From Dog Food To Swimming Pools...A Busy Week.

[EdsTowing]

Another busy week. Here are a few of the jobs we did...

 

A load of Pet Food donated by Wal-Mart for our "Pocono Pet Pantry" we have...

 

 

We do a couple runs a month picking up pet supplies from a few donators.  Then the Girls organize & distribute the product to customers having trouble taking care of their pets. We also donate a lot of it to local Shelters and what not.

 

 

Went to Buffalo NY for a customer to pick up a Indoor Pool. A 640 mi round trip...

 

550 Dump out of the military base for a "Derate" issue...

 

 

550 Rollback to the shop for a new engine...

 

 

Grabbed it by the main crossmember since the rear legs were already cracked/broken...

 

 

Propane truck that lost it's brakes with a half a load on it...

 

 

Transit bus for a running issue...

 

 

 

 

 

[dperone]

Looking good Ed. How's your 550 like towing those mason dumps? I know my 165'' wheel base rides like a pissed off bull with one of them behind me

[EdsTowing]

You know it's back there, but it handles it pretty good...

 

 

Especially with a diesel & extended cab.

 

Eddie towed this today and said it was heavy...

 

 

42' 5th wheel trailer. It pushed the back around some....

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Not to Knock your safety chain arrangement on that dump at all because I am an advocate for tying on basically the same way, But my local d.o.t. trooper woulda had a field day with you for having them cinched from the tail board, through the grab hooks on the cross bar then to the casualty. He claims they are to be run UNDER the cross bar, then secured to the casualty and tail board only.. When I have questioned his thought process, ( You woulda thought I just told him I was sleeping with his wife by "questioning" his authority,) He stated that they would "catch" the cross bar if it was to fail and fall off..... 🤨

Now, Not to say it cant happen.. I suppose anything is possible really.. But,.. I have been in and around this business my entire life and seen some pretty crazy failures when it comes to rigging, equipment etc.. I have NEVER seen a cross bar even with a totally pissed pivot pin fail and just fall off...  Your thoughts?

[Ehofer]

I am just curios why you did not grab the ford baby dump from the rear? Are they lighter in the front?

[EdsTowing]

On 11/10/2021 at 10:05 PM, GRUMPS The Towman said:

Not to Knock your safety chain arrangement on that dump at all because I am an advocate for tying on basically the same way, But my local d.o.t. trooper woulda had a field day

You are totally right "by the book"....and Eddie did it just the way that I told him to when he was young. If I got stopped, I would be happy to explain my reasoning to the officer....and if he didn't agree - take the ticket! Irregardless, I wouldn't change it though.

So now...my explanation...

I have nearly 40 years of experience in this industry...and "experiences" come in Good & Bad...LoL I'm sure you know what I mean. And one that clicks the "Bad" side, was I had a 1 ton Dually Dodge towing a 19,000 5th wheel trailer come off of my wheel lift & go "astray".... It hit a guard rail & finally stopped...guard rails will do that...but fortunately nobody got hurt and actually minimal damage (I think $500?) to the truck. So when I pulled out from a stop sign, the casualty "rocked" in the L arm with a Lasso style strap, and it straitened out the Mini J...sort of made it in to a "mini I" which is much less effective in securing a vehicle! Once the left side came out, it jerked the right side out as well and it was all over but the crying. I did not have safety chains. I did not perceive the actual weight of what I was towing (around 27,000 lbs combination) on a light duty wrecker rated for a 7500lb tow rating. 

 

What can I say...Lesson learned. So anyway, I secure the chain to the truck, tilt down some to hook, and then tighten the chain some. No way is that wheel coming out of the grid area. I don't feel my T head is ever going to fail. My money is on rigging, securement component or operator error providing you with the bad day...so give me the ticket - and move on. This is the way I teach all my guys and it won't change. Not worried about "Looking" the part as much as "Avoiding" the bad situation. Those laws were developed when the towing method was a tow sling and a completely different beast.

 

Just My Thoughts...😉

[EdsTowing]

9 hours ago, Ehofer said:

I am just curios why you did not grab the ford baby dump from the rear? Are they lighter in the front?

Honestly, a dually from the rear can be hard with a self loader. And with this, it was a 11' steel body. I'm not sure you could reach it with the overhang...especially with a Renegade w/ rear legs. But if so, it would be at full extension and heavy as a bitch. It's heavy from the front too but the wheel lift is only extended 6" or so, so much better steer axle weight. This was a manual 4wd so it's easy to put the T-case in neutral so no shaft to pull. If it was a pick up, it would probably have the electronic case so you're pulling the shaft. But then he would of been more able to rear tow it with the less overhang & weight.

[EdsTowing]

9 hours ago, Ehofer said:

ford baby dump

Oh, and hey...I just want to add. We have discussed this before but some of these trucks are far from "babies". I know what you're saying and understand your point. But I want people to respect these little trucks. Being they look like a pickup, they are regularly underestimated. I have customers running 550's and they are 20,000 to 23,500. Guys will push the new 600s to 25,000 I'm betting! A Big Bunk, High Top Peterbilt road tractor is 20k.... You need to respect weight...no matter how small of a package it is.

 

And I know you were just using it as a descriptive term, I didn't take it wrong or anything. I just wanted to point it out.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Your point is excellent and like I said, I am of the same opinion. I do recall telling the D.O.T. Trooper that his thought process was somewhat antiquated. ( As is most of NYS towing regulations ) 

I am also right there with you as far as these 550 / 5500 trucks and how a lot of people underestimate them.  Theres a few local bozo's here I have seen load one on their own 550 / 5500 roll backs like there isnt any issue. That same dump you guys had on your wrecker would have been "forced" up onto a 550 / 5500 roll back with the mentality that it is just a "pickup truck". They look the part, but after whatever up-fit they get, they are hanging around 12-14,000 lbs. empty.

A 12,000 lb. truck on top of a truck with a 19,500 lb. gvw..... Hmmm...