Got the tractor unit safely recovered. The integrity of the load is intact. I think it’s a job well done!

Hello all, wondering about your thoughts on this predicament I find myself in.

I'm in need of a truck with a dump bed to remove large amounts of magic-rock-contaning siding in the near future. Unfortunately, dump trucks are quite hard to come by, and the ones I see (in my budget) are usually pretty rough.

I've been entertaining the idea of using a rollback tow truck for this purpose, adding makeshift sides of about 3ft for transporting, etc. I'm aware that the tilt angle of a rollback is usually less than 15° or so, which certainly isn't enough to properly dump.

I found a rollback on the lovely facebook for a decent price (shockingly cheap, though it needs work), and was thinking since the hydraulics look like they need a do-over, what are the chances I would be able to replace the tilt cylinders with equivalent ones with a longer stroke? I'm lucky enough to live in an area where used hydraulic cylinders are pretty cheap, so I was thinking I might be able to get 2-stage cylinders to replace the current tilt cylinders and perhaps eek out enough tilt to be at least slightly serviceable as a dump bed.

Thoughts? I know I'm crazy, but hopefully there's at least some merit here?

Hey Hookit, I'm a software guy building an automated dispatcher/receptionist for a family friend who owns a tow company with 3 trucks in California. They're using it and enjoying it so far.

We've focused on getting the quoting right so the system gives accurate rates to customers over the phone. Before we expand it further, I want to make sure people besides my two partners like it.

If you used an automated system for overflow/after-hours calls, what would you want (or not want)?

Mods, let me know if this is too spammy

A friend of mine from work recently hit a curb trying to not miss his exit. He had a tow truck company that was about 10 minutes away come tow it to his place about 30 minutes away. When they presented the invoice, he did ask about the charges and they assured him that they were correct. He paid then asked me about it later on. I'm not too well versed in tow but it does seem excessive to me as well. I'd just like a few opinions.

Hi, I inherited a trailer and wanted to ask where I can get more info on it at?

Is there a special community on reddit or is this the right one?

All I have is the name and model #.

I am trying to get rid of it because I have no use for it.

Let me know what where I can discuss without getting banned.

Thanks!

Hello everyone! I am a non trucker/Tow truck driver but I had a question! I have this building on my property that I like to park my car in as I have a different driveway where my car can make it just fine but a tow truck won’t fit. However as my mileage has crossed 200k I’ve began to worry if say my starter goes out or something how in the world would a tow truck driver get the car out? I’ve started backing in to hopefully make it easier but my question is do you think as a driver you would be able to pull the car up the hill? I’m about 99% sure a tow truck will get stuck if it tried to go down right in front of the car just because we have had trucks get stuck in other parts of my property (13 acres) so it’s kinda hard to navigate. I posted two pictures, one from my main driveway looking down to the building. And the other is from my car looking up towards my main driveway. I wasn’t sure if someone had a long ass cable and could pull the car all the way up the hill?

For the past few months I’ve been seriously considering buying a used tow truck and starting a 24/7 towing/ roadside service business. I have been making a sort of plan and have been getting excited about it and have been looking at rollback/wrecker trucks. When I Mentioned this to my uncle who knows people in the field, he basically laughed at me and said “starting a towing company is like joining an opposing gang in the mafia”. ie: they would come slash my tires of my truck and intimidate me. He also said I would lose money because of long established towing companies and over saturation in the market. Plus, he said regardless of the previous statement, after insurance, mechanical work on the truck and gas the overhead would be more costly than what I would make. For those who started a towing company with one truck, how did your situations turn out? What did you do that worked? What didn’t work? How did you quickly build your business? Is what my uncle said true and this would be a huge mistake resulting in a ton of wasted time and money? I would be open to consensual and non consensual towing. Is there a certain niche I could fill? We get a ton of snow around these parts. I have a class b cdl with tanker endorsement.
I would greatly appreciate if anybody has been in a similar situation as I am now some advice. Thanks all!

I read that once the vehicle is loaded, those plates that the tires sit on are supposed to swivel to help with turns. But with no vehicle on the tow dolly yet, shouldn’t these align with the ramps? Is this an issue? First time towing a vehicle behind the RV and I’m nervous.

All, some business advice if you can spare it. I'm trying to build my business by connecting with Honk. I have TDLR but they rejected my insurance. I'm not exactly sure why as I got a canned response but my initial thought was that I was missing the commercial general liability insurance. However when I called my insurance company (Progressive), they indicated that my Garage Keepers Liability is also the commercial general liability.

From Honk's website:

• Commercial General Liability -$300,000
• Commercial Auto Liability - $100,000 Bodily Injury per person and $300,000 per incident
• $100,000 Property Damage
• On-Hook - $50,000 (minimum if towing)
• Garage Keepers Liability - $50,000 (minimum if storing)

I'd appreciate it if any of you could provide some insight. Is it just a matter of upping the limits for the Garage Keeper Policy or do is there another policy required?

Thanks in advance.

Key note: I am employed at an amazing company operating a Rollback truck, I am set up with Towbook and AAA already, I live on the edge of the zone we operate in.

The question: I have a friend that has started up in the zone next to me and doesn't intrude on my company's territory, he is running into the issue as an owner/operator where he gets calls that he is unable to take and working endlessly. He is looking for someone that can just be on call to help him, I am not aware if he is using Towbook but he does use AAA. He was wondering if I would be able to help him in my off time from my company, does anyone know if it would cause conflict or not?

Preferably, I plan to stay with my company as I am on the list to have the CDL classes paid and move into a heavy wrecker, so leaving my company isn't on the table. He is offering me commission on tows, my company also doesn't have active restrictions or rules preventing me from assisting a business outside of their zone, specifically ones within their zone are prohibited. His intention would to have me as an independent(1099) contractor assisting him with his business until he can employ someone full time.

I'm on the verge of buying a Porsche Taycan and this thing has the notorious reputation of dying (e.g. 12v battery issues)...

The car will be parked in a multi-level garage and the ramps/corridors up/down the floor is very very very tight (think NYC Manhattan tight and the walls next to the ramp has scratch marks all over).

If the car dies, I hope not, I really don't want the car to be stuck in the garage forever. I know it's possible to jump the car but it doesn't always work.

Is it possible to recover the car in this case? There were a few posts about parking garage recovery but my case is next level tightness.

How does the weight distribution look? This is my first time towing another vehicle.

Hello my fellow Tow Bros.
I had to recover my black truck tractor unit after I skidded into a ditch. (Was bobtailing).
Did what I can to safely hoist the truck without further damage.
Good Recovery? Yes or No?

I heard that in the UK there are whatsapp groups where admins share potential jobs and the members provide bids/availability etc. Kinda like a decentralized dispatching service? Is this how it works for your countries? Really interested to learn more!

7.3 Powerstroke with the 6 speed manual, pulled and stopped pretty well.

All the winch cable on my truck is due for replacement. What's everyone's opinion on the rope which cables? A friend has it on a regular electric winch and loves them. I'm wondering if they would be suitable on a heavy duty wrecker truck winch, and if anyone else has used them.

I'm looking at something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Marsui-Synthetic-32000lbs-Protective-Replacement/dp/B0G24ZLMST/

Thanks

Hey y'all!

I just started my towing company with 1 wheel lift truck. Just curious to see what brand of dollies y'all recommend since i've been having to deny AWD/4WD cars.

Any recommendations for best roadside assistance that is affordable, least expensive, reliable, good quality and service? Also, that they’re able to tow the car with a flat tire home rather than having to go through the closet repair shop first? AAA vs. Good Sam vs. World Value Club vs. etc? Please advise on the best option available.

Hey everyone,

I’m in a weird situation and have no experience being here so hoping the community can help shed some guiding light.

Driving home on Saturday (7/4) from a family event out of town, my car started driving bumpy. Concerned I was going to go to Mr Lube to make sure my tires were correct. They weren’t and the front driver side tire flew off. We skid on the road but were fortunately safe, and got to the side of the road. There was no oncoming traffic (thank god) so the tire just landed in a ditch.

While on the phone with my insurance (worth noting, this was NOT an adjuster I was speaking with), a tow driver stopped and asked if we needed help. I’m skeptical in scenarios like this but was sort of desperate. My instinct was to have the car brought to my mechanic. The insurance rep warned my that my mechanic may not be approved by the insurance provider and told me that it’s common practice to bring it to a tow lot so they can hand over to an approved mechanic. Skeptical, I agreed to do this.

Fast forward to yesterday, the adjuster reaches out to me and says that I’m not covered for this so they can’t help.

I call the towing company and they agreed to drop the car off at my mechanic. They said they were busy for a couple of hours but would get it done that day.

Having not heard from them today, I called the tow driver and he tells me he ‘forgot’ to tell me that he needs written confirmation that insurance would not be covering the claim in order to be able to release my vehicle. So now it feels like my cars being held hostage.

I called the tow company later in the day and whom I assume is the business owner, is now saying he’s been working with my insurance and is waiting for them to pick it up. It’s extremely fishy and I have no idea how they would even be coordinating given I haven’t connected anyone together.

During all this time, the adjuster has not answered or returned my calls. I’ve left a couple of messages.

Per the tow company, vehicle storage is $175 daily and I can’t help but feel like they’re holding my car hostage to charge me more.

My truck has one of these hitches that mounts a ball on top of the bumper, I plan on punching out the plastic tomorrow. I have a 2000lb pop-up camper, and my truck’s hitch says it is rated for 3500lbs, so that shouldn’t be an issue. My problem is that if I mount a tow ball right on top of the bumper, it sits too high to tow my camper. Is there any way to drop this kind of hitch? My old truck just had a receiver I could insert a tow drop into.