and remote controls is the ability to operate the wheel lift or carrier body from the safety of the cab. Beginning with the advent of the self-loading wheel lift towers have been slowly taking advantage of remote controls for their own safety. While common on most wreckers today, remote controls for carriers are less common and when installed usually only control the winch. Remote control of the winch is an important function however it is this author’s opinion that all functions on a carrier should be remotely controlled as standard equipment as an effort to reduce

Gone are the days of guessing

what a driver is doing with the truck or hoping they are obeying the speed limit and wearing their seat belt. white line fatalities in the industry. I ask, why do we still have manual control levers at the rear corners of our carriers forcing a driver to be smack in the middle of the impact zone if the carrier is struck by an out

of control vehicle? Imagine if the tower did not need to exit the relative safety of their cab until they were required to physically attach the vehicle to the tow truck or carrier? With rear facing cameras

Jerr-Dan® Smart

Found in the truck’s cab, as well as at each control station, the Jerr-Dan exclusive Touchlink ™ system provides increased lighting control functionality, with greater ease of use. This system features in-cab electronic controls that come standard with an overhead switch panel, as well as an additional underlift control panel as an option. Available on all Jerr-Dan heavy duty wreckers and rotators, Touchlink increases operator functionality and safety by allowing control of the light-bar, front, side and rear strobes, and flood and work lights without ever having to leave the cab. This CAN-Bus based system reduces complexity and the need for additional wiring. Along with the rest of the heavy duty wrecker and rotator bodies, created with the operator in mind, the Touchlink system has built-in troubleshooting with smart keypad indicator lights.

40 • April 2021 | Towman.com