mushspeed

What an amazing guy he was .. a Legend...

His passing was a huge loss to the Towing industry...irreplaceable 

Rest in peace dude...

Interesting..   .contrary to common belief.... all towtrucks in the UK  capable of carrying a load.... HAVE to be DOT tested before they can be taxed and used or parked on the highway ..... That is the Law ...

They are NOT  exempt 

How no body in the in the licencing department was bright enough to figure that out  astounds me !!

in my area  that would have been scooped up and gone within weeks...

Ed .....these are very popular the UK and Europe  in the  7.5 to 18 ton LF  range  on 2 axles   it is manufactured by DAF ...in the UK and Holland....they are normally fitted with either the 4 or 6 cylinder Cummins  engine .....we ran about 20 of these when we had the business....and got a good service life from them  with very little down time ...usually minor issues ....I think we had one that dropped a valve and a couple of gearbox  failures  where the gear lever turret snapped off ...apart from that   ok  

But.....that was more than 15 years ago when electronics wernt such an issue..

DAF is a subsidiary of Paccar    

This is picture of a  Daf  LF  tow truck   owned and operated by  Ashford Recovery....my dear friend  Nick Ovenden...

Welcome back Marek... from the UK ...

Manchetts  is a family business headed up by Sean Manchett..they run a very high quality fleet ...one of the best operations in the UK...

This big horsepower  Scania is a fabulous addition....and will serve them well...

Randall  ....that's extraordinary that you had written that excellent article ....what a strange coincidence that I posted the UK fatality in the same type of location..within a few days ....

.my message to all towers ....on/ off ramps ....slip roads  are just as dangerous.... especially off  ramps  where travellers are used to sustained high speeds  and wide carriageways  and have to adjust to narrower lanes, tightening curves and slower speeds ...

Always be fully aware of the oncoming traffic and only work on the safer side ...

John.

Hello Randall....thank you for your kind comments...and happy new year to you and Christine...

It is interesting how our countries have different names for various things   ...our "slip road"  is your " on / off  ramp "....

We call......  your "fender",  our "bumper"......    your  "hood",  our "bonnet"  ....your  "gas",   our "petrol".... 

We have had several severe roadside collisions recently, fortunately no fatalities until this one ...

Stay safe everyone....

John.

A man has died after an accident off the Calderdale Way in Elland.

The driver of a Renault recovery truck – a man in his 50s – was found with serious injuries under the vehicle on the Elland exit slip road of the A629.

Police believe the accident happened between 10.15pm last night (Wednesday) and 1.30am today.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “Officers were called to the scene by ambulance staff after the driver of the truck was found with serious injuries underneath the vehicle.

Here from the UK....this is still the best towing forum in the World.....

Thank you Ron, Chris and the whole Towforce team...

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy and safe New Year   and may the Towforce be with you....

Wishing all the Towforce members and their families a very  Happy Christmas and a safe, healthy and Prosperous New Year...

Wishing Ron,  Chris  and the whole towforce management team....every success for the coming years 

Keep up the excellent work ....Towforce remains the best towing forum in the world...

Keep warm and take care in the current ice bomb that is sweeping the states ....

From your friends across the pond...

John.

Ed....thanks for the pictures.....

There were some really fabulous tow trucks  on display..

And an excellent show ....well worth the trip from the UK..

It was really good meeting up with old friends and acquaintances ...thank you Ron and Chris for your hospitality 

A bit disappointed B/A didn't hold their open house again... always very interesting 

Sorry we didn't catch up... I was looking out for you ...

John.

That was pretty close when that left hand winch lost its tension  ...the shock could have caused a chain reaction and overloaded the other crane  and pulled it over .....but they got away with it ...

Looks like a Russian towing company .....the equipment is Omar's...quite popular in southern and eastern Europe 

Not favoured by UK operators...

John.

I  am hoping to be there....if all goes to plan..

Looking forward to catching up with old friends and acquaintances....

John.

This occurred in Germany...

Flights booked, Hotel booked, Hall of Fame ceremony booked, Wall of the fallen ceremony planned ...

Looking forward to meeting up with old friends....

John.

A true constant in our nation...

she will be sadly missed throughout the world...

A fantastic set of pictures ...   thanks for sharing..

Btw  I wonder if the old timers knot has had a strain test   lol.

John. 

An excellent and vital addition to towtrucks and operator safety  at the roadside ...especially when the body is demounted and the rear facing lights are obscured ... or in any stationary hazardous  situation ..

I was priveleged to be involved in some early  development trials in the UK  along with Paul Anstee. and the inventor Simon Sciafe .and his company  Nuvech...

Simon has put in a massive amount of hard work  along with the B/A team...to perfect this remarkable product ....

The visual impact to oncoming vehicles is definitely noticeable  raising awareness of the hazard ahead....effective in all weathers . ...vehicles slowing down and moving over ...

Working at the roadside will always be very dangerous...but this product is an important addition  and I strongly recommend it should be considered.

Congratulations to B/A and Nuvech for this excellent addition of AirBar to aid in the campaign of Roadside Safety for Towers ...

Stay safe  y'all.......John

 Paul.....A bit of a rubbish heap that one ....that right front tyre looks close to the limit...

Good use of the winch and rigging...

Thanks for sharing

John. 

Mike ....you are an absolute legend in our industry  .....you  have teamed with  or sold to the very best operators and engineers  in the country....

The history you have put together is  priceless  !!!  Your knowledge is incredible..!!

The names you have worked with are also legends    Jackson,  Boniface ,  Noble,  Grice, Dyson,  Coleman ......just to name a few....

Nice to see a couple of my trucks in the photo file...

Sincere thanks for sharing this piece of history...

John.