I teased this truck in my tanker truck post yesterday. I finally found one of the big-daddy DCP Kenworth T880 Century 9055 wreckers for a price I could rationalize.
These usually go for $80, and frankly they are worth it. The hood opens to reveal the engine, and the front wheels steer, clicking into different steer angles.
But where this thing really shines is the wrecker body. Every piece of this is diecast, and it all fits & moves together very well. The main pistons have enough friction to keep the boom raised. Both winch lines extend & retract via the knurled winch drums, and the two pulley heads at the end of the boom swivel independently.
Even the wheel lift has multiple pieces and its own smaller piston to extend it.
All this lets me (with some chain from a craft store) set up recovery scenarios...
Pull the truck back onto the highway...
And tow it away. The wheel lift can’t hold the weight of the tractor enough to keep the front wheels in the air, but I could always make a small wedge for the piston if I wanted that to happen.
This thing costs half-again as much as a Speccast wrecker, and it is easy to see why. While the Speccast is nice, this DCP is next level.
It was definitely worth hunting this down, and makes a heck of an addition to the Improbable Garage tow fleet.