Back when I was a kid and worked for a tow company You used to carry a 4 ft long 4x6 that you could set across the frame rails when picking up a plastic bumperd vehicle with a wrecker It might work might not but it did back in the day Love the videos
Matt back in the day we used to throw an old tire between the sling and the bumpers; this was in the late 70s early 80s when plastic bumpers first started making an appearance.
Yea that was mine damage to the bumper is very minimal thanks MORR. FYI less than a mile up that same road is a sweet turn around spot but I didn't figure you'd get around it thanks again
Seeing your boy ride in the back, makes me think you could easily make some jump seats, maybe easily removable with 2" receiver type setup, on the back of the wrecker for hauling a couple more people in good weather. Next time your UPS guy stops by ask to see his folding jump seat they use for driver helpers during peak season for inspiration
tom tom is a great addition to the team. him being on camera doesn't even phase him and he knows a bit of everything. he seems like matts best friend too lol. love videos with him. let him drive the wrecker one of these days!!
tom reminds me a lot of folks I grew up with on farms. You learn to be pretty good at just about everything, but not quite a pro at any of them. Then you also know to call a pro when needed, then learn from that pro when they're helping you out.
I was waiting for a high five after Tom said “because we haven’t been taking it on any” the way the camera backed up. Such a moment. Great cinematography
Towing tip: when towing something that you don’t want to crush the bumper, place a 4x4 up under the front for the chains to ride on. That’s what I do when towing something like that. Just a tip! Have a great weekend!
I'm surprised Matt's crew doesn't do that.... It's standard practice for sling-towing. I remember how much I hated towing Corvette's! Also, an air bag can come in handy to lift/create space...
@@bobsullivan5714 if youre going to make your bumpers from plastic it kinda deserves to be ruined... i put a 66 mustang driver door into a tree at 50. yanked it out with a truck and i drove it home. my truck had a diamond plate bumper, some lady rear ended me in a parking lot destroyed her car, i didn't even feel her hit me
Matt, I just wanted for you to know that your videos helped me save a young family’s life today. We were coming back from the San Juans wheeling with my family heading towards Denver. There was this mini van with a blown up engine blocking a lane on the highway. The family was young with a baby. I slid under there no recovery points. With no thinking I knew I needed to make a bridle and go to the A arms.
you always get them out I have a suggestion I drove wrecker for years many years ago when they first started those plastic bumpers we used to carry a 4x4 long enough to span the frame set it behind the bumper under the frame rails it helps take the load off the bumper
My son worked on the SLC light rail from 2007-2012. We'd drive up from Phoenix at least twice a year to visit. Saw a lot of Utah on I-15 and SR89. Even went all the way to Bear Lake with Him and his family. Absolutely beautiful state. From SLC west to Wendover, not so much. North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Kanab, not so much. Everything in New Mexico South of Albuquerque, not so much. Phoenix to Yuma or Blyth not so much.
I think you need to keep some moving blankets in the wrecker. Take a small blanket fold it once or twice and put it between the bumper and the straps. That should help to save the bumper. Also when you're working under a vehicle you can throw it on the ground so you don't have rocks poking you an the back. And if you get stranded somewhere in the winter time you can keep warm!
I remember matt had to lay under a vehicle and stood up with those narsty little spikey plant things pokeing in to his arm. They seriously need something to place down on the ground to make it comfortable and safe at times like this. Many times I have been watching and thought this...
@@Travis12861 actually I do think there is a very serious need for a simple mat of some description for off road use. I've watched almost every recovery M.O.R.R have made available to me. And I see matt laying down or nealing in extremely hot sand , Or sharp rocks or snow or some sort of weird plant life.. Not to mention those little critters. Someone will pick up on the idea and make a healthy profit. I know " for sure" !!! Who would have thought a tow roap would have been so successful!!???? Use your brain my friend 🙂
Matt. Surely you have a cleaver mind !! Get a roll similar to one for sleeping on when camping out. Put your advertisement on it and get it out there for sale. I'd buy one or two !! 👍
Matt is the epitome of somebody who went out on his own, learned from mistakes along the way, and became an expert in adaptation. You can plan all you want but figuring things out in the moment is unteachable.
Matt. With regards of the "lower 48"...I am 87 years old and I remember when that saying got started. When Alaska became a state, folks would say " This is the coldest winter in the lower 48 sense.....
Why not run make a boom (crossbar) that is a bit wider than the vehicles. Sort of like the load leveler on an engine hoist. It can hang off the boom over the hood of the vehicle, then drop a slings down the side through the wheels, suspension or frame?
Every time I see the wrecker in action, it reminds me of being a kid building RC cars. Matt took the unrealistic dimensions of a toy truck and made it a functional reality. How do you not drool over that thing?
@mikeworkman3593 Anybody who's worked on cars long enough in the US does everything they can to avoid Chinese parts, but unfortunately, there's no alternative for more than half of the parts out there🇺🇲
@@BitBuhkit I buy Amazon parts, but I don't own a business. You can't help what they make your car with, but his vehicles are built from scratch. There is a difference between cheap foreign parts, and good ones.
Hi my friends, I watch you all the time . My Dad had a tow business and he carried some 3-4 ft 4x4s on his truck . He would place them fwd of the hook point against the frame under the core support. It helped keep the bumper from getting tweeked . Just saying 😮
For you guys in the following vehicles, keep some dust masks in your rescue vehicle glovebox or under the seats! I may sound crazy, but i'm not, dust will ruin your lungs years after you eat it! if you can see it, you are breathing it. Silica (dirt, sand) dusts are nearly as bas bad as asbestos (my case) but don't take 30 years for the damage to show!
1) I LOVE THE WRECKER! It is the best thing created for this type of process! Recently, in another recovery, where a SxS was stuck on its side and pinched in a crevasse, you had to creatively pull it backwards and sideways out of that position (using the MORRvaire I believe) in order to keep from scratching the rollbar badly. That could have used the winch to simply lift the SxS up and then drive away, (my belief anyway).
Very very common for these 4Runners to break ball joints it can be very dangerous why it’s so important to keep up on maintenance but even then anything can happen 3rd gen 4Runner owner here keep up the hard work
I feel like that u-turn in the wrecker was partially because Matt wanted to play with it lol Also kudos to the guy who owns the truck. Dude did the best he could to make enough room for other people to get around. Good freaking job.
mattt, if you threw a 4bt cummins in the wrecker, you could pull that 4 runner, the morvair, and the banana, with little throttle input. try a cummins and you'll never go back
As the owner of a 1999 black 4runner Highlander edition with a manual trans, locking diff, and blue cloth interior that nobody cares about except me.... It was nice to give the Sport edition (Highlander Edition was renamed Sport after the Highlander model came out) a little bit of props. Well done guys A+++ vid as always.
I drove a Twin line Vulcan wrecker with dual 8,000lb Ramses winches in the Okanagan 20yrs ago. Plastic bumpers suck, you just want to find the guy who invented them, then slap his mama. Recoveries are the best!! The mountains are the best teacher in the world. Great content, great team. I now bow to the 4k UA-cam God, because "We're not worthy".
I really like watching your son developing his thinking skills, just by the way he thinks and works I can tell he's definitely your son. And I can tell you are very proud of him.
Excellent driving Matt. First using the rear wheel steering to get around the 4Runner. Then the Austin Powers moment. Finally reversing direction with a towed vehicle. Great episode and the rescue location would have been one that I enjoyed. I did miss Peanut.
That's the nice thing about handheld GPS units, they can drop "bread crumbs" on the way to somewhere so you can follow them back out to where you started. Plus, you don't need cell service.
Wonder if you could open the hood and drop slings down to the frame rails so as to not mess up the bumper? At least until the vehicle was in a better place to rig-up something better. Just some armchair recovery here… never mind me. Love the team work and how Matt & Tom talk through various ideas. Keep the great videos coming. I certainly appreciate all the effort filming and letting us join you on these recoveries. Cheers!
Under the circumstances, I would say it was a successful recovery! Rhett is sure a good kid, he will be able to take over someday with the way he learns and is not afraid to get in and do some of the dirty work. I'm looking forward to Tom's Dig-Dug getting 100% 'recovery ready' and being able to go out and be backup! Sure do miss Lizzy, I hope all is well with her!
Your team got the job done. Woot! Rhett totally impresses me. Always ready to work. Intelligent, articulate. and positive. Demonstrates hope for our future.
I have no idea if this would work or not, but in a situation with a long tow out and no attachment points would it be possible to go down through the engine compartment? Possibly open or remove the hood and gain direct, vertical access to the frame or other strong member for lifting? Just a thought.
Back in the old days, the tow truck drivers used a 4"X4" to save the plastic bumpers. They would put it across the frame, just behind the bumper and on top of the tow straps.
As a home owner seeing a vehicle like that roaming around with a vehicle in tow ya gotta think, yup there lost for sure. Great stuff always entertaining to watch.
I like how Tom and you have such a good friendship, a good Core Team, Great Minds Think Alike...Of course, I acknowledge all the rest of your great staff and I'm truly happy for Lizzy. Nice to see you back, Ed... Ahem...shifting gears, Nice 'ta see Rett out there with 'ya...He's practical, and talented....(Lizzy's Replacement) A good choice If 'ya ask me...
@@Rob1970s Moved with her new husband out to a cattle ranch I believe his family owns? I'm sure she's happy as ever but just moving on in life to different things,
@@dedalliance1 thank you sincerely for the info. I was slightly concerned. And also Lizzy was a favorite character for me in the M.O.R.R team. I'm sad to learn she has moved on. But happy to know that she is fine and most definitely enjoying the new life style... GOD Bless her and her loved one's. Lizzy is a great person deserving of the best.
Would some square pipes work? take some pipes that are 1 to 3 feet long and place them under the vehicle with the lines running through them so they are supporting and lifting the vehicle up and the line will be a few inches or a foot in front of the bumper?
I've seen the "strap a log to it" fix for a missing wheel before...but this one was impressive. Dude found the perfect log for it. Almost like he had that in his trunk just waiting to be used.
Could you not use a A Frame from the hitch which attaches to the vehicle at the same points you lift from? This would keep the towed vehicle a set distance from the Wrecker.
It would, it would also increase the likelihood of the vehicle being towed of bumping into the tow truck rear bumper, would it not? It might work well in certain circumstances, but I think on uneven and rough terrain it could be problematic. I've seen Matt do this before I'm pretty sure, but I think it's pretty specific scenarios where it would be of help. Considering how much towing these guys have done, I think if it would have been a benefit to the tow, they'd have done it from the start.
I’m also a natural non-planner. I’ve gone on trips to far away countries without a clue what my plan is and I always have fun. My wife plans each day of her life to the last second and as a result she is always late and constantly stressed out.
Hey Matt been watching your stuff for a long time.. I grew up in the towing business and drove one from 1979-1995 and I see a few comments about using a 4x4 to save bumpers. before wheel lifts we had a device like a ridged J chain through a metal tube that extends past the bumper so you don't touch the bumper.. I still have it and would give it to you if you want reach out to me if your interested
As a farmer I always want to make something to solve the problem easier. Could use use some sort of weight distribution hitch style thing that could use two big heavy bars have a c cup welded on the top to catch the front of the a arm and then a chain or strap on the back to hold the back of the a arm and then lift that?
I had a moment today thinking about how to load a heavy compressor by myself and , I said out loud to myself lol "I'll just Matt it out when the time comes" I think everyone here can relate. Love the wrecker guys!
This video was, and is absolutely outstanding! One of the tremendous benefits of being a member of this channel is this. You get to see such tremendous, outstanding scenery, along with such genius, recovery techniques they use. And a lot of the times, They do things on the fly. And as far as I’m concerned when they do the recovery techniques, “ON-THE-FLY,” Those times make for the best videos. I wouldn’t trade this channel for any other one. When new videos come out on this channel or FAB-RATS / CHADS-FAB / Robby Layton / TRAIL-MATER etc etc. I always go and watch Matt’s channel 1st.
Hi Matt. - Sry for my english and lack of words.. but ill do my best… I see lots of your work and love to watch it… many times the damage to customers cars is in the front due to the way your towing.. Just a thought that poped to my mind.. what about making a “frame” like the ones on ATVs using plows.. it can be fitted with some rubber or something to soften the impact but the main thing is to attach it easy with straps or something to the belly of the customers car…. At the back with one point to the towbar or something, and the front it could be like a cross.. so one point close to each front wheel.. A-arm or something… and going up in the front…. So you get protection for the customers front end and point where the wires can rest on when going down hill/slowing down…. The crossbar/frame could be brought along sitting the opposite way on your wreacker or something… It might have lots of drawbacks i dont see but i just wantet to share the idea with you :-D Thx for awsome chanel, videos and joy to my breakfast :-D Plz dont hasitate to contact me if ever in Norway :-D .
Wow the views of the area are extremely breathtaking. Don't think I would like to be there when it is snowed in though. As a tow truck driver, our trucks have both, slings and wheel lifts, so we could choose which to use depending on the vehicle and its conditions, a wheel lift would have been good, since you didn't to climb up and down some big ol' rocks. No wheel lifts no choice, but you can't go wrong when you are towing a vehicle out in paradise.
Matt this is from memory from when I was either 8 or 10 yrs old . ( Im now 62) This what they used to sling under the wrecks from the back of the tow truck. Starting at the top. A large steel ring with1/2'' chain making a triangle with 3'' heavy angle as a spreader. A foot down from that was a piece of strap about 2'' x 1/2 bolted across the width and another foot down another piece angle and long chains behind . There was a thick rubber sheet bolted to the top spreader with a piece of strap sandwiching with nuts and bolts. it may have been a truck mudflap cutdown.? There was a piece of plate on the bottom spreader with a hole in im thinking now maybe for a 3rd breakaway chain that went to the bottom of the plate on the back of the truck .The tow driver said i had to be strong enough to drag it around before i could be a towie. It was too heavy for me to drag about the yard and it made him laugh when i tried. LOL He had a yard beside my dads business so I was in there looking at broken cars a lot while dad was busy.
Just rip that plastic off! Now the customer has a legit excuse to justify (to their significant other) buying a real bumper 🤣 Thanks for another great video. Tom, get Gaia or OnX and secretly save routes... you guys could sell them in the store later maybe? Greatest recovery hits!
The trouble with rollbars, is that the reduce head clearance. So many racing rules require the use of a helmet to protect the head. That's why a roll bar may need to be external to the roof, unless internal clearance was designed before the build. Matt does some great work, but he'd give an OSHA inspector a heart attack.
Totally injoyed watching , I honestly can't find the words to describe how impressed I am with the wrecker's design and performance. Thank you for all you do!!! From me way down under here in New Zealand.
Love the videos, guys. Maybe adding a spreader bar to your heavy wrecker would be a helpful addition. I've noticed quite a few recoveries where such an item would have come in handy. It's just a thought, I could be way off. Thank you for all the fantastic videos. Please keep them coming
When I drove tow trucks ( mid 1980s) the sling trucks had an adjustable A frame that the sling attached to. For this if the frame was heavy enough you could lift at a mid point. Similar to the cheap early wheel lifts that were a spreader bar and wheel bars.
Hey Matt & TomTom make a spreader bar that will hang down from boom so you can hook up to the wheels on both sides to avoid front end damage basically a larger version of the engine hoist bracket that Tom made, you can make a mounting location to store it on the off road wrecker when not in use, large thick wall diameter pipe with detachable end caps that have hooks on them
Nice recovery. My addition, put the log under the radiator as a protective/rub point for the straps to go around under the vehicle. It would've been a tension hold unless you strap the log to the frame as well.
7:30 you really need a pivoting bar padded with wood or rubber to which you can strap the front axle, or in case of independent suspension, the frame rails. It saves a lot of trouble when going downhill too...
Matt, for newer vehicles that don’t have recovery points forward enough to not damage the bumper when using the wrecker, what if you popped the hood and tied directly through the engine bay?
The frame rails are often hard to access from above in tight engine bays. Also, the engineers didn't really plan on half the vehicle's weight being hung from those rails, particularly when things get dynamic like being towed down a mountain road. Last, the hood prop or struts could slip and slam down, further damaging the customer's vehicle and potentially the towing rig as well.
Matt, Tom and Rhett got 'em out, and without too many extra scratches, bonus! Actually interesting to see that Toyota failure point, folks need to keep an eye on those A arm lower ball joint securing bolts.
2 of the 4 bolts failed on my driver side of my 2002 Sequoia. Turns out that in 2003, Toyota figured it out and upgraded to a harder bolt. My truck just never got the recall service applied.
Hey Matt. Something u might wanna do when you have a vehicle lifted around the bumper like that is take the air bag fuse out. Just a extra precaution but it's quick. The impact sensors are normally right there somewhere.
Toyota run inertia sensors pretty much in the middle of the car, they're under the carpet, hence why they're usually a writeoff if the airbags go off, cause they only go off in a serious crash, fender bender won't set em off
Finally living my dream. Moved from Massachusetts and living in St. George now. Hope to meet Matt and crew someday. Hopefully a no stress meeting but you never know 😊
I have a thought for you. Carry a can of spray paint, when you make a turn in unfamiliar territory, put a mark (an arrow, an X) on the side of the road to mark where you came from. Could save you some time and fuel. Marking turns can give you a reference to go back the way you came.
Matt why can't you strap a log to the frame rails, like a cross member, right underneath the bumper? I did that once and it worked. It might not always but I believe it would have on this one. By the way, your awesome 👍
Love the channel love your work..... two things...How about a couple of backwards facing seats on top of the tool box, like the old Subaru Brats, safe comfortable. Second how about a goose neck trailer, with the hitch under the boom of the wrecker you could load a broke vehicle on it and haul it out, not mess with scuffed bumper or a driver in the broke vehicle. Just Sayin... Keep up the good work
hi guys im bill from NC a tow /recovery operator originally from new england ,ive seen some tow trucks in my time, your offroad tow truck is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!along with you and your crews talent love the videos !!!! bill k
You might be surprised how a 4x4 post across the front end frame to frame or whatever you can find, Put the sling straps under with hook chains (ropes in your case) up to you boom. Wrap a loop around the 4x4 to minimize slippage left to right. Sometimes even two 4x4s. Gives some separation and in a way redirects the torque on the front end away from all that plastic up front. It didnt always work, but it was worth trying. Sling towed alot of lost souls from the mountains of Northern California.... Seemed to help and the way I was taught way back when, before wheel lifts. But for what its worth you dont use a conventional sling per say.. so theres that. Good Stuff.
Just a thought, if you do a lot of recoverys like this. Why not fabricate a adjustable frame like tow truck dollies. Make them attach the the frame and or tires that are left. Have it extend past the front bumper and hook the tow straps to it. This would give the bumper a better chance for survival.
Thats what he needed instead of a hoist, but Matt needs more time to evolve his mindset of Jeeps with big tires and electric winches, into heavy duty ideas which the size of toys he plays with nowadays, require.
Matt is so right about planning vacations. The plans never work, and you try to stick to the plans, it puts too much stress on everything. Just go with the flow that works
4x4 lumber on front of frame used as a frame thickener will usually drop the sling down off the bumper. A thin piece of plastic sheeting in between helps to.
I know you got out safe anyway but you guys should be using either apps or dedicated gps devices to track the route you used to come in. Another fun thing could be to save the tracks and use them in the video to get a proper idea of how far you went and exactly where you were.
I always think the same thing when I see them relying exclusively on Google Maps. The Gaia app on a phone would be a really good choice to upgrade their navigation capabilities.
Yes. A dedicated GPS with tracking feature being used, would save them a lot of grief. But of course that makes too much sense. Sort of like them not having an on board compressor for airing up the tires.
@@johnhopkins6658 you can download maps before you go so they're available offline. But like matt said, he doesn't plan for tomorrow so I wouldn't expect it. haha
I refuse to believe that was the easiest spot to turn the wrecker around 😂 Definitely had the appearance of “cause we can” to me! (And i totally support and understand it!)
Back when I was a kid and worked for a tow company You used to carry a 4 ft long 4x6 that you could set across the frame rails when picking up a plastic bumperd vehicle with a wrecker It might work might not but it did back in the day Love the videos
That log might have done the trick
Matt's not real big on being prepared with stuff.
I came here for to add this too. 4x4 and a strap sling would cause almost no damage.
I was going to suggest the same thing. That's how I used to sling tow Corvettes. Always carry lumber on your tow truck.
Wrecker needs a wheel lift... maybe a tow dolly?
Matt back in the day we used to throw an old tire between the sling and the bumpers; this was in the late 70s early 80s when plastic bumpers first started making an appearance.
Yea that was mine damage to the bumper is very minimal thanks MORR. FYI less than a mile up that same road is a sweet turn around spot but I didn't figure you'd get around it thanks again
Did flat towing the 4runner ruin the transmission and differentials?
Seeing your boy ride in the back, makes me think you could easily make some jump seats, maybe easily removable with 2" receiver type setup, on the back of the wrecker for hauling a couple more people in good weather. Next time your UPS guy stops by ask to see his folding jump seat they use for driver helpers during peak season for inspiration
tom tom is a great addition to the team. him being on camera doesn't even phase him and he knows a bit of everything. he seems like matts best friend too lol. love videos with him. let him drive the wrecker one of these days!!
Tom Tom is a cool AF. 😎
He’s not as pretty as Lizzy tho lol jk love ya Tom
tom reminds me a lot of folks I grew up with on farms. You learn to be pretty good at just about everything, but not quite a pro at any of them. Then you also know to call a pro when needed, then learn from that pro when they're helping you out.
I was waiting for a high five after Tom said “because we haven’t been taking it on any” the way the camera backed up. Such a moment. Great cinematography
Towing tip: when towing something that you don’t want to crush the bumper, place a 4x4 up under the front for the chains to ride on. That’s what I do when towing something like that. Just a tip! Have a great weekend!
I'm surprised Matt's crew doesn't do that.... It's standard practice for sling-towing.
I remember how much I hated towing Corvette's!
Also, an air bag can come in handy to lift/create space...
@@bobsullivan5714 if youre going to make your bumpers from plastic it kinda deserves to be ruined... i put a 66 mustang driver door into a tree at 50. yanked it out with a truck and i drove it home. my truck had a diamond plate bumper, some lady rear ended me in a parking lot destroyed her car, i didn't even feel her hit me
Matt, I just wanted for you to know that your videos helped me save a young family’s life today. We were coming back from the San Juans wheeling with my family heading towards Denver. There was this mini van with a blown up engine blocking a lane on the highway. The family was young with a baby.
I slid under there no recovery points. With no thinking I knew I needed to make a bridle and go to the A arms.
God bless 🙏
you always get them out I have a suggestion I drove wrecker for years many years ago when they first started those plastic bumpers we used to carry a 4x4 long enough to span the frame set it behind the bumper under the frame rails it helps take the load off the bumper
My son worked on the SLC light rail from 2007-2012. We'd drive up from Phoenix at least twice a year to visit. Saw a lot of Utah on I-15 and SR89. Even went all the way to Bear Lake with Him and his family. Absolutely beautiful state. From SLC west to Wendover, not so much. North Rim of the Grand Canyon to Kanab, not so much. Everything in New Mexico South of Albuquerque, not so much. Phoenix to Yuma or Blyth not so much.
I think you need to keep some moving blankets in the wrecker. Take a small blanket fold it once or twice and put it between the bumper and the straps. That should help to save the bumper. Also when you're working under a vehicle you can throw it on the ground so you don't have rocks poking you an the back. And if you get stranded somewhere in the winter time you can keep warm!
They make door jam protectors that would work pretty good too.
I remember matt had to lay under a vehicle and stood up with those narsty little spikey plant things pokeing in to his arm. They seriously need something to place down on the ground to make it comfortable and safe at times like this. Many times I have been watching and thought this...
@@Travis12861 actually I do think there is a very serious need for a simple mat of some description for off road use. I've watched almost every recovery M.O.R.R have made available to me. And I see matt laying down or nealing in extremely hot sand , Or sharp rocks or snow or some sort of weird plant life.. Not to mention those little critters. Someone will pick up on the idea and make a healthy profit. I know " for sure" !!! Who would have thought a tow roap would have been so successful!!???? Use your brain my friend 🙂
Matt. Surely you have a cleaver mind !! Get a roll similar to one for sleeping on when camping out. Put your advertisement on it and get it out there for sale. I'd buy one or two !! 👍
I don't mind being called a great salesman, and here is what we will call the product: Matt's off-road mats.
Matt is the epitome of somebody who went out on his own, learned from mistakes along the way, and became an expert in adaptation. You can plan all you want but figuring things out in the moment is unteachable.
Too funny. Just yesterday we got a lesson from Rory on not relying on GPS routing. And now Matt illustrates it.
Matt. With regards of the "lower 48"...I am 87 years old and I remember when that saying got started. When Alaska became a state, folks would say " This is the coldest winter in the lower 48 sense.....
Why not run make a boom (crossbar) that is a bit wider than the vehicles. Sort of like the load leveler on an engine hoist. It can hang off the boom over the hood of the vehicle, then drop a slings down the side through the wheels, suspension or frame?
I love how subtle matt is lol "alright so here's the problem, this is broken" 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤙
laughed super hard at this
The reason you haven't seen the tomater on recoveries. Because we haven't been using it.
@@rcmike09 wrong channel, bub
Every time I see the wrecker in action, it reminds me of being a kid building RC cars. Matt took the unrealistic dimensions of a toy truck and made it a functional reality. How do you not drool over that thing?
Yeah id they can keep it from breaking down lol. they need to stop buying chinese parts lol.
@@mikeworkman3593 What all do you own or buy that has no foreign parts?
@@mikeworkman3593it's all chinese parts these days. That's what you get when corporations move manufacturing out of the U.S.
@mikeworkman3593 Anybody who's worked on cars long enough in the US does everything they can to avoid Chinese parts, but unfortunately, there's no alternative for more than half of the parts out there🇺🇲
@@BitBuhkit I buy Amazon parts, but I don't own a business.
You can't help what they make your car with, but his vehicles are built from scratch. There is a difference between cheap foreign parts, and good ones.
You guys need to invent some kind of bar that connects to structure under and juts out to the front so you can lift without touching the plastics.
Like some sort of spreader bar? Lol
Hi my friends, I watch you all the time . My Dad had a tow business and he carried some 3-4 ft 4x4s on his truck . He would place them fwd of the hook point against the frame under the core support. It helped keep the bumper from getting tweeked . Just saying 😮
For you guys in the following vehicles, keep some dust masks in your rescue vehicle glovebox or under the seats! I may sound crazy, but i'm not, dust will ruin your lungs years after you eat it! if you can see it, you are breathing it. Silica (dirt, sand) dusts are nearly as bas bad as asbestos (my case) but don't take 30 years for the damage to show!
Hearing protection needed
1) I LOVE THE WRECKER! It is the best thing created for this type of process! Recently, in another recovery, where a SxS was stuck on its side and pinched in a crevasse, you had to creatively pull it backwards and sideways out of that position (using the MORRvaire I believe) in order to keep from scratching the rollbar badly. That could have used the winch to simply lift the SxS up and then drive away, (my belief anyway).
Very very common for these 4Runners to break ball joints it can be very dangerous why it’s so important to keep up on maintenance but even then anything can happen 3rd gen 4Runner owner here keep up the hard work
I feel like that u-turn in the wrecker was partially because Matt wanted to play with it lol Also kudos to the guy who owns the truck. Dude did the best he could to make enough room for other people to get around. Good freaking job.
mattt, if you threw a 4bt cummins in the wrecker, you could pull that 4 runner, the morvair, and the banana, with little throttle input. try a cummins and you'll never go back
As the owner of a 1999 black 4runner Highlander edition with a manual trans, locking diff, and blue cloth interior that nobody cares about except me.... It was nice to give the Sport edition (Highlander Edition was renamed Sport after the Highlander model came out) a little bit of props. Well done guys A+++ vid as always.
I drove a Twin line Vulcan wrecker with dual 8,000lb Ramses winches in the Okanagan 20yrs ago. Plastic bumpers suck, you just want to find the guy who invented them, then slap his mama. Recoveries are the best!! The mountains are the best teacher in the world. Great content, great team. I now bow to the 4k UA-cam God, because "We're not worthy".
Hello from Omak .
I really like watching your son developing his thinking skills, just by the way he thinks and works I can tell he's definitely your son. And I can tell you are very proud of him.
Excellent driving Matt. First using the rear wheel steering to get around the 4Runner. Then the Austin Powers moment. Finally reversing direction with a towed vehicle. Great episode and the rescue location would have been one that I enjoyed. I did miss Peanut.
Of course Lady and Max are wonderful as well.
That's the nice thing about handheld GPS units, they can drop "bread crumbs" on the way to somewhere so you can follow them back out to where you started. Plus, you don't need cell service.
Wonder if you could open the hood and drop slings down to the frame rails so as to not mess up the bumper? At least until the vehicle was in a better place to rig-up something better.
Just some armchair recovery here… never mind me.
Love the team work and how Matt & Tom talk through various ideas.
Keep the great videos coming. I certainly appreciate all the effort filming and letting us join you on these recoveries. Cheers!
I've done exactly that in desperation, worked Ok except a broken plastic fan.
Hat off to your son !
He did a great job of supporting you two 👏
Nice to see the wrecker working 💪
It truly is a game changer for MORR.
Under the circumstances, I would say it was a successful recovery! Rhett is sure a good kid, he will be able to take over someday with the way he learns and is not afraid to get in and do some of the dirty work. I'm looking forward to Tom's Dig-Dug getting 100% 'recovery ready' and being able to go out and be backup! Sure do miss Lizzy, I hope all is well with her!
Your team got the job done. Woot! Rhett totally impresses me. Always ready to work. Intelligent, articulate. and positive. Demonstrates hope for our future.
If we had more youth like rhett th future would look bright & hopeful.
@@davestevens4263we do, boomers just like complaining about stuff
Who better to learn from than your Dad. Future Matt
@@masonoglesby7281yep, plenty of fine young people around!
I have no idea if this would work or not, but in a situation with a long tow out and no attachment points would it be possible to go down through the engine compartment? Possibly open or remove the hood and gain direct, vertical access to the frame or other strong member for lifting? Just a thought.
Back in the old days, the tow truck drivers used a 4"X4" to save the plastic bumpers. They would put it across the frame, just behind the bumper and on top of the tow straps.
As a home owner seeing a vehicle like that roaming around with a vehicle in tow ya gotta think, yup there lost for sure. Great stuff always entertaining to watch.
I can't say enough about how great a kid Rhett is. His low-key humor, work ethic, and general attitude are cool to watch. Keep up the great work fam!
I like how Tom and you have such a good friendship, a good Core Team, Great Minds Think Alike...Of course, I acknowledge all the rest of your great staff and I'm truly happy for Lizzy. Nice to see you back, Ed... Ahem...shifting gears, Nice 'ta see Rett out there with 'ya...He's practical, and talented....(Lizzy's Replacement) A good choice If 'ya ask me...
Can you please 🙏 tell me what happened to Lizzy??? Is she ok???
@@Rob1970s Moved with her new husband out to a cattle ranch I believe his family owns? I'm sure she's happy as ever but just moving on in life to different things,
@@dedalliance1 thank you sincerely for the info. I was slightly concerned. And also Lizzy was a favorite character for me in the M.O.R.R team. I'm sad to learn she has moved on. But happy to know that she is fine and most definitely enjoying the new life style... GOD Bless her and her loved one's. Lizzy is a great person deserving of the best.
Would some square pipes work? take some pipes that are 1 to 3 feet long and place them under the vehicle with the lines running through them so they are supporting and lifting the vehicle up and the line will be a few inches or a foot in front of the bumper?
I like how you added the Adam Sandler visual. NICE WORK. You make it look so easy peasy. But then you have the equipment!!!
I thought you could use the log under strap as a buffer but Matt figured out a better way. Great job.
Matt, If you are in love with the 8.1, I recommend you purchase another 1 for a back-up now as they were not a number build engine!
I've seen the "strap a log to it" fix for a missing wheel before...but this one was impressive. Dude found the perfect log for it. Almost like he had that in his trunk just waiting to be used.
23:58 "Tom doesn't get worried. Tom's just smart. "👍
Good thing to know about 4Runner's. I've been learning that many, many modern cars have no good recovery points.
Could you not use a A Frame from the hitch which attaches to the vehicle at the same points you lift from? This would keep the towed vehicle a set distance from the Wrecker.
It would, it would also increase the likelihood of the vehicle being towed of bumping into the tow truck rear bumper, would it not? It might work well in certain circumstances, but I think on uneven and rough terrain it could be problematic. I've seen Matt do this before I'm pretty sure, but I think it's pretty specific scenarios where it would be of help. Considering how much towing these guys have done, I think if it would have been a benefit to the tow, they'd have done it from the start.
I think what he means by "A frame" is a solid metal frame, not just the crossed straps like they've used before.
These guys didn’t believe in winches a few years ago. They r coming along dandy.
I’m also a natural non-planner. I’ve gone on trips to far away countries without a clue what my plan is and I always have fun. My wife plans each day of her life to the last second and as a result she is always late and constantly stressed out.
Hey Matt been watching your stuff for a long time.. I grew up in the towing business and drove one from 1979-1995 and I see a few comments about using a 4x4 to save bumpers. before wheel lifts we had a device like a ridged J chain through a metal tube that extends past the bumper so you don't touch the bumper.. I still have it and would give it to you if you want reach out to me if your interested
As a farmer I always want to make something to solve the problem easier. Could use use some sort of weight distribution hitch style thing that could use two big heavy bars have a c cup welded on the top to catch the front of the a arm and then a chain or strap on the back to hold the back of the a arm and then lift that?
Matt, your never lost, just a little bewildered. Daniel Boone is credited with saying that.😉👍
I had a moment today thinking about how to load a heavy compressor by myself and , I said out loud to myself lol "I'll just Matt it out when the time comes" I think everyone here can relate. Love the wrecker guys!
Loved to see you guys using the radios. Saves alot of grief! Great job on the recovery.
This video was, and is absolutely outstanding! One of the tremendous benefits of being a member of this channel is this. You get to see such tremendous, outstanding scenery, along with such genius, recovery techniques they use.
And a lot of the times, They do things on the fly. And as far as I’m concerned when they do the recovery techniques, “ON-THE-FLY,” Those times make for the best videos.
I wouldn’t trade this channel for any other one. When new videos come out on this channel or FAB-RATS / CHADS-FAB / Robby Layton / TRAIL-MATER etc etc. I always go and watch Matt’s channel 1st.
Hi Matt. - Sry for my english and lack of words.. but ill do my best…
I see lots of your work and love to watch it… many times the damage to customers cars is in the front due to the way your towing.. Just a thought that poped to my mind.. what about making a “frame” like the ones on ATVs using plows.. it can be fitted with some rubber or something to soften the impact but the main thing is to attach it easy with straps or something to the belly of the customers car…. At the back with one point to the towbar or something, and the front it could be like a cross.. so one point close to each front wheel.. A-arm or something… and going up in the front…. So you get protection for the customers front end and point where the wires can rest on when going down hill/slowing down…. The crossbar/frame could be brought along sitting the opposite way on your wreacker or something… It might have lots of drawbacks i dont see but i just wantet to share the idea with you :-D Thx for awsome chanel, videos and joy to my breakfast :-D Plz dont hasitate to contact me if ever in Norway :-D .
Wow the views of the area are extremely breathtaking. Don't think I would like to be there when it is snowed in though. As a tow truck driver, our trucks have both, slings and wheel lifts, so we could choose which to use depending on the vehicle and its conditions, a wheel lift would have been good, since you didn't to climb up and down some big ol' rocks. No wheel lifts no choice, but you can't go wrong when you are towing a vehicle out in paradise.
You need to have a GPS that will create a track so when you exit you can see the track and not get down the wrong road. Works great!
17:40
They utilize an app. He brings it up like every other video.
I was told a long time ago that you can make plans just don't plan the results. Great job men!
I love Matt's and Tom's friendly motivation/teamwork/brotherly love lol. You guys always kill it!
Matt this is from memory from when I was either 8 or 10 yrs old . ( Im now 62) This what they used to sling under the wrecks from the back of the tow truck. Starting at the top. A large steel ring with1/2'' chain making a triangle with 3'' heavy angle as a spreader. A foot down from that was a piece of strap about 2'' x 1/2 bolted across the width and another foot down another piece angle and long chains behind . There was a thick rubber sheet bolted to the top spreader with a piece of strap sandwiching with nuts and bolts. it may have been a truck mudflap cutdown.? There was a piece of plate on the bottom spreader with a hole in im thinking now maybe for a 3rd breakaway chain that went to the bottom of the plate on the back of the truck .The tow driver said i had to be strong enough to drag it around before i could be a towie. It was too heavy for me to drag about the yard and it made him laugh when i tried. LOL He had a yard beside my dads business so I was in there looking at broken cars a lot while dad was busy.
love the calmness
nice and relaxed matt' is just champion stuff and crew
Just rip that plastic off! Now the customer has a legit excuse to justify (to their significant other) buying a real bumper 🤣 Thanks for another great video. Tom, get Gaia or OnX and secretly save routes... you guys could sell them in the store later maybe? Greatest recovery hits!
You should build a rollbar for the wrecker for safety purposes. And maybe a seat in the back facing backwards with a rollbar too.
The trouble with rollbars, is that the reduce head clearance. So many racing rules require the use of a helmet to protect the head. That's why a roll bar may need to be external to the roof, unless internal clearance was designed before the build.
Matt does some great work, but he'd give an OSHA inspector a heart attack.
Totally injoyed watching , I honestly can't find the words to describe how impressed I am with the wrecker's design and performance. Thank you for all you do!!! From me way down under here in New Zealand.
enjoyed not injoyed
Cant find the spelling either!😂
I'm so sorry. ENJOYED
@@TheDieselndust kiakaha your a wonderful cleaver person.
@@Rob1970sNo need to be sorry! Douche bags are everywhere...
Thanks for sharing!
How about use that log under the bumper and that will keep the straps off the bumper?
Awesome video, love the improvised methods
I love these "not as simple as it looks " recoveries, great work all of you. As for plastic front . why not use old cushions or inflated inner tubes?
Love the videos, guys.
Maybe adding a spreader bar to your heavy wrecker would be a helpful addition.
I've noticed quite a few recoveries where such an item would have come in handy.
It's just a thought, I could be way off.
Thank you for all the fantastic videos. Please keep them coming
When I drove tow trucks ( mid 1980s) the sling trucks had an adjustable A frame that the sling attached to. For this if the frame was heavy enough you could lift at a mid point. Similar to the cheap early wheel lifts that were a spreader bar and wheel bars.
I agree
5:54 love when customers are on top of things
Hey Matt & TomTom make a spreader bar that will hang down from boom so you can hook up to the wheels on both sides to avoid front end damage basically a larger version of the engine hoist bracket that Tom made, you can make a mounting location to store it on the off road wrecker when not in use, large thick wall diameter pipe with detachable end caps that have hooks on them
Nice recovery. My addition, put the log under the radiator as a protective/rub point for the straps to go around under the vehicle. It would've been a tension hold unless you strap the log to the frame as well.
i feel like you should figure out some sort of rigid underreach bar(s) that can be lifted up and down.
invent it and you could retire early.
Wheel lift would work great 😊
7:30 you really need a pivoting bar padded with wood or rubber to which you can strap the front axle, or in case of independent suspension, the frame rails. It saves a lot of trouble when going downhill too...
Matt, for newer vehicles that don’t have recovery points forward enough to not damage the bumper when using the wrecker, what if you popped the hood and tied directly through the engine bay?
The frame rails are often hard to access from above in tight engine bays. Also, the engineers didn't really plan on half the vehicle's weight being hung from those rails, particularly when things get dynamic like being towed down a mountain road. Last, the hood prop or struts could slip and slam down, further damaging the customer's vehicle and potentially the towing rig as well.
So sweet seeing Brian Head. It was a pleasure snowboarding there a couple of times when I moved to California. Great people, not crowded, fun terrain!
8:50 Hey Matt ! The Turning Circle is just up the road 50meters ! "Production you say ! Never " 😉 🥇
Matt, Tom and Rhett got 'em out, and without too many extra scratches, bonus!
Actually interesting to see that Toyota failure point, folks need to keep an eye on those A arm lower ball joint securing bolts.
2 of the 4 bolts failed on my driver side of my 2002 Sequoia. Turns out that in 2003, Toyota figured it out and upgraded to a harder bolt. My truck just never got the recall service applied.
They usually split the BJ. That was most likely overtorqued bolts.
Another great recovery...won't be long, Rhett will be doing lots of recoveries...
I could almost smell the pines in that area, beutiful.
Hey Matt. Something u might wanna do when you have a vehicle lifted around the bumper like that is take the air bag fuse out. Just a extra precaution but it's quick. The impact sensors are normally right there somewhere.
Toyota run inertia sensors pretty much in the middle of the car, they're under the carpet, hence why they're usually a writeoff if the airbags go off, cause they only go off in a serious crash, fender bender won't set em off
smart, but can they [esp. foreign] all be only temporarily disabled?
Finally living my dream. Moved from Massachusetts and living in St. George now. Hope to meet Matt and crew someday. Hopefully a no stress meeting but you never know 😊
I have a thought for you. Carry a can of spray paint, when you make a turn in unfamiliar territory, put a mark (an arrow, an X) on the side of the road to mark where you came from. Could save you some time and fuel. Marking turns can give you a reference to go back the way you came.
Love the trick Tom pulled on Matt, 'you have the key, right!?!' 😄
Matt why can't you strap a log to the frame rails, like a cross member, right underneath the bumper? I did that once and it worked. It might not always but I believe it would have on this one. By the way, your awesome 👍
Mat it's my spirit animal. I never plan a thing and it always works out 90% of the time.
Question? Would a tow dolly work? Maybe a customized sumtin or other? You do drag a small trailer out on the dunes.
Love the channel love your work..... two things...How about a couple of backwards facing seats on top of the tool box, like the old Subaru Brats, safe comfortable. Second how about a goose neck trailer, with the hitch under the boom of the wrecker you could load a broke vehicle on it and haul it out, not mess with scuffed bumper or a driver in the broke vehicle.
Just Sayin...
Keep up the good work
hi guys im bill from NC a tow /recovery operator originally from new england ,ive seen some tow trucks in my time, your offroad tow truck is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!along with you and your crews talent love the videos !!!! bill k
That wrecker turned out to be so awesome. And there is a lot of Lizzy in it. Hope that she's doing well.
An excellent recovery under adverse conditions! Thanks for the video!
You might be surprised how a 4x4 post across the front end frame to frame or whatever you can find, Put the sling straps under with hook chains (ropes in your case) up to you boom. Wrap a loop around the 4x4 to minimize slippage left to right. Sometimes even two 4x4s. Gives some separation and in a way redirects the torque on the front end away from all that plastic up front. It didnt always work, but it was worth trying. Sling towed alot of lost souls from the mountains of Northern California.... Seemed to help and the way I was taught way back when, before wheel lifts. But for what its worth you dont use a conventional sling per say.. so theres that. Good Stuff.
Just a thought, if you do a lot of recoverys like this. Why not fabricate a adjustable frame like tow truck dollies. Make them attach the the frame and or tires that are left. Have it extend past the front bumper and hook the tow straps to it. This would give the bumper a better chance for survival.
awesome recovery! appreciate the bumper damage or leave it comment, adds some perspective, no one size fits all off road towing.
Still can't over how cool that wrecker is.
Mat have you ever considered a manual wheel lift that would attach to the rear and use your winch line to lift it
Thats what he needed instead of a hoist, but Matt needs more time to evolve his mindset of Jeeps with big tires and electric winches, into heavy duty ideas which the size of toys he plays with nowadays, require.
Matt is so right about planning vacations. The plans never work, and you try to stick to the plans, it puts too much stress on everything. Just go with the flow that works
4x4 lumber on front of frame used as a frame thickener will usually drop the sling down off the bumper. A thin piece of plastic sheeting in between helps to.
Matt is truly exactly who he is on camera as he is off camera.
In today's episode, Matt explains his philosophy of life. No plans and just enjoy
I know you got out safe anyway but you guys should be using either apps or dedicated gps devices to track the route you used to come in.
Another fun thing could be to save the tracks and use them in the video to get a proper idea of how far you went and exactly where you were.
I always think the same thing when I see them relying exclusively on Google Maps. The Gaia app on a phone would be a really good choice to upgrade their navigation capabilities.
They have the OnX app which has the feature, but not using it
@@DagPeak and what if there's no cell service?
Yes. A dedicated GPS with tracking feature being used, would save them a lot of grief. But of course that makes too much sense. Sort of like them not having an on board compressor for airing up the tires.
@@johnhopkins6658 you can download maps before you go so they're available offline. But like matt said, he doesn't plan for tomorrow so I wouldn't expect it. haha
You should make some sort of contraption that would pivot on the pintle hooks and lift vehicle under front end to help prevent damage.
I refuse to believe that was the easiest spot to turn the wrecker around 😂
Definitely had the appearance of “cause we can” to me!
(And i totally support and understand it!)
It would have been a great spot for a front dig too.