Big Timber

[Welder Dave]

There was a US based Highway to Hell that didn't last long. It gave tow operators a real bad name. An arrogant tow truck driver offered to help a guy put chains on a 3 ton box truck... for $100. I was thinking it doesn't take an hour to put chains on. He was trying to take advantage of the guy.

 

[92U 3406]

I've seen that show as well, wasn't a huge fan. Absolutely blew my mind seeing people chaining up cars. Conditions get just as bad on the Coq or any other pass in BC and nobody uses chains on cars and pickups.

 

[Welder Dave]

A few guys in trucks might put chains on but most trucks are 4 wheel drive now.

 

[Plebeian]

Davis Towing is on Youtube. He said the new trucks on order are 2.5 to 3 years away, so is fixing up some of the older trucks.

Ron Pratt, Missouri for a range of towing jobs.

Wilcox Garage, Ohio and there was another guy from Indiana? who was calm and methodical on his jobs.

 

[Truck Shop]

Like most things there are several do's and don'ts when it comes to towing. Just a few.
#1 Recover it the same way it went in, don't try to make a new path with more resistance
#2 If it has a trailer, never unhook it. Landing gear doesn't do well as wheels.
#3 There's a thing called a shovel, have one and don't be to lazy to use it, dig out behind wheels.
#4 If at all possible when its on its side, off load. If it's a van it will blow the wall out.
#5 Don't show up to a gunfight with a knife, know your equipment's capability.
#6 Get as close as possible to object your after. You loose leverage with a lot of cable out.
#7 For years the standard of the industry was the Holmes 750 rated at 25 tons on full spools,
which were big. The 750 was actually 34 tons on the first wrap. That was just the way Holmes
rated them. Like most things people over do is loading a recovery truck with way too much cable
on the spools. Two 750's operating in tandum with two smart operators can move way more
than people think.

Truthfully from a old operators point of view-If you can't move the average wreck with a non-rotating
50 ton and 30 ton assist ---you need to find another business. If you need the help of a crane then
call one in. But a rotator --that's just Grandiose with a huge towing bill.

 

[Tugger2]

Thats big line pull on those wreckers. My 40 ton American is around 20,000 lbs on the bare drum and the 75 ton Lima is 23,000 lbs . Lifting for us is all dependent on parts of line used. With 25 ton line pull looks like you could snap a 3/4" mainline pretty quick if your not careful. In the bush a lot of recovery work was done with Cats 1 1/8" line and block purchase . A whip and a luff the old timers called it , first block run thru another block then to a good stump , second block hooked to the single line on another block then to a stump. Not sure if i described it right. Sometimes it would be rock bolts for a tailhold and 6 or 8 parts of line pulled by the cat or a yarder.
I wish had taken more pictures back then of some of the calamities we had. This one was an HDX that ran out of water on the trip down loaded and ran a little short on brakes. I was pulled over in the welding truck when he flew by and watched him flip in the rearview mirror into a deep ditch ,The truck is under that mess . the driver crawled out and walked away crew got to work and dug it out. Took us a month or two in the shop to straighten the truck out and get it hauling again . Amazingly little damage for a truck that was upside down on its roof.

 

[Truck Shop]

Thats big line pull on those wreckers.

Was on a recovery in 1988, the boss had just bought 4 new 12" wide x 25' special
recovery straps, I don't remember the rating but it was high. Both of us were pulling
together, Freeway was shut down so we could span cables across. I was righting the
trailer end while he was hooked up upfront. I was watching cable and straps like a
hawk when I spied the rear recovery strap start to rip. I started paying cable out the
boss saw what was going on and did the same. Front tires on mine were about a foot
off the ground. I ran out of time I could see and let go of controls and hit the ground.
when one broke the other gave way. 5/8" cable in flight when the hooks hit the tail
board it put two dish size dents in 1/2" steel, bowed every bit of a inch deep.
The new recovery straps came apart where assembled around D ring.

The boss had very long conversation with the company that made them, I remember
the pull on the straps wasn't even near maximum rating.

Cable in flight is a scary deal.

 

[Welder Dave]

And broken chain parts can fly a long way.
Regarding Truck Shop's rule #1, that's what I question on the show. They're using 2 or even 3 trucks to pull sideways or pulling at weird angles that must decrease the pull of the winches instead of pulling the truck and trailer out backwards. Especially if they have a rotator it seems if they are worried the trailer will flip, put a strap around the trailer and use the other truck to pull it backwards. It is interesting seeing some of the wrecks and wondering how they happened.

 

[Diesel Dave]

Back to Big Timber just for a sec.
The (2) Detroits in “The Seacrest “ (an ex RCAF crash recovery boat) you think they are 6-71’s or 6-110’s. IIRC, they talk about them putting out around 250 hp each. They don’t show the engines up close very often but lots of overhead shots.

 

[Tugger2]

Id bet 671 s I have nt seen a 6 110 around here for many years.

 

[John C.]

A 6-71 will easily pull 250 HP in a boat. It could easily be a V6-53 with a marine power factor rating.

 

[Shimmy1]

I wonder why they pull sideways when it looks like they could pull stuff out the opposite way it went in.

I wondered that to, but I think I have the answer. Knowing personally a few wrecker drivers, in order to pull a truck out backwards you'd have to set up across the crown of the road, basically have to shut down both lanes. If you watch the show enough, almost never is the road completely closed. When they are pulling sideways, they are only blocking one lane.

 

[92U 3406]

Not a lot of alternate routes in rural BC either so shutting down the highway pretty much shuts down all travel on that route. Plus most sections of main highways are just one lane in each direction with a 3rd lane for passing every 30 km or so.

 

[Truck Shop]

Most of it depends on the terrain along side the highway. If a rig lays over on the edge of the road.
It would be righted there and winched forward. But to closing roads to recover a wreck, happens
all the time, so what some one had to wait. Just work to get it done as fast as you can.

 

[Truck Shop]

This one below is owned by Ole Olson's Towing in Minot ND, guess where it came from.----------
Originally/bought new by Fenns Towing in La Grande Ore, then sold to Hagerman in Umatilla ore.
Holmes 1801-50 ton, lived a lot of it's life cleaning up wrecks on the famed Meachum Summit
top of pass over Blue Mountains which includes the famed Cabbage Hill. I would be willing to bet
this recovery unit has seen more action than most ever operated. I deal with the guys at Fenns.
A very good outfit.

 

[crane operator]

This one below is owned by Ole Olson's Towing in Minot ND, guess where it came from.----------
Originally/bought new by Fenns Towing in La Grande Ore, then sold to Hagerman in Umatilla ore.
Holmes 1801-50 ton, lived a lot of it's life cleaning up wrecks on the famed Meachum Summit
top of pass over Blue Mountains which includes the famed Cabbage Hill. I would be willing to bet
this recovery unit has seen more action than most ever operated. I deal with the guys at Fenns.
A very good outfit.

Is that a trebron stiff leg on the back?

 

[Truck Shop]

Is that a trebron stiff leg on the back?

Can't answer that it was added later.

 

[92U 3406]

Highway 16 was closed 100% in both directions for 11 hours straight just west of the BC/AB border the other day. Alternating traffic for another 4 hours after that. Only other routes would've been down to Calgary and through Banff or up through to Dawson Creek. Whatever happened there must've been serious unfortunately. Rural living in BC is awesome in a lot of ways but travelling isn't fun.

 

[Tugger2]

Wait until you get to the lower mainland and want to go over to the island. The snowflakes that run BC ferries cancel runs for any excuse,bit of snow ,an unexpected breeze out in the gulf , someone had a runny hose. The canceled sailings are unprecidented . Guys working for private marine outfits are all fighting for time off as those outfits never miss a sailing no matter what.

 

[Shimmy1]

A 6-71 will easily pull 250 HP in a boat. It could easily be a V6-53 with a marine power factor rating.

Inlines were rated at 238 in a truck.

This one below is owned by Ole Olson's Towing in Minot ND, guess where it came from.----------]

Guy I work with knows Ole well and has worked with him. They are well known.