AAA SPONSORED TOW TURNS INTO AN EXTENDED, EXPENSIVE DISASTER
(Horse Lovers Beware!!!
I, in my pickup, with two horses and my mule in a trailer being towed behind, living my retirement dream and traveling through Arizona…how can it be any better than that? Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard and smoke began billowing out from under the hood. I have just been introduced to the terror of breaking down in a remote desert area of the Southwest. First, what could it be? Engine blown? Turbo blown? Is it on fire??? Guess not. Being a member of AAA, I called 1-800-AAA-HELP for roadside assistance feeling grateful that I was a AAA member, belonging to a roadside assistance organization that, by many, is considered to be the “best”.
In roughly 30 to 40 minutes, a tow truck out of Camp Verde, Arizona, arrived at the scene. The driver (Joe) evaluates the situation and calls his boss. His boss informs him that he can tow the pickup and trailer, but with no live animals in the trailer. Not necessarily wanting to shoot the horses and mule, I realized I had a large problem. What in the heck do I do with 3 large animals on a Sunday (April 25th, 2004) at approximately 4:00 P.M., daylight soon to be gone, no water and 25 miles from my destination.
An idea!! During my 2003 trip to Arizona, I met another horseman by the name of Terri Fleming, from Strawberry, Arizona. I spent nearly two weeks with Terri and his family, planning and doing a three-day pack trip. We had just completed another pack trip East of Camp Verde and Terri was transporting two horses in a trailer and was five minutes ahead of me when this disaster struck. After Joe informs me that the horses cannot be transported in the trailer, I call Terri’s home and I speak to his wife and she relays the message via a cell phone to Terri, asking him to return towards Camp Verde on Highway 260 to assist in hauling the animals. While Terri is in route, Joe prepares to make the tow. (Note: He does not remove the drive-line, which I find out later, is standard operating procedure for a tow of any significant distance, by a competent towing operator. Proceeding on to Strawberry, the incline of the highway was 6%. The incline of the pickup was an additional 6 to 8%, totaling somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 to 15%.
Terri arrives and I, having previously unloaded the animals and tied them to a tree, chock the wheels and unhook the trailer from my pickup. Joe pulls the pickup a few hundred feet ahead to allow us to hook the trailer to Terri’s pickup. We load the animals and Terri leads the procession to Strawberry.
Arriving at Terri’s house, Joe unhooks my pickup from the tow truck in order to gravity roll it into a favorable location to set up my pickup camper. In attempting to roll the pickup, we realized that we were pushing against a considerable amount of resistance. Terri said to put the pickup into “Neutral”. I responded with an assurance that it “Is in Neutral”!!! I depressed the clutch pedal and it readily rolled into the desired position.
Early the next week, I discovered that it was a ruptured, high-pressure air conditioning hose that had caused all the noise and smoke. I proceeded to drive the pickup down to Pine, Arizona to test the pickup. I experienced gear “grinding” into 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear. Deciding that I had transmission problems, I decided a second opinion was necessary, so I drove to Payson, Arizona to the Dodge dealer, whereupon the assigned technician determined that the transmission was severely damaged. I paid for the diagnosis and then drove the pickup to Payson Driveline for another opinion and an estimate. I then drove back to Terri’s house and parked the pickup in Terri’s back yard.
As I was trying to figure out how to deal with this situation, another part of the drama was unfolding back at home. From the beginning of this trip, I was in frequent contact with my father, who was a resident in an assisted care facility in Powell, Wyoming. I communicated with him on Wednesday, May 12th. He asked a question that he was frequently asking, “Don. When are you going to be home??” I replied that I couldn’t come home until I resolved my transmission problems.
Following is a basic chronological order of events as they evolved:
4/25/04 Alpha Tow
4/28 Drove to Payson for diagnosis
4/29 Called Alpha and had P.D.L. (Payson Drive Line) fax estimate to Alpha
4/30 Called Alpha several times. Runaround!
4/29-4/30 Contacted Wendy (Payson lawyer) to accept offered voluntary assistance to get things moving.
4/30 Toni (boss @ Alpha Towing) says “claim has been filed”. Later in day, I get a call from Jim Armor telling me to expect a call arranging an appointment with an insurance adjuster.
5/6/04 Insurance adjuster arrives. (John Swick) Determines that transmission has some problems. Mentions pro-rate percentage.
5/7 Call from Michael Bright (AAA – Arizona). Says a Dixie Richie (AAA – Arizona) will be contacting me. She does contact me at 10:50 A.M. and informs me that she will contact Alpha’s insurance company in Atlanta and will get back to me.
5/10 Figured that my excess cell phone minutes were going to cost a additional $200. Upgraded plan needed.
5/11 Talked to Joe Beatty (AAA – Montana) trying to figure out why things were not moving faster.
5/12 Call my dad. Again, he asks, when I am going to be home. As it turns out, this is the last conversation I have with my father.
5/13 Receive a call from family in Cody informing me that my father has taken an extreme “turn for the worse” in his over-all health. What do I do????
5/14 Made an appointment for repair of transmission. (4/17/04 @ 7:30 A.M)
Received call from family that my father passed away at 6:45 P.M.)
5/16 Arranged for a car rental at Flagstaff.
5/17 Drove into Payson. Delivered pickup to Payson Drive Line. Caught a ride to Flagstaff, rented car and was out by 10:00 A.M. Spent night in car just East of Farson, Wyoming
5/18 Arrive in Cody at about noon.
5/19 Transmission arrives at Phoenix Hard Parts with specific instructions that I’m to receive back all damaged parts from transmission with a letter stating extent of damage and “why”.
5/20 2:00 P.M. Funeral service for father
5/22 Leave by 5:30 A.M. for drive back to Arizona. Sleep out by Jacobs Lake area of Arizona.
5/23 Returned car to car rental in early afternoon and caught a ride to Strawberry.
5/24 Called Dixie Richie (AAA – Arizona). Said things were moving ahead. Waiting on a AAA inspector from Tucson.
5/26 More calls to and finally from Joe Beatty. Joe Beatty said to expect a call from the AAA inspector.
5/27 .A Phil Farenga (SP?) (AAA Transmission Inspector from Tucson) calls me in the late morning. Informs me that transmission was damaged previous to the tow and AAA will “not pay a dime”.
5/27 Late afternoon, Joe calls me to console me about AAA refusal to pay. I tell Joe how greatly disappointed I am in AAA.
5/28 I ride my Honda Trail 90 into Payson to pick up a few supplies. While at Payson Feed, I receive a call from P.H.P. (Pete Drofung) that the transmission case was damaged beyond the point of rebuildable. Pete explains that my transmission is the worst he’s ever seen. I asked if he saw any heat damage (due to friction) and he said, “Yes”. I explained my unique circumstances and he said that he would get my transmission rebuilt immediately. Transmission has not arrived in Payson. Memorial Day weekend coming up!!!
6/1 I drive Honda Trail 90 into Payson. Transmission arrives in Payson by 10:00 A.M. On arrival, I notice there is no “box of damaged transmission parts” with the newly rebuilt transmission. A call is made to Phoenix Hard Parts, they apologize and say that parts will be shipped next day. Late in afternoon, receive a call from Payson Drive Line that my pickup is repaired.
6/2 Caught an early morning ride into Payson Drive Line. While paying my $3,000 plus repair bill, UPS delivered my box of damaged transmission parts. I drive back to Strawberry and start organizing and packing in preparation to leave for home. I reflect on the fact that I’ve just been through a terribly traumatic ordeal. I’ve been stranded in Terri’s back yard for nearly six weeks. Thank God for a “Good Friend” !!
6/3 thru 6/5 I drive home to Cody, Wyoming, arriving at about lunch time.
“Mobility is Freedom. Freedom is Mobility” I’ve been without both!!
Horse people, if you ever find yourself in a similar predicament, my best advise in dealing with your horses, is to call 911 and ask to speak to a sheriff or a sheriff’s deputy that owns horses, or knows somebody who does, and ask them for assistance.
Don Frisby e-mail frizwapitiwy@yahoo.com