Judd's Towing & Recovery UT 84660

C

Clark Cooper

When a ball joint failed on my wife’s car, the passenger-side wheel turned sharply inward and locked up. Of course I called the highest-rated tower in town, Judd’s. Dillon (or Dallon?) was gracious enough to give me a firm quote of $200 "with no surprises". About 1–2 hours later he arrived and got to work. As I came out to meet him, he had already removed the wheel to minimize further damage. Ang the first thing he informed me was that they are not responsible for further damage. OK… fair… enough? What choice do I have… I guess? I admit I was that annoying, hovering customer watching to make sure nothing went awry. Dallon was friendly and patient with my hovering… but friendliness doesn’t always mean professionalism—as I was about to learn. With the brake rotor supporting the weight of the car, and our brand-new catalytic converter just inches from the pavement, he began winching the car toward his truck. The car moved, but the rotor did not, causing the upright/steering knuckle to drift farther and farther from its proper location. I tried to trust. But before too long, I couldn’t. I shouted for him to stop, and we re-assessed what was happening. He seemed mildly concerned about scraping the cat, but resigned to the idea that “some further damage just has to happen” in situations like this. “It’s a lose-lose situation, unfortunately.” That didn’t feel right. I said, “Look, I’m kind of stupid, so what do I know… but isn’t there maybe some kind of wheels we can attach to support the rotor so it moves WITH the car?” He assured me there was not, and that he’s been doing this for 10 years. He shifted some wooden blocks and jacked the car up again so the upright could become upright again. But as he started the winch, the same thing happened. I asked, “OK, so maybe we keep jacking and moving—say one foot at a time—so the front bumper doesn’t rip off and the brake line doesn’t snap.” He told me that would take too long and he’d have to charge more for the extra time. He did not pursue that course. He started dragging the car again. As the bumper began to separate and the brake line was reaching its limit, I (annoyingly, I’m sure) yelled again, “STOP!” Something about all this just felt wrong. Unacceptable. I asked, “Maybe we can tie the rotor to the control arm to keep it in place, so we only scrape the rotor, and nothing else gets damaged?” “I suppose we can,” he said. “Have you got some rope?” I was a little taken aback that a tow truck doesn’t have straps, ropes, chains… something for unusual cases. I found my rope, and Dallon—bless his heart—tried several different ways to tie it. Finally secure, he dragged the car onto the truck, leaving a huge gash in the pavement. He informed me it would now be $50 more than agreed (for extra time). Over a barrel I paid, thanked him, and he was on his way. Later that evening I got to thinking, “DANG! If nothing exists to help in these situations, I’ll invent a little wheel dolly and save thousands of people millions of dollars of unnecessary repair work!” A quick conversation with ChatGPT and a Google search showed not one but several standard tools for this exact problem—wheel dollies, GoJaks, suspension slings—that keep the car lifted or stabilized so you don’t drag the rotor or shove weight into the bumper. Look, I can see that Judd’s has the best reputation in town, but if Dallon has been doing this for 10 years, Judd’s might consider training their drivers to have proper equipment and use it. I’m miffed that he either didn’t know, didn’t have them on his truck, or simply wanted to move quickly to the next paycheck—shielded by the “we’re not responsible” warning delivered on arrival. I can't imagine how much more the repair work would have cost if I wasn't there the entire time advocating for the car.

W

Wesley Brackenbury

My 1939 Ford deluxe coupe had quit on me on Spanish Fork Main Street once I got it off the road my cousin that runs Earl’s Customs shop told me to call Judd’s. Had to wait for a little bit as they were busy, which I understand once they showed up they got a call and had to respond to that call, which I totally understand so the driver knew of my cousin knew where his shop was. I handed him the keys in a couple hours later they gave me a call said it was delivered paid for over the phone Not a scratch on the car. What a wonderful job I will continue using them in the future.

R

Ryan DeHaas

Dallon at Judd's has bailed me out twice now. Yesterday, I idiotically got my van stuck and high centered trying to get off a paved pedestrian trail after a bit of a "I was following Google Maps" adventure. After completely blowing away everything under the tires, there was no hope of getting out without damaging the thing worse than we already did, even with 3 strapping men pushing and hauling up on the back. To add insult to injury, the first tow company I tried to call because it was right down the road and I assumed could arrive quickly, bailed on the job after an hour of waffling and requesting a crazy amount of pictures and information. I won't name them, but I don't think it should take an hour to decide that you aren't going to do a job. So after that debacle, I decided to do what I SHOULD have done from the beginning, and call Judd's. I knew I should have, and it turns out I was right. Dallon got the details, and was able to head right over (as he did the previous time I have used their services). He navigated the difficult path to where we were. The whole scenario had me worried, as I couldn't see how it was all going to work. Well, Dallon made a quick assessment with an expert's eye, and masterfully used the ramp and winch to lift the front of the van and pull it up onto the bed, and then safely deposited it in front of our house, with very little damage other than to my pride. The price of service has been quite fair both times we called. Service has been fast, and Dallon is a wrecker gigachad. On top of that, he is really nice. Next time, I'm just going to make sure to call them first, no question.