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CALENDAROF COMING

EVENTS

MARCH 8, 2011

Board of

Directors MeetingReynolds Towing

Champaign

6 pm Dinner 7 pm Meeting

THE OFFICIAL NEWS PUBLICATION OF THE PROFESSIONAL TOWING AND RECOVERY OPERATORS OF ILLINOIS

Volume 11 — Issue 2Volume 11 — Issue 2

“Shedding Light On The Illinois Towing Industry”

IN THIS ISSUELetter from the President ...........2

I Your Team Dysfunctional?.....3

Don’t Ask Your Legislator

For..............................................4

Avoid Problems .........................5

Tough Recovery .................6 & 7

Insider Secrets to Hydraulics ........10

Illinois - Wisconsin Operators

Bring Tow Trucks For Tots To

Janesville .......................................10

365C l u b Adds New MembersThe following 17 companies were added to the "365" Club this month bring-

ing the total up to 29 members so far. Some of the members are donating $365INADDITION TO their regular dues. I have to tell you it warms my heart tothink they value this association and the work it does that much. It has longbeen my contention that this association is the life blood of the towing industryin Illinois. Keep up the good work!

A-EXCELLENCE SERVICE, Jason Amato, Chicago

A-EXPRESS TOWING & RECOVERY, Robert Habel, Palatine

AUTO MEDICS, INC., Fred Skvarla, Orland Park

CERTIFIED TOWING, INC., Cynthia Andrews, Westmont

D & R TOWING, INC., Don C. Haefke, Barrington

DARRELL’S TOWING & REPAIR, Darrell Garman, Loves Park

FAIR TOWING, Mitchell Watkins, Posen

FREEBURG TOWING, INC., Dean & Juanita Pruett, Freeburg

GROSSE POINTE TOWING, INC., John C. Meyers, Northbrook

JOE’S TOWING & RECOVERY, Joe Pedigo, Bloomington

NAPERVILLE TOWING, Bill Howard, Naperville

ROGNER’S TOWING & RECOVERY, Mark Rogner, Palatine

SCHOCK’S TOWING SERVICE, Howard & Randy Schock, Dundee

SUN TOWING, John Collier, Chicago Ridge

WAGGONER AUTO SERVICE, Lou Peason, Barrie Nearey, Chicago

WES KOCHEL INC., Ted Kochel, Monee

WORLDWIDE EQUIPMENT SALES, Patrick Winer, Rockdale

“Shedding Light On The Illinois Towing Industry”

Letter from the President:OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Attorney At Law

“The PTROI AttorneyExtremely well versed in Illinois Towing and

Motor Vehicle Laws

Illinois Commerce Commission Licenses

835 McClintock Dr., Burr Ridge, Illinois 60521

(630) 655-6000

It’s a cold Mid-January morning as I write this and it

gives me hope that each towing company has all their trucks

on the street making money. Wouldn’t that be great! Thirty

years ago that how it was. The economy was a lot different,

the cars were not as well built and below zero temps kept the

cash coming in. Today though, towing companies must be

smarter with their resources and much more cognizant of

what goes on around them. One way to keep track of what’s

happening is to be a member of your state towing associa-

tion, The Professional Towing and Recovery Operators of

Illinois.

I would like to personally thank each one of you that have

paid your annual dues and remind those that haven’t, it’s

time to mail your check. Many companies have joined the

365 club by paying $365.00 in dues for the year, and I

applaud them. They understand that our association dues are

possibly the most efficient use of money that their business

sees. From legislative matters to Speedway and Nextel dis-

counts to the wealth of information available to you through

Melanie Matthews or our board and membership, there is no

better value for your dollar. Did you know that in many

instances the Speedway and Nextel discounts give you back

more money than the cost of your dues?

Speaking of legislation, there are some good things hap-

pening in Springfield. The law which allows us to put a lien

on the contents of a vehicle towed by police order has passed

out of the legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signa-

ture. The law has been tweaked just a little but is essentially

what we had in place previously. Also on the governor’s

desk and awaiting his signature is SB2969. This law allows

any county except Cook County to opt out of the Safety

Relocator Law. We had hoped to have this apply to all coun-

Continued on page 9

PAGE 2 THE BEACON/FEBRUARY 2011

PRESIDENT

Ed Forsythe, Oak Lawn [email protected] 800-423-3249Jack’s Towing Fax: 708-430-9716

FIRST VICE PRESIDENTTony Bresnahan [email protected] 708-354-1010Chariot Automotive, Countryside Fax: 708-354-3415

SECOND VICE PRESIDENTJeff Skvarla [email protected] 708-460-9400Auto Medics, Inc., Orland Park Fax: 708-460-9409

SECRETARYEve Bramlette [email protected] 708-371-3800Wayne-built & Son, Calumet Park Fax: 708-385-6979

TREASURERHelen Skrocki [email protected] 708-873-0393Ambassador Car Carriers, Inc., Orland Park Fax 708-873-1699

PAST PRESIDENTBill Howard [email protected] 630-961-9484Naperville Towing Service, Inc. Fax: 630-898-2707

MEMBER-AT-LARGEJoe Pedigo [email protected] 309 275-0489Joe’s Towing & Recovery, Bloomington Fax: 309-828-6526

BOARD OF DIRECTORSDick Bartel [email protected]’s Towing, Joliet 815-725-5772

Dan Bertagnolli [email protected] Towing, Harvey 708-331-4665

Rusty West [email protected] & R Towing, Markham 708-333-7300

Toni Byrnes [email protected] & B Auto Parts, Blue Island 708-385-2300

Sherry Divito [email protected] Towing, Chicago 773-434-9731

Susan Jepsen [email protected] Towing, Champaign 217-337-0913

Ron Matthews [email protected] Towing, Pekin 309-347-2507

Laurence Mckay [email protected] Towing, Elk Grove Village 847-923-8769

Jack Kane [email protected] Towing, Hazelcrest 708-335-3000

Alan Nowaczyk [email protected] Craft, Bridgeview 708-598-9988

Tamara Fransen [email protected] Towing & Recovery, Peotone 708-258-0000

Dan Redmon [email protected]’s Village Towing, Sschaumburg 847-895-6162

Bill Wishard [email protected] Toz Towing, Loves Park 815-964-0834

Reggie Hart [email protected], Chicago 773-994-4355

Wes Kochel [email protected] Kochel, Inc., Monee (708) 534-8341

GENERAL COUNSELDonald S. Rothschild, Summit [email protected] 708-848-8804

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICEMelanie Matthews

851 Brenkman Dr., Pekin, Il. 61554800-286-0519/[email protected]

THE BEACON/FEBRUARY 2011 PAGE 3

THE BEACON/FEBRUARY 2011

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AVOID PROBLEMS . . .Drain your Water Separator Frequently in Cold Weather

Draining your water separator frequently in cold weathereliminates the possibility of water accumulations freezing anddamaging your water separator assembly. If a large amount ofwater freezes in the bottom of the water separator it can split thebottom of the separation unit. This would require replacing dam-aged parts but sometimes this is not the only problem experi-enced. The frozen water acts like a plug and fuel will not leakfrom the unit until you drive the vehicle a few miles and the heatfrom the engine melts the ice causing a severe fuel leak andengine shut down. Now you are stuck and have to be towed orwalk the few miles back home. Whether your vehicle isequipped with a separate water separation unit or it is incorporat-ed in the fuel filter, drain it frequently in cold weather.

Before you change your Fuel FilterI receive many complaints of non-starting or poorly running

engines after replacing the fuel filter. In some instances thesecomplaints have turned into expensive fuel injection systemrepairs. There are two major reasons for the problems occurringafter changing the fuel filter. The first is dirt and water isallowed to by pass the fuel filter and go directly into the fuelinjection system and the second is a large amount of air isallowed to enter the fuel injection system. The dirt and waterproblem needs little explanation as the clearances in the fuelinjection can be as small as sixty five millionths of an inch anddoes not need a lot of dirt to cause a problem. Introducing air

into a fuel injection that has pressures up to ten thousand poundscan cause severe problems rapidly. When air is introduced intothe fuel injection pump the pump will compress the air to a veryhigh pressure then fire it down the injector line into the injector.All in all this is not a good thing to happen because the highpressure air bubble can impact the injector line wall causingsmall pieces of metal to break off causing an injector to jamopen. The air inside the fuel injection pump and injectors greatlyreduces the lubrication factor and at times has caused the fuelinjection pump to seize up. Whatever the end result is it is usual-ly expensive and causes unnecessary down time. The method toavoid the above problems is simple---does not cost anything anddoes not take a lot of time. What is it? Prior to replacing the fuelfilter on 1988 above 7.3 and Power Stroke engines, drain it thenfill the new fuel filter with clean diesel fuel. When I say drain it,use the same method as when you drain the water from the filter.Draining the filter removes most of the dirt and water that hasaccumulated in the bottom of the filter or bowl that may have achance of bowl that may have a chance of ending up on the cleanside of the filter. This problem is more severe and likely to hap-pen on cartridge filters but I have seen it happen with spin onunits also. For the amount of time it takes to drain the filter itdoes not pay to take a chance.

Reprinted with permission:M & S Technical Services, Inc.74 Bell Street, Babylon, NY 11704

THE BEACON/FEBRUARY 2011

This accident happened 05/1/2010 on the ramp from 1st Ave. northbound to I55

northbound. Other than the truck, there was no casualties. We had to unhook trail-

ers, and winch the units up 1 at a time loaded, grass was too soft to unload while in

ditch. When we got them to the roadway, we raised them, then we unloaded them

into waiting trucks. IDOT requested that we remove all broken posts and guard rail

because they pose a saftey hazzard. Then we towed both units back to the trucking

company.

Total recovery time start to end was 8hrs.

This recovery was from Auto-Medics

TOUGH RECOVERY


If you would like to see your recovery in the Beacon. Send at least 6 pictures and ashort narrative to Melanie at [email protected].

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ties but House Speaker Michael Madigan put in an amend-

ment excluding Cook County. This is still a good law because

as the separate counties opt out, we can use this as evidence,

in the State Legislature and in Federal Court that this is not a

good law, and perhaps get Cook County included or get the

whole law thrown out. Our thanks to Tony Rossi, our lobby-

ist, for his efforts on these pieces of legislation. This is just

part of what your association does for you!

In other matters, I would like to extend our condolences to

Jack Kane and his family for the loss of his father, John

Kane, and also to the Bill Howard family for the loss of

Vickie’s father, Elvis Burkeen. We share in your loss.

On a brighter note, one of our past presidents recently

made the news in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Our congrats to Jr.

Bramlette for being named man of the year by this southern

town. He was given this award for his donation of used police

and fire vehicles. Jr., keep up the good work.

Guess I’m done for this month. I hope you all have a prof-

itable winter season. Do you have an issue or problem you

want to talk about? An article you would like to write and put

in the Beacon? Call me at 708-430-9715 and we will talk

about it. Lastly, while you’re out there talking to other towers

make sure to get them to join our association, because in

Springfield, we need high membership numbers to get our

message heard.

Ed

Continued from page 2

Calumet CityAuto Wreckers

We will pick up yourjunk/scrap cars today!

Today I want to talk about alternative rod-surface treatments- to conventional electro-plated hard chrome and the life exten-sion benefits they can offer.

The first of these is High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF)which is essentially a metal spraying process. When applied cor-rectly this surface treatment has superior hardness and impact,corrosion and wear resistance to hard chrome. This meansHVOF cylinder rods typically last longer in abrasive or corrosiveenvironments than their hard chrome counterparts.

Black nitride is another alternative. It's an atmospheric fur-nace treatment developed and patented in the early 1980's. Itcombines the high surface hardness and corrosion resistance ofnitriding with additional corrosion resistance gained by oxida-tion.

When it comes to its performance, I've heard mixed reports.One client reports three times the service life in corrosive envi-ronments when compared with conventional hard chrome.

While another client trialled black nitride on salt trucks andfound the rods started flaking after one year's service.

I've also heard one report of long, small diameter blacknitride rods snapping under load.

A third alternative is nickel under chrome. In the USA,Prince Hydraulics markets this rod treatment as Royal Plate. Andthis nickel/chrome coating is also offered by Socatri of France.

Although I've had no direct experience with nickel/chromeplating, according to reports from a reliable source, its corrosionresistance is superior to conventional hard chrome and blacknitride - but not as good as hard chrome plated stainless steel.

Yours for better hydraulics knowledge, Brendan CaseyAuthor of 'Insider Secrets to Hydraulics'ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brendan Casey has more than 20years experience in the maintenance, repair and overhaul ofmobile and industrial hydraulic equipment. For more informationon reducing the operating cost and increasing the up-time of yourhydraulic equipment, visit his web site:http://www.InsiderSecretsToHydraulics.com


ECHO. The WTA’s Hooked on Helping group donated over$1,100 in gift cards as well.

Pat Winer, Worldwide Equipment Sales, Rockdale, IL, alongwith Jeff & Geri Roskopf, Roskopf’s Towing & Service,Menomonee Falls, and Steve and Cathy Davis, Davis CitgoService, Janesville, were the primary organizers of the event.The Tow Trucks for Tots program, which collects toys for childrenand promotes the towing industry, was organized by Pat Winer afew years ago. Worldwide Equipment does a tow truck paradeevery year in Illinois, and also organizes parade and toy giveawaysin other cities that might need help.

A big thank you to the following companies that participated inthe event: Chariot Towing, Countryside, IL; James Churchill &Sons Trucking LLC, Janesville; Davis Citgo Service, Janesville;Dewey’s Service, Beloit; Floyd & Sons, Inc., Racine; Grosse PointTow, Bollingbrook , IL; Hornik Towing, Janesville; RichiesRepair, Janesville; Roskopf’s Service & Towing, LLC,Menomonee Falls; Schmidt Auto, Inc., Madison; WildwoodTowing, Gurnee , IL; and Wurtz Service Center, Inc., Janesville.

Special thanks to Pat Winer, Worldwide Equipment Sales;Janesville Police Dept., Rock County Sheriff’s Dept, City ManagerEric Levitt and his Management Assistant, Rebecca Smith, KarlaKing, Janesville Leisure Services Dept., Kathleen Voskuil,Janesvile City Council President, Hornik Towing, Janesville, WurtzService Center, Janesville, Budget Truck & Auto Janesville; BrandPrinting, Inc., Slinger and Alto-Shamm, Inc., Menomonee Falls fortheir special efforts to make this past Christmas a little happier andbrighter for Janesville area children.

On Saturday, December 11th, Wisconsin tow truck operatorsjoined their fellow operators from Illinois representing the TowTrucks for Tots program to deliver truckload of toys for distribu-tion to deserving Janesville area children during the Christmas sea-son.

Approximately 30 trucks paraded to Traxler Park in Janesvilleto deliver the more than 1,000 toys to the Salvation Army and

ILLINOIS – WISCONSIN OPERATORSBRING TOW TRUCKS FOR TOTS TOJANESVILLE


Dick & Mickie

invite you to

SAVE THE DATE

March 19, 2011,

Dick's son

Dick (JR),

the Big 50

and

Mickie's daughter,

Amanda,

Uh-Oh 30

Invitation will follow.

Dick's Towing

815-725-5772

The Professional Towing andRecovery Operators of Illinois851 Brenkman Drive

Pekin, Illinois 61554

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