To Drag or Not Drag

John Wight owns Big Red Towing in Syracuse, N.Y. The company was established in 2003 and although it has been around for a decade it has four decades of experience behind it in Ron Pullen, the company’s operations manager, who has been in the towing and recovery industry since 1971.Pullen is a dedicated professional who takes great pride in his chosen profession and has taken every opportunity he can to educate himself and others. Ron is a WreckMaster trainer, has been involved with WreckMaster since 2002 and continues to devote much of his time to education and training.In early 2009, Big Red was called by a trucking company to recover a rolled over tractor and dump trailer combo in the high-end neighborhood of Lysander, N.Y.“The dump trailer was loaded with boulders to be used as a retaining wall. We had done a tow for the company before and they knew we had the right equipment and experience to handle the job,” Pullen said.Ron drove out to the scene in a 2007 Peterbilt with a Century 1060 rotator, and operator Glenn Mears in a 1999 International Paystar with a Century 9055 SP850.“With the 1060 and a 9055 SP850, we had the best of both worlds. I tow with the 1060 almost every day, it is very tow friendly,” Pullen said.Also on hand were Brian Stewart as a rigger and Howard “Scooby” Eagan, the lead instructor and course founder of Big Truck Rescue. Besides experience, he always brings his unique sense of humor and moral support to any job he assists. In an industry full of characters, Scooby is indeed an original.“He was there for the entertainment value,” joked Pullen.“This is a very nice house and a well-landscaped piece of property,” Pullen said. “Landscape and pool workers were installing a new in-ground pool spa. The trailer load of rocks and a tree had come down onto a neighbor’s property when the dump trailer tipped over. Ninety percent of the rock were out of there when we arrived. The owner of the property was very concerned that no further damage would be done to his or his neighbor’s well-manicured yards.”Mats were already placed on the lawn for the cement truck to drive on and the Big Red crew was told not to make any heavy turns on the lawn.“They allowed us to drive past the mixer with no sharp turns. The owner and his kids were on the front porch watching the entire recovery process,” Pullen said.It was decided to place the 1060 at front to do the lift and the 9055 at the rear.“With the Miller drag winch option on the rotator, we were able to hold and secure the tractor from going over any further while lifting the dump trailer. Having a drag winch on a rotator is a valuable tool for recovery work,” Pullen said. “The rotator we are using is equipped with a 50,000-pound DP planetary drag winch, and as far as I am concerned, it is the best enhancement that you can have on a recovery unit. The drag winch allows us to winch independently to the boom so we can hold something while pulling it. Having drag winch adds extra versatility to any recovery unit and is perfect when working in close quarters.”The rotator had enough reach to go over the top of tractor to the dump back to be able to lift it as not to frag it on the lawn. The owners wanted the least amount of damage to the property. The 9055 spiked the rear of the dump trailer to start the upright process.For a more in-depth look at this technically involved recovery, see the November 2013 issue of American Towman magazine.