Article of American Towman magazine

Getting Back To Basics - A New Year's Resolution
Part 1 of 3
By Dave Lambert

For all of us, the New Year offers the opportunity to turn over a new leaf. That time of year when we make promises to ourselves and to our loved ones, in the form of New Year's resolutions, to make the next year better than the last by some measure.

There is one resolution I would hope everyone in our industry makes and that's to come home safe every night. There are so many who don't.

So often we write about new products, new ways to do things, and complicated recoveries, forgetting about all the new faces in the industry and their need to understand the basics of light-duty towing and recovery safety.

I would like to start the New Year off by getting back to basics, the first of a three part series. Part 2 will cover safety procedures using dollies, and the third, car carrier safety.

Until tow operators, both old and new, attend a formal training session, they must rely on the information that was passed along by one or more of the drivers who has trained them, talking to other drivers, or reading articles such as this. They also rely heavily on experience.

I've attended classes and seminars presented by many of our industry's best trainers and always learn something new. Likewise, I seem to learn something new in every class I teach. No one in this industry knows it all or has done it all.

The vehicle in the photos offers a number of restrictions to towing but we do have options. We don't have a car carrier, but we do have a wheel lift and dollies to use. The front airdam (below the fascia) is too low for the wheel lift to reach the tires. Because it's a high mileage, automatic transmission vehicle, we need to raise the drive wheels with the wheel lift a minimum towing height of 10", but when we do, the nose of the car is less than 4" from the ground. Time to break out the dollies.

Most of the following wheel lift safety procedures are taught by other trainers so I won't attempt to take credit (or blame) for developing them. I do teach these procedures and offer them in hopes that they can help you go home safely after every shift.

Wheel Lift Safety

1. For suspected or known light service calls on the side of a highway or interstate, park approximately 20 feet behind the disabled vehicle, with the front of the truck pointed at a slight angle towards the traffic lane. This creates a zone of relative safe space in which to perform the light service.
2. For known or suspected tows, park ahead of the vehicle, engage the PTO, parking brake, and throttle control before leaving the truck.
3. Get the customer away from the traffic lane.
4. Never tow an all-wheel drive with any wheels on the ground.

5. Perform a walk-around of the vehicle and note any previous damage. Also notice the rear ground clearance.
6. Ensure the vehicle is in "park" or in gear and the parking brake engaged before working around or under the vehicle.
7. Always secure the steering wheel, whether towing from the front or the rear. Some vehicles have all-wheel steering. In order to track properly behind the truck, the steering wheel on these vehicles must be secured. Also, it will prevent the front wheels on any vehicle from turning while in the wheel lift.
8. Ensure the wheel lift crossbar will not contact the valance panel or the undercarriage of the vehicle before lifting it to towing height.
9. Two safety chains are required on every tow.
10. Safety chains should be routed under the wheel lift crossbar and up to the vehicle. By routed them under the crossbar, should you panic or rear end the vehicle in front of you, the chains can prevent the stop towed vehicle's forward movement into the back of the tow truck. See photo number one.
11. If the safety chains are long enough, they should be crossed before attaching them to the vehicle. This will restrict the vehicle's movement to either side of the truck should the wheel lift fail.
12. A jack stand should always be placed under the wheel lift boom anytime you go under the vehicle to attach safety chains or work near the disabled vehicles' tires. See first photo.
13. The bottom of the lifted wheels should be a minimum of 10" off the ground and the trailing end ground clearance should be a minimum of 4". Consider using dollies or a car carrier if the rear clearance is less than 4". See PHOTO #2
14. Whether lifting a vehicle from the front or the rear, place the transmission in neutral prior to lifting to protect the parking pawl and/or the transmission.
15. Always check the transmission speed and distance limitation and DO NOT exceed them. Many vehicles cannot be towed with the drive wheels on the ground without causing damage. Transmission limitations can be found in the owner's manual and in the AAA/CAA Towing & Service Manual.
16. Ensure the vehicle is not towed with the parking brake engage when those wheels are on the ground.
17. Consider towing vehicles with high mileage on dollies or on a car carrier, regardless of transmission speed and distance limitation.
18. Auxiliary lights, also called tow lights or tag lights, should be used on every tow, day or night. In many cases, the towed vehicle blocks the truck's brake and signals from being seen by other vehicles from the rear. See PHOTO #3
19. When using magnetic auxiliary lights, you must take steps to protect the vehicle's paint. A sheet of paper or a shop rag works very well. See third photo.
20. Wheel straps must be used on every tow. They are the only means to secure the vehicle in the wheel lift. See PHOTO #1
21. Ensure the towed vehicle will not contact the rear of the tow truck during a turn and safety chains will not become tight.
22. The aluminum oil pan on late 1980's and early 1990's GM Quad-4 vehicles can easily be damaged by the wheel lift crossbar or swivel pin. So can new Volkswagens.
23. Special precautions must be taken when loading a vehicle from the rear.
a. Ensure doors, sunroof, and vent windows are closed
b. Consider loading vehicles with camper shells and rear window louvers from the front or remove them. See PHOTO # 4
24. In may be necessary to lift a flat tire in order to close the wheel lift retainer enough to prevent the tire from fall through the opening. See 5th photo.

The last safety procedure requires the most emphasis. Approximately 35 % of all insurance claims in our industry involve our trucks rear-ending other vehicles. Even through we're the "professional" drivers, we do not allow enough space between our truck and the vehicle ahead.

The front brakes do roughly 65 % to 70 % of the braking when the truck is unloaded. Placing a load on the wheel lift transfers weight from the front to the back of the truck, reducing its braking ability (and steering ability).

Accept the responsibility of being a professional driver. Increase your following distance and if someone pulls into that space, back off and manage the space all around your truck.

If you have other safety procedures to use with a wheel lift, email me and I'll include them in a future article and give you and your company credit for sending them. In the mean time, have a safe 2002.

David Lambert has been involved in the towing industry since 1982, as a tow operator, instructor, and seminar presenter. He wrote the AAA/CAA Towing and Service Manual for 9 years, past chairman of the SAE Towability Committee, and assisted in revising the University of Georgia's IITR Light-Duty Towing certification course. He now teaches a 2-day, hands-on course in light-duty towing and recovery.

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