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ClassicTractorProfessor

New Rescuing Old

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ClassicTractorProfessor

Was sitting around the shop this morning bored with nothing to do, when the phone rang for a tow. If any of you know anything about the towing industry, you know that there is never a routine call and every job is a new experience. Today's job was to haul this old wrecker from where it has been parked since 1984 out to the owner's farm north of town. Kinda broke mine and a lot of the people in towns hearts to see it leave, while some may consider it an eyesore, most of us saw it as a landmark in town. It belonged to a guy here that had a salvage yard and also did a lot of junk metal art, and had a lot of it displayed at the yard where this truck was sitting. But the city had other ideas and told the owner he had to move it or bring the tags up to date on it.

 

For more info about our local artist Jim Powers and to see some of his work check out this link 

https://www.powersville.net/jimmydalepowers/index.html

 

And now for all the :text-coolphotos: In the background of one of the pictures you can see Jim's dinosaur made from old wheels. That dinosaur and this truck were two of the major landmarks the locals would give people not familiar with the area looking for the intersection of SH15 and SH46

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ClassicTractorProfessor

Here's a video from the OKC news several years ago regarding one of the Jimmy Birds, it still keeps an eye on Gage from its perch on the water tower today

 

 

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ClassicTractorProfessor

 

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953 nut
15 minutes ago, Professor1990 said:

city had other ideas and told the owner he had to move it or bring the tags up to date

:confusion-confused:                  Wonder if he could have put a big "For Sale" sign on it and tell the city he was absolutely sure it would sell any day now!

He seems like a real cool dude.

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ClassicTractorProfessor
9 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

 

He seems like a real cool dude.

Sadly Jim passed away back in 2006, his son has everything now and sadly it has went downhill, I can remember when it was still kept up and a lot of his pieces were still there, a lot of them are gone now and the place has been grown over in weeds and brush for years. Towards the end of this video you can see the old truck I hauled today back when it still had all its tires and maybe even still had the motor and transmission in it, 

 

 

I did snap a couple more pics while I was scrounging around for some blocks to put under the old truck, I figured y'all would really enjoy the homemade tractor, and the old crane is pretty cool too. Troy had big plans a few years ago that he and I were gonna get that crane running again, but he never could come up with the funding to make it happen. If I get a chance I'll try to get some more pics of the pieces that are still around there and share them with y'all

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WVHillbilly520H

Looks like the "Happy Hooker" finally got hooked, I know what you mean about landmarks back home in WV we have a fella that does some rather awesome/cool scrap iron art pieces, and there was the local tow truck 69-70 red Chevy C60 (and it's "infamous" driver that had a few more notable tow rigs before he passed away a few years back)...a little story from about 18+ years ago I was heading to work one afternoon and noticed him ahead and the red Chevy towing (I believe a crew cab F250-350) when I heard a LOUD boom over the custom dual 12" sub stereo in my '95 S10 it was one of the tires on the tow truck had blown it started to sway then next thing I knew it was heading over the road bank towards the river as it was going over the bank the  F-series unhooked from the cradle and escaped serious damage as the C60 slid down the bank on its side, seem like a long time but all this happened in a matter of seconds, as I pulled over to check on "Sammy" (who was hair lipped) he was crawling out the passenger side door asking "what the hell just happened", that was the last time the C60 was the the tow truck, after it was retrieved it sat in the corner of the lot where it had towed so many others and as far as I know it's still there.

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Pullstart

Someone shoulda raised some funds to get tags on that truck and let the councilmen turn red in the face 👍

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ClassicTractorProfessor
16 minutes ago, pullstart said:

Someone shoulda raised some funds to get tags on that truck and let the councilmen turn red in the face 👍

Believe me had Troy told me they gave him the option to tag it BEFORE I hauled it to the farm I would have gladly went down to the DMV and wrote a check for the tags, one for the sake of keeping a well known landmark in town and two as a slap in the face to the code enforcement officer (why does a town of 450 people need one of those anyway) and the city council after a run in I had with them about some things at my shop a few months ago. 

 

Oh well she's now resting peacefully alongside two of the other trucks Jim used in his business years ago. That old blue Dodge 4x4 winch truck is kinda cool, and I think it wouldn't take much to put it back on the road, but the old cabover and the "Happy Hooker" will probably rot away where they sit:(

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ClassicTractorProfessor

Here's a bit of a tour of the Museum back in the day...a lot of these pieces are still back there in the weeds, just have to hunt for them

 

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roadapples

Really enjoyed this, Thanks...

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ClassicTractorProfessor

Glad you enjoyed it. 

 

You know sometimes I get irritated at work being the only operator we've got. The boss and his son are both licensed tow ops as well, but they maybe have 2 yrs experience between the two of them, so I end up with 99% of the towing work. But then I get sent on jobs like this and it makes it worthwhile, it was almost like an honor to get the job of moving Jim's old truck out to the farm, that old wrecker was his pride and joy years ago. I have had numerous phone calls and Facebook messages from some of the locals this evening sharing stories of Jim coming to their rescue in that old truck, or how when they were younger they would go riding along with him to a tow. 

 

Maybe I'm crazy and jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, but I'm gonna keep working on Troy and try to get him to sell me the old truck, it just breaks my heart to see it sit out there in the pasture and rot away. It would take A LOT of work, but I would like to get it and fix it back to its former glory and drive it in parades and such, 

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JERSEYHAWG /  Glenn

Very enjoyable to read that, interesting. 

 

Glenn

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Pullstart

The things ya’ learn of on a tractor website!  I can’t help but think of Larry the Cable Guy playing Jim in a movie some day...

 

thanks Bryce for sharing, that last video they walked around the truck too

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LengerichKA88

City/county government is one of the most toxic levels of government... I’d find somewhere else highly visible  to park it and then tell em that if they want to check the tags they can do so at the risk of trespassing. 

Then you put this up: 

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AMC RULES

Interesting read...

would really appreciate a tour of that old crane too, if the opportunity ever presents itself.

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