Ron Pratt12 days ago

First, allow me to thank all those who were concerned for my safety in this video and those who gave constructive suggestions. Others may have missed part of the purpose of this video. In the video I pointed out the fact that there were things that I would have or should have done differently on this job. I also pointed out that I went on this job not completely prepared in the fact that I did not have my tire chains or my snow/ice cleats for the wheel lift to keep the truck from sliding. I also did not have salt on the truck. All of these things I normally carry on the truck during the winter months and they were put in the truck that same evening after I unloaded the car, before I left the shop. I was caught unprepared. I am not perfect. I am not always prepared. Nobody is perfect and nobody can be 100% prepared for any situation.... I persevered. I didn't give up. I recognized and overcame the obstacles before me. I learned from the experience and I took actions to correct the problems that I observed. To me, these were the things I hoped people would take from this video. We are all flawed and find ourselves unprepared, but we can overcome and learn from these experiences. Thanks for watching and God bless.

Timothy Ivins14 hours ago

Ron, I like ur video's keep them coming, I learn alot from watching u & ur crew be safe out their & please remember everybody slow down & move over

Timothy IvinsDay ago

I like ur video's Ron be careful & u & ur crew stay safe

Bruce ParrishDay ago

Wow what a good dash cam.

jerry83ismDay ago

Love the footage from the dashcam. It gives a much better view of the road than using the GoPro on the rear cab window. Glad you got the job done safely (given the difficult conditions & without chains). Looking forward to the next one Ron, keep up the good work

JUNIOR'S TOWINGDay ago

the cold and ice makes a huge difference. stay safe brother

Matthew Eberly2 days ago

I love the new dash cam what kind is it so can get one for my big rig and how is ur cousin doing after his fire last year

Justin Prestidge2 days ago

As a alabamian we do not know how to drive in Winter conditions. Even though it's probably a rental the Alabama car can't drive in the snow.

texaslstar2 days ago

Sometimes your caught in the middle of an effort and hindsight is always 20/20. Keep learning and moving forward! Get some hot chocolate and a hot shower... God bless you, your family and employees.

Daniel Harsh2 days ago

I am not sure that I would want you job.

Daniel Harsh2 days ago

You did learn a few things. I am happy that you survived.

MagentaRV2 days ago

I am pleased to see that you loaded all of the things missing after the run... I'd suggest perhaps a post-trip checklist to make sure everything is on the truck in the future BEFORE heading out. I know it can be a miserable task to do when you're exhausted and returning from a call, but you get used to it or find helpers. It's one of the things we HAD to do on the fire department every time we took a truck out to anything... That would sometimes mean after getting up with 2 hrs sleep at 2AM and staying on scene for 18 straight hours (small volunteer department lacking manpower) that I'd have to run that checklist... It sucked, but I was always happy to have everything the next trip.

MagentaRV2 days ago

I don't envy you... I've made similar recoveries from the ditch in front of my house in central Maine with my plow truck. It's sketchy and I often would take cover and watch when I saw people approaching...

Connie Ness2 days ago

Was the lighter car wedged and that's why it pulled the heavy truck to the side instead of the other way around?

Lunar Lone Wolf2 days ago

Little late to the party here, but holy fuck. Glad your okay. Your only human and got caught off guard. Hope you learn from this experience and keep moving forward with your head held high. Thank you for everything you do out there and continue being safe. (Edit. Just saw your comment on this. Glad you are making the right steps to avoiding similar problems. Just keep yourself safe.

Demicus Maximus3 days ago

Living in the north and driving a good car with good snow tires, I see that road and go "...oh hell no." That there is a widowmaker of a stretch of road.

Helene Johansson4 days ago

I love the new dash cam :) my guess it will be better in daytime with the sun glaring when you use the camera inside the truck. You did this rescue so quick despite the cold and the ice. Good Job!! :)

Tim Rock-It Saunders4 days ago

Thank God No Wreckers Were Harmed In The Making Of This Video.

Nutthaphong Napha4 days ago

26 minutes for showing new dash cam?

james rayner4 days ago

I like the dashboard camera I usually don't like watching the scenes where you do all the driving but with the dash camera i enjoy it

RazerHassan_YT4 days ago

It’s soo Cool to watch you and your workers work

Gladys Gheesling4 days ago

God Bless you always.....but that was a really scary one!

Trey McGehee4 days ago

I like the date and time stamp. And I like the dash cam angle

wendy jorge5 days ago

Really Like your New dash Cam. I was on edge my sit with this One, you need take someone with you Especially in winter at Night, I Always say Prayer Be Safe.

Nickel Hound5 days ago

At least you had some weight over your drive wheels on your way out.

Harold Schmidlap5 days ago

Dang habit, that made me nervous just watching from confort of home, I would have said, later. PJ in O-HI-O

JOSHUA M New Age Music5 days ago

44:40 Oh, the magic of reverse! It seems to summon cars out of thin air! Usually occurs n parking lots. I know I can be waiting on my wife for 30 minutes and not a single car will drive past behind me, but the split second I put it in reverse BAM cars.

Jared Alexander6 days ago

Nail biting content!

OddDee776 days ago

Your dash cam works great, awesome clear picture! Stay safe and blessed.

dray lorry cartage6 days ago

With all the police and fire departments going to a different radio system the cost of used two ways are low it might be worth it for nights like this. At the least you could call for help if needed

Carolyn Bonis6 days ago

Your life is more precious than that car.

Carolyn Bonis6 days ago

Oh my God! By yourself darn!

Brian Hourihan6 days ago

That one was a real....cliff hanger.

Keith Soderlund6 days ago

Are we there yet?? 😟😂

throttle bottle6 days ago

yikes! enough said :)

Dano C.6 days ago

You done good Ron Pratt!... Although, this was one of the bigger struggles I've seen you endure. Understandable, considering the conditions..

Dano C.6 days ago

At 26:41, it looks like slide marks to where the car actually slid a couple feet sideways as if it was going to go off the embankment before coming to a halt..

Ginny Roy6 days ago

I would have thought they would have had the police stay there seeing your in between a hill

Marc Sebright6 days ago

Ron, have you ever run into issues with bent or broken wheel spokes on aluminum wheels when doing side pulls? Just curious.

David Schweikhart6 days ago

This type of icy night job, by yourself, is always a bit dangerous, but I believe Jesus was watching over you. Is there any way you can carry at least some ice melter/sand/kitty litter with you in the winter on the flat beds? Of course, yes, chains would have been ideal. But, bless God you got out of there safely.🙏 👍👍

017394850126 days ago

Dashcam has a pretty good view - even at night... Is it difficult / intricate to change the "XXX"es next to the date in the lower left? If not maybe you could put there the info of the vehicle you use since you no longer don't see the inside of the cabin...

Species15716 days ago

Should have brought a bag of rock salt and treated the area where you were working.

Tina Butkus6 days ago

Hey Ron you should have had one of your crew with you on that call Should never be by yourself in a situation like this and at night and in those weather conditions brutal. !!! Stay safe and warm

Tina Butkus6 days ago

Hey Ron ! Just a word of advice for future ! Studded snow tires and chains would have helped

Tina Butkus6 days ago

Best of luck with this ! God and the angels are with you be careful

shaun fo6 days ago

Ron love the videos I lived in Michigan for over 10 and had Avery close friend the drove a wrecker for 15 years and he used to take the regular chains and lay them in an elongated circle then put his tires on them worked every time you might keep that in mind next time you are in this situation stay warm and stay safe and god bless

Stephen Ruff7 days ago

Darn that was a hairy moment as we say in the UK, great job though.

im dizzy7 days ago

So glad that you are safe and things worked out for you.

Steve Smith7 days ago

Counter-intuitive, but where possible, park over the edge of the road, in the fresh deep snow. It won't be compacted into an ice rink.

Damian Martinez7 days ago

Dealt with the same conditions down here in Texas of all places. We ain't use to snow and ice so keeping my wrecker on the road was a task. Good video Ron. Stay safe!

Michael Major7 days ago

Hard to believe you didn't call any traffic unit or put any signs or anything. I would not have done that job that night. It can wait.

aaron lane7 days ago

Quick question. On a rollback with a stinger i was told i had to put heavier vehicle on deck and smaller vehicle on stinger and not to use stinger with no vehicle on deck. What's the reasoning for that?

ben jordaan7 days ago

Jeez. Working with bad weather solo can br difficult.

Dan McDaniel7 days ago

IM SO GLAD YOU was easy on that Alabama hayseeds car....they done really good to get that far down that street for sure.... you on the OTHER hand need to try and remember to carry everything with you AT ALL TIMES SIR ......now you did make do with what you had .... thanks for the gravel on that side street ......... thats not always there tho SIR ,,,,,, thanks for a GREAT video and YES that dash cam is AWASOME ........ Dano in Bama

Kenneth Hume7 days ago

My worry was that if you had slipped and hurt yourself there was no one else there to get you assistance .

Cosmo Kramer7 days ago

Nice job Ron. Really not sure what all the hub-bub is about. You had a plan, tried it and it didn't work. You regrouped and came up with a second plan that did work. In the fire service we have a saying, "Adapt and overcome." That's what you did and what you always do. If this isn't a life lesson, I don't what is. Stay safe.

Rob Olsen7 days ago

What about dropping the wheel life and using it to get a purchase on the asphalt?

leebyrd127 days ago

I wouldn't put my SLED out on roads like this

port starboard7 days ago

soooooo lucky the dirt road was across from the car !!!

port starboard7 days ago

hmmm @ 41:00 i dont know why even touching that car wouldnt begin its careening down the gorge with your truck if hooked up

F B8 days ago

I have to give you a new name Ron (Dangerman) One of the most exciting videos ,I was trying to slowdown without touching my brakes on. Hard earned dollar's on that job.

IICLUII8 days ago

I know this is an odd thing to take away from this very long and unnerving video but I'm loving the dashcam! It shows so much more and has a much better picture inside the vehicle. Funny thing, I was just thinking on the last video I managed to catch, that I wish you would get a dashcam and stop using go-pros for inside the vehicles. Good choice.

Tom Dyer8 days ago

In the UK we would have probably left it there until the conditions improved as it was off the road and not causing a hazard or obstruction, and certainly left it until daylight. That dashcam is good, however it's one of those that records a couple of frames of overlap between each file, so when you stitch them together in your video editor you get a tiny bit of looped footage.

Brian Elsner8 days ago

Been watching you for some time, almost feel like I could do your job (don’t want to so no worries). Not a fan of the new camera location... like to see the cab so I can tell that truck you’re in and your point of view at as you pull it to the recovery, kind of makes it feel like we are there with you. Great content 👍👍

Tim McGinnis8 days ago

You absolutely have to love a Missouri ice storm mixed with snow.

Caleb Myers8 days ago

I'm always praying for you guys who are out there especially at night.

michael haiden8 days ago

Dern Ron I thought you were a newbie

Kevin Humphrey8 days ago

Another thing you could have done, is put slight pressure down with the wheel lift to give you more ground contact it might help. During this storm we brought truck mud flaps with us if it was going to be a hard pull we put them under the wheel lift to act like a giant tire. It helped a lot actually

DeeKay6178 days ago

Honestly for that one , I would have tilted the bed so the landing gear was on the ground also with the wheel lift just resting on the ground then put the snatch block at the end of the bed and pulled it from the side like that . I wonder if that would have been enough to keep the truck on the road . Stay safe Ron ! 👍 .. I always end up commenting before the end of videos lol . Glad you set up the truck the way you did at the end . Great stuff ! I have learned great things on how to be a better operator from watching you .!

Roxianna Roses8 days ago

Hope you are safe with all that Snow and Ice that we got from that Winter Storm last week. I seen a few Rotator Trucks working this past month and half because of the 18 Wheelers. I seen HJ Rotators working in Oct. 26 2020 thinking of your two Rotators that you own. Their really cool in person and watching them work. Stay safe Ron and may your job let you relax.

CarsTrucksWhatever8 days ago

Considering what the car was in or on the side of it didn't look like there's much damage

David Sonnen8 days ago

Ron, you just need a good set of wheel chocks. Something like a Cat D8 or two. That looked like a situation that needed to wait for spring. Be careful out there.

Andee Kaydot8 days ago

The video quality, I mean the night vision of the new dashcam, is really, really good! The cab view, on the other hand, where you can even watch rear view mirrors and driver actions, gives more an impression of actually riding in that truck, despite some possible obstruction of view. So, what about a test fixing the new dash cam to the back of the cab?

Joel Varney8 days ago

Maybe just me, but I like watching the workings on the inside of the wrecker. I like the camera on the back window better.

TowMan1278 days ago

Another job done! Glad you got it done and got back safe! 🤜🤛

Phillip Newton9 days ago

What's the farthest you've had to go to get to a job?

TheHealthyDonut9 days ago

I admire how humble you are Ron, I can guarantee that most youtubers would never upload a video showing a mistake they made, and even if they did upload it, it surely would be edited out. The fact that you showcase your mistake like this has given me hope that there are still good-hearted, humble people out there. Stay safe out there my friend.

Richard Driggers9 days ago

Heu buddy I always watch your videos from beginniing to end. You had me sitting on the edge of my chair and I was talking to the big guy to take care of you and keep you safe

Richard Driggers9 days ago

Ron, you mentioned not having any help. You, being a man with a strong Christian faith, should recognize that you had plenty of help our there on that dark slick icy road. Who do you think kept any cars from coming throu when you had the tow cable about 15 inches off the ground pulling that car across the road. It's my firm conviction you had the best help in the world. God bless and stay safe Ron.

Dave Birch9 days ago

Ron, another job well done brother. While mistakes were made, you did EXACTLY what every good tow operator worth his salt does...you improvised and you overcame. You got the job done with what you had at hand and the only people that will bash you for your mistakes are the ones that don’t have a clue because they’ve never been there. During my tow career we found ways to make every job work and we never left any vehicle stuck. My boss was a bit of a pack rat and always had old scraps of carpet laying around the shop because “it’s better than laying on the concrete floor to work on the trucks” and we always had some in the truck as well. When I asked him why, his answer was importantly simple...”when you’re winching in 30 below and you’re on ice with no place to anchor and truck is sliding...do you want to put on chains, or do you want to put that carpet under your wheels and get the job done?” I used my carpets a lot in the winter! Keep doing what you do Ron, stay safe brother!

Brian Arundell9 days ago

Ron, You appear to be getting dazzled by oncoming traffic .... Are your headlights adjusted correctly?

Richard Driggers9 days ago

Ron, way too much driving time shown in this vid.

Thomas Reed9 days ago

Are we there yet??

Robert Duffy9 days ago

HI nice dash cam . Be safe !

James Wilkinson9 days ago

Know how you feel dealing with that weather I'm a truck driver and I got stuck in Texas my 15 years driving a truck its worst I've ever seen it

macgvrs9 days ago

I am again reminded of just how much work it is to do what you guys do, even on simple recoveries, and frequently under pretty rotten conditions. I am grateful that so many are willing to do what you do. We who have needed your services are very happy you all are there.

Nemesis 8519 days ago

It was probably a LITTLE bit more calming, knowing there was a truck STOPPED at the Guardian Angel (in turn stopping others behind)

Graywolf gaming9 days ago

Keep the rubber on the ground Ron!!! Some folks dont understand comitment to your customers like I do burning hot or freezing cold they need you. Is it safe? Mostly not but you do your best to minimise the risks I applaud you for it. However I dont have your issues on my channel its gaming .... If they ever do a towing game I'll feature you bro LOVE your work kepp it up and stay safe.

Steve Mclain9 days ago

Yup they will do it !

Chemi Cantu9 days ago

Wow!! This is unbelievable!

Michael Wilkening9 days ago

If this was the last snow storm 02/15 I heard from Kendals towing that the sheriff was forbidding recovery of any vehicle that wasn't a threat to traffic. If the car wasn't in the path of traffic and off in a ditch they were told to leave it to daytime. Why in the heck did you risk your life and truck for a car? If people were trapped yes then go out in these conditions. For a car? You have a lot more dedication to your job than I would. I would have said call me after the sun comes up and the plows have gone thru. You know the idiots in 4x4 still are driving up and down A road doing 50 mph even in these conditions. That night I almost ping ponged my car coming over the Osage river bridge on 54 outside of Osage Beach and I have lots of experience in bad weather. Driving that night in -zero degree temp was just crazy.

Kevin Thornton9 days ago

You are in the back roads

Peterbilt3794life9 days ago

nice dash cam keep it rolling love the long rides to wherever you go

Ralph Yarn9 days ago

You Are a "PRO"! Just a thought from up far east of you, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Would a big bag of "Speedy-Dry"/Absorb-All"/ Dried clay cat litter" not the clumping kind, been of any help to you in that type of situation? (I did not read all the comments so it may have been mentioned.) The product is hard and sharp for traction,light weight, relatively cheap, natural to the environment and just might do in a slippery pinch. Under your wheels it might have given to the edge you needed. Just a thought, I know that you really do know your business. I'm an old, retired paramedic, and I learned some tricks from the firefighters and tow truck operators over the ancient decades. Stay safe out there! Lord bless, Pastor Ralph

Don C9 days ago

Hey Ron, what is the music you use in the video that you play after you’ve picked up the car when you’re rolling out back to the shop. I could swear I’ve heard it in a movie somewhere and I can’t place it, it’s driving me nuts can you please reply and tell me what it is? Thank you.

Jhon Ditch9 days ago

yes Gravity rules! I see they just slid off the crown of the road, sideways.

Matt In Illinois9 days ago

Two main things I learned from this video: If I ever need a tow and am at the bottom of two hills, I'll tell the towing company to bring extra vehicles to setup on each hilltop. Second is Alabama people can't drive in the snow and ice LOL.

Jhon Ditch9 days ago

yes I am 'that ditch' and damned proud of it.

Jhon Ditch9 days ago

dash cam look good

william fleming9 days ago

This is the one thing that always scares me in the winter doing recovery but I drive a garbage truck during the week and always keep bags of salt on my garbage truck and I know if it’s gonna be shitty I keep one on the flatbed for the time u walked to put guardian angel and getting ready I would have thrown salt the whole way around the truck and car and would have helped I know it’s not much but if it gets a 20+ ton garbage truck getting unstuck or avoid being stuck or sliding I know it will help with flatbed on a recovery