Orcas Tow

Underhydrated then overheated.

Yeah, No, my hourly rate has always been calculated of the weight of the casualty not what I bring to do the job:)

Had a call for a brand new custom 15,000lb fifth wheel that was delivered yesterday, the delivery driver could not make the 15% + driveway so he left it in place 1/2 way up the driveway. Luckily there was a back way in to the property, Nick & I showed up with our 2018 F450 4X4 with a Chevron 408TA & our 2001 F550 4x4 with the Chevron 408 & home made fifth wheel hitch, hook up the 550 & hooked the 450 the the front tow hooks on the 550 & attempted to drive them up together but were unsuccessful, 2 sharp steep turns on loose gravel were just too little traction, too steep of hill & too much weight for both 4x4's. We ended up winching multiple times with the 450 using trees as dead men when available. 2.75 hours & all good at the pad with a view. $500 tip to boot:)

I got a call for a flatbed C30 in a ditch with roofing material in it, I said what's the weight, he said not much bring the small truck . Nick & I brought the 2001 F550 with a Chevron 408 & found a fully (over) loaded C60 with asphalt roofing backed in the ditch, guess they had difficulty getting it up the hill & backed into the ditch, lucky it didn't roll as it had a hard twist/lean. Guessing at 25,000lbs, good thing we have Holmes trees in the area, scotch blocks chained to rear D rings, drivers winch line low to the tree then a 3 part to the drivers side frame rail for a low pull, passenger side winch line 2 part high from the boom to the passenger side frame rail for an upward pull. Engaged the winches & she came right out.

Im guessing this is a pre slide out dated trailer, it was a permanent addition.

Recovery was definetly worth more than the trailer. I was called in the evening for travel trailer over embankment on a steep narrow freshly installed dirt road, had come unhooked from tow vehicle & came to rest on a tree, it was safely off roadway so we decoded to recover in daylight. Arrived on scene with 2 light duties, a 2001 F550 4x4 with a Chevron 408 & a 2018 F450 4x4 with a Chevron 408TA. The 550 was placed in front, scotch blocks chained to tailboard with 1 line from each winch going to snatch blocks/grade 80 recovery chains around each frame rail at front of trailer then each line was terminated at large trees on opposing sides of the 550 for steer ability of the trailer as we winched. The 450 was backed up to the drivers side of trailers as we were concerned of it potentially rolling over & also to put a side/forward pull to keep it from sliding sideways during the forward winch. The 450 drivers side line went to snatch block/grade 80 5/16" recovery chain/frame at drivers rear of trailer & terminated at tailboard D ring of 450, passenger side line went opposite direction up hill to snatch block/grade 80 5/16" recovery chain/tree then terminated at drivers side of trailer spring frame mount, with the 450 rigged this way we could keep the 450 from dragging sideways by keeping even tension on both winches. Figuring the trailer heavy at 10,000lbs it was way over rigged with 7 lines to the load but the many lines were more for control than weight. All went as planned, winched it up to the 550, slipped my ball in the tongue, safety chained & towed to its final destination. 2 hrs from start to finish.

Probably the earliest vehicle I have towed in 30+ years.

Nice rigging, love the trees, sometimes there is a casualty though as there's no WLL on those darn things...

I agree fully, I use WreckMaster K Straps through or around the tires in the WreckMaster fashion or secure to lower control arms as the factory screw eyes are not designed for any side load.

This recovery is a few years old, I had time to actually take some pic's. We had a weeks worth of snow & high winds, this Suburban was a paramedics personal vehicle that he was using for aid calls as the ambulances were not able to get up many driveways. It rolled 4 times & ended up 75' off the narrow road, the worst injury was a broken arm of the 3 occupants. Thank god for all the trees around here, there always seems to be one in just the right place for an anchor or change of direction, fun stuff

Topic Originally Created on Tow411 in November of 2008: I got a call tow call for a new to the current owner boat on a trailer where the wheel bearing had failed & the axle hit the roadway tearing the U bolts loose & shifting the axle. Jacked up the damaged axle & put my ball joint block underneath (thanks tow411 for that) Slid the bed under until it was close to the axle, the long 2x8 was already there so I made use of it. All loaded up & ready to go, 2 straps in the front & cross chained in the rear with binders, a strap over the top because the rear of the boat was not secured to the trailer in any way. Unknown Member Said: That trailer is way too little for that boat!, good job on the tow, i really like your tailboard block. mooresbp said: I like that block also!! Nice work! svdkid82 said: thats a sharp IH you've got there! wm010829 said: Nice job! Where did you get the tailboard block ? Bed is a dual-tech I think. Jeff-Twilight Orcas Tow said: Thanks all, kinda fun to get something a little different, lots more work than a standard tow though. It's a 21' steel Dual tech bed & the tailboard block is custom, heres the link if you want to build one, its come in handy quite a few times already in the short time I have had it, the nice thing is you can winch with it even if you have one car secured on the deck, just run the wire rope underneath the car to the block. http://tow411.yuku.com/topic/47293 allenstowing said: uzek, that is one sweet block you made!!! oh and nice job Energizer Bear: Uzek, Your tailboard block is sweet and were very interested in making one for each of the rollbacks. Thanks for posting your block in action, Vinny8662 said: You do have a nice truck and you did a great job recovering the boat. I am not knocking the way you loaded the boat but I have hauled quite a few large boats such as this one and always load them rear first. Because of the weight of the motor etc. it gives better weight distribution. Again I'm not knocking the way you did it, just offering another way. Orcas Tow said: I hear you & thought about loading it backwards, the truck rode fine but any bigger boat I think I would take your advise, more difficult to drag a broke axle all the way up & down the bed (backwards) than just a couple feet up. Thanks. ricktowingvt said: great job it fun to tow something different, make u think.

Professionals willing to share freely their experience, thoughts & questions with others.

I have these in my trucks & they are nice & bright, I tied them into the parking lights as they don't draw much amperage. https://zips.com/parts-detail/buyers-led-strip-lights-bp-562lightstrip

B/A Products 17-2N 11" Winch Roller Guide, some trimming & I have a winch that spools nicely now. I simply welded the passenger side roller to the guide frame & trimmed the bottom corner of the roller to clear the winch hydraulic drive motor. I have not & will not load the winch off the side so the non turning roller is a non issue, simply a guide.

I have loaded a couple dozen or so myself & found that with steel core wire it will like you say will noisily grind to the outside of the drum if under tension but travels loosely from the end of the drum for about 2" due to the guides side roller mounted far inside the drum not allowing the rope to lay naturally. My old Chevron wound beautifully with the same wire rope with an 11" wide guide. Just disappointed with the "new & improved" version.

It has a top roller, just not visible in the angle of the picture.

Thank you, Im going to see if I can retrofit the 11" roller guide on & will report back:)

The tensioner is fine, its the roller guide thats 3 1/2" narrower than the winch drum. If you look in the picture in my original post you'll see that the inside of the side rollers is way narrower than the winch drum.

George, Just to confirm your roller guide is 3 1/2" narrower than your winch drum? Mine has the plate tensioner on the backside also.

I recently purchased a 2015 Century LCG with a bottom feed Ramsey winch, the wire rope winds poorly on the outside edges of the winch because the winch drum measures 11" & the guide inside diameter measures 8.5 inches. I ordered a B/A 11" winch guide then found out the hydraulic pump is in the way of putting a wider winch guide on. Any thoughts other than converting to a top feed? Thanks.

I did take the aluminum guards off right at the pivot as they were chaffing the hoses right off the bat, also took the aluminum covers off the outside forward edge of the crossbar so small gravel can get out, pressure wash now & then the guts of the crossbar.

Wow, my hoses lasted about 70,000 miles/9 years

Curious to what the hydraulic pressure is when it stalls the hydraulics?

I have towed many a 1 ton, 450's & 550's with my 2001 550 & Autogrip. The other day I noticed one of the L arms lower than the other at the end by about 3/4", looked it over carefully & found a crack at a weld where the outer arm ties into the inner one. Since it was simply a weld failure I cleaned, squared it back up & re welded it. Weak weld or overloaded here & there over the years? Hard to say but the Autogrip is a stout unit, a few hoses replaced & regular grease has been all it has asked of me in 18 years.

This is going to be the norm in the future/present. Many cars are electronically shifted & when the engine will not start you can not get many into neutral. The BMW X3 procedure is to put on lift, remove skid plate, turn allen bolt until it manually over rides the park pawl. This procedure is not conducive in a busy intersection & how many high end car owners want to see them drug onto the deck?