Article of American Towman magazine

Towing & Recovery Elder Statesman
The Genius of Frank Child
By Jim “Buck” Sorrenti

Deck: The Encarta Dictionary defines Elder Statesman this way - eld·er states·man - noun
A person, advanced in years and experience, who is respected for his or her wisdom and whose advice is still valued and unofficially sought.

Throughout history the elders of a culture have held a place of honor and respect amongst their people. They have been the council who has passed on their wisdom and knowledge to the next generations. The culture of towing and recovery has its share of elders who are happy to share their stories, years of experience and knowledge with fellow towing and recovery professionals. Over the past ten years, as editor of AT, I have had the great fortune to meet many of these elders and had the opportunity to sit and speak with and most importantly listen to them. I have learned much from them and they are a great source of knowledge and an inspiration to me. But none more so than Frank Childs.

The above definition of elder statesman fits Frank Child to a tee. As an inventor, innovator, craftsman, engineer, welder, tower, businessman, outdoorsman, he has a lot to share.

From Minnesota to Cody

Frank Childs, now 70, has been towing since he was 13 in Minnesota, where he started out with a horse and rope and graduated to “42’ Olds with a wooden push bumper and a Manley hand crank boom in the trunk.”

After moving to Cody, Wyoming Frank recognized a need for a company to handle the towing and recovery work in the state’s rugged country and got serious about towing in 1984. Since that time he has built the state’s most prominent wrecker business: F.W. Child Towing & Recovery, LLC.

“At one time,” said Frank, as we drove around the area, “Cody was a forest and settlers burnt it off to grow grass for cattle. This is cattle and horse country. It is also the rodeo capital of the world. I have done many recoveries of horse and cattle haulers both loaded and empty.”

Upon arriving at the Child Towing compound I was amazed by the organized chaos and the array of different specialty equipment on display. His three and a half acre lot is laid out in a series of buildings. Signs of his genius are everywhere you look. His unique home made mountain recovery trucks and equipment; salvage scrap trucks, tools, huge spools of wire rope of different sizes and materials of all kinds were everywhere. It is like an Erector Set on steroids. Frank loves to tinker and always has one or two projects in the works.

Frank recently had a hip replacement operation, but you’d never know it. The man is always on the go but he has help with the daily routine. He introduced me to his friend Pat Brown, a retired truck driver that works for him. Frank said, “I’ve been teaching him the ropes and he’s a quick learner.” Pat is on call and handles most of the lockouts as well as helping rig on the recoveries or anything else that needs to be done.

Before entering his office Frank warned, “Watch out for the guard dog.” Not knowing what to expect I was soon face to snout with Hootie, a sweet Springer and Brittany Spaniel mix that he rescued from the shelter. I looked around; tools, safety gear, gadgets, and many, many doodlings of notes and ideas of his ever-working mind were everywhere.

Heart Valves To Lockout Tools

The walls of Frank’s office are decorated with photos of recoveries he has done and his numerous awards and certifications are proudly displayed along with the busts of a prong horn sheep and a Wyoming Jackalope.

Before he got into the towing business, Frank was a chief bio-medical engineer and invented a heart valve for which he was considered for nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. As a towing professional he was a Towman Ace recipient in 1994, a Towman Commendation recipient in 1995, received a National Tow Safety Award in 1998, and won The National Locksmith Reader’s Choice Award in 2000. He has also won the Motorcycle Touring Services, Inc. Courtesy Award and AAA Outstanding Service Award among others.

In his never ending thirst for knowledge and to hone his skills, Frank believes strongly in hands-on training. He is a certified WreckMaster, has taken Ex-Team training and also National Fire Academy training.

Frank is a Member of the American Society of Tool and Manufacturing Engineers and the Society Of American Inventors.

Inventor & Innovator

In 1899 Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents, declared, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” I guess the inventiveness of 19th century inventors left him pretty much blown away and incapable of conceiving anything new. Hmmm. I guess he wasn’t aware that Frank Child was looming on the horizon born with an inquisitive mind and a head for invention and innovation.

Since the late 1960’s Frank has collected patents on everything from the artificial heart valve to a bear repellent. His first patent was a valve for a car wash pump. He holds patents on almost 360 other inventions, most in the medical field.

Frank was trained as a manufacturing engineer. While a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, he was assigned to C. Walton Lilliehei, Ph.D. With Lilliehei’s input, Child developed the heart valve, suturing collars, improved packaging and more. In 1975 Frank, along with C. Walton Lilliehei, Ph.D., and Robert Casper were on the list of those being considered for nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for the heart valve, which is still the most widely used in the world. Frank said, “We didn’t get the nomination but were proud to be considered.”

“Most of it was support equipment and new methods,” he said. He also developed a tool that would measure the depth of a hole in someone’s chest where the heart valve would be placed.

Frank is also the inventor of the Big Easy & Air Wedge. He developed the Big Easy, because he didn’t like to “stand outside on a cold, dark, windy night in Cody,” trying to unlock a person’s car door with conventional, time-consuming methods. He said, “There are wires and obstructions to navigate when going through the door cavity. Instead of going into the door cavity, it goes through the top of the door.”

“I was having problems with minivans,” he said. “I tried different things until I came up with this method. And it works on everything else, too. It takes me 10-15 seconds to get a door unlocked with this method,” he said. “It’s for locksmiths, law enforcement, car dealers and car rental businesses for lockout situations. Volunteer fire departments also have found the tool useful because when firefighters race to the firehouse, they often lock their keys in their cars. ”

The Big Easy kit comes with a wedge that can lift up to 400 pounds, a small air bag with a hand pump that Frank designed after a blood pressure cuff and the main tool itself, a long rod with a hook on the end that can be used to flick switches or pull up locks.

A newer design features a light on the end for unlocking doors at night. He also hopes to develop a system that works on semi-trucks. “There’s not much on the market for them,” he said.

Child has an agreement with Steck Tools, a manufacturer and distributor in Dayton, Ohio. It paid for the patent, but it’s in his name. Child’s patent was filed Dec. 6, 1999, but was not approved until July 2003.

“At a minimum, a patent will cost $7,000,” he said. “An inventor will think his invention is the greatest thing but may not have an application for it in the real world. If you put money into patents, it’s a bottomless pit. When a manufacturer pays for the patents, in the process of developing and manufacturing the product, they may make subtle improvements. Or they will find other uses for the product.”

“The longer they take in doing it, probably the better the patent you wind up with.” he said. “AAA uses the Big Easy and promotes it to their vendors because it requires minimal training to use. Even the FBI and Secret Service are using the Big Easy.”

According to Childs there are two types of inventors - those who have a varied “background and all their inventions are totally unrelated” and those who have one invention they continually improve and find new uses for.

“Many inventors learn of a need,” said Child, adding that he has designed and built many of his tow trucks based on needs in this area such as pulling cars out of canyons. “Most of it is safety and special equipment.”

Another invention he currently is working on is a brake monitoring system for brakes on large trucks and motor homes. He informed, “The high steep mountain roads are treacherous on brakes. Brakes overheating are the number one cause of accidents in these parts. My design will tell someone if the brakes are getting hot or have been used long enough to be checked.” He said.

Frank says Cody’s climate and laziness has been the creative force behind many of the inventions for which he holds patents.

Thinking Outside The Box - Innovations

When discussing motorcycle towing Frank explained that he uses a car hood and mattress for hauling disabled bikes on to a carrier or trailer. “Lay the bike on the mattress and winch it on deck, then secure it. Nice comfortable ride no scratches or further damage.”

“I carry an old car hood on recoveries in the mountains to lay the chains or wire rope on so they don’t snag on rocks when doing canyon and outback recoveries. It has many uses; useful for dragging tools, equipment and even parts of a casualty along rough terrain.”

He Believes Strongly In Multi-Purpose Equipment

• Instead of safety cones, which are single purpose he uses empty cat litter container jugs as cones. He explained, “Take the container, spray it yellow or orange and wrap it in reflective tape so it is visible and fill with a quick-dry material for spills.”

• He showed me his “Street Scraper” designed for cleaning up debris after a wreck. He said it’s like a big scraper attached to a broom handle for pushing broken glass or other debris off of the road into a pile to scoop up.

• “I use a Fix-A-Flat valve to release air smoothly from tires instead of flattening them, so they can be refilled later.”

• Frank carries crash wrap with him and finds different uses for it. He said, “It’s a self-adhesive weather barrier film that seals out rain, dirt, and snow. Prevents interior damage to vehicles, easy for one person to use and no tape or strings are needed. The wrap comes off clean so it doesn’t leave marks. Can use it to wrap broken windows so they don’t shatter when transported or wrap together anything loose.”

Working With Others

Frank has become somewhat of a local legend in the Cody area as well. He works closely with the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Cody Search & Rescue.

He took me to meet Captain Ed Peterson of the Wyoming Highway Patrol one morning and we talked about tower/police relations. Captain Ed has taught extrication and crash investigation and pointed out that, “Each responder has a different set of objectives at the scene. From a police stand point we are looking to preserve evidence and don’t want physical evidence moved before time. Mutual respect and communication is overall good here with towers like Frank. We give them the situation and let them decide what equipment to bring to the scene.”

An avid motorcycle rider, Ed wants an option for bikes in the tow regs, that including properly equipped trailers. Ed rides a Buell.

Frank also works with Cody Search & Rescue who periodically call him to recover vehicles in the canyons and remote park areas. He introduced me to long time friends Bill Holder, the pilot of the Aviat Aircraft Husky Search and Rescue plane and Park County Search and Rescue coordinator Kirk Waggoner. Kirk said, “We do anywhere from 50 to 90 rescues a year.”

The State Of The Industry

I sat and listened to Frank talk on his years in the industry and the state of it now. He said, “Rising fuel costs and insurance premiums have put the crunch on everyone no matter where in this country you live and work. Rates need to be restructured to keep up with the changing times. We charge a 20% fuel surcharge.”

He continued, “This is a business not a hobby and it should be run like a business. Set your rates based on what the job requires in time, equipment and labor. What I charge here may not work in other parts of the country, but the basic principals are the same everywhere. Know what your time is worth and charge accordingly. At the end of the day if you’re not making a profit you won’t be in business long.”

Frank said, “Times are tough so I decided to down-size my operation. I pulled three of my wreckers off of insurance. Until things get better, I just parked them on my lot and save $10,000 a year in insurance premiums, not to mention the fuel and upkeep.”

Diversification

“One of the keys to surviving in today’s market is to be diversified,” Frank insisted, “In this day and age you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket or you won’t survive.” He rents and repairs forklifts, backhoes, air compressors, pumps, generators, 40ft containers, and other tools and equipment. He also handles transport work and said he has transported pretty much everything, including helicopters and cabins.

Frank stated, “No one should depend on one aspect of their business alone. While I’m sitting around waiting for the next big recovery I have money coming in from my rentals.”

“To sum up,” he said, “to survive now you need to down-size till things get better. Also diversification, communication and working with other businesses is necessary.”

Promo

Frank is also a wiz at advertising and promotion of his businesses. He spends time doodling cartoons and catch phrases in between times while waiting for the next big recovery. He lends an offbeat sense of humor to his promo pieces and slogans.

• Wayward objects professionally and courteously retrieved.

• One flyer says, “Bring ‘em back alive.” And has a photo of Frank at the controls of his wrecker and a boy on the hook at the end of the wire rope being winched in from the extended boom.

Total Recovery Recall

As we drove around Cody and along the mountain roads Frank would point out the locations of recoveries he had done last week or years past and remembers the details of every recovery. He related one that he did in Feb 1997, “A Toyota pickup went over the rim of a 500-foot canyon and wound up in the Shoshone River at the bottom of the canyon. I decided to winch the truck straight up the canyon wall. My son Tim rappelled down the cliff wall and hooked up the vehicle and we used my homemade 1963 Freightliner with an extendible hydraulic boom and a 100,000-pound winch with 500-feet of 3/4” cable to pull it up.”

Frank’s a great resource for many towers in the U.S. but his reknown also reaches overseas. He has been to Australia to give advice on recovering a gold digger from up in the mines and has also been to South Africa to assist in recoveries.

Frank’s Fleet Profile

The rugged “Can Do” spirit is evident in Frank’s fleet. He has nine trucks from 5- to 100-ton capacity, underlift wreckers from 6,000- to 35,000-pound, flatbed rollbacks from 5- to 25-ton.

Frank has many first on his list of accomplishments in towing and recovery in Cody including:

• 1st with Underlift (wheel lifts)

• 1st with Hydraulic Wreckers – to 60 ton

• 1st with flatbed rollbacks – 5-25 tons

• 1st & only with air cushions up to 50 tons

• 1st & only with Haz-Mat certification & equipment

• 1st & only with National Training & Certification (WreckMaster 96282)

• 1st & only with a 360 degree rotating recovery wrecker

Frank stated, “With my fleet we can do it all.” His company handles heavy recovery, rescue, car & auto towing, locks & lockouts, cargo of all types, load and unload farm and construction equipment. He offers rental service stores and yards, contractors equipment, supplies rental and leasing. He hauls, transports, and recovers trucks, trailers, buses, RV’s, horses, cattle, or whatever needs to be done. Child Towing is well known as one of the best services in the region for any vehicle emergency. It is Wyoming’s largest and most complete towing service.

This is a working fleet of unique and specialized equipment built by Frank to handle the rough terrain. He didn’t spend money on fancy paint, graphics or chrome. Everything on his rigs is functional. What you see here are the mechanical works of a craftsman who combines hard-earned skills with job-site ingenuity and that is the insight he puts into all of his mountain recovery units.

• Brutus – 1976 Kenworth Brute. The engine has been upgraded to an 8V92 Detroit Silver with a 15-speed trans with a 5-speed lo-lock. It is set up with a Holmes 750 x7 extendable boom. It has double lines on all three winches adding up to 100 tons of winching capacity. The 150,000-pound Tulsa drag winch has 400 feet of 7/8-cable. The wrecker and drag winch are hydraulic motor driven.

• Can Do – 1991 White/Volvo combo 113. It has a series 60 Detroit pushing 400-horse power with a 10-speed single axle 32,000-pound chassis and a Jake. It has an Ashton hydraulic conversion on the business end, the boom extends to eight feet with a 4-speed gearbox on the 30,000-pound main winch and a 15,000-pound auxiliary winch and a Triple K underlift.

• The General – GM General 392 twin turbo pushing 500 horsepower with a 13-speed trans. Set up with a Holmes 650, a 60,000-pound Braden drag winch and a Triple K 5th Wheel Quick-Tach.

• Smokey (because it used to smoke like mad) – Kenworth 318 cabover 5 plus 3-speed with a 60,000-pound massive boom and a 40,000-pound drag winch.

• Mighty Mouse – 1965 Ford F350 1 and 1/2 ton has a 3-speed main and a 3-speed auxiliary and is powered by a 430 Lincoln motor with a 3/4 cam. Holmes 480 split boom and a Triple K underreach.

• Flag Truck - A Model Kenworth with a 335 Cummins and a 3+3 speed with a fifth wheel and wet kit for dumps.

• Ford F350 Pickup set up with a small boom off of a Holmes Champ and a custom-made tilt trailer.

• Crash - White Freightliner cabover M62 military 5-ton rotator, 20-inch foot print pads, 10-speed with 262.

• 1991 International with a Jerr-Dan rollback updated engine from 6.9 to 7.3.

• Freightliner 350 CAT with 13-speed and a Landoll 316 trailer with a wet kit

Frank insisted, “All of my trucks have Jake brakes. I wouldn’t drive these mountain roads without them. Most common cause of accidents involving trucks on these roads is taking the sharp turns to fast and brakes overheating and giving out.” He remarked, “I really like the Triple K products also. They hold up to anything I have thrown at them.”

Besides his fleet of mountain recovery trucks, his other equipment includes; backhoes, forklifts, Zodiac boat, quads, skid steer loaders, a 30-foot dump trailer, a water trailer, air cushion trailer and numerous other trailers of different sizes.

• The Orange Crane - He took this off of a military 6x6 unit sitting in his yard and mounted it on an old wrecked Fontaine trailer. He cut ten feet off of the wrecked trailer to make it a single axle. It’s a 5-ton crane for lifting up wrecks that he cuts in two for transport on the trailer.

• Jolly – Monster Dynalift forklift for outback recovery work. Powered by a five cylinder diesel, has massive front outriggers. Rated at 10,000-pounds can lift 15,000-pounds. Added stronger steel sleeves to forks.

Words Of Wisdom

The man’s mind is always working and as we drove he’d relate different recoveries done in locations we’d pass and impart bits of wisdom.

Frank said,

• “The key is to divide and conquer when working a recovery.”

• “Make notes on every recovery not only to preserve evidence, but for future reference.”

• “You can’t use trees as a deadman in Cody. The root system is too shallow on the pines.”

• He informed, “A 4x4 wrecker is useless with weight on the back because it lifts the front end off the ground. Instead of using a 4x4 wrecker use a 4x4 truck to pull and assist a two wheel wrecker hooked to the casualty for better pulling power.”

He has become somewhat of a legend to those in the know and many in this industry still go to him as a valuable resource.

The Woman Behind The Man

Alongside this great man is an equally great woman. Frank and his wife Inga have been married for 44-years now. They have one daughter Judith and two sons Kevin and Tim and five grandchildren. Inga continued her education and graduated from the Theological Seminary. She is now a Pastor and Biblical Counselor.

When they first moved to Cody they lived on a Mini Ranch in the country and later, moved into town. “A company based in Cody wanted to manufacture something I had invented, so we came out here and I loved the mountains,” said Frank. “So more then 30 years later here we still are.” Inga added, “He is still inventing and the royalty checks are nice.”

While Frank kept busy inventing Inga became a Missionary to Israel, and opened her home to homeless children. Over the years she has taken in many homeless children, ranging in ages 2 to 17. She has done mission trips around the U.S. as well as Mexico, Peru, Netherlands, France, Jordan, England, Israel, and Australia. In 1999, she started Manna House Ministry Center - a Christian Library as well as a prayer center. Frank said, “Inga has a doctorate in divinity.” In 2001, the Food Closet was established to provide both physical and spiritual food. They are a non-profit organization and besides food they also provide clothing, furniture and appliances to help those less fortunate and give back to the community. Their website is www.spiritwindintl.com/mannahouse.

Well, there’s a little info on Frank Childs. In case you haven’t noticed, I am awed by the man. I am in touch with him often, picking up something new and outside the box with each conversation.


Towing & Recovery Elder Statesman The Genius of Frank Child By Jim “Buck” Sorrenti Deck: The Encarta Dictionary defines Elder Statesman this way - eld·er states·man - noun A person, advanced in years and experience, who is respected for his or her wisdom and whose advice is still valued and unofficially sought. Throughout history the elders of a culture have held a place of honor and respect amongst their people. They have been the council who has passed on their wisdom and knowledge to the next generations. The culture of towing and recovery has its share of elders who are happy to share their stories, years of experience and knowledge with fellow towing and recovery professionals. Over the past ten years, as editor of AT, I have had the great fortune to meet many of these elders and had the opportunity to sit and speak with and most importantly listen to them. I have learned much from them and they are a great source of knowledge and an inspiration to me. But none more so than Frank Childs. The above definition of elder statesman fits Frank Child to a tee. As an inventor, innovator, craftsman, engineer, welder, tower, businessman, outdoorsman, he has a lot to share. From Minnesota to Cody Frank Childs, now 70, has been towing since he was 13 in Minnesota, where he started out with a horse and rope and graduated to “42’ Olds with a wooden push bumper and a Manley hand crank boom in the trunk.” After moving to Cody, Wyoming Frank recognized a need for a company to handle the towing and recovery work in the state’s rugged country and got serious about towing in 1984. Since that time he has built the state’s most prominent wrecker business: F.W. Child Towing & Recovery, LLC. “At one time,” said Frank, as we drove around the area, “Cody was a forest and settlers burnt it off to grow grass for cattle. This is cattle and horse country. It is also the rodeo capital of the world. I have done many recoveries of horse and cattle haulers both loaded and empty.” Upon arriving at the Child Towing compound I was amazed by the organized chaos and the array of different specialty equipment on display. His three and a half acre lot is laid out in a series of buildings. Signs of his genius are everywhere you look. His unique home made mountain recovery trucks and equipment; salvage scrap trucks, tools, huge spools of wire rope of different sizes and materials of all kinds were everywhere. It is like an Erector Set on steroids. Frank loves to tinker and always has one or two projects in the works. Frank recently had a hip replacement operation, but you’d never know it. The man is always on the go but he has help with the daily routine. He introduced me to his friend Pat Brown, a retired truck driver that works for him. Frank said, “I’ve been teaching him the ropes and he’s a quick learner.” Pat is on call and handles most of the lockouts as well as helping rig on the recoveries or anything else that needs to be done. Before entering his office Frank warned, “Watch out for the guard dog.” Not knowing what to expect I was soon face to snout with Hootie, a sweet Springer and Brittany Spaniel mix that he rescued from the shelter. I looked around; tools, safety gear, gadgets, and many, many doodlings of notes and ideas of his ever-working mind were everywhere. Heart Valves To Lockout Tools The walls of Frank’s office are decorated with photos of recoveries he has done and his numerous awards and certifications are proudly displayed along with the busts of a prong horn sheep and a Wyoming Jackalope. Before he got into the towing business, Frank was a chief bio-medical engineer and invented a heart valve for which he was considered for nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. As a towing professional he was a Towman Ace recipient in 1994, a Towman Commendation recipient in 1995, received a National Tow Safety Award in 1998, and won The National Locksmith Reader’s Choice Award in 2000. He has also won the Motorcycle Touring Services, Inc. Courtesy Award and AAA Outstanding Service Award among others. In his never ending thirst for knowledge and to hone his skills, Frank believes strongly in hands-on training. He is a certified WreckMaster, has taken Ex-Team training and also National Fire Academy training. Frank is a Member of the American Society of Tool and Manufacturing Engineers and the Society Of American Inventors. Inventor & Innovator In 1899 Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents, declared, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” I guess the inventiveness of 19th century inventors left him pretty much blown away and incapable of conceiving anything new. Hmmm. I guess he wasn’t aware that Frank Child was looming on the horizon born with an inquisitive mind and a head for invention and innovation. Since the late 1960’s Frank has collected patents on everything from the artificial heart valve to a bear repellent. His first patent was a valve for a car wash pump. He holds patents on almost 360 other inventions, most in the medical field. Frank was trained as a manufacturing engineer. While a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, he was assigned to C. Walton Lilliehei, Ph.D. With Lilliehei’s input, Child developed the heart valve, suturing collars, improved packaging and more. In 1975 Frank, along with C. Walton Lilliehei, Ph.D., and Robert Casper were on the list of those being considered for nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for the heart valve, which is still the most widely used in the world. Frank said, “We didn’t get the nomination but were proud to be considered.” “Most of it was support equipment and new methods,” he said. He also developed a tool that would measure the depth of a hole in someone’s chest where the heart valve would be placed. Frank is also the inventor of the Big Easy & Air Wedge. He developed the Big Easy, because he didn’t like to “stand outside on a cold, dark, windy night in Cody,” trying to unlock a person’s car door with conventional, time-consuming methods. He said, “There are wires and obstructions to navigate when going through the door cavity. Instead of going into the door cavity, it goes through the top of the door.” “I was having problems with minivans,” he said. “I tried different things until I came up with this method. And it works on everything else, too. It takes me 10-15 seconds to get a door unlocked with this method,” he said. “It’s for locksmiths, law enforcement, car dealers and car rental businesses for lockout situations. Volunteer fire departments also have found the tool useful because when firefighters race to the firehouse, they often lock their keys in their cars. ” The Big Easy kit comes with a wedge that can lift up to 400 pounds, a small air bag with a hand pump that Frank designed after a blood pressure cuff and the main tool itself, a long rod with a hook on the end that can be used to flick switches or pull up locks. A newer design features a light on the end for unlocking doors at night. He also hopes to develop a system that works on semi-trucks. “There’s not much on the market for them,” he said. Child has an agreement with Steck Tools, a manufacturer and distributor in Dayton, Ohio. It paid for the patent, but it’s in his name. Child’s patent was filed Dec. 6, 1999, but was not approved until July 2003. “At a minimum, a patent will cost $7,000,” he said. “An inventor will think his invention is the greatest thing but may not have an application for it in the real world. If you put money into patents, it’s a bottomless pit. When a manufacturer pays for the patents, in the process of developing and manufacturing the product, they may make subtle improvements. Or they will find other uses for the product.” “The longer they take in doing it, probably the better the patent you wind up with.” he said. “AAA uses the Big Easy and promotes it to their vendors because it requires minimal training to use. Even the FBI and Secret Service are using the Big Easy.” According to Childs there are two types of inventors - those who have a varied “background and all their inventions are totally unrelated” and those who have one invention they continually improve and find new uses for. “Many inventors learn of a need,” said Child, adding that he has designed and built many of his tow trucks based on needs in this area such as pulling cars out of canyons. “Most of it is safety and special equipment.” Another invention he currently is working on is a brake monitoring system for brakes on large trucks and motor homes. He informed, “The high steep mountain roads are treacherous on brakes. Brakes overheating are the number one cause of accidents in these parts. My design will tell someone if the brakes are getting hot or have been used long enough to be checked.” He said. Frank says Cody’s climate and laziness has been the creative force behind many of the inventions for which he holds patents. Thinking Outside The Box - Innovations When discussing motorcycle towing Frank explained that he uses a car hood and mattress for hauling disabled bikes on to a carrier or trailer. “Lay the bike on the mattress and winch it on deck, then secure it. Nice comfortable ride no scratches or further damage.” “I carry an old car hood on recoveries in the mountains to lay the chains or wire rope on so they don’t snag on rocks when doing canyon and outback recoveries. It has many uses; useful for dragging tools, equipment and even parts of a casualty along rough terrain.” He Believes Strongly In Multi-Purpose Equipment • Instead of safety cones, which are single purpose he uses empty cat litter container jugs as cones. He explained, “Take the container, spray it yellow or orange and wrap it in reflective tape so it is visible and fill with a quick-dry material for spills.” • He showed me his “Street Scraper” designed for cleaning up debris after a wreck. He said it’s like a big scraper attached to a broom handle for pushing broken glass or other debris off of the road into a pile to scoop up. • “I use a Fix-A-Flat valve to release air smoothly from tires instead of flattening them, so they can be refilled later.” • Frank carries crash wrap with him and finds different uses for it. He said, “It’s a self-adhesive weather barrier film that seals out rain, dirt, and snow. Prevents interior damage to vehicles, easy for one person to use and no tape or strings are needed. The wrap comes off clean so it doesn’t leave marks. Can use it to wrap broken windows so they don’t shatter when transported or wrap together anything loose.” Working With Others Frank has become somewhat of a local legend in the Cody area as well. He works closely with the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Cody Search & Rescue. He took me to meet Captain Ed Peterson of the Wyoming Highway Patrol one morning and we talked about tower/police relations. Captain Ed has taught extrication and crash investigation and pointed out that, “Each responder has a different set of objectives at the scene. From a police stand point we are looking to preserve evidence and don’t want physical evidence moved before time. Mutual respect and communication is overall good here with towers like Frank. We give them the situation and let them decide what equipment to bring to the scene.” An avid motorcycle rider, Ed wants an option for bikes in the tow regs, that including properly equipped trailers. Ed rides a Buell. Frank also works with Cody Search & Rescue who periodically call him to recover vehicles in the canyons and remote park areas. He introduced me to long time friends Bill Holder, the pilot of the Aviat Aircraft Husky Search and Rescue plane and Park County Search and Rescue coordinator Kirk Waggoner. Kirk said, “We do anywhere from 50 to 90 rescues a year.” The State Of The Industry I sat and listened to Frank talk on his years in the industry and the state of it now. He said, “Rising fuel costs and insurance premiums have put the crunch on everyone no matter where in this country you live and work. Rates need to be restructured to keep up with the changing times. We charge a 20% fuel surcharge.” He continued, “This is a business not a hobby and it should be run like a business. Set your rates based on what the job requires in time, equipment and labor. What I charge here may not work in other parts of the country, but the basic principals are the same everywhere. Know what your time is worth and charge accordingly. At the end of the day if you’re not making a profit you won’t be in business long.” Frank said, “Times are tough so I decided to down-size my operation. I pulled three of my wreckers off of insurance. Until things get better, I just parked them on my lot and save $10,000 a year in insurance premiums, not to mention the fuel and upkeep.” Diversification “One of the keys to surviving in today’s market is to be diversified,” Frank insisted, “In this day and age you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket or you won’t survive.” He rents and repairs forklifts, backhoes, air compressors, pumps, generators, 40ft containers, and other tools and equipment. He also handles transport work and said he has transported pretty much everything, including helicopters and cabins. Frank stated, “No one should depend on one aspect of their business alone. While I’m sitting around waiting for the next big recovery I have money coming in from my rentals.” “To sum up,” he said, “to survive now you need to down-size till things get better. Also diversification, communication and working with other businesses is necessary.” Promo Frank is also a wiz at advertising and promotion of his businesses. He spends time doodling cartoons and catch phrases in between times while waiting for the next big recovery. He lends an offbeat sense of humor to his promo pieces and slogans. • Wayward objects professionally and courteously retrieved. • One flyer says, “Bring ‘em back alive.” And has a photo of Frank at the controls of his wrecker and a boy on the hook at the end of the wire rope being winched in from the extended boom. Total Recovery Recall As we drove around Cody and along the mountain roads Frank would point out the locations of recoveries he had done last week or years past and remembers the details of every recovery. He related one that he did in Feb 1997, “A Toyota pickup went over the rim of a 500-foot canyon and wound up in the Shoshone River at the bottom of the canyon. I decided to winch the truck straight up the canyon wall. My son Tim rappelled down the cliff wall and hooked up the vehicle and we used my homemade 1963 Freightliner with an extendible hydraulic boom and a 100,000-pound winch with 500-feet of 3/4” cable to pull it up.” Frank’s a great resource for many towers in the U.S. but his reknown also reaches overseas. He has been to Australia to give advice on recovering a gold digger from up in the mines and has also been to South Africa to assist in recoveries. Frank’s Fleet Profile The rugged “Can Do” spirit is evident in Frank’s fleet. He has nine trucks from 5- to 100-ton capacity, underlift wreckers from 6,000- to 35,000-pound, flatbed rollbacks from 5- to 25-ton. Frank has many first on his list of accomplishments in towing and recovery in Cody including: • 1st with Underlift (wheel lifts) • 1st with Hydraulic Wreckers – to 60 ton • 1st with flatbed rollbacks – 5-25 tons • 1st & only with air cushions up to 50 tons • 1st & only with Haz-Mat certification & equipment • 1st & only with National Training & Certification (WreckMaster 96282) • 1st & only with a 360 degree rotating recovery wrecker Frank stated, “With my fleet we can do it all.” His company handles heavy recovery, rescue, car & auto towing, locks & lockouts, cargo of all types, load and unload farm and construction equipment. He offers rental service stores and yards, contractors equipment, supplies rental and leasing. He hauls, transports, and recovers trucks, trailers, buses, RV’s, horses, cattle, or whatever needs to be done. Child Towing is well known as one of the best services in the region for any vehicle emergency. It is Wyoming’s largest and most complete towing service. This is a working fleet of unique and specialized equipment built by Frank to handle the rough terrain. He didn’t spend money on fancy paint, graphics or chrome. Everything on his rigs is functional. What you see here are the mechanical works of a craftsman who combines hard-earned skills with job-site ingenuity and that is the insight he puts into all of his mountain recovery units. • Brutus – 1976 Kenworth Brute. The engine has been upgraded to an 8V92 Detroit Silver with a 15-speed trans with a 5-speed lo-lock. It is set up with a Holmes 750 x7 extendable boom. It has double lines on all three winches adding up to 100 tons of winching capacity. The 150,000-pound Tulsa drag winch has 400 feet of 7/8-cable. The wrecker and drag winch are hydraulic motor driven. • Can Do – 1991 White/Volvo combo 113. It has a series 60 Detroit pushing 400-horse power with a 10-speed single axle 32,000-pound chassis and a Jake. It has an Ashton hydraulic conversion on the business end, the boom extends to eight feet with a 4-speed gearbox on the 30,000-pound main winch and a 15,000-pound auxiliary winch and a Triple K underlift. • The General – GM General 392 twin turbo pushing 500 horsepower with a 13-speed trans. Set up with a Holmes 650, a 60,000-pound Braden drag winch and a Triple K 5th Wheel Quick-Tach. • Smokey (because it used to smoke like mad) – Kenworth 318 cabover 5 plus 3-speed with a 60,000-pound massive boom and a 40,000-pound drag winch. • Mighty Mouse – 1965 Ford F350 1 and 1/2 ton has a 3-speed main and a 3-speed auxiliary and is powered by a 430 Lincoln motor with a 3/4 cam. Holmes 480 split boom and a Triple K underreach. • Flag Truck - A Model Kenworth with a 335 Cummins and a 3+3 speed with a fifth wheel and wet kit for dumps. • Ford F350 Pickup set up with a small boom off of a Holmes Champ and a custom-made tilt trailer. • Crash - White Freightliner cabover M62 military 5-ton rotator, 20-inch foot print pads, 10-speed with 262. • 1991 International with a Jerr-Dan rollback updated engine from 6.9 to 7.3. • Freightliner 350 CAT with 13-speed and a Landoll 316 trailer with a wet kit Frank insisted, “All of my trucks have Jake brakes. I wouldn’t drive these mountain roads without them. Most common cause of accidents involving trucks on these roads is taking the sharp turns to fast and brakes overheating and giving out.” He remarked, “I really like the Triple K products also. They hold up to anything I have thrown at them.” Besides his fleet of mountain recovery trucks, his other equipment includes; backhoes, forklifts, Zodiac boat, quads, skid steer loaders, a 30-foot dump trailer, a water trailer, air cushion trailer and numerous other trailers of different sizes. • The Orange Crane - He took this off of a military 6x6 unit sitting in his yard and mounted it on an old wrecked Fontaine trailer. He cut ten feet off of the wrecked trailer to make it a single axle. It’s a 5-ton crane for lifting up wrecks that he cuts in two for transport on the trailer. • Jolly – Monster Dynalift forklift for outback recovery work. Powered by a five cylinder diesel, has massive front outriggers. Rated at 10,000-pounds can lift 15,000-pounds. Added stronger steel sleeves to forks. Words Of Wisdom The man’s mind is always working and as we drove he’d relate different recoveries done in locations we’d pass and impart bits of wisdom. Frank said, • “The key is to divide and conquer when working a recovery.” • “Make notes on every recovery not only to preserve evidence, but for future reference.” • “You can’t use trees as a deadman in Cody. The root system is too shallow on the pines.” • He informed, “A 4x4 wrecker is useless with weight on the back because it lifts the front end off the ground. Instead of using a 4x4 wrecker use a 4x4 truck to pull and assist a two wheel wrecker hooked to the casualty for better pulling power.” He has become somewhat of a legend to those in the know and many in this industry still go to him as a valuable resource. The Woman Behind The Man Alongside this great man is an equally great woman. Frank and his wife Inga have been married for 44-years now. They have one daughter Judith and two sons Kevin and Tim and five grandchildren. Inga continued her education and graduated from the Theological Seminary. She is now a Pastor and Biblical Counselor. When they first moved to Cody they lived on a Mini Ranch in the country and later, moved into town. “A company based in Cody wanted to manufacture something I had invented, so we came out here and I loved the mountains,” said Frank. “So more then 30 years later here we still are.” Inga added, “He is still inventing and the royalty checks are nice.” While Frank kept busy inventing Inga became a Missionary to Israel, and opened her home to homeless children. Over the years she has taken in many homeless children, ranging in ages 2 to 17. She has done mission trips around the U.S. as well as Mexico, Peru, Netherlands, France, Jordan, England, Israel, and Australia. In 1999, she started Manna House Ministry Center - a Christian Library as well as a prayer center. Frank said, “Inga has a doctorate in divinity.” In 2001, the Food Closet was established to provide both physical and spiritual food. They are a non-profit organization and besides food they also provide clothing, furniture and appliances to help those less fortunate and give back to the community. Their website is www.spiritwindintl.com/mannahouse. Well, there’s a little info on Frank Childs. In case you haven’t noticed, I am awed by the man. I am in touch with him often, picking up something new and outside the box with each conversation.		The entrance to the Child Towing compound, with tilt trailer and air cushion recovery trailer in foreground.
		Frank (left) and Driver Pat Brown (right) demonstrate Frank’s ingenius tilt trailer set up.

		Two of Frank’s many innovations are his Street Scraper and his Jug combination Safety Cone/Quick Dry dispenser (above).
		Frank points out some specialized tools in his workshop.
		Frank and his crew load a disabled helicopter on to his tri-axle trailer using “Crash” his military rotator.
		Brutus – Set up with a Holmes 750 has 100 tons of winching capacity. The150,000-pound Tulsa drag winch.
		Smokey has a 60,000-pound massive boom and a 40,000-pound drag winch.
		Crash - White Freightliner cabover M62 military 5-ton rotator.
		The Orange Crane is off of a military 6x6 unit and sits on a shortened Fontaine trailer.
		Frank points out some of the features and equipment on Can Do. This White/Volvo with a 10-speed single axle 32,000-pound chassis has become one of Frank’s main work horses. It has an Ashton hydraulic conversion on the business end, the boom extends to eight feet with a 4-speed gearbox on the 30,000-pound main winch and a 15,000-pound auxiliary winch and a Triple K underlift.