Spring Forward

With recent warming of the weather we quickly forget how bitterly cold, snowy and windy it was this year.

The severity of the weather across Canada resulted in thousands of traffic accidents and hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance claims and damages.

Here is a brief recap of some the rig recoveries we made at Big Rig Towing this year.

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Big Rig Towing & Recovery to the Rescue

Run Away CatThe city of Calgary called Big Rig Towing to recover this Cat 980 that some kids decided would be a good vehicle to take for a joy ride.

After losing control on a downhill they ended up in the ditch on their side.

After other attempts to rescue the Cat, Big Rig Towing was called. Because we have a 75 Ton Sliding Rotator and more than one 50 ton wrecker we can do some of the big jobs that others cannot.

This Cat weighed 70,000 lbs but was soon back on its wheels. Unfortunately with $100,000 in damages.

Once again, Big Rig Towing & Recovery to the rescue.

SEE THE VIDEO >>

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The Long & Winding Road

Wine RevoveryEveryone would like to have a wine cellar but 200 feet down is a long way to go to get a glass of your favourite merlot.

When a rig load of wine went off the highway in slippery conditions carrying a full load of bonded wine, it left the crew at Big Rig Towing a particularly interesting challenge.

First a recovery truck was winched down to the site to off load the liquid cargo. Then, some of the locals were engaged to help with the move.

All in all a full day’s work by the time the rig was recovered.

Time to put the feet up in front of a fire with a favourite glass of the grape.

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Propane Roll Over

Propane RecoveryWith any propane recovery and tow the first thing that has to happen is the propane has to be recovered and safely moved from the site.

This fully loaded Super B of propane rolled over near Rimbey on highway 771. While no one was injured in the incident, it took one of Big Rig Towing’s rotators and a 50 ton tow truck to right the rig and move it safely from the area.

To see the how propane can react in one of these situations see the video.

Big Rig Tanker Safety >>

Stick in the Mud

You might think just because you have a four wheel drive that you are invincible in the winter. You might think that because you rig weighs twenty to thirty five thousand bounds that you can’t get stuck in heavy snow. You might even think that if you are driving a vehicle with tank treads like a bulldozer, that nothing will get in your way or stop you from moving forward in unfavorable conditions.

Not true.

This bulldozer operator had just enough confidence in his vehicle to get it stuck nice and deep.

Lucky for him Big Rig Towing had a solution and got him out of a sticky situation.

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Ice Pack

When you carrying 6000 lbs of meet you want to make sure it’s good and cold in the back. When you think that meat can begin to rot in less than 3 hours when not refrigerated, I guess going off the road into a snow bank isn’t such a bad idea.

Unfortunately for the great crew at Big Rig Towing the entire rig had to be shoveled out before it could be towed out.

A couple of hours of heavy snow hauling did the trick and got this busted rig back to the shop for repairs.

Luckily none of the beef was spoiled just a few blisters and a couple of sore backs.

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Gas Leak

The weight of an explosive does not directly correlate with the energy or destructive impact of an explosion, it can depend upon many other factors such as containment, proximity, preheating, purity and external oxygenation (in the case of gas leaks and BLEVEs).

BLEVE is an acronym for Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion.

In the case of this super b full of propane that would not be a good thing, even if the rig is miles from any inhabited area.

This roll over near Rimby took Big Rig Towing an entire day to offload its cargo of propane before it was safe to right the rig and get it back on the road.

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A Penny For Your Thoughts

Just so you know, a penny laid on a railway track cannot derail a train. The possibility of that happening is none existent. A big object like a car or a very large boulder could send a train off track but most derailments are actually caused by breaks or fissures in the rail or defects in the wheels.

While Big Rig Towing is noted most for the recovery of large transport trucks it can also be an asset in any situation where heavy loads need leverage to be put right.

As in this train car derailment, when 168,000 lbs comes of its rails, you need a little more than your average tow truck to do the job.

Don’t try this at home. If you have something that needs towed, lifted or adjusted that weighs more than your family car, best choice is to call an expert in heavy lifting and towing.

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