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Just another day in paradise

OzDozer

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
2,207
Location
Perth, Western Australia.
Occupation
Semi-Retired ..
All Australian bullbars have a heavy section of steel bolted between the frames with a central tow point, that is supposed to be completely adequate for virtually all towing purposes.

However, as the old saying goes, they make bigger and better idiots all the time. In the early 1990's, a local haulage company rolled up to the Northern Goldfields of W.A. to haul a huge excavator away from a finished job.

They brought a large platform trailer behind a nearly new V8 Mack to haul the excavator, which was well over 150 tonnes (330,000lbs).
For some reason unknown to me, they built a ramp to load the machine onto the trailer - and when they did this, the D10 operator dug a depression in the ground to construct the ramp.

As you might expect for guys working hard without thinking - after they loaded up, the Mack couldn't pull the loaded platform trailer out of the depression in the ground, it lost traction.

So, with a whole lot more of "not thinking", these clueless but enthusiastic operators hooked the D10 to the central tow point of the Mack to give it the necessary assist out of the hole!

Someone stood back and videoed the whole operation, as the D10 walked away with the entire front end out of the Mack! - the bullbar, the front chassis cross-member, tow hitch, radiator and grille assembly all just fell on the ground! - and the Mack and trailer stayed right where they were!

The D10 pull simply sheared every rivet and bolt holding every part of the front end on the Mack!

I had numerous similar problems with operators doing damage to my machines with clueless chain attachment, when pulling them out of bogs - to the point I had some decals made up, fitted to the windscreen of every vehicle, reading, "THIS VEHICLE IS NOT TO BE CHAINED TO ANY MACHINE FOR TOWING PURPOSES, UNLESS TWO CHAINS ARE ATTACHED EVENLY TO THE FRONT SPRING PERCHES OF BOTH CHASSIS RAILS!"

I can recall seeing more than one front axle beam from others trucks, where clueless workers had slung a chain around the centre of the beam, and upon heavy pulling, had bowed the axle beam into a neat curved shape!
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,257
Location
Canada
On one episode of the show a D9G had to pull a loaded semi in fairly deep snow in the center median between 2 roads. The Cat operator was pretty careful pulling. At first the truck wasn't moving despite the front end lifting a bit. He stopped and discovered the brakes on the trailer weren't releasing. Had he kept pulling he would have pulled the front off the truck. Another episode (same tow guy) 2 D9G's with winches were being used to extract an excavator out of a mud and water filled hole. Some idiot that worked for the contractor was arguing the D9's would pull better driving rather than winching. The tow guy asked if the guy had ever ran a winch Cat... add about 30% (using the winch). From what I could find I think a D9G winch is 45 tons pull. Add a snatch block and that's some serious pulling power. It would be very frustrating being in the tow business and having people thinking they know better telling you how to do your job.
 
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Zewnten

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2018
Messages
553
Location
Earth
It would be very frustrating being in the tow business and having people thinking they know better telling you how to do your job.
In my defense the guy brought a Dodge 5500 to pull out a flipped over Excursion down a 30ft embankment full of small trees and I watched his truck sliding backwards as he tried winching it up so we were charged for his second tow truck to help, before I called him an idiot and asked for a real tow company.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,548
Location
WWW.
In my defense the guy brought a Dodge 5500 to pull out a flipped over Excursion down a 30ft embankment full of small trees and I watched his truck sliding backwards as he tried winching it up so we were charged for his second tow truck to help, before I called him an idiot and asked for a real tow company.
It's like any business---if the one operating is clueless. Rule number 1 never bring a knife
to a gun fight, Rule number 2 remember 50% of male subjects know everything and have
the ego to go with it, first look it over and bring in the second truck before attempting with
the 1st truck.
 

Zewnten

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2018
Messages
553
Location
Earth
It's like any business---if the one operating is clueless. Rule number 1 never bring a knife
to a gun fight, Rule number 2 remember 50% of male subjects know everything and have
the ego to go with it, first look it over and bring in the second truck before attempting with
the 1st truck.
Or call in real tow company with a bigger truck.
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,257
Location
Canada
Everybody wants to try and save money, including when getting towed. You don't just call for a 75 ton rotator at $600/hr. There are many situations where the tow company needs to come out and access what's needed. Sometimes a single truck may work and sometimes there are complications where a 2nd or larger truck is needed. The tow company can't see everything over the phone. There are times when maybe the best truck to use is busy on another job.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,548
Location
WWW.
Or call in real tow company with a bigger truck.
That's when I got back in and drove off knowing I was the only one in a large radius that had
the equipment. Leaving the owner standing there with his thumb in his a$$.
And what really made it fun is when they started that crap along side the highway with WSP
involved for traffic control. I would remind them who wrecked the vehicle and who's insurance
it is for getting them out and if they kept up their crap-it's good by, and about that time is when
the WSP Smokey says to them {This is my Highway and I want My highway clear-So Shut Your
Pie Hole and Do what Mike Says-or you can get acquainted with the back seat in My Patrol Car-
-----Got It}. Funny how all of a sudden nice as pie, should have been that way to begin with.
 
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