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This big yellow wrecker is a Kenworth W9 cab with a twin steer tri drive 80 ton Jerr-Dan rotator (I’ve read 80 ton but I’ve also read the owner speaking of it in terms of 85).
This is the Big Wheels Rotator. It’s the longest rotator built so far. Big rotators like these can lift 40,000 to 60,000 pounds (how do they produce a shaft that strong?) at 30 to 40 feet out from the unit. They can take that weight and swivel 360 degrees around.
There are a number of these big rotators being built to purpose. That is, they’re not just tow trucks being converted to rotators. They’re built from the ground up to be rotators. The main/sub frame is huge and the truck is long.
The owner himself has chimed in about his truck. He said that there is a lot of planning that goes into building an 85-tonner, and it costs a lot as well. He said that one of the main problems is that when you order the chassis for the unit, the number of additional options a buyer has available to choose from is “endless.” Including comfort, which he said was very important in the way the truck will function as a used machine. The builders/dealers won’t advise you what you will need either, he said. The buyer himself has to scrutinize every minute detail, which can take months of planning. He said that the years of experience he had in buying other rotators with things he later found missing that he needed or wanted and which he thought would just be part of the package helped in figuring out what was needed on this one.
His name is Bob (at Big Wheel Truck Sales) and he said if anyone is thinking of doing this, they can give him a call. He even gave his number. It was a while ago so I don’t know if it’s the same. You can just look up their website. They’re in Massachusetts. Some have said they think the outriggers are too close together. Other criticisms include that the SRS system could be installed on their rotator for stabilization. Visit Big Wheel Truck Sales.
