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Miller Industries Finds Kenworth T880s
Are “Show Stoppers” for Tow Industry
KIRKLAND, Wash. – While Kenworth’s venerable
T800 has long been a favorite of tow and recovery
companies, the new Kenworth T880 has been turning
heads. And fast. “It’s quickly leapfrogged the T800,”
according to John L. Hawkins, Miller Industries vice
president of heavy duty operations for the Ooltewah,
Tenn.-based company.
“We purchased one of the first T880s last fall and
installed one of our 50-ton towing and recovery units,
and displayed it at the industry’s second largest trade
show in Baltimore,” Hawkins said. “The T880 stole the
show, generated a lot of future business, and brought
customers to the Miller booth. In fact, it was the first
vehicle to sell at the show.”
and be willing to create a vehicle that works precisely as
our customers expect. I feel that’s what helps separate
Kenworth from other truck OEMs – they’re truly
dedicated to our market. It’s why we’re successful, and
why Kenworth is as well.”
Robbie Faulk, owner of Ace Wrecker Service in Orlando and
its sister company, Russell’s Towing in nearby St. Cloud, Fla.,
with his new Kenworth T880.
Robbie Faulk, owner of Ace Wrecker Service in
Orlando and its sister company, Russell’s Towing in
nearby St. Cloud, attended that Baltimore show and saw
the Kenworth T880. “I ordered a new Century 1150S
rotator for my personal tow vehicle,” he said. “But, a
funny thing happened when it was delivered – two of my
drivers started fighting over it. They both wanted to
drive it. So, now I have to share the truck. We all just
love the T880 – it rides better and has a great turning
radius, and with the sloped hood we get great visibility
out the front.”
Two of Miller Industries’ Kenworth T880s.
Miller Industries is one of the nation’s largest
suppliers of towing and recovery equipment, in part, due
to its long-standing reputation of delivering products that
outperform expectations. “To be successful in this
business you have to have a truck partner that
understands towing and recovery,” said Hawkins. “The
truck builder has to have on-going engineering expertise
Kenworth Truck Company News Release
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Greg Gaylord, president of Southern Wrecker and Recovery
with his company’s T880.
The T880 joins 60 other tow vehicles in Faulk’s
fleet – which consists of smaller vehicles for
transporting cars, on up to a heavy duty rig with a 75-ton
rotator. “We’re using the T880 for recovery work, plus
other jobs,” Faulk said. “We just finished helping put a
small bridge into place by using the dual 50,000-lb.
winches with the hydraulic boom that rotates 360degrees and extends and elevates under load. Without
the stability of the chassis platform, we would not have
been able to complete the job.”
In Jacksonville, Greg Gaylord, president of
Southern Wrecker and Recovery, considers the T880 its
flagship tow truck. Southern Wrecker spec’d a T880 for
a Century 9055 – a 50-ton integrated unit known for its
heavy duty towing superiority. Both Russell’s Towing’s
and Southern Wrecker’s T880s feature 20,000-lb. front
suspensions and 46,000-lb. rears. “Though each tow
company has 50-ton units installed on the T880s, they
feature different designs – yet the diverse specifications
of the chassis properly support each client’s
application,” said Hawkins.
“We took delivery of the T880 in April after seeing
one at the industry’s largest trade show in Florida,” said
Gaylord. “The spec’ing process, along with Kenworth
quality, led us to the T880. It may seem like a small
thing, but for a tow operator, specs are critical,
especially when you need the tow body to come up all
the way to the cab.
“In our case, we looked at the exhaust behind the
cab,” he said. “Kenworth had it situated so we could do
dual fuel tanks, which we need since we make hauls into
Georgia and other nearby states. Other manufacturers
restricted us to one fuel tank due to the exhaust.
Kenworth also set it up to install the batteries between
the DPF (diesel particulate filter) and exhaust system
behind the cab – maximizing the remaining cab to bogie
for proper equipment installation. This kept the batteries
out of the toolbox. Just little details like these show that
Kenworth knows our industry and how we like things
spec’d.”
“Kenworth gets it when it comes to engineering for
the tow industry,” agreed Hawkins. “They know we
need large volume air compressors with maximum air
storage, high amp alternators to support amperage draw,
specific placement for air dryers, fuel tanks, batteries,
exhaust, cross members and suspension components to
accommodate our bodies – all while shifting weight
forward to the front axle and away from the rear drives.
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“With wheelbases exceeding 300 inches, a tight
turning radius is required and the Kenworth T880’s setback front axle allows for added maneuverability,”
continued Hawkins. “But, the real key is the challenge of
balancing chassis weight. Unlike other trucking
applications, we carry our payload 100-plus inches off
the tailboard of the tow vehicle. Weight is critical in our
industry. The only way to pick up a loaded trash truck
with a front axle weight that can be in excess of 20,000
lbs. is to have a T880 that Kenworth has engineered with
the proper center of gravity that supports the suspension
and axle package.”
“Our T880 is extremely quiet and handles like a
Cadillac,” Gaylord said. “My son is driving it now and I
don’t expect him to leave it anytime soon. He loves it –
the T880 is very comfortable. The other day he hauled a
fully loaded mixer and the drive, with all that weight,
was phenomenal. We’ll do recovery work with the T880
as well. I like to say that if you give us enough time, and
enough cable, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.”
Gaylord’s original core business was Southern Fleet
Maintenance, and which provided contract maintenance
to large fleets in the area. “In 2000, we decided to buy
our own wrecker to transport our customers’ trucks since
we couldn’t find a reliable tower in our area,” he said.
“Today, we have 28 tow vehicles including eight Class 8
tow vehicles and have state contracts with 18 counties –
serving a 250-mile radius around Jacksonville.”
Working with Miller Industries has been a huge
plus. “We’re buying their experience in the industry and
we’ve been big fans of theirs for many years,” Gaylord
said. “They don’t miss much – they’re on the cutting
edge with wreckers and it’s tremendous for us to have a
Kenworth T880 with a Miller body. We get the best of
both worlds.”
Kenworth Truck Company is the manufacturer of
The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks.
Kenworth’s
Internet
home
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www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company.