Heavy Tow Truck Company Called in the Middle of Treacherous Oregon Storm
Hold onto your hats for a nail biting story of 2 heavy tow truck pros stuck in the middle of a high risk situation. A truck driver recently got himself stuck on a snowy, old dirt road during a winter storm, and called the Puddle Jumper towing team for assistance. The heavy tow truck crew knew they had to pull out all the stops to get him back on track, and sent two team members out to the scene between Chiloquin and Chemult, OR, on Highway 97.
With icy conditions and mountain passes to navigate, the journey was quite treacherous. The heavy tow truck company had to pass blizzard conditions with wind gusts of up to 40 mph, and that was just the beginning!
The real adventure began when they arrived at the scene. The crew sized up the situation from the safety of their vehicles. The affected truck was stuck in the snow, about 50 feet off the old dirt road. But they weren’t deterred – Puddle Jumper parked their safety vehicle about 100 feet away and turned on the overhead lighting system for visibility. They parked the heavy wrecker off to the side, behind the stuck vehicle.
However, getting the truck out was no easy feat. The team used outriggers and a side pull system to keep their own truck from tipping over while pulling the other one out of the snow. Needless to say, this high risk job was a bit perilous but one that the WreckMaster certified pros successfully handled.
If you own a Volvo, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack, International Trucks, Freightliner, and Western Star truck and you find yourself in a sticky situation like this truck driver, remember that Puddle Jumper can tow any of these trucks to their repair shops in Eugene, Oregon. Kudos to the Puddle Jumper team on a job well done!
Details of Heavy Tow Truck Company Called in the Middle of Treacherous Oregon Storm
The Puddle Jumper heavy tow truck team traveled 90 miles to reach the main shipping highway, Highway 97, in eastern Oregon. This vicinity is typically located about 35 miles from the snow level. A truck driver from a transportation company called for assistance after following his GPS and getting stuck on a dirt road amidst the snowfall. The incident occurred on the stretch between Chiloquin and Chemult, OR, specifically on Highway 97, leading to shipping road 138 and Interstate 5. The truck was an unloaded car hauler.
Two heavy tow truck pros from Puddle Jumper made their way to the scene with a 50-ton heavy wrecker, a support vehicle for safety, Sonetics headsets, and ice cleats for their boots. The heavy tow truck team traveled 40 miles down Highway 97 southbound to reach shipping road 138, which connects Highway 97 and I-5. During the journey, they encountered blizzard conditions with wind gusts up to 40 mph for 60% of the way, and 3 inches of ice for 40 miles after crossing Highway 97.
Upon arrival, the heavy tow truck duo had to secure the heavy wrecker’s wheels with chains before traversing the icy mountain passes. The truck was stuck off an old dirt road in the snow, about 50 feet away. The heavy tow truck pros parked the safety vehicle approximately 100 feet from the scene and turned on the overhead lighting system for visibility. They parked the heavy wrecker off to the side behind the vehicle.
Using outriggers and a side pull system, the heavy tow truck team prevented the Puddle Jumper truck from tipping over while it pulled the stuck truck out of the snow. The resistance to the recovery was around 7-10,000 pounds, but one line hooked up to the truck was good for 15,000 pounds.
The heavy tow truck crew pulled the truck backwards to remove the tires from the holes they were in. The truck driver wanted to go east, so the team pulled the car hauler trailer out to the west, allowing the driver to back out and get back on the road. It took the heavy tow truck duo 30 minutes to complete the recovery.
The heavy tow truck pros encountered hazardous conditions coming down the mountain pass, where visibility was only 20 feet ahead of them. The entire heavy tow truck job took the team 8 hours and fortunately, the truck was operational after the recovery. Although the trucking company was concerned about secondary damages during the recovery, this was not an issue because Puddle Jumper’s owner was WreckMaster 8 and 9 certified.
Puddle Jumper delivers trucks to repair centers for Volvo, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Mack, International Trucks, Freightliner, and Western Star in Eugene, Oregon, and can tow any of these types of trucks using a heavy tow truck.