David

One hand on his pepper and both feet on the brake pedal.

"I didn't have time to stop" I'm going to have to play the BS card on that one.

We're going to need a little more info to be of any help. Which five speed do you have now? What rear ratio? What do you consider "better"?

77 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 2 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012 Good one Ken. Here's one to keep in mind when seeing ads over the next two days...........

Mark, You took the words right out of my mouth. Tim, Thanks for the pictures.

78 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 3 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012

79 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 4 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012

I might stop on my way back from Statesville.

Yes thats what he means. My nine speeds whine in 4L.

Standard five speed with reverse left and up. Use either 5L or 1H. Preselect the range before moving the stick.

It's upside down. That's why it's all bent up. Very common piece. You should be able to find one in any junk yard in PA.

80 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 5 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012

81 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 6 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012

You came to the right place. Welcome.

Happy Birthday. Hope you had a great day.

That's about 2227 too many.

Post a picture of it. We'll see what we have. Also what length?

82 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 7 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012

Seems to be an abundance of reporters willing to stand in the wind and rain with a microphone. I wonder if they volunteer for the assignment or draw the short straw?

A few years ago I purchased a set of frame rails on Ebay and found myself in NJ picking them up. Met the seller who was an older (and very interesting) gentleman who took me inside his shop and showed me his B model wrecker. It was the A to Z shown in the pictures above. A very heavy piece of equipment. He told me "It will pick up a D8. Can't go anywhere. But it will pick it up". After seeing the pictures, I found this article........... When you love what you do, it’s hard to stop. At 81, Sky Ball is still towing, while looking in the rearview mirror at a life of adventure. It was 1959 when Sky Ball of A To Z Service in Riverdale, N.J., started out in business. His first tow truck cost him $2,500, and he recalls some of his early equipment, such as a 1956 Ford F- 350 with an Ortiz unit –“a fantastic piece of equipment,” he says. “Everything about it was so simplified.” His first large truck was a 1950 Autocar with a 40-ton Weld Built body that cost $5,380. (He has the itemized receipt, which includes a two-tone paint job for $246.) And there’s the 1965 Mack with a 750 Holmes converted to hydraulic by Kirby Grant in South Carolina. Ball has seen many trucks purchased and sold during his career, but he steered clear of owning a large fleet – keeping to around five trucks at the most in his company colors of bronze and cream. He also had a crane business, and used the cranes in his recovery work when needed. ]]> </paragraph> - <paragraph number="2"> - <![CDATA[ “I never wanted to be a big-time operator,” he says. “And I didn’t want a bunch of guys working for me. It didn’t interest me.” But he had his share of interesting jobs. His most memorable recovery job came in 1982 after a small airplane crashed into the Wanaque Reservoir in northern New Jersey. It was November when the state police called, requesting that he respond with his air cushions. “It was cold as hell,” Ball recalls, “there was a tent set up with propane heaters, scuba divers and floats – it was a big deal. We loaded the cushions and gear on boats to get to the plane.” After floating the aircraft with the cushions, the plane was towed a bitter three-quarters of a mile to shore, where Ball lifted the plane out with one of his cranes. ]]> </paragraph> - <paragraph number="3"> - <![CDATA[ When a local safari park closed, two adult rhinoceroses had to be relocated to Texas. The animals were each led into large wooden crates. Ball’s task was to lift the crates onto the trailer for the trip. After lifting one of the crates, he discovered that a rhino packs a pretty nasty disposition. “It almost kicked the box apart,” said Ball, who advises never going near a rhino. “They are mean – and powerful.” One weekend, a large truck broke down on the interstate. The policeman on the scene was highly agitated, and the truck driver, carrying a box, approached Ball. “You got heat in your truck cab?” he asked. Yes, replied Ball. “Can I put this box in there?” Ball agreed. “The guy was from Florida,” Ball says, “so I asked, ‘What is it? Oranges?’” Nope. Small crocodile. “It’s my baby,” the truck driver said, stroking the reptile. He obviously didn’t want the policeman to see his most likely unlawful pet. ]]> </paragraph> </page> - <page pageNumber="23">- <paragraph number="1"> - <![CDATA[ And there were the drunks, the deaths and the rescues. “I’ve had a lot of interesting jobs,” Ball says, “But I guess every tow guy has.” His adventures aren’t limited to towing and recovery. He had a successful run at off-road enduro motorcycle racing, particularly while riding his 350-cu. in. Matchless. “It won me a lot of races,” he mused. He also owned Triumphs, Harleys and a British-made Greeves off-road motorcycle. “I guess you could call me an impulse buyer,” Ball laughs. He’s been hot air ballooning off the California coast and rode glider airplanes in the skies of New York State. He was a beekeeper, and is a collector of antique trucks and motorcycles. A ]]> </paragraph> - <paragraph number="2"> - <![CDATA[ member of an antique truck club, he recently purchased a 1940 Dodge panel truck, and owns a 1917 Harley- Davidson. Both have won first place awards at antique car and truck shows. Today, A To Z Service has a fleet of three tow trucks, a car carrier, a tractor and four trailers. The company handles equipment transport and towing, with Ball’s son Ed Sr. handling most of the operations. “He does a good job,” Ball says. Zana, Ball’s wife, is the “lifeblood of the family,” he says. “If it wasn’t for my wife, I wouldn’t have gotten this far. I can’t say enough good about her,” he says. “But don’t tell her I said that,” he chuckles. His daughter Susan is married to Cliff Pristas, who asked Tow Times to tell Sky Ball’s story. These days, Ball keeps as busy as he ]]> </paragraph> - <paragraph number="3"> - <![CDATA[ wants to be while admittedly doing little of what he used to do, back when there were no wheel-lifts, only tow bars – and big trucks with steel bumpers. Today he finds the towing equipment is a lot heavier to lift, and it’s not as easy to get around like before. “It’s a young man’s game,” he says. Plus, the industry has changed, Ball says. Work is scarcer. Trucks are made so much better, he says. Whereas he once got calls two or three times a night, now there’s one a month. And the cost of today’s towing equipment amazes him. But it’s his life, and there’s always something to do around the shop. “It’s hard to let go after all these years,” he says. “When you love what you’re doing – that’s the biggest thing. It’s been an adventure.”

Very nice pictures. Thanks for posting.

83 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 8 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012

84 days until January 20, 2013. "The end of an ERROR". 9 days until the eviction notice is served. "When somebody does not do the job, we've got to let 'em go." -Clint Eastwood 2012

Would this be covered by Obamacare?

Congratulations and good luck to your son. I grew up with three sisters.