Article of American Towman Magazine

May 2004 magazine

SIMPLY CARRIERS
By Terry Humelsine
"The carrier is one of the most versatile and yet the most under utilized, piece of equipment we have in our fleets today."

Some years ago an article was written and published based on the question whether to buy a light duty tow truck or a light duty carrier. The article suggested the carrier was the wisest and cheapest truck to purchase and operate. Why, because it said the new cars being manufactured were becoming too complicated and difficult to tow without having a trained and experienced driver to operate a conventional tow truck. There was just too much to learn and memorize about towing every car. It then suggested an operator did not need to have professional or in-depth training to adequately operate a carrier. It stated a carrier operator only needed to be shown the proper hook-ups and read the owner's manual that comes with the carrier. It further suggested a driver with less training could be paid less. I now read, as I have read numerous times in the past, that car carriers or rollbacks, should absolutely not be used for any kind of recovery since they can be easily damaged when performing winching operations.

Can you imagine those individuals and organizations we work with every day, such as law enforcement officials and fire & rescue personnel, reading articles, such as mentioned above, in our trade magazines. These organizations require training and re-training and are committed to an ongoing training and educational program. They do not rely on the short cuts or antiquated methods of performing their services. If we in the towing and recovery industry want the kind of respect the fire and rescue personnel receive from the public, then we are going to have to EARN IT. We are going to have to TRAIN FOR IT. We have to do as much as we can, not as little as we can get away with. We simply have to Raise The Bar.

Most career owners and opeators know that the carrier or rollback is the most misused, abused and misunderstood piece of towing and recovery equipment we have in our fleets today. They also know that it is one of the most versatile and yet the most under utilized, piece of equipment we have. In short, it's a fabulous piece of equipment especially with the addition of a knuckle-boom crane. The operator of any size carrier needs to have as much, if not more, in-depth training as any other operator of towing & recovery equipment. In the hands of a trained and skilled carrier operator, transporting, towing and recovery services can be provided without damage to the carrier, or the casualty and without injury to its operator or the customer.

When transporting a vehicle, the winch is for the loading and unloading of that vehicle. After the vehicle has been loaded, federal law now requires the vehicle be secured by a four point tie-down method. The winch can not be counted as one of the primary four tie-down devices. The winch is not for securing and it is NOT for tightening the rear tie-down devices, whether they are chains or straps. It has been suggested in previously published articles, that an operator should use the winch to tighten the rear chains securing the vehicle until the winch line becomes taunt or snug. How tight is taunt or snug? What is just right? They mean different things to different operators. Here is where some of the problems lie. One is over tightening of the winch line by guessing how much is just enough. A second is the incorrect use of the winch control lever. It is called slamming. Rather than feathering, or gradually applying pressure, to the winch control lever, many operators slam the control lever in one direction or another instantly. Many operators vastly increase their throttle setting. There is no real control. Far too many times, damage is being done using this method to tighten the rear securing devices. Think of it this way. The carrier's deck is just like the frame rack in a body shop. The securing procedure, if conducted incorrectly, may very well cause serious damage to the vehicle's frame and uni-body as well as other components such as wheel and body alignment.

The trained and skilled operator knows he or she needs to have on their carrier, a selection of chain and fiber securing devices. They also know the recommended procedure for loading and securing a vehicle onto the deck of a carrier or rollback is as follows: After attaching the loading bridle to the vehicle, be sure that the positive termination between the winch line and the loading bridle is positioned no further forward than the bumper of the vehicle. This will insure there is sufficient room to load the vehicle as far forward as feasible, as the weight of the vehicle will add weight to the steering axle on the carrier. If the vehicle being loaded is too far back from the front of the carrier's deck, it will center the majority of its weight over or behind the rear axle of the carrier and may very well be a contributing factor leading to several additional problems. This will become critically important when towing a second vehicle on the wheel-lift. One of the problems is the possibility of an overload on the carrier's rear axle, especially when an additional vehicle is loaded onto the wheel-lift of the carrier. A second problem will certainly be the lack of steering axle weight on the carrier if the vehicle on the carrier's deck is too far to the rear. An additional problem may be the angle of securement on the rear securing attachment points and securing devices if the vehicle on the carrier's deck is too close to the rear of the deck.

After loading the vehicle as far forward as feasible, the absolute first thing an operator needs to do is to install both front tie-down devices. If an operator chooses to use chain in securing the vehicle, install the chain on the front. After both securing chains have been installed on the front of the vehicle, back off or reverse the winch line to allow the vehicle to roll backwards down the deck several inches until both front-securing chains have taken all of the load and are tight. You may leave the winch line and bridle attached to the secured vehicle. The winch line will not be loaded by the weight of the vehicle as the load is now on both front tie-down securing chains. Now the vehicle is secure only to the front of the carrier, to the point that it cannot back off the carrier's deck and cause death or injury. The vehicle is now ready to be secured at the rear. Straps with ratchets are preferred for all four securing devices; however if you have only two securing straps, use them on the rear. They can be tightened sufficiently by hand to stabilize any vehicle. The preferred and most secure method is to cross or X both rear tie-down and securing straps or chains for greatest stability. If the carrier is equipped only with chain, then after installing both rear chains, tighten each by using ratchet binders only. Do not use snap or bear trap binders. Do not use pipe or any other devise to impose a greater load on the ratchet binder or chain. Over loading may cause damage to the vehicle. Remember the vehicle on the carrier's deck must be secured at four points or corners. The light pylon on most carriers is insufficient to prevent the vehicle on the carrier's deck, should it come loose, from coming forward into the back of the cab. To calculate the force of a vehicle coming through the back of the cab, use the formula Speed X Weight Equals Force. An example of just how much force can be generated by a unsecured vehicle on the deck of your carrier, consider a 4,000 pound vehicle being transported at 55 mph (4,000 pounds X 55 mph = 220,000 pounds of initial force on impact).

As for using a carrier for recovery, many professionally trained and skilled towing and recovery operators are using carriers for recovery every day with great success. It's like anything else, you need to learn how. First, you need to learn and understand the ratings and capacities of both the cab and chassis and the carrier itself. Then an operator needs to be trained as to how the carrier can be used for recovery. For winching, the carrier's deck can and should be stabilized. The degree of stabilization depends upon the amount of resistance to be moved and angle or direction of the pull. It is a very simple procedure and has been proven to be very effective. As recently as several years ago, one well known law enforcement agency had strongly considered not permitting those towing companies on their rotation list, to respond to an accident scene with a carrier. The reason was simply because many operators simply did not know how to perform minor recoveries such as upright a car involved in an accident. After demonstrating carrier's recovery capabilities, the law enforcement agency welcomes professionally trained carrier operators.

At one time or another, we've all heard statements such as, never use a J-hook for recovery, always raise or elevate the boom to transfer weight to the front axle when towing with a sling, never side pull on a boom when winching and never use a carrier for recovery. These and other similar statements are not true for the trained and skilled operator who knows and understands how to calculate resistance and load forces.

I suggest considering two examples of J-hook use. A 4,000-pound vehicle needs to be towed. The decision has been made to use the tow sling. Along with the tow sling, the operator will be using two tow chains, each with long shank J-hooks. One end of the vehicle needs to be picked up. Either end of the vehicle will weigh a little more or a little less than half of the 4,000 pounds. With one end of the vehicle weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, each of the two J-hooks attached to the vehicle will be required to support 1,000 pounds. Now that same 4,000 pound vehicle is now rolled-over onto its roof.

The vehicle needs to be up-righted. On a flat level surface the resistance will be approximately one-half the weight of the vehicle or less. With the resistance being approximately 2,000 pounds or less and if two chains, each with a J-hook on one end and each with its J-hook attached to the vehicle for up-righting, each J-hook will be required to withstand a load of 1,000 pounds. The load may very well be the same as it is when towing the same vehicle with a sling. But when we've always been told NEVER use a J-hook for recovery. We are not suggesting the use of J-hook for recovery. We are not suggesting the use of J-hook chains for any recovery, for uprighting or for horizontal winching. However, if ou choose to use J-hook chains for any recovery, for uprighting or for horizontal winching. However, if you choose to use J-hook chains, you absolutely need to know the ratings for the chain and J-hooks as well as the maximum amount of resistance you need to move. The same applies for using a carrier for recovery.

All of this simply means several things. A professionally trained and skilled operator can be a real asset to the company in many ways. The company with trained and skilled operators will simply not have the problems other companies have with untrained and unskilled opearators. TRAINING is NOT EXPENSIVE but DAMAGES ARE! Remember that we are always responsible for our actions and decisions, including secondary damage. Even with the cost of doing business and the unnecessary damages incurred everyday we still have a choice. And no Dad, raising the wrecker boom will not transfer weight to the front axle when towing with a sling and yes you can side pull with a boom if it is properly anchored and stablized.

Terry Humelsine is VP of Research and Development and a Lead Instructor for WreckMaster. Terry has over 40 years of hands-on Towing and Recovery experience and is the first Wreck-Master graduate. He has attained numerous driving awards in 1985, 86, 87, and was the 1988 T.R.A.A. National Driving Champion. Co-writer of WreckMaster training manuals/videos and source materials, Terry heads up Team WreckMaster during technical and precision demonstrations.

Loading the disabled vehicle with the aid of a WreckMaster Skate and securing it with the proper tie-downs.

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