Getting unstuck

Learn how to chain up/practice how to chain up so it's not a big deal. Highway haulers that don't know how to chain up cause so many problems avoiding chains...

 

This depends on where he will be driving... In most parts of Ontario we are not allowed to chain up or have studded tires.... I think northern Ontario they can have studded tires but I am unsure about the chains...

Take it easy if you get stuck, don't rev the crap out of the truck just spinning... This isn't good for the truck or the drive lines... Put the lockers on and take it easy with the throttle.... Try some higher gears to get a little more torque..

The best thing you can do is.... "Don't Get Stuck!!!" lol... You can prevent yourself from getting stuck if you know your surroundings... I mean #### happens but try your best to not even get into the situation... This all depends on what part of Ontario your talking about and what type of work you do... I am a waste hauler and we haul yardwaste into farms and fields... We get stuck from time to time in summer and winter.... We have full lockers on our trucks too!!! We get stuck in the snow/ice in the winter and during the warmer months the mud if the truck/trailer sinks due to the weight of our units loaded.... So sometimes it's not as easy to prevent....

 

I've always carried a 20' logging chain. If you can't help others they can help you. I can't count the time I've used that chain. Only once for me!

 

Yep a 1/2" chain is not a bad idea, but a 50,000 lb rated tow STRAP is better since it will give you elasticity and when the tow truck pulls the strap will stretch and more or less yank ya outa there. It works great and less risk of damaging anything like with a chain because when its tight, its solid...

 

Watch where ya park!!! Let your tires cool off, roll back and forth a few times so you know you can pull away when done being parked. If I come off the road with warm tires and gotta park in a snowy spot, I try to shovel a spot for my drives if possible if I'm parking for a while. Learn how to use chains too.

 

Something to ponder on... If you are on the highway and it is slick slow down, if you are going off road and there may be a chance to get stuck or slide off the road , and most important " if you think to your self do I need chains ? " stop and put on your chains. Do not use lockers when going around corner, as they will just push you into the ditch. If one set of chains is good , 2 sets are better . put a set on your trailer too, it helps .

 

Yup, much easier to put the jewelry on before getting stuck!! Don't second guess yourself. Then when or if you do get stuck and gotta make that call for a tow ( they seem to always ask did you CHAIN-UP??) that's when you can say sure did and ya did all you can do.

 

My only advice is that if you get stuck on the side of the Highway anywhere near the City of Kamloops in the British Columbia interior, DO NOT call Brenda Lee Towing... they overcharge and bill you for things they do not provide.

I was forced off the side of the road and could not crawl back over the edge of the asphalt so I needed a tow. Called Brenda Lee towing and was told 30 minutes to get there... 15 to get ready and 15 travel.... that was about 5 minutes before 6pm....

At 7:15 i called to ask where they were but got no answer... I was concerned that since the roads were in such bad shape that they might have had a mishap or the road had been closed. They finally showed up at 7:30 pm with a driver and one other person... 1 1/2 hours after called. The tow unit went way past and put out signs on one side of the scene then 15 - 20 minutes later came back, stopped briefly then went out for another 30 minutes the other way to put out more signs. As they were putting out the other set of signs their traffic control person showed up in a pickup. Would have saved a lot of time if that person had showed up on time to put out the signs.

Recovery operations started and a hook was run to my front right tow hook and to the king plate of my trailer. I was towed up flat and my unit stalled... turns out all the fuel had run out of my primary tank into the secondary tank and the computer said there was no fuel. Computer shut it down. The tow unit pumped about 20 or so liters of fuel into my left tank then primed the filter and it started. Recovery continued an I was on the road, and under way after exchanging all the info.

Boss told me yesterday he got the bill..... $1,500

They are billing us about $700 for the tow... that's for 3 hours of tow truck use... what about the 1 hour extra they used to just get there? why are we paying for that? It is litterally less than 15 minutes to the City of Kamloops where they are based... I know... I drove to the complete opposite side of the city in 25 minutes after the recovery. They were on scene for 1 hour doing the actual tow... if the flagging person had been on time then the tow unit would not have had to waste so much time putting our signs.
... but where I have the real problem is that they are billing us for 4 hours of flagging service with 3 people flagging. There was 1 operator, 1 assistant who did flagging and one person who showed up 2 hours after the call. The whole call didn't last 4 hours and there were not 3 flaggers. There were 2 if you count the assistant on the tow unit. The driver is paid for with the truck.
They also charged us for 100 liters of fuel when they only gave us about 20 liters....

All-in-all... the I believe that the people at Brenda Lee towing in Kamloops are not a good deal for any trucker... call their competition if you are ever in need.

 

Interesting thread!