Ad Index

August 2017

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4 State Trucks (Bawer Tool Boxes) 53 Access Tools 61 Advantage Funding 79 Agero 67 Airtow Trailers 24 Akins Body & Carrier Sales 65 Allstate Roadside Services 57 Anchor Graphics 82 American Wrecker Sales N 96 Atlanta Wrecker Sales W 100 Atlantic Emergency Solutions N 94 Austin Hinds Motors W 91 Austin Insurance W 92 Auto Data Direct 84 AutoReturn 58 AW Direct 54 B/A Products 2 B & Z Sales S 93 Beacon Software 73 BudgetGPS 56 C3LS S 93 Chevron Commercial 81 Crouch’s Wrecker Equip. & Sales 63 CTech Manufacturing N 91, M 93 Danco Products 22 Deep South Wrecker Sales 28 Driveline Buddy 78 Dual-Tech Wreckers & Carriers 73 Dynamic Towing Equip. & Mfg. 57 East Coast Truck & Trailer N 92, 93 eimpound.com 76

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Elizabeth Truck Center 75 Etnyre/Commercial Trucks of Florida 56 Futura Trailers 27 G. Stone Commercial N 95 Ginn Carrier & Wrecker Sales 71 Hino of Fort Pierce Florida 78 Hot Shot's Secret 26 HUB International 54 Intek Truck Eq. Finance & Lease 28 ISC Coverage N 96 Isuzu Commercial Truck 5 Jerr-Dan Corp. back cover Kalyn Siebert 34 Kenworth of South Florida 85 Manufacturer Express 79 Matheny Motor Truck 59 Matjack Jumbo Safelift 32 McMahon Truck Center M 91 Midwest Regional Tow Show 29 Miller Industries 7 New England Truckmaster N 95 Nitro Motor Sports 84 North American BanCard 25 Northeast Wrecker Sales N 94, S 95 OMG National 71 Pacific General Insurance Agency M 95 Prime Industries 62 Progressive Commercial 13 pdvWireless W 92 Ranger SST 33 Recovery Billing Unlimited 53

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Rick’s Truck & Equipment Rochester Truck

66 N 91

R.P.M. Equipment

W 95 Rush Truck Center W 96 Sanderson Truck Equipment 27 Santander Bank inside back cover Santex Wrecker Equip. Sales 77 Savatech 21 Sea Crest Insurance Agency 76 Select Truck & Equipment M 95 Smyrna Truck Center S 91 Specialty Vehicle & Equip. Funding 23 Spill Tackle W 94 SteelTow Insurance S 91 Steck Mfg. 83 The Tow Academy 85 Towbook Management Software 3 TowExpo - Dallas W 97,98, 99 Tow Industries W 93 TowMate 53 Triple K Industries 83 Truck Body Sales W 94 Urgent.ly 81 Utility Trailer Sales S.E.TX W 93 VTS Systems 51 Warn Industries 75 WorldClass Insurance Service 66 Worldwide Equipment Sales 55 Worldwide Eq. Sales of California W 100

AT Expo Corporate Sponsors

Modest Beginnings for Industry Leader

Soaring Growth at B/A Products is a Family Success Story

by Henri “Doc” Calitri

It sits innocuously at the bottom right corner on page 76 in the company catalog with the notation: Part 1-1. It’s been there from the beginning; if it could talk, it would tell a story of family values and an American business success. When Mel Berman and his wife, Enid, opened B/A Products in 1978 in Hollywood, Fla., a tow sling rubber belt replacement (Part 1-1) was their first product. Back then the sling was the key feature on tow trucks in towing cars and trucks. Their first business address was as non-descript as the product they manufactured. “It was this dinky little storefront next to a country-western bar,” said daughter Lori Berman-Kauffman.

B/A Products founders Mel and Enid Berman at a racing event in the 1960s.

(from left) Fritz Dahlin, Chip Kauffman, Lori Berman-Kauffman, Enid Berman and the late Mel Berman.

“We have seen a growth of more than

265 percent since 2008...”

“My father saw a lot of junk products out there, having been involved with cars all his life,” she said. Today, Lori is president of the company. “He saw too many accidents involving friends over the years and he wanted to create a safer towing community and safer, betterquality products.” Using a solitary belt cutter and a hand drill, Mel bought rolls of rubber belting and hand-made the first tow sling replacement belt and launched the “Best Available” towing products company, hence the name B/A Products. With more than 2,000 parts in the 116-page catalog, that sling belt still lives today. “We may be the only people still selling this product,” said Chip Kauffman, laughing. Chip is executive VP and Lori’s other half. The replacement strap was a big hit and other products soon followed, like chain assemblies and a portable air tank that Mel designed for fixing flat tires on the roadside. Growth took Mel and Enid to a larger facility: a one-bay, 1,000-sq.-ft. garage in Davie. Practical business decisions—cutting shipping times and the costs associated with longer shipping distances—brought them to Columbia, Md., in 1984; it was an area Mel

knew well that was centrally located to many of their customers. The new facility was 6,600-sq.-ft. “Dad thought this was going to be more than enough for us to operate the company,” Lori said. Lori and brother-in-law Fritz Dahlin joined the company then, with Lori taking over the top job in 1986. The company continued to grow and add products along the way. All this was happening with no salesmen on staff. That all ended when Chip Kauffman joined the company in 1998 with a business background he describes as “a chain salesman all my life.” He jokingly said he took a pay cut to join his now wife Lori in the business.

Since then, business has taken off beyond even their wildest dreams. Today, B/A Products has grown to be housed in a 78,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and manufacturing facility with more than 100 employees. While towing is still the main product category, the company has diversified into other markets like farming, fire and rescue, truck equipment and auto transport. “We have seen a growth of more than 265 percent since 2008. It has been a great ride,” said Chip. If you walk into the parts department of a towing distributor, there is an “excellent chance you will see the B/A Products logo on their parts shelves,” said Chip. Kauffman has added a strong sales staff that now numbers 13, eight on the inside and five outside. “We don’t really have customer-

We realized how

important our

company is to our

employees and

how important it

was to have a

plan for the future.

B/A Products “will always be one that works for the towing industry,” said Chip Kauffman.

service personnel; all our sales people work with their customers. We don’t want order-takers. We want to develop and maintain customers,” Chip said. As time has marched on, Chip, 59, and Lori, 56, were seeing possible retirement on the horizon and knew they needed a succession plan. “We realized how important our company is to our employees and how important it was to have a plan for the future. We needed to implement an estate planning-type program,” said Lori. “We also knew to go to the next level, we were only limited by time, energy and resources,” Chip said. “We had discussed this between us for quite some time and we knew we needed to find a company to guarantee the B/A Products brand is around another 80 years. We owed that to our employees and their families, as well as to the towing industry, in particular.” Enter the Chicago, Ill.-based The

Heico Cos., a privately held company in its second generation of ownership with more than $2.6 billion in revenue from 36 companies. Heico held many of the same family values and business practices that shaped B/A Products. Overtures from Heico, as well as others, began four years ago. “Some didn’t have the same management structure that The Heico Companies implements, which is letting each one of its entities operate autonomously, and gives them the resources and other assistance to grow the business,” Chip said. On June 30, B/A Products entered its next phase with its acquisition by The Heico Cos. for an undisclosed amount. For Lori, Chip and the rest of the company’s management, it means they now have the resources to take the company on another growth spurt. “We could double our business within the next five years or so,” Chip said. Both Chip and Lori said they will be with B/A for the “foreseeable future;” though retirement is in their future plans. “This company will always be one that works for the towing industry, looking out for the men and women whom we have come to know and be a part of the B/A family,” Chip said, with emotions rising on his face. “It is an exciting time for all of us, but it is important to us that this philosophy and business integrity we have instilled in our company never stops.”

This was never more evident than what is happening on our nation’s roadways. With more and more towers being killed assisting disabled motorists—averaging more than one per week—Chip and the staff felt an obligation to do something about building national awareness of the Move Over laws. First came a public service video they produced. It is available to view on YouTube and on the company website. In February 2016, Chip contacted American Towman Editor-in-Chief Steve Calitri to see if there was a way the two companies could team up to accomplish even more. Soon after the Spirit Ride program was announced aimed at including the towing industry as the catalyst for the public relations effort. To date, more than 200 towers have signed on to carry the symbolic Spirit casket across the country through 2,000 villages, towns and cities. “It is the largest undertaking in the history of the towing industry,” Calitri said. (See additional Spirit Ride coverage on pages 14-19.) “Not only is it an honor to be a part of this tremendously important project, it just may be the most important thing we do in our lives,” Chip said. “If we can save just one life, it is worth it all.”

This company will

always be one

that works for the

towing industry.

About the author

Henri “Doc” Calitri is president of American Towman Expo Corp.

Getting Down the Why Tow It, If You Don’t Have To? Road Road

When it comes to increasing the bottom line in towing, sometimes the answer is … hauling. For lots of companies, adding a trailer to your available equipment is a key component in expanding your customer base. It’s not as easy as just buying a trailer though; you need to have a plan for what you want to do and how you’ll use it. The manufacturers AT talked to for our story on lowboy trailers in the March 2015 issue agreed that towers must know what they plan to haul and where they plan to haul it. After that, the right salespeople can help you find the right trailer solution for your business. From the tow boss’s perspective, getting that first trailer will take some research and justification, but the jump to more trailers may come fairly easily. More than one owner has said that their hauling business built quickly after customers, and potential customers, saw their trailers running equipment down the road. “Business built up for our trailers because people saw us hauling equipment down the road,” said Chuck Anderson, owner of Nolte’s Towing in Oshkosh, Wis. He does a lot of

by Brendan Dooley

Kalyn Siebert's Hydraulic Removable Gooseneck trailers are designed to maximize your capacity and handle the demands of challenging load conditions from 35 tons to 65 tons.

Talbert’s 4053TA traveling-axle trailer has a 40-ton hauling capacity, 36” loaded deck height, increased keyholes and 7-degree load angle.

Trail-Eze trailers have differing configurations, capacities and are customizable to fit the customer’s wants and needs. Extreme Green TE100DGBUS trailer pictured.

Landoll’s Traveling Axle 400A Series includes a redesigned control panel, reduced valves and hoses, a hi-vis lighting package and more.

hauling of equipment and chassis for truck manufacturers Oshkosh and Pierce, as well as other smaller companies around town. “We haul for a lot of rental companies and dealers; we do a lot of construction equipment—taking stuff to sites or getting equipment that breaks down and bringing it back to the shop,” Anderson said. “Other towing companies know then we have these trailers, and they’ll call us because they know we have it, or recommend their customers call us because we have what’s needed.” In his company’s March 29, 2017, e-newsletter, Nick Testa, president of Nick’s 24-Hour Towing Service, wrote about some extensive equipment hauling his company did for New York state. The project was the building of the new Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River (about 25 miles north of Manhattan). “We were dispatched to what will be the new Tappan Zee Bridge with our tractor and Fontaine detatch trailer,” Testa wrote. “Upon arrival a crane lifted and loaded us with a disabled concrete pump. Once we tied the machine down, we transported it to New Jersey where our rotator tow truck met us to offload the disabled pump for repair. “When the repair was completed we repeated the process in reverse; we loaded and transported the machine back to the new span of the bridge and awaited a crane to offload us. We performed this trip several times. These pumps were brand new but working especially hard night and day pumping concrete and had to be brought in for routine maintenance.” Anderson said the trailers are important to have to free up tow trucks for other calls, especially when the call is to move a piece of equipment that’s still running. “Trailering a lot of that equipment makes sense vs. towing everything,” he said. “A lot of the equipment runs and moves on its own, so it doesn’t pay to tow it. … For stuff that runs and is under height, there’s nothing is on the ground, no driveshafts, nothing is dragging going down the road. Using a trailer for these calls is less effort for us and we don’t have to tie up a tow truck to do it. “With a trailer you can drive (the equipment) on, or winch it on, tie it down and you’re off down the road.” And isn’t getting hooked up and down the road as efficiently as possible what it’s all about?

Power Take-Off Fundamentals

by David A. Kolman

Apower take-off is basically an extension of a vehicle’s drivetrain. It is a mechanical gearbox that attaches to apertures provided on truck transmissions. PTOs are used to transfer the power of the vehicle engine to auxiliary equipment: winches, compressors, booms, etc. Because a power take-off has to be able to transmit a sufficient amount of power to operate the particular piece of auxiliary equipment, PTOs are available in many sizes and with various capabilities to meet output requirements. Specifying the appropriate PTO for the intended application, and then having it properly installed and maintained, results in a number of benefits. Among them: • A lengthy, productive lifecycle with optimal operation. • Minimal vehicle downtime. • Lower overall cost.

Best Practice

A best practice for analyzing any PTO application is to follow these 11 steps: 1. Know the make and model of the transmission that will get a PTO. This is important because a PTO essentially serves as an extension of a vehicle’s transmission and transmits its power to the output shaft. The transmission’s make and model number can be found on the manufacturer’s tag on the transmission itself. With a new vehicle, this is on the build sheet. Your local truck dealer may be able to identify the transmission through the Vehicle Identification Number. 2. What type of equipment is to be driven by the PTO? 3. What is the input horsepower required by this piece of equipment? A PTO’s horsepower is directly proportional to the output shaft rpm. The faster it turns, the more horsepower produced. The formula to determine the horsepower is torque x rpm ÷ 5,252. Power take-offs are typically rated according to torque capacity. In simple terms, torque is the amount of force needed to make something move or run. Torque is directly related to horsepower and rpm. A PTO’s torque rating is constant, regardless of how fast the output shaft is turning. Torque is the limiting factor. If torque loads are too large for too long, the PTO can be damaged. The formula to calculate torque is horsepower x 5,252 ÷ rpm. 4. Determine the desired input speed of the driven equipment. 5. Determine the approximate engine speed desired during operation of the equipment. This speed can increase, decrease or directly transfer the speed needed to move the equipment to be driven by the PTO. As such, the relationship is figured as a percentage of the desired engine speed during the PTO duty cycle. The formula to determine this is: Equipment speed ÷ engine speed = PTO speed. 6. Determine the PTO direction of rotation of the device being driven in relation to direction of engine rotation. There are two directions: • Engine. The driven equipment rotates clockwise. • Opposite the engine. The driven equipment rotates counterclockwise. A geared adapter, which adds a gear set, can be used to change the rotation. Another alternative is to use a PTO that has forward and reverse gears. When considering a PTO’s direction of rotation, spec the PTO looking from the rear of the truck to the front of the truck. The driven equipment is spec’d looking from the front of the truck to the rear of the truck. 7. What will be the type of connection between PTO and the driven

Muncie Power Products’ CS6 Series clutch-shift PTOs (munciepower.com/cs6) have 19 transmission input gears designed to fit most popular automatic and manual transmissions. The CS6 features Muncie’s patented drag brake that prevents shaft rotation in off mode. Parker Chelsea’s new 249 Series (parker.com) has a patent-pending Noise Suppression System designed to be the quietest PTO applications for Ford Super Duty Trucks. The 249 Series also is designed for ease of installation through a single hose connection and an integrated cartridge valve and pressure switches.

equipment: driveshaft (remote) or direct-mount pump flange? 8. Where will the PTO be mounted on the transmission: left, right, top, bottom or countershaft? 9. Will the PTO duty cycle be intermittent or continuous? Intermittent duty cycles are considered those that last for less than five minutes at a time a few times a day. For intermittent operations, the torque requirements of the driven equipment can be determined using this formula: T = HP x 5,252 ÷ PTO output rpm. Continuous-duty applications reduce the PTO’s torque and horsepower ratings. If these are miscalculated, the lifespan of the PTO will be less than expected. If the torque requirements are continuous—more than five minutes operation every 15 minutes—multiply the torque figure by 0.7. The result will be the torque required for continuous operation. 10. Determine if the PTO will need speeds or reverse-gear requirements. 11. What is the method by which the PTO will be engaged? PTOs can be engaged by means of a cable, air pressure, electric solenoid or hydraulic pressure. Never hesitate to contact a truck dealer, OEM or PTO supplier for assistance and guidance with selecting and properly maintaining a power takeoff.

AT Chassis Editor David Kolman is a multifaceted trucking trade journalist with experience in print, online and broadcasting. He has hosted trucker television and radio programs and helped write trucking industry documentaries and video programs.

Wreckers Highlight Hawkeye ATHS Show

by John Gunnell

The American Truck Historical Society’s (aths.org) annual national convention in Des Moines, Iowa, this May attracted a record 1,269 trucks from across the country, filling the 600-acre Iowa State Fairgrounds with trucks small and large. On the small side was a 1939 Ford 1.5-ton snub-nose COE wrecker that Vander Haag’s brought from its corporate museum. With its 1930s artdeco bodywork, this short wheelbase unit spent its working life at the South Side Junk Yard (Phone 268) in Sanborn, Iowa. It features a Ford flathead V-8, a four-speed gearbox and a two-speed rear axle. A three-ton hand-cranked Weaver Auto Crane did the heavy lifting. The truck wracked up 93,143 miles of use. The South Side Junk Yard became Vander Haag’s in the late ’60s, when the company moved from Sanborn to Spencer. Vander Haag’s has been around some 75 years and deals in service work and new, used and remanufactured truck parts. Its used truck lot offers Freightliner, International, Peterbilt, Volvo, Kenworth, Sterling trucks and new and used trailers. Parked not far from the Ford was an Iowa-built Hawkeye truck fitted with an even older Weaver Auto Crane owned by C&H Truck Parts of South Sioux City, Iowa. That’s the city where Hawkeyes were manufactured between 1916 and 1933 (until the Great Depression took it out). These trucks ranged in size from 1ton to 3.5 tons, and often employed four-cylinder Buda engines, although

With its snub nose, short wheelbase and big streamlined gondola, this Ford COE came in handy around the junkyard.

A lot of wood was used in the construction of early Hawkeye trucks. This one has been outfitted with a hand-cranked Weaver Auto Crane.

Tom Brong brought his1975 Peterbilt 359 from McHenry, Ill.

G&S has been doing towing and recovery work in the Des Moines area for 24 years.

Tough-looking 1957 White is what the owner himself describes as a “rat rod tow truck.” It wasn’t cuddly, but it was cool. Hercules six-cylinder models were offered in the 1930s, when the fours switched to Wisconsin engines. Early Hawkeyes used a lot of wood in their construction. Compared to these two nicely restored trucks parked inside a fairgrounds building, Barry Reynold’s 1957 White Motors heavy-duty tow truck parked outside was eye-catching because of its battle scars and hard-earned patina. On his window card, the Knoxville, Iowa, resident described the faded red wrecker as a “rat rod.” Supplying power to the rough-around-the-edges classic White was a Caterpillar diesel that had been bolted in to replace the original “White Mustang Power” engine still called out on a hood badge. G&S Service has been a specialist in the vehicle-recovery business in Des Moines since 1993. Their tow truck carries a hand-painted flame job on the hood, grille and fenders, and a hefty Holmes wrecker behind. Big rig wreckers at the ATHS Convention included Tom Bronge’s 1975 Peterbilt 359 from McHenry, Ill., Ernie Vole’s 1971 Pete out of Vernon, Ill., the American Towing Kenworth out of Ruston, Iowa, and Decker Truck Line’s bright yellow and red 1979 Peterbilt 359 from Fort Dodge, Iowa. Virtually no two tow trucks in the show were anywhere near the same. The stories about the history of a particular tow truck or the way it was