMP said charges are being contemplated. RESOURCE LINK nrctower said: I hate to hear of any one passing away like that especially when it is one of our fellow tow operators our thoughts and prayers to all involved RRRequest Towing and Recoveryjjjjj iiiiiiRoanoke Va 540-309-6640mmm Acestowing said: Very sad to hear. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends... Bryce Weber - Aces Towing WM 091409 Level 6/7 1-519-889-3350 Associated Towing said: Thoughts and prayers to a fellow towers family getuone2x said: Thoughts and prayers Larry Styba said: Dwayne I see it was a great turn out for the procession and a packed house for the memorial. I never met the man but he always waved when he passed by. Impressed again at how the industry can unite for a common cause Cya In the Ditch Larry Styba WM# 011088 Randy1 said: Thought's and prayer's with all involved.

This is an Alberta Roll Call which ran on Tow411 in 2007: How many of these members are still around? 583 from the Bow Valley, Montreal - QC - ca Camtow, Camrose, AB Canada - - CA Cooter64 ,Sundre - Alberta - AB - ca gaqrdenfan JR here from City Haul Andrew aka giggles88 with Double L towing Sherwood Park alberta HeavyHook Chestermere, Alberta Jody aka kama with Big Time Towing and Recovery in Bonnyville Alberta Ray, L&L Southside in Cold Lake, Alberta Red Deer Steve aka wm93197 owner-opperator of Fairview Towing. Fairview is between Peace River and Grande Prairie. White Knight Towing Robin aka wm050915 in beautiful downtown Cowley Alberta This is an British Columbia Roll Call which ran on Tow411 in 2007: DrHook541 - Surrey - BC - ca Divor located in westbank Jim aka Caribu907 from Williams Lake Doug aka "Oldtrucks" Maple Ridge Towing Gigarange located in Victoria Larry Styba - Pitt Meadows BC Vanhook located in Surrey Abinator from Dawson Creek, BC

More Images: Danny Cassello said: wow, some parts look like a Holmes but yet I do not believe it is. I would guess possibly a Stringfellow wrecker unit. michael212 said: Nice! I'm not sure what it is. It could be a early Ashton or Canfield unit? It appears to mostly be all there which is a good sign. Are there any riveted on data plates that are still on the unit? maybe post some photos of the winch and boom winch. That might give a idea depending on the design. Michael Myers 253.588.1757 ext 150 kynick said: Possibly No-Mar Nick Schade Original Post Creator Added: This is the only identifying marking I could find "Tennessee USA" stamped on the inside of one of the mast pillars. Main winch Looking over the main winch at one of the boom winches. Spanky over on stovebolt said he thought it looked to be assembled from different units, maybe an Ashton mast, Stringfellow Booms, and a Hubbard service body. I've been looking at a lot of images, and the booms with the center boom is most like a Canfield than any I've ever seen. But I've only seen one image of a Canfield and it wasn't very detailed. But to me it looks like a Canfield is a better fit than a Holmes. I've not seen any Holmes with this boom configuration. I haven't been able to see any definitive images of an Ashton or Hubbard wrecker, or a Stringfellow for that matter. I wasn't able to locate any images of a No-Mar or Nomar that looks like this. The Nomar double booms that I was able to find hooked into the very bottom of the masts. This setup is near the center of the masts. The masts of the Nomars I was able to see were also much thicker, square and heavier duty than this mast. If you could find some pictures to compare that would be helpful. shelbart said: it looks like rube goldberg had something to do with it. mm212 said: looks like it used to be a holmes, but someone took the winches out.

These Canadian Members joined the Towing Information Network and created an Introduction in 2009. Brutus: enough " lurking " getting on the board now lol, med. / heavy operator from vernon bc canada . been towing 17 years , i'm lvl 2/3 wreckmaster , hopefully 4/5 comes in spring married 12 years with 7 yr old son who loves wreckers. this site has been extremely helpful with " how-to's" and " don't do that's" . Wayne Feenstras: Hi from Wyoming, Ontario, Canada. My names Jamie and I drive for my Dad's company, Feenstra's Towing. Here are a couple of pics I have on my computer: Metro Towing wrecker before and after paint Stapley Towing Asked: Welcome from Campbellford ON, were the heck is Wyoming Ontario? LOL Trucks look great, keep me posted on the Metro and how it works, I like those little wreckers Feenstras: We're out by Sarnia near the Port Huron, Michigan border. Its only 4 and 3/4 hours away from you. Freak: Hello From The Great White North In the business for a couple of years...new to Tow411. Checking out the posts and have learned quite a few new things...look forward to more. Supermike: Hello from Québec Hi my name is Michel I m not in the business but I love trucks and tow trucks. I discover this site some time ago but never post...not easy in anglish for me... very nice place to learn from every body.

What has changed since 2003? NC has a new law that became effective 10/01/2003, The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: SECTION 1. G.S. 20- 77(d) reads as rewritten: (d) An operator of a place of business for garaging, repairing, parking or storing vehicles for the public in which a vehicle remains unclaimed for 10 days, or the landowners upon, whose property a motor vehicle has-been abandoned for more than 30 days, shall, within five days after the expiration of that period, report the vehicle as unclaimed to the Division. Failure to make such report shall constitute a Class 3 misdemeanor. Persons who are required to make this report and who fail to do so within the time period specified may collect other charges due but may not collect storages charges for the period of time between when they were required to make this report and when the actually did send the report to the Division by certified mail. Any vehicle which remains unclaimed after report is made to the Division may be sold by such operator or landowner in accordance with the provisions relating to the enforcement of liens and the application of proceeds of sale of Article 1 of Chapter 44A.'1 . Before 10/01/2003 the person authorizing the tow had to file the papers with DMV

Topic created by Motiv8td in Aug of 2013: Since you guys post up some pretty cool rides, I thought I'd throw in one of our own. A.T.R.I Med/HD # 473-2013 WM 4/5 #140048 Smith System - Driver Trainer towman33 said: That is cool as hell very nice!!! IDK if it's 4.2 cool though. Raddamant said: That's insanely cool. Not to deviate too much, just wondering if you bought special insurance for this tow? Motiv8td said: Likely. Our GM is sharp as a tack and I believe his background is insurance litigation. My management team in general is top notch which actually helps make my job easier. hoover said: It actually sold for 4.6 million at Barret Jackson Motiv8td said: That's what I thought. There were some reports that it was only 4.2. Since I'm not the one who ponied up the dough, I wasn't exactly sure. Our GM has it posted on our Facebook as 4.2 million as well. Either way, still cool to see it one of our trucks instead of a competitor. TOM JR said: Doesnt get much cooler than that.

This list is compiled from an old topic on the Tow411 message board. Any assistance in the form of replies to complete the list would be appreciated. Topic was named: Compiling a list of the different Holmes Wreckers made over the years. Booms - Single or twin, boxed or skeleton, capacity, manual extension? Winches - Single or twin, capacity Bodyies - CA (cab to axle) available, single/tandem Options - Side outriggers Years Produced - Approximate duration of production Anything else that would be of interest W35 W45 400 440 460 480 500 525 550 600 650 750 850 1701 1801 Mechanical 110 missing details in topic 220 which was a pickup mounted unit with a boom like the 440, except that it had an electric winch on it.... 250 missing details in topic 330 missing details in topic 400 Single Line 440 Single line 8 ton boom 8000 winch 440 High Power 460 Twin Line 470 Unknown Model and Details 480 Twin Line (2) 4 ton booms (2) 8000 winches 485 Standard early (20's - 30's) twin boom unit 490 50's unit twin 3 ton booms twin 6000lb winches? 500 Twin Line 515 Twin Line - "Antique" 525 Forerunner to the Holmes 600 the main difference was the mast and how it was structured. On the 525 the booms were mounted half way up the mast like on the 460 & 515. The 525 has a boom rating of 6 tons each with a pulling capacity of 15 tons. It was designed to fit the 1-1/2 to 2 tons trucks with a 60" to 87" CA. The longer CA service bodies had a tool box ahead of the mast. The 20" drums had a max. capacity of 250" of cable. 550 Twin Line Unknown Model and Details 600 16 ton unit Twin Line Outriggers standard or optional equipment 650 Twin 10 ton booms 655 750 Twin Line Available Tandem or Single axle 850 Twin Line Tandem Axle W35 Twin Line - "Antique" W45 Twin Line - "Antique" W70, 70 ton mech. twin boom Hydraulic 475 missing details in topic 475T missing details in topic 515SP - Prototype of 525 with Hydraulic Booms 1200 Hydraulic Update of a 500ish? 1601 aka Python Single 22 ton hydraulic boom twin line twin 16k (20k?) winches 1625 As 1601 (?) but 25 ton 1701 Hydraulic Update of a 750? 1801 Hydraulic Update of a 850? Others: Heavy Duty Power Wrecker - like a 485 but stronger mast & PTO driven Speed King - early 515? Traffic King - early 525? 5th Wheel Wrecker - hydraulic jib for 5th wheel tractor unit use Commander (1200?) Trooper Here's the listings from Catalog "Q" August 1955. Model 330 3 ton single Hand or Power Operation. Model 400 3 ton single Power Model 460 6 ton dual Power Model 470 8 ton dual Power Model 525 12 ton dual Power 15ton possible pull capacity Model 650 20 ton dual Power 2 speed PTO available Model 850 30 ton dual Power 2 speed gearing 35ton possible pull capacity central controls only Here's the listings from 1971 Model 220 4 ton single Electric Model 440 4 ton single Power Model 480 8 ton dual Power Model 500 10 ton dual Power (both drums have 7/16 x 200 ft. Cables) Model 600 16 ton dual Power Model 750 25 ton dual Power Model 850 40 ton dual Power ground and central controls.