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mushspeed

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Everything posted by mushspeed

  1. That is a very hard collision....the semi must have been almost stationary.... Our thoughts and prayers go the poor operators family, friends and co workers.....
  2. Our thoughts and prayers go out Jason's whole family and our sincere condolences ... from your fellow towers in the UK... Rest in Peace Dude... John.
  3. Yes Grumps.. We too, have all sorts of other nonsense going on besides the virus... As regards the historic display .... I am very disappointed it cannot come to fruition this year .... but we are in the process of putting together a database of historic towing vehicles in preservation throughout the UK and hopefully we can do some sort of online museum...in the future ... I had planned on going to Chattanooga for the Hall of Fame and Wall of the Fallen ceremonies ....Had flights booked too !! and Baltimore in November ....plus a couple of other trips...all cancelled ( because of my age, I cant get covid cover on my travel insurance ) that really sucks !! hopefully the scientists can come up with a vaccine soon ...then we can all get back to some sort of normal and I look forward to meeting up and shaking your hand ... With Best Regards, John.
  4. The UK's premier show the Professional Recovery Tow Show...... due to be held week 3 of October 2020 was cancelled today because of the growing second spike of Covid 19 currently sweeping the country with several local lockdowns being imposed ...and a government imposition of a maximum of 6 people meeting in groups indoors or out doors..... hows that going to work ????? we have some real turkeys in our govt !!! This lousy disease ain't going away any time soon !! What really sucks ....I am part of the team putting together a first ever in the UK Historic Tow Truck Display at the show and we had almost 30 different trucks promised ....to include a first world war motorcycle and sidecar, several pre war and post war military vehicles....plus a selection of twin booms of different makes ...plus several lightweight lift and tow vehicles. nothing newer than 30 years old .... Hopefully 2021 will show a different picture and we can all get back to some sort of normality .. Meanwhile you all stay safe and well... John.
  5. Happy Birthday Ron.... Sincere thanks for what you and Chris do.... making Towforce The best towing forum in the world....despite all the challenges from other media streams... Best wishes from the UK... Stay safe and well Y'all... John.
  6. Nice pick...tricky with the power lines that close John
  7. An excellent recovery job.... using the full potential of the air cushions....with the uneven surfaces of the barrel not easy to get a direct lift.... even when it was on its wheels, getting it out of the ditch whilst maintaining stability presented its own challenges... fortunately the power cables were on the opposite side... Very Good job Guys... well executed.
  8. The Covid virus has forced the UK government to impose a strict nationwide lockdown and all shows and public events were banned....after 5 months the restrictions are gradually being eased......but strict social distancing and crowd control restrictions are still in place During the last weekend of August ....Truckfest Peterborough took place... normally held on the first weekend of May attracting more than 3000 trucks ... This year, a low key event which allowed a maximum of 1000 trucks ... The whole affair felt a bit strange with half of the bars and restaurants closed or offering a restricted service or menu ... But...It was good to get out and sample the new normal Normally there are Recovery and rescue demonstrations held in the main arena by the Professional Recovery drivers club....but none of this was permitted and the grandstands were closed off Below are some of the trucks at the show ... A 4 axle KW Boniface / Miller rotator operated by one of largest towing companies in the north west Hough Green Garage ....part of their signature is the doors are always painted white, no matter what colour of the truck . A very smartly presented Merecedes 6x4 fitted with Boniface / Miller Recoverer equipment check out the ground clearance ....., Sporting the very latest stainless steel light bars and bull bars sorry the picture is not very good and does not show the excellence of this truck This a clever little tow truck on a land Rover cab chassis .... The Land Rover engine has been replaced with a 6 cylinder 6.5 litre Cummings diesel somehow they have managed to shoehorn into the engine compartment The business end of some of the towtrucks there A smart unit from Tears Recovery Boniface/ Miller equipment Not a tow truck... but a beautifully presented 6 axle tipper truck gross weight 44 tons with a payload of 28 tons check out the short wheelbase...specially designed to be loaded by mobile road planing machines This is a very impressively presented 3 axle Scania tractor unit operating in Ireland Same truck .....check out round the working end ...... A stunning K W show truck ( incidentally...I sold that to Kevin and he put the Harley on ) normally a huge crowd puller The very latest in European and UK truck design running on maximum permissible length and weight 18.5 metres long 44 tons gross weight 4 metres high for normal cargo and freight operations ....check out the ground clearance A beautiful Sania T cab 580 hp V 8 engine gross weight 44 tons A Volvo tractor 4 axle 600 hp twin steer, double drive with hub reductions, for use on special heavy haul type operations up to 150 tons, 3 inch pin... the box behind the exhausts contains additional air tanks and gearbox oil coolers as well as the usual chains and straps. operated by one of Scotland's premier transport companies.
  9. Wayne....there are several good suppliers in the UK and Europe ......R E D....specialise in all types of Recovery equipment .... Cardno.....suppliers of chains, strops, and ancillary equipment, ........ Rydam International .....specialise in bespoke equipment, VDZ attachments, winches, ultra heavy duty trailers etc ... Without doubt, the largest supplier is Prolux, they catalogue the most comprehensive range of equipment, safety clothing, PPE, truck stuff ....not always the cheapest but the quality is good. There is lots of cheap equipment available on the internet but if you are buying anything that you are using for lifting or winching ...make sure it is correctly certificated and from a reputable source. John. ,
  10. This is a well put together presentation by Mark Hartell on behalf of the UK Institute of Vehicle Recovery.... On how we recommend to carry out the legal requirements when preparing and operating a slide bed ( Rollback ) transporter....and the associated record keeping The principal applies to all Towtruck and Recovery vehicles no matter what size or configuration they take... obviously the larger and more complex the vehicle is, the checks take longer and have to be more comprehensive ..... We think this video sets out reasonable workable guidelines to maintain a satisfactory level of safety checks before committing the vehicle to work .. It is only natural some operators will have different systems in place ...maybe even more rigourous than we have recommended . Equally ...I see many operators that have little or no systems in place.....and that HAS to change... or the enforcement agencies will clamp down and make it hard for every one... Please watch the clip and I hope you find it of some value and invite any constructive comments that we may find useful in our procedures... We dont have all the perfect solutions or ideas....but this does work for us ... Meanwhile....wear all of your PPE, face masks, gloves, eye protection and sanitizers .....Keep safe ..Keep distancing....Keep well John.
  11. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Eric's family, friends and co workers.... Please convey our sincere condolences from the UK Towing and Recovery industry Another hard working towers life taken by a senseless preventable act... Rest in peace Eric ...
  12. Our sincere condolences go out to his Family, friends and co workers.... Our thoughts and prayers....From the UK towing industry..... We feel your pain...rest in peace dude . John.
  13. Ed....that looks like quite an awkward pick ....I'll bet that embankment is a lot steeper than the pictures portray....quite a climb for the motorist to get out and get help and quite a climb to get down to rig and retrieve it ....and what about the little critters in the undergrowth? The use of the Sonic walkie talkie equipment is perfect for this job when the crane operative is totally unsighted with the casualty vehicle I agree with Randall your on scene tactics are first class and sets a very high standard ....on safety, public awareness and professionalism .... A fine example of how the job should be done .... John.
  14. Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to Bernardo's Family, Friends and Co workers ... From his fellow towers in the UK... John.
  15. Randall ...sincere thanks for your kind words....and hugs to you both... By way of an update .... the UK government is making it mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport, trains, in shops and supermarkets...with fines for those who do not comply .... The annual UK tow show at Telford scheduled for Wednesday 30th September - 1st October is still on track to go ahead at the moment ....in what sort of form it will take... we are not sure ... it is unlikely the Gala presentation evening and dinner will go ahead...so perhaps we will be sitting outside on the lawn with a can of beer and a dominoes pizza delivery !! all good fun !!.. Meanwhile stay safe and well... John.
  16. We are sorry the shows have had to be cancelled.....but in the current circumstances it is absolutely the correct decision...... I am particularly sorry for Steve and Doc and the whole American Towman team for the hard work already done so far to make it happen ...but now being thwarted by this awful disease.... A bunch of us from the UK planned on getting across to Baltimore in November.......but as it stands today.... travel was going to be very difficult and probably having to quarantine both ways, Plus travel insurance has a specific exclusion for Covid ... It is particularly disappointing for me as I have managed to get across for the past 15 consecutive years and I am sure it the best Towshow in the world .... I was looking forward to meeting up and networking with old and new friends ...catching up with the very latest products , innovations and ideas to assist the Towing and Recovery industry worldwide ..I always have to pay an excess baggage charge with cases full of goodies that are hard to get in the UK ...on the flight home I just hope that a vaccine can be found to combat this pandemic as soon as possible and we can all get back to some sort of normal In the UK the lockdown is gradually being eased .....the main worry now ...is a second surge of infections as is being reported in some other countries ... In 2021 we will be back !! Meanwhile....all stay safe and well.. John.
  17. That was definitely a preventable incident if the correct assessment procedures had been followed …. It happens with monotonous regulatory..... a tow operator in the UK had a bus roll away in almost identical circumstances just a few weeks ago .....fortunately, as in this case, there were no injuries... Just a lot of expensive damage.... John
  18. Our sincere best wishes go out to Rob ....our thoughts are with Rob and the Mitchell family.. And his co workers at Jamie Davis Towing .... From your fellow towers in the UK Get well soon ...bud John
  19. Very sad to learn of the loss of Da Moose ….I enjoyed reading his posts and responding accordingly... going back more than a decade... The industry has lost an interesting and unique character.... From the UK .....My condolences go out to his family and friends..... John.
  20. Our huge congratulations go out the Inductees for the Class of 2020 ….It is a fantastic achievement and well deserved..... The induction process will be an incredible experience which will savoured for ever... Welcome to the Hall of Fame.... John...…. Class of 2019..... no 333.
  21. Condolences to the operators Family, Friends and Co Workers from the Towers in the UK... A tragic set of circumstances .. John.
  22. Our sincere condolences go out to Ken's Family, friends and all at Jamie Davis Towing... From his fellow towers and TV fans in the UK and Europe.... Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time...
  23. This is the shape of things to come... especially as more and more cities are introducing low emission zones..or zero emission zones Ideal for inner city work Way to go... ..
  24. The Volvo is very popular in Europe.....Volvo manufacture both bonneted and cabover models European operators prefer the cabover ...and they are readily available and competivly priced ...operators like the maneuverability and good turning circle ...ideal for high density urban and intercity operations... It is fitted with the latest euro 6 clean burn engine which is becoming essential for city operations...... most European cities are introducing low emission zones....older diesel trucks, vans and cars are are being banned from entering these zones .....businesses breaking these rules face heavy fines or in extreem cases are liable for immediate prohibition... This particular truck is owned and operated in Holland by a high profile Dutch towing company .....fitted with heavy duty axles, front and rear, double drive and a powerful 500 hp engine and perfectly capable of towing casualty vehicles up to 65 tons. John.
  25. Still here, loud and clear..... Keep well...keep safe.. John.
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