mushspeed

Still here, loud and clear.....

 

Keep well...keep safe..

 

John.

Our industry is facing some very difficult challenges....The Institute of Vehicle Recovery  ( IVR )  is the UK's main Towing and Recovery  training provider and is recognised and respected throughout the world ...offering  over 30 different  training programmes    from  basic health and safety induction training  through to heavy duty Rotator and crane  training,  plus air cushions, heavy duty winching,  major incident management, electric vehicles, crane loaders,  forklift ...    plus  specifically tailored courses to suit individual company requirements.....

The IVR training  programmes  are not just exclusively  carried out in the  UK   ...trainers are often travelling to other countries to provide specialist Towing and Recovery training ...

 

This  is the first of several  virtual videos the IVR  will be producing ....specifically designed to update  and advise towing operators the dangers they face dealing  with possible contamination of vehicles and infection risks and advising of the  most effective ways of keeping themselves safe and well....

Please feel free to share  .....

None of us has got all the answers or solutions on this terrible disease .....but....the more advisorys  we can put out there, and it reduces the risk of virus transmission to one person and subsequently deaths ...it is worthwhile.. 

 

Keep safe ...keep well.

 

John.

Congratulations Clarissa....

Your kindness, unstinting care and attention  you gave to my family and I on our visit to chattenooga was fantastic....

 

You made us so welcome and nothing was too much trouble....

 

You are a wonderful asset  to the towing industry...

 

John.

This is an excellent example how some of the independent Recovery operators in the UK...are trying to raise the awareness to the genral public  of the hard work and dedication going on 24/ 7  to carry out their " essential workers " duties .

 

The Covid 19  virus  is producing a unique set of additional hazards to the towers...... on top of the dangers they normally  face on a daily basis...

 

Along with many thousands of towers  throughout the world..........These are the unsung heroes ....

 

A very informative and accurate interview and well worth listening to ....

 

Quinn ...your vision to diversify the usage of your trucks  to cover non vehicular work  makes a whole load of sense  thus  keeping the wheels rolling  at this difficult time ...

 

Your  work on Slow Down Move Over  and the Covid survival precautions and advice  given to other towers  is inspiring .

 

Well done bud ....

 

John 

 

 

 

I found a picture of  Junior at Scotland's Truckfest ....relaxing and enjoying a beer with his workmates ..

 

He is a huge ambassador for Scotland's Towing and Recovery industry  also very active raising funds for the UK 's  towing charity ....

A huge thank you to the boss of M8 Recovery...Junior Mc Manus  for organising the parade of Tow Trucks  outside one of the main hospitals in Glasgow to acknowledge the incredible work and dedication of doctors and nurses and all support workers to battle the terrible Covid 19 virus ....risking their lives to save others 

Our thoughts and prayers go with you and all of your family and friends ...

This hidden killer has no boundaries....

please take care,  use lots of PPE ...and be safe as you can out there ...

 

John.

A  perfect example of getting it done with the equipment you have,   efficiently  and professionally....

Taking care to clear the overhead wires...

 

John.

Please convey our sincere condolences to  Corey's  family, co workers and friends . 

From John and Aileen Coupland on behalf of all the towers and the Slowdown  Move Over campaign in the UK..

We feel your pain !!!

Our thoughts and prayers go out for Corey and the whole Iodice  family ...

Rest in peace dude ...

 

 

What a tragic situation ....there does not appear to be any lighting or reflectivity visible  at all on the unit and landoll or pre warning prior to the incident ...

Our thoughts go out to the deceased  and the towing company and personell  involved in this sad incident 

 

John.

I have never broke a Holmes tree but I have had the ground around the base of the tree lift up as the root mass started to come out of the ground ....time to stop  !!!.

 

I dont  totally agree the root goes down half the height of the tree.....in a lot of cases it all depends what type of tree is ....

 

I always worked on the basis .....if it was a pine or a fir,   the root mass  goes out fairly shallow and is likely to be less than 2ft deep  .....strap at the base of the trunk no less than 8 .10 inch diameter  if  possible share off with  2 or 3 other trees nearby ....not too near though ....or the strain might dislodge them all.....

 

The root of a tree is looking for water .....so if it is  near a stream or watercourse it is likely the roots will be fairly shallow even for a long established tree and care must be taken if applying a heavy pull..

  but if is away from any obvious source of water  it  is likely the roots go deep.... and will act as a good anchor 

If possible always use a sling round the trunk at the base  .....chains will damage the bark and could cut into the trunk and weaken it ...

If you can share off with other trees that reduces the risk of breakage ....

Most importantly,  ensure the tree appears healthy  and not full of dead branches ....one could fall on you whilst working underneath ...or the centre of the trunk could be rotten and could break under a heavy load..

Keep a close eye on the top of the tree you will likely get a better indication if it is on the move ...

I' m not saying that is the correct way  to do it but it worked well for us .....

 

I am not a tree expert...    but we always exercised common sense before committing...and carried out numerous successful recoveries...

 

Be safe and well out there..

John.

Ginger....please convey our sincere condolences to Jasons family, friends and co workers  at Sunstate towing services ...

 

From your fellow towers  in the UK and Europe......our thoughts and prayers go to them all 

 

It is a proven fact ...wearing seatbelts DOES  save more lives .....all towers please buckle up ....I know it is an inconvenience sometimes ...but buckle up ....

 

Guys and gals ....Pay attention to Randall......  he is better placed than any of us.....to give advice ...that is a gut wrenching experience he went through and I take my hat off to you Randall for sharing ...

During my career ...being on police contracts for over 40 years ...I too have attended.numerous fatalities and serious incidents....and on occasions, lives could have been saved if seat belts were worn..... drivers and passengers alike....

 

Be safe and well out there....

 

John.

 

I feel for those guys .....they were having the sort of day when they wished they had stayed in bed....

 

We had a similar situation on a nature reserve about 2 miles down a narrow 8 foot wide track ...  a tracked peat cutter got bogged ...bigtime....we sent a 6x4  winch truck out  ...that slipped off the road and got stuck ...we sent out an 8x4  truck to winch out our truck ... after reversing down the track for about a mile....the side of the track gave way and our truck slipped down the embankment into the ditch at a  45 degree angle ...

Result ...2 heavy recovery trucks and a peat cutter seriously bogged !!!!      8ft wide track,  a deep water filled ditch both sides .....no Holmes trees anywhere to be had ....sucks ...!!!

We dispatched a 3rd winch  truck  and after several hours,  a lot of  winching, re rigging, winching and more re rigging we got the 8x4  truck out ....but the road was so badly collapsed and  waterlogged,  we could not get any where near our other truck or the peat cutter ....by this time it was about midnight ....

The road had to be repaired first ....

Next morning we arranged for  60 tons of  crushed concrete to be delivered to the entrance of the road  ....it was too risky to tip at the site because of the un evenness of the track  so the material was taken  consisting of about  40 loads  in a dumper truck and backhoe about a mile to repair the track so we could get to  retrieve the other vehicles ....

We used the back hoe as a dead man  to self retrieve our other truck  and then rigged with about  1,000 foot of extension cables to get the peat cutter out ..

Time at the job  .....2 and a half days ....very stressful ... 

One of those jobs that no matter what we did... it went wrong....but the professionalism of our guys shone through in the end  ....and apart from a burst power steering pipe on one truck ...no damage ...

Ron....you dont need to apologize my friend.......I dont think we will ever find an ideal solution for this tragic loss of life the industry has world wide...

We have a German made 44 tonne tractor unit in our haulage fleet  which is fitted with the latest lane technology sensors,  if the driver changes lanes without signalling,  a loud buzzer sounds in the cab... 

Also distronic sensors....

If the driver follows too close the vehicle in front  it automatically slows the vehicle down by  reducing the engine speed and applying the brakes ...

This technology is gradually being built in to all European trucks and up market cars ...

The manufacturers are trying to introduce devices to warn and assist drivers of impending dangers ...

But there is no effective cure for drunk driving or texting at the wheel  apart from jail .....and that is all too often .....after the event.

 

John.

 

 

 

Guys....whilst I have every respect for your opinions...

I cannot agree totally with the point Ron makes about the inneffectiveness and wasted  time...

 

I  bought two of those magnetic LED  arrow systems  at the Atlanta tow show ....with a view of trialling  them in live situations in the UK 

if successfully  effective....plan on placing a large order to market them in the UK ....

I see it as another warning device that can be very quickly attached to vehicles ...... being magnetic,  no time is wasted trying them on . 10 seconds  max....and you dont have to take them off until the vehicle is moved to a place of safety     it is not a cure all and may have to be secured by other means I.e.  adhesive tape or elastic hook straps when attached  to plastic or non ferrous surfaces ....

 

BUT... I strongly believe  they can be most effective  when loading large panel Van's onto  roll backs ....or trailers 

When the body is down the rear lamps are totally obscured ....the bulk of the casualty vehicle  quite often  obscures the beacons and any rear cab lighting...

Furthermore....if the electrics of the van are dead ...then there will be effectively  be no rearward facing lights at all !!!

Both Paul and I have been trialling them and  they appear to be fairly effective in certain  cases... especially on  dark unlit  roads ...

As I have previously stated in this post this is not the magic cure ....but ...for the cost of less than  6 gallons of diesel.....

If it reduces the risks operators face..at the roadside..

  saves one injury or life .....it has to be worthwhile...  

John.... ..

 

Wow ...that is going to take a huge amount of skill and  commitment to bring this car back to life....

 

I guess the spring hangers and frame rails will be very crispy  too ...as well as the floor pan ....it is going to be difficult finding something  to weld to...

 

Interesting job....

 

The tower was a very competent and careful guy,  taking a lot of care to preserve what is left ...

 

John.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Enrique.....wishing him a speedy and full recovery..

 

From your fellow towers in the UK....

 

John.

Excellent Extrication …..professionally carried through...teamwork at its best 

 

One wrong move could have been catastrophic for the patient.

 

John. 

 

 

Towing Operators are dying at a record pace on the white line in 2020. What will help curb the disturbing number of towman fatalities? A European invention called AIRBAR makes its way to vehicles stateside with surprising results. Hear from AIRBAR’s Inventor Simon Scaife of Nuvech Technologies in the United Kingdom. This video is powered by OMG National.

Our sincere condolences....our thoughts and prayers go out to all of his Family, friends and co workers.....

 

Rest in peace  dude...from your fellow towers across the pond. 

 

John.

Our sincere condolences go out to Pat's family, friends and co workers...

Our thoughts and prayers are with pat at this difficult time...

From fellow towers  across the pond...

 

John. 

The more I read and learn about Billy and his past achievements.....

The more it was an honour and pleasure to have briefly known him,  for the last  3 years... we drank beer,  talked  Air cushions,   Winching  and   Autocars.

Sadly it is not possible to attend the farewells...I guess there will be a huge procession....wish I could be there to witness it....

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Billy's  girlfriend   Jasmine...his whole family, friends  and co workers...

From  his fellow Towers in the  UK.

 

No more 11 part lines for you bud ....rest in peace ...

 

John. 

Sorry this post is a bit late, but I wanted to wait for some professional photos to portray this amazing event....

It was an incredible honour to be nominated and inducted into the.... International Towing Museum, Hall of Fame  alongside some of the greatest names in the industry. past and present....

To be included was extraordinarily humbling experience which could never be repeated....

To sit aside such legends at the ceremony made my family and I very proud.   and to shake hands with so many famous people in the room and throughout all the events... 

My sincere thanks go out to my nominator,  The Museum Board, The Museum staff,  Tow Times Magazine and Jerr Dan For making us so welcome and the whole weekend my family and I will never forget..  

   

 

 

Perry Shusta,      Quinn Peining ( aka WEDOTOWS),       Glenn Landau,      George Kuntz,         Jamie Davis,     John Coupland (aka Mushspeed ),    Mike Cherry  

 

 

Behind every good man is a good woman....The ladies behind the men... 

 

 

Not a Chain or a Snatch block to be seen !! 

 

 

 

 

 

A collective Photo of the Flag Bearers     there are some famous people here.... all previous Hall of Fame Inductees... 

 

 

Mary Beth and Mike Cherry...

 

 

Aileen and John  Coupland....

 

 

Sherry and Jamie Davis....

 

 

Jessica and George Kuntz....

 

 

Ruth and Glen  Landau...

 

 

Diane Hermone  and Quinn Peining... 

 

 

Renee and Perry Shusta….

 

 

 

Flags of the nations.... 

 

 

another photo of the inductees  with Tom Tedford doing the oratory.... 

 

 

Nick and Angie Ovenden with Lee Roberts …..Industry legends !!

 

 

Every one a legend !!

 

 

A wide photo of the guests in the room ….spot the TV camera... 

 

 

 

 

A standing ovation from the guests...

 

 

A standing Ovation from the guests.... 

 

 

Jamie Davis  sharing a joke with Tom Tedford... 

 

 

Sharing some drinks with my wonderful family and dear friends... 

 

 

I wanna Shake your hand !!!   fantastic !!

 

 

There are some famous people here ….it was an absolute honour to know them and shake their hands...

 

 

 

My wonderful family ….

 

This is just a snapshot of the event  for additional  detailed photographs of the whole weekend events including the wall of the fallen ceremony and the charity fun run....

 

......Visit the international Towing Museum and Hall of Fame website..... click on 2019 Weekend...

 

Thanks for looking …...John.

 

 

Just enough room to squeeze the front bags in ....

Saving several  hours on a cross load 

Professional  job .....Excellent work  guys ...

 

John.