Ron, just wanted to tell you I really appreciate your channel. It's nice to see a professional with good equipment that takes pride in what he does and explains it well for the rest of us. Well done, sir!
GuyinWY _. Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate the compliments. Glad you enjoy my channel and thanks for watching. If you ever have any questions please feel free to ask.
As always your videos makes me want to jump in a truck and go. Thanks for posting so us old timers can still size up a situation and think how we would approach the recovery. After 15 years in a tow truck, you are still teaching me the fine skill of damage free towing. Most people don't put much thought into the job of a tow operator but I always thought; as a professional, you try your best to do no more property damage as well as to your tow. Thanks again.
Never realized the mathematics and science that went into the towing field field. Always figured hook up and go. Never figured in leverage or anything else Thank you Ron for such a learning experience
Hey Ron, good job on your videos. It's always a treat to hear a man who always has the time to thank the Lord after all your jobd. I will pray for you and your family.
Ron, You do get "invited" to work on some challenging recoveries! Your equipment is top of the line and you are definitely a professional and very skilled operator!
Subbed after watching you pull the Werner truck/trailer from the mud near loading dock. Your professional attitude and absolute knowledge of your rigs abilities are truly inspiring. The forklift at the dock was amazing. And you made this man lift recovery look super easy. I currently work M.O.T. on a long term project, and have considered moving towards recovery work.
I'm exhausted. You tire me out watching you pull cable etc. Good job. I drove 18 wheelers for 30+ years and I could tell you storied about rescues I've had.
Yes, Ron you make it look so easy with the rotator! That is an excellent piece of equipment and a great investment! As always, thanks for the video! God bless!
Hey Ron my name is Lyle King for west Tennessee just want to tell you how much I I joy watching you work that 1150r you are very professional and it shows in your work. I'm a retired form the fire department where I was a extrication instructor. And a instructor with Tennessee association of rescue squads. And the first 25 years of my life I was a diesel mechanic the man I worked for became a dealer for Miller at that time century was just getting started and the rollback was just coming out I told my boss that it would never go over boy was that the stupid thing I ever said what does a kid of 16 know. But anyway I love that 1150 what a rig. And some great videos not all wrecker operators are assholes. Thank you for all you do. Lyle King Lt. Milan fire department (retired)
Hi Ron. Downunder again. Is there anything you DON'T use on that beast of a truck! If only we could have our time over again. I would loved to have had a truck like your for our harsh conditions. And I take my hat off to you Ron, everything is neat, in place, in good condition and clean. I am so impressed with your work ethic. God bless you and your family including the workers.
I dig your recovery videos Ron. You run a tight ship. May I suggest,..maybe a pair of cheap handset radios from Amazon for communicating with operators and or your helpers? Or get their cell #. Communication is so important. Keep cranking out the videos, I love the Pete rotater. So much has evolved since I worked in tow/recovery in the eighties. Wonderful units. All your trucks.
Those Genie 125' and 150's where lower to the ground that the JLG 150's. The JLG where, and are better in the off road conditions. They have the ability to lock in all 4 tires. Good video, shows how sometimes just stoping and getting help saves from tearing up expensive equipment.
Well now, this video answered a question from a while back - you HAVE done a recovery from the river area and this proves it! As always, thanks for sharing these videos. Say hi to "Meeko" from us. ;)
I'm retired from a police dept mechanic on the back of the control head for your siren you should have the speaker set on the 100 amp setting and have the speaker as low to the road as you can get it . Just above the bumper and it will be louder and the sound wile bounce off the road
Another great job. only just found your videos a couple of weeks ago, you seem to have a certain way of doing things and always doing it safe, watched quite a few of your videos now and have a good idea how you work so I try to guess what you need and which box its in quite fun really. Keep great videos coming, stay safe and God bless you from over here in England.
Didn't realize you were in Scott City until this video. I used to drive for MS Logistics which is the truck side of Mid South Wire there in Scott City. I mainly ran out of the Nashville terminal but would pop in Scott City from time to time.
Another excellent video. You make it look so easy that a 4 x 4 pick up should have been able to do the job (I jest). I found your channel two weeks ago tomorrow and at that time you have 410 subscribers. It looks like you have gained nearly 100 well deserved subscribers in the last two weeks. Keep up the good work.
Chain saw cabinet Shop . Thank you and yes it seems my channel is taking off all at once thanks to people such as you. I sincerely appreciate your viewing and commentary. Thank you.
Ron, I wish I would have had a rotator when I was in buisiness but I am in a small town and would never have been able to afford the $750,000 for one. It would have made life so much easier for me. I did not have enough buisiness to pay for a rotator like yours. Most of the towing was smaller vehicles and any thing large enough to require a truck that large was owned by oilfield service companies who had their own haevy lift tow vehicles. A rotator would have been nice for recovering vehicles from ravines but I had to learn how to do it the hard way. I like watching your videos as they bring back fond memories from before I broke my back. I really miss the work and my neices really liked riding along.
Ron, I just love your videos. Such professional work, explaining the reasoning for each decision, checking safety equipment, ratings on charts. Very well done. Can you comment on how your services are billed? Is there a visit fee plus an hourly rate for use of one truck? I've seen you bring out a flatbed truck for crashes too. I figure that is a second charge, as well. Most of these videos have been in the range of 1+ hours. But you may not get dispatched every day, so premium billing is obviously required.
Thank you very much for the compliments. As for our rate structure, I do not discuss our specific rates, because I believe that is confidential between us and our customers. I will say that we charge hourly for every piece of equipment with certain minimums. We also have a sliding rate structure that is based upon the level of risk involved. For example, working in a parking lot is not as dangerous as working on the interstate so the rates are different for the two locations. Hope this helps. Thanks and God bless.
Love your videos ron have been watching them for days now! Love the trucks and your guys are awsome. Would love to have a hat too bad im in canada haha
Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoy the videos. We are working on trying to set up an online store. I know shipping into Canada can be a problem..... God Bless.
What is the maximum operating range of the remote? And it is noted that the vertical weight of an item does not necessarily mean that the pull required to move it horizontally will be as much as that weight. Are the winches powered by hydraulics or electricity?
Hay Ron on the wheels of the Genie there is a cap the looks like a nipple. it has 2 bolts. 9/16 or 1/2. if you remove them and turn the over using the nipple to push the pin in.this will make it free wheel so you can pull at your winch speed. you can still hove some one in the basket to raise the basket and turn the wheels. Leo Advantage Towing LTD Edson, Alberta. Canada
Ron do your shackles, d-rings, clevis’s, cables, cable hooks etc have a life span for replacement for a certification or is it just until they don’t work anymore? Seems you guys do so much with them in heavy, stressful situations it could be dangerous & costly to wait for one to fail! Also does anyone in Midwest Truck have the level 3 certification from Tow Truck Association of America? Thanks for the videos. I’m “hooked”. Lol
The two main boom winch cables and the drag winch cable are all 250 feet long. That is the maximum length suggested by the winch manufacturer for those winches. If we need to reach farther we have extra lengths of cable that we can bring in on a rollback or a pickup truck. Thanks for watching and God bless.
Also want to say I found your Channe fromI watching another Towing Channel Jonathan W down in North Carolina. He builds some cool rat rods and builds his own trucks witch i think is cool.
Good time to have cable tensioners. There's no fun in pulling cable bird's nests off a winch drum. I understand that Miller puts good tensioners on their heavy rigs.
David Sonnen. Yes they do. I perform constant maintenance and lubrication of my cables, which helps, but after a hard pull, the cables do get tightened on the drums. The only winch that I have difficulty with is the drag winch. I'm not sure why, but they ran the line out the bottom of the drum towards the front of the truck, then around a heavy, free-floating sheave and out to the rear of the truck where it run over another sheave mounted to the top of the under-reach assembly. The free-floating sheave doesn't always travel with the line properly and creates a nightmare on the drums. If there is one negative about this unit it would be, in my opinion, the poor design of the drag winch routing.
I'd say give your feed back to the manufacture about the drag winch problem. I am sure that they would appreciate the feed back and may come up with a way to improve yours.
Hey Ron to make pulling the cables easier (sorta) leave then hooked to your trick then boom out and up to stay pulling out cable for you. That should get you 50 or so feet that you don't physically have to pull. Because as we all know the first 50 feet is sometimes hard to get started pulling. Just trying to help no criticism.
James Vaughan. Yep. Well aware of that one. Thanks though. Don't worry. I respect other people's opinions and suggestions. Everybody does things differently and I don't claim to know it all. So don't be afraid to make suggestions. I respool and lube my cables often to help preserve them and make them easier to pull. The best way is to bring along one of my younger, stronger employees and make them pull the cable....lol. Makes it a lot easier for me anyway.
Before starting to move the aerial platform, you tensioned your two lines to bring them up off the ground. Do you have any idea how much tension (pounds) was required to get the cables up in the air?
i sure hope you have hearing protection on during all this heavy equipment work. both yours and theres i've watched quite a few of these videos (love them btw) and the decibel levels must be over damage threshold .
I do carry earplugs at all times, but when you are communicating with others, you can't hear them. We try to be cautious as much as we can. I am glad you enjoy the videos. God bless.
Hi Ron ,Just wondered if you use digital tachographs in the US, I noticed at 2.18 in this video you pressed something on the top next to your cb, I have just retired from heavy haulage after 30 years behind the wheel,Mainly coal from the collieries to the power stations, Working as a owner operator I used a DAF XF 95 480 Chipped up to 550 HP,That`s the one on my picture,Great tool.
i have a question, when you hooked the hooks onto the clevis the hooks were facing up. just wondering if that is relevant to different types of pulling or personal choice. great video thanks
Actually, yes, there is a reason. On a horizontal pull, as I was performing here, you want the hook tip pointing up. In the event of hook failure, the pressure that is being applied to the hook will, theoritically, drive it down towards the ground rather than flying in the air, which greatly reduces the risk of injury. I hope this answered your question. Thanks and God bless.
I've had and operated my share of boom trucks, cranes, knuckle and telescopic. When I heard you say leave it at 8%, I just scratch my head. I know your doing right by your truck, but we always had to use saddles for the booms and were told never to move it with out it being saddled and strapped. Because of pressure on the main hydraulic cylinder. Damaging the seals or stressing the turret. I just wonder why a rotator is different?
The big difference is that your booms are designed to be used while the truck is stationary and then the boom is unladen and stowed. Our booms are designed to carry the weight of the vehicle being towed while the truck is being driven down the road. The hydraulic systems have multiple redundancies to prevent the boom from falling in the event of hose failure. This is true whether it is an integrated boom towing/recovery unit or a separate under-reach/wheel-lift system like the rotator uses. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching and God bless.
Great video, as they all are. On difference I notice on the rotator compared to other videos, what are the red ribbons on the equipment doors for? It might be as prosaic as having serviced them and using this as a reminder you already did that door, but curious minds would like to know :P
If you look back you'll see it's mostly when Ron is looking at the ground. RUclips has a limited datarate, and the way it compresses is by only storing differences from the previous frame. The sky, the Rotator, a truck, they're all quite large areas that with the same color, but gravel has a LOT of detail. ruclips.net/video/r6Rp-uo6HmI/видео.html explains it in a bit more detail if you're interested.
Great work Ron once again I was wondering why you didn't use your drag winch but I read the comments and now understand. Would using the drag more often make it easier as it's the one hardly ever being used? Keep safe as always
Brett Swampy. I plan on talking to Miller about it. I believe it has to do with their design on that free-floating sheave. As always, thanks for watching and for your input.
As long as they are properly used and maintained they will last up to 10 years or more. We have had the Rotator for almost 3 years now and I have only had to change one of the five cables.....and that was only because I damaged the cable by not watching closely and allowing it to pass over a sharp edge. The cable did not break, but it severed several strands. It was enough that I did not want to risk using the cable. Thanks for watching and God bless.
I have driven peterbilts before but I don't understand why at 22:27 he pulled his brake then pushed it in again and hit a button on the dash? What button is he hitting that will hold the trucks brakes on? I've never seen such a switch.
This is a very specific system designed for towing/recovery vehicles. It is called a winching brake switch. It applies air pressure to all of the service brakes for added resistance during winching. In the old days I would have to jam a wrench under the brake pedal or place a prop stick to jam the brake pedal down. Now the builders have incorporated a simple switch to take care of that problem. The reason I released the brakes first was so that the tag/lift axle dropped to the ground. With the parking brakes set the lift axle automatically raises. By having the lift axle on the ground and applying the winching brake I am, again, adding more resistance to my truck which helps it stay in place on heavy pulls. Hope this answers your questions. Thanks for watching and God bless.
Nice channel...... Just one question...... how far did you get BEFORE you realized you didn't close the front box on the passenger side.......from the way you keep your head moving looking in the mirrors I bet not far
This would be a great and safe use of giving the operator one of your walkies it would put in you a safer communication with him and save your voice. Also you need a shop grunt to ride along to help with the heavy lifting.
How about some type of cleat attachment you could put on the under reach, and press down with that .. seems like a lot of possible ground traction left on the table there!!
I can’t believe that I’m binge watching your videos. Again. Two years worth of videos.
Ron, just wanted to tell you I really appreciate your channel. It's nice to see a professional with good equipment that takes pride in what he does and explains it well for the rest of us. Well done, sir!
GuyinWY _. Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate the compliments. Glad you enjoy my channel and thanks for watching. If you ever have any questions please feel free to ask.
Ron Pratt i love your vids you tech me more and more i mite get a job there if i can
Amen, from across the pond.Keep up the good work
As always your videos makes me want to jump in a truck and go. Thanks for posting so us old timers can still size up a situation and think how we would approach the recovery. After 15 years in a tow truck, you are still teaching me the fine skill of damage free towing.
Most people don't put much thought into the job of a tow operator but I always thought; as a professional, you try your best to do no more property damage as well as to your tow.
Thanks again.
Thank you and I am so glad you gain enjoyment from the videos. God bless.
Never realized the mathematics and science that went into the towing field field. Always figured hook up and go. Never figured in leverage or anything else Thank you Ron for such a learning experience
Hey Ron, good job on your videos. It's always a treat to hear a man who always has the time to thank the Lord after all your jobd. I will pray for you and your family.
Ron,
You do get "invited" to work on some challenging recoveries!
Your equipment is top of the line and you are definitely a professional and very skilled operator!
Subbed after watching you pull the Werner truck/trailer from the mud near loading dock. Your professional attitude and absolute knowledge of your rigs abilities are truly inspiring. The forklift at the dock was amazing. And you made this man lift recovery look super easy.
I currently work M.O.T. on a long term project, and have considered moving towards recovery work.
Thank you for the compliments. It is truly appreciated. God bless
I'm exhausted. You tire me out watching you pull cable etc. Good job. I drove 18 wheelers for 30+ years and I could tell you storied about rescues I've had.
This looks like one of the most straightforward jobs I've seen on your videos
Yes, Ron you make it look so easy with the rotator! That is an excellent piece of equipment and a great investment! As always, thanks for the video! God bless!
Ron is the man,just brilliant and highly intelligent!one sharp individual!!
All I can say is thank you. God bless.
I'm worn out just watching you dragging cables and walking back and forth! Nice job as always. Tnx for sharing your videos. 👍
Hey Ron my name is Lyle King for west Tennessee just want to tell you how much I I joy watching you work that 1150r you are very professional and it shows in your work. I'm a retired form the fire department where I was a extrication instructor. And a instructor with Tennessee association of rescue squads. And the first 25 years of my life I was a diesel mechanic the man I worked for became a dealer for Miller at that time century was just getting started and the rollback was just coming out I told my boss that it would never go over boy was that the stupid thing I ever said what does a kid of 16 know. But anyway I love that 1150 what a rig. And some great videos not all wrecker operators are assholes. Thank you for all you do. Lyle King Lt. Milan fire department (retired)
Lyle King. A very sincere thank you sir.
Love to watch a man work that knows what he is doing
Just watched this the 2nd or 3rd time. So interesting. I am IMPRESSED! Stay safe, God bless.
Hi Ron. Downunder again. Is there anything you DON'T use on that beast of a truck! If only we could have our time over again. I would loved to have had a truck like your for our harsh conditions. And I take my hat off to you Ron, everything is neat, in place, in good condition and clean.
I am so impressed with your work ethic. God bless you and your family including the workers.
I dig your recovery videos Ron. You run a tight ship. May I suggest,..maybe a pair of cheap handset radios from Amazon for communicating with operators and or your helpers? Or get their cell #. Communication is so important. Keep cranking out the videos, I love the Pete rotater. So much has evolved since I worked in tow/recovery in the eighties. Wonderful units. All your trucks.
Those Genie 125' and 150's where lower to the ground that the JLG 150's. The JLG where, and are better in the off road conditions. They have the ability to lock in all 4 tires. Good video, shows how sometimes just stoping and getting help saves from tearing up expensive equipment.
Ron thank you for sharing with us GOD bless everyone, from Kentucky
You certainly got a workout on this job. I was so surprised at how much cable your truck has!
Ron, you sure don't need to visit the gym with all that walking you do. You need a little skoter to get around. Great work as always...
I love watching all of your great videos Ron...but I gotta say pal...I caught a pretty good nap while watching this one. ;) Keep em coming!
I love watching you work Ron
Well now, this video answered a question from a while back - you HAVE done a recovery from the river area and this proves it! As always, thanks for sharing these videos. Say hi to "Meeko" from us. ;)
Awesome Job Ron. And may Heavenly Father bless you and family and employees in all ways and things.
I watched some of your video and really enjoyed them.Keep up the good work.
Norman Gallant Thank you
I'm retired from a police dept mechanic on the back of the control head for your siren you should have the speaker set on the 100 amp setting and have the speaker as low to the road as you can get it . Just above the bumper and it will be louder and the sound wile bounce off the road
Just found your channel, love big rig, tow trucks included. Thanks for sharing your work day. Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Thank you. Glad you enjoy.
Another great job. only just found your videos a couple of weeks ago, you seem to have a certain way of doing things and always doing it safe, watched quite a few of your videos now and have a good idea how you work so I try to guess what you need and which box its in quite fun really. Keep great videos coming, stay safe and God bless you from over here in England.
Thank you very much. I am truly glad that you enjoy my videos. God bless.
Didn't realize you were in Scott City until this video. I used to drive for MS Logistics which is the truck side of Mid South Wire there in Scott City. I mainly ran out of the Nashville terminal but would pop in Scott City from time to time.
Forgot your 3 toots before backing up. Love your channel
Te he! Impressive how strong Ron is, pulling the lift up by hand for the last bit .... BobUK
I love your videos! I have a lot of respect for you guys. I would love to operate a rotator some day
That was a work out Ron love to watch you do it right.
Keep up the good work. I injoy whiching ur videos.
Another excellent video. You make it look so easy that a 4 x 4 pick up should have been able to do the job (I jest). I found your channel two weeks ago tomorrow and at that time you have 410 subscribers. It looks like you have gained nearly 100 well deserved subscribers in the last two weeks. Keep up the good work.
Chain saw cabinet Shop . Thank you and yes it seems my channel is taking off all at once thanks to people such as you. I sincerely appreciate your viewing and commentary. Thank you.
Nice 👌 lol 😆
@@RonPratt yo I love your videos keep up the good work 👏
Your the best bro I watched all of them rn
Great work. Best regards from Germany.
Thank you so much and God bless.
Ive been watchin your vids for a week now, and its such a useful way to spend my time, ill sub :)
Leviathan Eldigren. Thank you
Ron, I wish I would have had a rotator when I was in buisiness but I am in a small town and would never have been able to afford the $750,000 for one. It would have made life so much easier for me. I did not have enough buisiness to pay for a rotator like yours. Most of the towing was smaller vehicles and any thing large enough to require a truck that large was owned by oilfield service companies who had their own haevy lift tow vehicles. A rotator would have been nice for recovering vehicles from ravines but I had to learn how to do it the hard way. I like watching your videos as they bring back fond memories from before I broke my back. I really miss the work and my neices really liked riding along.
Another complicated job that you made it look soooo easy.
One would think the guy who got it stuck should be the one dragging cable lol
Another job well done sir. Would not have had to hook back up if the man lift was a better operator.
That's what I like you didn't skip it , you let it record
Ron, I just love your videos. Such professional work, explaining the reasoning for each decision, checking safety equipment, ratings on charts. Very well done.
Can you comment on how your services are billed? Is there a visit fee plus an hourly rate for use of one truck? I've seen you bring out a flatbed truck for crashes too. I figure that is a second charge, as well. Most of these videos have been in the range of 1+ hours. But you may not get dispatched every day, so premium billing is obviously required.
Thank you very much for the compliments. As for our rate structure, I do not discuss our specific rates, because I believe that is confidential between us and our customers. I will say that we charge hourly for every piece of equipment with certain minimums. We also have a sliding rate structure that is based upon the level of risk involved. For example, working in a parking lot is not as dangerous as working on the interstate so the rates are different for the two locations. Hope this helps. Thanks and God bless.
You are doing a great job
I like the fact that you do not get mad at the people who you tow, I know that it would not help,
Sir Ron !! You sure like to do alot of walking !!! Good for health though!!! Keep the videos coming !!
Yep. Thanks for watching and God bless.
Love your videos ron have been watching them for days now! Love the trucks and your guys are awsome. Would love to have a hat too bad im in canada haha
Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoy the videos. We are working on trying to set up an online store. I know shipping into Canada can be a problem..... God Bless.
Love that truck!
What is the maximum operating range of the remote? And it is noted that the vertical weight of an item does not necessarily mean that the pull required to move it horizontally will be as much as that weight.
Are the winches powered by hydraulics or electricity?
Another marvelous video.
Thank you very much. God bless.
Hay Ron on the wheels of the Genie there is a cap the looks like a nipple. it has 2 bolts. 9/16 or 1/2. if you remove them and turn the over using the nipple to push the pin in.this will make it free wheel so you can pull at your winch speed. you can still hove some one in the basket to raise the basket and turn the wheels.
Leo
Advantage Towing LTD
Edson, Alberta. Canada
Leo L'Hirondelle. yes, Thank you. On this job I wanted him helping by spinning the tires. Thanks though
Down hill and no over head power lines good job my friend
GREAT JOB RON
Ron do your shackles, d-rings, clevis’s, cables, cable hooks etc have a life span for replacement for a certification or is it just until they don’t work anymore? Seems you guys do so much with them in heavy, stressful situations it could be dangerous & costly to wait for one to fail! Also does anyone in Midwest Truck have the level 3 certification from Tow Truck Association of America? Thanks for the videos. I’m “hooked”. Lol
I am wondering how long your cables are? What is the longest cable you can have on your truck? Great job!
The two main boom winch cables and the drag winch cable are all 250 feet long. That is the maximum length suggested by the winch manufacturer for those winches. If we need to reach farther we have extra lengths of cable that we can bring in on a rollback or a pickup truck. Thanks for watching and God bless.
I watch these videos on my iPad ,I keep moving the iPad closer and closer to my eyes I guess the closer I get I can get in there and help.
Also want to say I found your Channe fromI watching another Towing Channel Jonathan W down in North Carolina. He builds some cool rat rods and builds his own trucks witch i think is cool.
I hope you enjoy my videos and stick around to see where we grow from here. God bless
Another awesome job
You ar the best youtube ever
Thank you very much! God bless.
Good time to have cable tensioners. There's no fun in pulling cable bird's nests off a winch drum. I understand that Miller puts good tensioners on their heavy rigs.
David Sonnen. Yes they do. I perform constant maintenance and lubrication of my cables, which helps, but after a hard pull, the cables do get tightened on the drums. The only winch that I have difficulty with is the drag winch. I'm not sure why, but they ran the line out the bottom of the drum towards the front of the truck, then around a heavy, free-floating sheave and out to the rear of the truck where it run over another sheave mounted to the top of the under-reach assembly. The free-floating sheave doesn't always travel with the line properly and creates a nightmare on the drums. If there is one negative about this unit it would be, in my opinion, the poor design of the drag winch routing.
I was curious why you didn't use the dragline but now i know lol Great work sir, stay safe!
I'd say give your feed back to the manufacture about the drag winch problem. I am sure that they would appreciate the feed back and may come up with a way to improve yours.
Ron Pratt have you made this concern with Miller and their routing of the drag winch? All of the extra routing sounds like a nightmare.......
Hey Ron to make pulling the cables easier (sorta) leave then hooked to your trick then boom out and up to stay pulling out cable for you. That should get you 50 or so feet that you don't physically have to pull. Because as we all know the first 50 feet is sometimes hard to get started pulling. Just trying to help no criticism.
James Vaughan. Yep. Well aware of that one. Thanks though. Don't worry. I respect other people's opinions and suggestions. Everybody does things differently and I don't claim to know it all. So don't be afraid to make suggestions. I respool and lube my cables often to help preserve them and make them easier to pull. The best way is to bring along one of my younger, stronger employees and make them pull the cable....lol. Makes it a lot easier for me anyway.
Best way to get the cables out is to get someone else to do it for you :)
Even better, ask the driver of the platform to drive up the hill to you. :-)
SCNR
Before starting to move the aerial platform, you tensioned your two lines to bring them up off the ground. Do you have any idea how much tension (pounds) was required to get the cables up in the air?
i sure hope you have hearing protection on during all this heavy equipment work. both yours and theres i've watched quite a few of these videos (love them btw) and the decibel levels must be over damage threshold .
I do carry earplugs at all times, but when you are communicating with others, you can't hear them. We try to be cautious as much as we can. I am glad you enjoy the videos. God bless.
Enjoy your videos if you don't mind me asking what does the average service call with the rotator cost?
Another great job done.
That was a good job as always how far down was that thing stuck
Awesome job,👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🙏
Hi Ron ,Just wondered if you use digital tachographs in the US, I noticed at 2.18 in this video you pressed something on the top next to your cb, I have just retired from heavy haulage after 30 years behind the wheel,Mainly coal from the collieries to the power stations, Working as a owner operator I used a DAF XF 95 480 Chipped up to 550 HP,That`s the one on my picture,Great tool.
Some vehicles have digital. All are computer controlled now, but most still have the watch hand style gauges.
Under what circumstances do you ever drop the tag axle?
i have a question, when you hooked the hooks onto the clevis the hooks were facing up. just wondering if that is relevant to different types of pulling or personal choice. great video thanks
Actually, yes, there is a reason. On a horizontal pull, as I was performing here, you want the hook tip pointing up. In the event of hook failure, the pressure that is being applied to the hook will, theoritically, drive it down towards the ground rather than flying in the air, which greatly reduces the risk of injury. I hope this answered your question. Thanks and God bless.
Ron Pratt I have stressed this hook positioning for years, I always hook tip up like that. Good explanation.
I gotta say Ron your camera these days is much better than this one was
I've had and operated my share of boom trucks, cranes, knuckle and telescopic. When I heard you say leave it at 8%, I just scratch my head. I know your doing right by your truck, but we always had to use saddles for the booms and were told never to move it with out it being saddled and strapped. Because of pressure on the main hydraulic cylinder. Damaging the seals or stressing the turret. I just wonder why a rotator is different?
The big difference is that your booms are designed to be used while the truck is stationary and then the boom is unladen and stowed. Our booms are designed to carry the weight of the vehicle being towed while the truck is being driven down the road. The hydraulic systems have multiple redundancies to prevent the boom from falling in the event of hose failure. This is true whether it is an integrated boom towing/recovery unit or a separate under-reach/wheel-lift system like the rotator uses. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching and God bless.
Great video, as they all are. On difference I notice on the rotator compared to other videos, what are the red ribbons on the equipment doors for? It might be as prosaic as having serviced them and using this as a reminder you already did that door, but curious minds would like to know :P
I believe this was filmed during xmas, he usually does that on the handles and then a wreath on the engine grille
Worst thing about those lifts? So few know how to operate them. Any body thinks they can operate them. So any one every one jumps on em.
give me a tour of the tow truck gauges towing tools boom and all the compartments.
Your camera sure didn't like this area, or maybe the video is glitching but it keeps getting pixelated at 1080 and 720. But as always great work!
If you look back you'll see it's mostly when Ron is looking at the ground. RUclips has a limited datarate, and the way it compresses is by only storing differences from the previous frame. The sky, the Rotator, a truck, they're all quite large areas that with the same color, but gravel has a LOT of detail. ruclips.net/video/r6Rp-uo6HmI/видео.html explains it in a bit more detail if you're interested.
Great work Ron once again I was wondering why you didn't use your drag winch but I read the comments and now understand. Would using the drag more often make it easier as it's the one hardly ever being used? Keep safe as always
Brett Swampy. I plan on talking to Miller about it. I believe it has to do with their design on that free-floating sheave. As always, thanks for watching and for your input.
Hey ron on what side of the rotator or the flatbed do u ( as long as u got plenty of clearance ) fo u prefer to operate the controls on?
How much line do you have on the winches?
Hi Ron, how often do you have to change the winch cables?
As long as they are properly used and maintained they will last up to 10 years or more. We have had the Rotator for almost 3 years now and I have only had to change one of the five cables.....and that was only because I damaged the cable by not watching closely and allowing it to pass over a sharp edge. The cable did not break, but it severed several strands. It was enough that I did not want to risk using the cable. Thanks for watching and God bless.
Was it my headphones or was there only audio on the left channel?
I have driven peterbilts before but I don't understand why at 22:27 he pulled his brake then pushed it in again and hit a button on the dash? What button is he hitting that will hold the trucks brakes on? I've never seen such a switch.
This is a very specific system designed for towing/recovery vehicles. It is called a winching brake switch. It applies air pressure to all of the service brakes for added resistance during winching. In the old days I would have to jam a wrench under the brake pedal or place a prop stick to jam the brake pedal down. Now the builders have incorporated a simple switch to take care of that problem. The reason I released the brakes first was so that the tag/lift axle dropped to the ground. With the parking brakes set the lift axle automatically raises. By having the lift axle on the ground and applying the winching brake I am, again, adding more resistance to my truck which helps it stay in place on heavy pulls. Hope this answers your questions. Thanks for watching and God bless.
How many thought by the title it was going to be a fire truck?
I did lol down fall of having good friends that work a fire truck/apparatus shop
why is the under reach out flat as you are winching?
Very good video. As they all seem to be.
Is that truck custom made for you, or is it available off the shelf? Probably too big for UK roads I expect.
With all them extra steps u make make me tired just watchin u lol
ein Führer yea no joke. The man does some major walking 🚶♀️ up &. Down those job sites‼️😙💜
I like your shows
That looks to be about a 50-60 yard distance from the Tator to the lift. Not an easy pull on those cables.
Nice channel...... Just one question...... how far did you get BEFORE you realized you didn't close the front box on the passenger side.......from the way you keep your head moving looking in the mirrors I bet not far
Not far...lol. It happens. Oh well. Thanks for watching and God bless.
Robert Sandefur - you sir, are without a doubt, a very observant and detail oriented person Bob!!!
Saludo; Desde Zapopan Jalisco Mx.
This would be a great and safe use of giving the operator one of your walkies it would put in you a safer communication with him and save your voice. Also you need a shop grunt to ride along to help with the heavy lifting.
Just realized this video was 2 years old sorry for the old comment.
put in 4 wheel and boom towards front it would have come ought great vid
so why did you look to see how much cable you had on the spool can you not use all your cable?
That will get your heart pumped up
Great job.
Why not use the deck winch? Or that winch doesn't have enough line on the drum?
How about some type of cleat attachment you could put on the under reach, and press down with that .. seems like a lot of possible ground traction left on the table there!!
how about pull the boom in on thr vehicle being towed and turn it around put weight on rear wheels?
I'm planning on buying a emergency light setup like that on my car