pulled into Hopwwod park services for my 45 last week as i come around the roundabout theres a hgv brocken down at the top off the southbound off slip with the usual sea off cones and womble waggon parked behind .
setle down in the cab when i notice this ensemble crawling in to the services with the truck on a rope see they can do something usefull now and again
I didn’t think they were allowed to do stuff like that partly because of H&S but mainly because they’d be doing jobs that would normally be done by recovery companies.
I know they get a hard time on here, but the only time I’ve had to come into contact with them, they were helpful, professional, friendly.
And basically without them closing a lane of the motorway for a few minutes, I wouldn’t have been able to get my truck sorted out and back on the road.
If you’re in a live lane or dangerous location very near to an exit slip, then they’ll probably tow you off the network to a layby or similar (but they have to account for why they’ve done that, and not just moved you to the H/S to await recovery.
Also they have to use a strain gauge in the tow strap that shows how much force is required to move the vehicle, should it go over the tow limits of the TOV, they can’t continue.
Used to be a common occurence, i.ve seen police range rovers pulling trucks that looked well beyond there capability, not a test gauge in sight, i think the way of thinking used to be along the lines of " if it snaps its too heavy" 
Ive turned up to help a broken down colleague on a roundabout just off the M25. Wombles there and they towed the tractor unit out from under the trailer so I could get the trailer out the way.
He did have to radio for permission to do it first.
As Biffo has stated, we now have load cells fitted to our vehicles, we used to be restricted to clearing 3 tons as that is the rating on our tow straps. With the load cells, we now work on rolling resistance, meaning we can clear vehicles a lot heavier than 3 tons. The equipment has a built in alarm so once it reaches the safe limit, we have to stop, reset the kit and try again. If the alarm sounds again, it means its too heavy and we have to arrange for heavy recovery. We also now carry the kit to deal with spillages so we don’t have to wait for our maintenance contractors. Another thing we have been trained to do is upright vehicles up to 3.5 tons in weight, so we don’t have to weight for recovery, that way, we can reopen lanes faster and stop the motoring public from moaning that we’re standing around doing nothing. 
BossHogg:
As Biffo has stated, we now have load cells fitted to our vehicles, we used to be restricted to clearing 3 tons as that is the rating on our tow straps. With the load cells, we now work on rolling resistance, meaning we can clear vehicles a lot heavier than 3 tons. The equipment has a built in alarm so once it reaches the safe limit, we have to stop, reset the kit and try again. If the alarm sounds again, it means its too heavy and we have to arrange for heavy recovery. We also now carry the kit to deal with spillages so we don’t have to wait for our maintenance contractors. Another thing we have been trained to do is upright vehicles up to 3.5 tons in weight, so we don’t have to weight for recovery, that way, we can reopen lanes faster and stop the motoring public from moaning that we’re standing around doing nothing.
Does this mean you can right capsized caravans and tow them onto the hard shoulder? 
Bloody useful if you could!
bazza123:
BossHogg:
As Biffo has stated, we now have load cells fitted to our vehicles, we used to be restricted to clearing 3 tons as that is the rating on our tow straps. With the load cells, we now work on rolling resistance, meaning we can clear vehicles a lot heavier than 3 tons. The equipment has a built in alarm so once it reaches the safe limit, we have to stop, reset the kit and try again. If the alarm sounds again, it means its too heavy and we have to arrange for heavy recovery. We also now carry the kit to deal with spillages so we don’t have to wait for our maintenance contractors. Another thing we have been trained to do is upright vehicles up to 3.5 tons in weight, so we don’t have to weight for recovery, that way, we can reopen lanes faster and stop the motoring public from moaning that we’re standing around doing nothing.Does this mean you can right capsized caravans and tow them onto the hard shoulder?
Bloody useful if you could!
Normally just need a dustpan and brush to clear the bits up.
bazza123:
Does this mean you can right capsized caravans and tow them onto the hard shoulder?Bloody useful if you could!
Yep, done a couple over the summer, also turned up at one, police were with a RTC, car pulling another car on a trailer, all 3 on side blocking all 3 lanes, we turn up, police tell us recovery are on route, 30 minutes away. 10 minutes later, we had all 3 uprighted and cleared to the hard shoulder, dealt with the spillage and clean up and had 3 lanes running. Recovery turned up and had a right face on them as an expensive job had become a cheaper straight forward job.
chaversdad:
Used to be a common occurence, i.ve seen police range rovers pulling trucks that looked well beyond there capability, not a test gauge in sight, i think the way of thinking used to be along the lines of " if it snaps its too heavy"
Yeh, I’ve seen that many times in the past.
Reckon the usual H&S ■■■■■■■■ has now put paid to that nowadays.
I remember when I had my own motors regularly jump towing an artic with my near new XJS Jag, we did get some funny looks
Just wondering - is it legal to tow anything on a motorway with a strap? I always thought these days you needed to use a tow bar with suspension / spring fitted unless it’s ok if the strap is calibrated.
The police and ourselves don’t tow, we carriageway clear to a place of safety.
BossHogg:
bazza123:
Does this mean you can right capsized caravans and tow them onto the hard shoulder?Bloody useful if you could!
Yep, done a couple over the summer, also turned up at one, police were with a RTC, car pulling another car on a trailer, all 3 on side blocking all 3 lanes, we turn up, police tell us recovery are on route, 30 minutes away. 10 minutes later, we had all 3 uprighted and cleared to the hard shoulder, dealt with the spillage and clean up and had 3 lanes running. Recovery turned up and had a right face on them as an expensive job had become a cheaper straight forward job.
So are you saying that if the caravan is still hitched up to the tow car , and the caravan is laying on its side , you and your pal and 4x4 can tow the caravan upright again and move it to the hard shoulder then 
Just to clarify 
I still had about about eight ton of steel on a six wheeler when the centre prop shaft bearing fell off halfway round a roundabout. Two coppers in a land rover pulled me off without too much trouble. That was in the sixties though when people were allowed to just get on with the job.
trux:
So are you saying that if the caravan is still hitched up to the tow car , and the caravan is laying on its side , you and your pal and 4x4 can tow the caravan upright again and move it to the hard shoulder then
If it’s still attached, we have to leave it, if it’s become detached, which, both of mine had, we can move it. It’s too dangerous trying to disconnect it without a decent winch which recovery units have.
peterm:
the centre prop shaft bearing fell off halfway round a roundabout. Two coppers in a land rover pulled me off without too much trouble.
Bloody hell you were lucky mate, same thing happened to me…but I only got a TOW !
BossHogg:
trux:
So are you saying that if the caravan is still hitched up to the tow car , and the caravan is laying on its side , you and your pal and 4x4 can tow the caravan upright again and move it to the hard shoulder thenIf it’s still attached, we have to leave it, if it’s become detached, which, both of mine had, we can move it. It’s too dangerous trying to disconnect it without a decent winch which recovery units have.
.
Thanks for clarifying and high -lighting , .
.
Merry Xmas - may it be a merry quiet one 
It’s going to be quiet for me, I finish at 6am and I’m not back in till 3rd Jan - so merry Christmas to one and all. 
BossHogg:
It’s going to be quiet for me, I finish at 6am and I’m not back in till 3rd Jan - so merry Christmas to one and all.
Part timer! I’m working lates over christmas, so the rest of you folks, don’t play dodgems in our area, give us a bit of peace
peterm:
Two coppers in a land rover pulled me off
Well I always wondered.