ALMOST LIKE RECOVERY MEETS “ICE ROAD TRUCKERS”
Flashback story from 2015 and too good not to share now…
Angles. Momentum. Confidence. Determination. Those four words have new meanings for me today. And, it turns out, that in the world of heavy recovery and towing, those are the only things that you really need…well, those things and the equipment and knowledge to use it. Things that are beneficial include a 45,000 lb heavy recovery truck, a “bubba rope” rated at 60,000 lbs, rigging (attachment hooks, huge d-rings, etc) for every model of semi or piece of equipment that you may encounter and an awesome set of chains.
For those of us that live in snow country, we know all about tire chains right? They’re a pain to install, they take too long, and we can’t drive as fast as we would like to. Have you ever picked up a set of big truck chains? The only suggestion I have is bring a friend.
Last night I had the opportunity to go along with a friend of mine, Pryce Hoey, that just happens to own and operate M & H Towing and Recovery. He called me about 7PM and asked if I wanted to tag along…I said sure, even after he said the recovery was on a mountain pass about 2 hours away.
Those chains I mentioned…well, they were put on and taken off three times in the course of the night during three recoveries. Did I mention that they were heavy? The conditions when arriving on scene to these “jobs” is also very appealing…last night it was 18 degrees with only a 30 mph wind, snowing and blowing snow, state patrol and sheriffs departments controlling traffic and its dark. Perfect!
The pictures do the scene no justice. The drivers of these big rigs come from all over the country and not many are experienced in driving on snow packed roads and ice. One driver last night didn’t even have tire chains with him…at all…which is a $750 fine in Colorado.
Speaking of arriving on scene, you never know exactly what you might be up against other than what has been said through radio communication. Confidence. Knowing that whatever the issue, emergency or problem, that you can and will do everything in your power to help…safely.
So, while most folks are warm and relaxing in their homes, there are a whole bunch of things happening in the dark. Remember, these are the guys that are hauling our “stuff”, our groceries, our construction materials, our jeep parts. If they don’t get to where they are going, the whole system fails, and we don’t get our stuff!
I got home about 2:30am. I had eaten before I left my house…Pryce had not. We were out in the mountains for 7 hours…Pryce looked at me as he dropped me off and said “I’ll probably get another phone call when I get back to town….”. I told him I would be asleep.
Oh, by the way, he’s a jeeper….and has great taste in color and aftermarket parts!