mushspeed

Absolutely devastated to learn of Scoobys passing...we were only laughing and joking together along with Billy leonhauser  in Atlantic City..a few months ago

 

.that meeting was priceless  !!  And I shall never forget it ...two Huge characters ....now both gone ....boy that hurts  !!

 

I had the honour of attending Scoobys  Mat Jack class at the show and his very complimentary comments to me as regards my honour in front of the whole room...

 

Even in his illness he had time to make fun of it and the fact that chemo does not affect hair loss on his backside ...     what a guy !!!

 

My only regret is not being able to work on the job site or attend one of his training  courses proper...

 

Please convey our sincere condolences to his extended family...friends ...and work mates .....from the  UK  towing industry ..

 

Rest in peace Dude ....you qualify for a pair of Gold Wings ...and see you on the other side...

 

John and Aileen Coupland...

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.....

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.

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.   

 

 

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. 

 

 

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. 

Nice pick...tricky with the power lines that close 

 

John 

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.   

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. 

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.

, 

 

 

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.

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 ...

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.

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.

 

 

Our condolences, thoughts and prayers  go out to Bernardo's Family, Friends and Co workers ...

From his fellow towers in the UK...

 

John.

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.

 

 

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Condolences to the operators Family, Friends and Co Workers from the Towers in the UK... 

 

A tragic set of circumstances ..

 

John.

 

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... 

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... ..

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.