[Narrator] This time on Heavy Rescue: 401...
[Sonny] I don't want to get stuck.
[Narrator] ...storm aftermath...
[Sonny] I am stuck.
[Narrator] ...ramps up pressure.
Oh, my God.
[Narrator] Big test...
[Eric] We really need that lane, and we can't get it.
[Narrator] ...for a big truck...
To hell with closing a lane!
[Narrator] ...and a dangling trailer...
We're running out of room.
[Narrator] ...weighs heavy on Andrew.
[Bill] Hold on, boy, hold on.
[traffic news radio] Well, the messy commuting continues.
It is a lot of snow.
Transport trucks who were stuck in the snow
along the eastbound 401,
they're clearing the majority of them,
but express lanes eastbound still closed.
Well, what has been deemed
as one of the worst storms in years,
unfortunately we are still reeling from it.
[Narrator] It's been close to an entire day...
[Narrator] ...and road crews in Toronto
are finally making headway
against the biggest storm in decades.
[honking]
We are now on the right side.
[honking]
[Kerry Schmidt] The major snow storm
has moved on,
but the damage is left behind.
[Narrator] On the western edge of the city,
Sergeant Kerry Schmidt
is far from ready to celebrate a victory.
[Kerry] 401 and Kipling.
There are people still stuck on highways in areas
where they have not been able to get snowplows through.
[Kerry] I am amazed that there is so much volume out here.
Kilometres of stopped traffic,
and they've been there now 10, 11, 12 hours.
Oh, man, that's deep.
So this is Highway 401 eastbound.
We've got multiple transport trucks
all struggling to get moving.
Are you loaded or empty?
-Loaded. -Loaded, yeah.
How long you been sitting here?
Eight hours, yeah, yeah.
[Kerry] The plows are struggling to get on location.
We just need to figure out the best way
to get this traffic moving.
This guy's got a long lead line.
We can get him going.
We're gonna get one lane open.
Don't stop, don't stop.
Let's go!
Come on.
Go, go, go!
Come on, buddy.
Keep coming, keep coming.
Don't stop.
Ah, is he rolling?
Nice!
Breaking news, we've got one lane open here,
but we still got a dozen or so trucks
to clear outta here.
Pulling a trailer?
Really?
Stay to the right!
Keep coming, guys.
Why?
They're jammed up there.
All right, we got more problems.
Oh, boy.
What a mess.
See, as they stop,
they lose their energy,
and they're stuck again.
[♪♪♪]
Come on, come on.
[Kerry] Finally we have traffic moving...
Get movin'!
...but then I see traffic stopped in front of me.
We need to get it moving right now.
Why are you driving today?
[Kerry] Unfortunately,
I'm seeing plenty of vehicles that are stuck
with their summer tires,
their all-season tires,
and it just doesn't have that extra traction.
Okay, don't stop, don't stop.
This is the meeting of the summer tire club.
[Narrator] Some assistance has just arrived.
[Kerry] There you go.
Hook onto whatever you can hook onto,
and pull it up!
Just keep a lane open!
Keep going, keep going, keep going!
Sure, take this guy.
[Kerry] At the front of this line
I see three transport trucks,
and they are stuck, they need help.
Okay, go back!
[Kerry] Hopefully,
we can at least clear out a few of these trucks
to create a single lane,
because there's a lot of four-wheelers,
smaller vehicles and trucks
that are able to get moving
that are stuck behind these disabled vehicles.
Okay, let's go!
Go!
That's good, keep going!
All right!
Let's go!
You're cookin' now!
Good job, buddy!
[honking twice]
Oh, these guys are happy.
[Kerry] This is great news,
and we're making good progress,
and the plows are finally moving...
You guys got this now?
[Kerry] There's a lot of trucks that are stuck,
and it'll be truck by truck by truck
to finally, hopefully, you know,
get this highway open and moving.
[Narrator] 400 kilometres east...
[Narrator] ...the storm is still raging.
[Narrator] ...and the roads around Cornwall
are taking a heavy hit.
[Andrew Vink] Started off with the flash freeze,
and then this stuff turned into a full-on blizzard.
[Narrator] Heading west of town,
near Ingleside,
Andrew Vink is closing in on hour 15
of non-stop calls.
[Andrew] I just got a customer called up.
He's got a B-train loaded with steel.
Hopefully this is gonna be a quick pull,
because I don't want my guys hanging on the highway too long.
Whoo-hoo!
Yee-hoo!
[Narrator] It's not the plan Andrew made for this winter.
He was supposed to scale back his work.
[Andrew] I'm trying to step back
and spend a bit more time with my family.
That's the plan,
but that doesn't always goes
the way you're hoping for.
[Narrator] So Herb's Towing senior op Bill Fell...
We're trying to play catch-up.
[Narrator] ...has been tasked
to take on a heavier load.
Pressure, pressure.
[Bill] Definitely
a big sense of responsibility here.
It is a lot, but I can handle it.
Got that?
[Andrew] Bill is the kind of guy that I rely on.
I couldn't do what I do without Bill,
by any means.
Perfect!
[Narrator] But on a night like this...
17-03, Bill,
can I get you rolling 401 westbound?
[Narrator] ...no member of the crew...
[Bill] Okay, sounds good.
[Narrator] ...stays home.
[Andrew] Everybody's busy,
tied up on the 401.
We're dealing with an active snowstorm.
[Narrator] A B-train loaded with steel beams
has slid right off the westbound 401.
[Andrew and driver speaking in French]
[Andrew] Driver's saying
that the brakes fully locked up on the trailer,
and they just skidded completely to the side.
She's gonna be heavy.
[Narrator] Facing 130,000 pounds...
Let's have a look and see what we got.
[Narrator] ...Bill needs to look
for any extra complications.
Dolly legs are not hung up on anything, that's good.
We should be okay.
[Narrator] It will be up to Bill
to pull the B-train forward
and steer it out of the ditch as fast as he can.
The sooner we get outta here, the better.
This is not a safe spot.
You have to have eyes at every friggin' angle.
[Andrew] I've got the pickup truck here
with the arrow board.
I'm going to give Bill
a bit of a safe working area for him.
Okay.
Put my stabilizers down so I can get a little bite.
Okay!
We're sliding a little bit.
[Bill] I start pulling on this thing...
It's not coming at all.
We're actually pulling our truck to it.
The ice is fighting us.
This thing was very heavy.
Okay, change of plan...
Just have a high line.
We need to try and lift a bit
to get some anchoring.
Yeah.
[Bill] I'm getting a little frustrated
that this thing's not moving at all,
so we decided to re-rig,
try and do a high line.
See how that goes.
Okay, just in neutral.
I'm not sure what the force was,
but I was giving it all I had.
Whoa, Nelly.
This thing's doing a wheelie, man!
There comes a point where you decide
whether to keep going or to stop.
Holy...
It's... it's in there good.
We need to rethink this.
[groaning]
[Narrator] On the westbound 401 near Ingleside...
It's not a case of it not being able to pull.
She's pullin'.
[Narrator] ...Bill Fell's wrecker
is just no match
for the 130,000-pound steel hauler.
We just underestimated that weight.
[Bill] There's a point in time
where you need to decide,
"Do I get another truck,
or do I break something?"
[Narrator] Andrew needs to call in a rotator.
Hey, Kev, can you make your way down to the shop?
I got no choice.
I should have had two trucks on it
the minute I called out Bill.
Live and learn.
You have to drive ahead, Bill.
-Drive ahead? -Yeah.
[Narrator] But while they wait,
road conditions and traffic,
are only getting worse.
Pull on that drag, Dawson?
[Bill] You know, we're sitting here like ducks.
We didn't wanna be here any longer than we had to,
so now we're waiting for a second truck to come.
That's going to go last set of duals,
run the single line to the pup.
There he is. There he is!
[Andrew] Hey, Kevvo!
[Kevin] Quick enough?
[Narrator] By the time new hire Kevin Lerman rolls up,
the crew is ready to finish rigging
and get off this road.
Felt like the knight in shining armour
showing up with the 50-tonne rotator.
So, what's the plan, Andrew?
If you can take at least 15, 20,000 pounds off the front,
I think she'll start moving.
[Narrator] Kevin will winch from the front...
Keep going.
[Narrator] ...while Andrew steps in.
We're good?
Give 'er hell, boys.
We had two trucks and five lines on this thing.
[Narrator] But fighting this much weight,
even that might not be enough.
It's coming.
[Bill] Finally I see one of those wheels starting to turn,
and I'm like, "Thank God."
At least she's moving.
She's ours now.
Okay, let's unhook!
Whoo!
Finally this thing was back on the road,
and we could get our asses off the highway.
Victory is very sweet.
Good job, man.
I was definitely glad to have this one done.
[Narrator] The steel hauler...
Okay, buddy.
Good luck!
[Narrator] ...is back on its way.
[Andrew] No damage.
It's like this guy never went in the ditch.
Whoo!
Whoo-hoo!
[Narrator] It's a good end to the night,
but Andrew's plans for more family time
will have to wait,
at least for now.
Good job, boys.
It was a hell of a fight, but let's get some rest.
We got a big day ahead tomorrow, okay?
[Bill] Got more work tomorrow.
[Andrew] The boys did a good job.
It's out,
but I got a good feeling
we're not going to get a lot of sleep tonight.
With this weather,
there's definitely going to be more
waiting for us in the morning.
Sounds good.
Ciao, guys. Have a good night.
[honks horn twice]
[Narrator] A new day is dawning in Toronto...
[Narrator] ...but the city is still struggling
through the aftermath of the massive storm...
[Narrator] ...and just east of downtown,
there's still one major on-ramp that's blocked.
[OPP officer] This ramp's been closed
for probably close to 24 hours now,
and there's a lot of snow here.
[Narrator] Constable John Hominsky
has put out the call
to get it open.
[John Hominsky] There's just not enough tow trucks
for the vehicles that are stuck.
They're all busy.
Craziest storm I have ever seen in my life.
[Narrator] ...but help
is finally on the way.
At the Leslie and 401,
I'm gonna go help them out
so that they can open up the ramp.
[Narrator] Sonny Subra is starting the new winter
with a new company,
AZ Towing.
[Sonny] I'm really excited about the future right now.
[Narrator] The move is already paying off.
[Sonny] I am basically up to like 13, 14 hours a day.
Only problem is I'm running a small truck.
I have one drive axle, like a car.
It does slide and stuff like that.
It gets stuck in the snow.
[Narrator] ...but with the Leslie ramp
already blocked for 24 hours,
Sonny will do all he can to clear it.
[Sonny] I'm trying to prove myself
with this small truck
I can get done any job they give me.
[Narrator] The first challenge
is just reversing onto the scene.
[Sonny] I don't know about the snow there, right?
I don't want to get stuck.
With my single axle in the this deep snow,
it's really hard for me to back up.
I'm going to try and get close to that truck
to pull it out.
Uh-oh, I'm sliding.
I am stuck in the snow, man.
[Narrator] Sonny's wrecker can't back up any closer.
[Sonny] I can't winch him out!
[Narrator] He'll have to pull from right where he's stopped.
I don't know if I can get it done...
[Sonny] ...but I'm gonna try,
because I'm the only one available right now.
You're going to pull out this winch,
and then he's going to help me out.
[Narrator] Before he even tries
to pull the straight truck free...
[Sonny] Put the snatch block over there.
[Narrator] ...Sonny needs to straighten it out
and nudge it into the middle of the ramp.
I'm using this guardrail to get an angle.
Hopefully I don't break anything here.
[Sonny] There's no other way,
rather than I put it on the guardrail.
Then I can pull straight.
You ready?
It's coming out!
Okay, stop!
Good, good, good.
[Narrator] Now he needs to tow the truck off the ramp.
Yeah, we, straighted it up, which is good.
Uh-oh...
[Sonny] My truck is not moving.
I don't know if I can get out from this ramp.
Stuck!
I am stuck.
[Sonny] I don't want to go back to the OPP,
and tell them, like, "I'm stuck.
I need another tow truck."
Oh, my god.
I don't want to fail on this.
[Narrator] On the 401 at Leslie...
I don't want to fail on this.
[Narrator] ...Sonny's plan to open up
the last blocked ramp in the city
is going nowhere.
[Sonny] I'm stuck here.
I had to come up with a plan.
[Narrator] Once again,
he's betting the guardrail can offer some help.
Okay, let's do this.
Snatch block here.
I'm gonna hook up the winch line
straight to the guardrail.
I'm gonna slide my truck to the centre,
and then hope for the traction.
You gotta do what you gotta do.
[Narrator] The move worked earlier
on the small truck,
but that's no guarantee.
[Sonny] If this works, this works.
If it doesn't work, I'm screwed.
It's coming out.
Awesome.
[Sonny] Now back to the starting problem.
Now I have to get this truck off the ramp.
It's a lot of snow.
Let's go.
Awesome.
I got traction, so I had to keep moving.
[Narrator] Sonny's opened up enough room
to clear some of the snow...
[John] The MTO showed up with a loader,
and they started to clear the snow away from that ramp.
[Narrator] ...and another company's wrecker
is able to reach the trucks at the top of the ramp.
[honking]
We got it done!
Thank God.
[Sonny] I got it done.
This ramp is going to be open very soon.
[Narrator] The last blocked ramp in Toronto
is open again.
[traffic news radio] Pretty major progress,
on ramps finally reopened following that blizzard.
[Narrator] There are still days of cleanup ahead...
[Narrator] ...but as this storm moves into the record books,
traffic is also moving all across the city.
[Narrator] 400 kilometres southwest,
the western end of the 401
is recovering from an overnight blast of snow.
[Eric Godard] Senior and I were out last night
doing a couple recoveries as well,
and the roads just progressively got worse and worse,
and then finally, you know,
the OPP have decided not to let anybody pull anything out.
[Narrator] It's the start of another long winter
for County/Coxon rotator op Eric Godard,
a winter he came close to missing.
Last year, I was thinking about packing it in.
I didn't even know if I'd be here this winter.
Physically, I just...
I've been struggling.
You know, and this winter here,
I am excited about a lot of the new changes.
[Narrator] One big change
that helped coax him away from early retirement,
a chance to handle the new pride of the County fleet.
We got Big Orange out for the first time
on some recovery work.
[Derek Didone Sr.] She should be a beast.
[Narrator] All spring and summer,
Derek Didone Sr. and his crew
worked to build the custom machine.
[Eric] Pretty much everybody
at our facility,
in some way, somehow was involved.
[Narrator] ...and just a month ago...
[Senior] Have a look and see what you guys think.
[Narrator] ...Big Orange was ready to make its debut.
[applause]
[Senior] I'm very happy with the way it turned out.
It's just going to bring us to another level
in the recovery world.
[Eric] I wouldn't say Big Orange is a deciding factor
of whether I stay or retire, or anything,
but is it one of those things that excites me about staying?
Absolutely.
I'm really looking forward
to actually putting it through the motions
on the side of the highway,
but just being new with the truck,
and to be completely honest,
it's making me a little nervous.
[Narrator] As Eric rolls east of Windsor into Lakeshore,
he's heading toward a big test for the big truck...
[Eric] We're dealing with a tractor-trailer
that's fully loaded with auto parts.
[Narrator] ...but it will also be a test
for Big Orange's operator.
[Eric] The truth is,
the only reason I'm not retiring yet
is because I don't hate what I do.
I'm fortunate.
I wake up every day and love what I do,
so I wish I did hate what I did,
and it'd be a whole lot easier on my body.
We'll just see what I got.
He's right in that ditch.
He's definitely...
we call this one "stuck in the pickings."
The front end of the truck is just demolished,
so there'll definitely be no driving it away.
[Narrator] The eastbound semi
hauling 40,000 pounds
lost control in the snow,
slammed into the median,
and bounced across the highway.
Before the crew can even get started,
there's an issue.
We're waiting to see
what kind of traffic control we can get.
We may need a lane for this.
So MTO said a couple hours for a crash truck, so...
Yeah.
[Narrator] Without a crash truck
to protect the crew from traffic,
they can't close down a lane.
[Eric] They don't want to have anybody out there
unless they have a crash truck,
but the crash truck is two hours away.
Well, if that's the case,
can we bring it up to the road, then, at least?
We may as well, right? -Yeah.
[Narrator] With more bad weather on the way,
Eric doesn't want any delays.
[Eric] I've got the option of waiting two hours
for a crash truck,
or change my plan up a little bit
and just work off the shoulders.
Are we okay to do that?
-Yeah. -If we stay on the shoulder?
Yeah.
[Narrator] It will be a tight space to work,
and severely limit how they approach the job.
[Eric] If I had the lane, like I wanted,
this job would be a whole lot safer.
They said we can go ahead and work on it
as long as we don't cross the solid white line there.
[Narrator] Working together with Daren Didone,
Eric will try to pull the semi onto the shoulder
while staying clear of the live lane.
Then, they'll spin it right around.
[Eric] Gonna grab right at the base of the trailer.
Grab a couple of holes,
right in the main plate.
It's probably the strongest part of the trailer.
Dennis is coming in.
It's good to have a third guy, help us pull lines.
Hey, Dennis!
The truck's destroyed, there's no air in it.
[Dennis Didone] Looking at the job,
it's going to be a tough one.
One of the biggest challenges
we're gonna have here for Big Orange
is just the ground, right?
[Eric] I've got Big Orange set up
with the outriggers on the grass and the gravel.
If the ground gives away,
the truck will literally roll over.
Hey, Dennis, watch these legs, buddy.
[Eric] That's gonna be a phone call
I do not want to make to Senior.
I won't lie,
I'm a little bit nervous about it.
Daren!
I'm going to go slow.
I'm going to try to watch and see what yours is doing.
Daren, am I good?
[Narrator] On a narrow shoulder of the 401 in Lakeshore,
a new wave of weather is blowing in.
[Eric] We've had an extremely bad storm come through here,
and now it's getting ready to start picking up again.
Hey!
We're gonna go until that thing is on the shoulder!
Here it comes.
[Narrator] It's the storm Eric was racing to miss,
and to avoid delay,
the crew is working from the shoulder.
[Eric] Dennis!
Yo!
Where we at?
About maybe that much.
That's about good, I think.
[Eric] Daren, I need you here!
We'll probably grab the rim, the back rim.
Okay.
I'm gonna swing over the cab, right,
and try to grab it,
and see if I can't bring it to me.
Okay.
[Narrator] They now need to spin the trailer around,
but they don't have much room to spare.
[Eric] The biggest problem we face here
is gonna be getting the thing
up onto the shoulder of the road
without letting any of the equipment
or the tractor-trailer end up on the roadway at any time.
[Narrator] ...and the soft ground of the shoulder
is another big question mark.
[Eric] Not only am I learning a new truck,
but now I gotta predict
how the ground is going to react as well underneath of it.
No time like the present
to figure out what she's gonna pull.
Okay, start walking 'er if you can.
[Daren] You want me to bring this
as close as I can to me, eh?
[Eric] Yup. Close to the road as you can.
[Daren] All right.
[Eric] If the ground caves in on that side of the truck
while I'm reaching over the cab,
we will literally lose Big Orange.
Becomes a really big paperweight at that point.
Nice and easy, now.
This thing is a beast.
[Narrator] So far, the rotator is holding steady on the grass.
[Narrator] ...but Daren's wrecker
is starting to struggle.
[Daren] My truck is a straight stick.
It's meant for pulling right off the back.
A side pull like that causes problems.
I can see your legs from here got a big old tilt on 'em.
He's done. He can't do it.
-Hey, Daren! -Yeah?
You want to position you so you can get a better pull?
Yeah.
I try not to pull too much on the side here.
If I had the whole highway, this is a 15-minute job,
but we gave them our word
that we would in no way impede on the roadway.
[Narrator] So without crossing into traffic,
the best they can manage is a minor adjustment
for Daren's wrecker.
[Eric] I think you need to put your ass end in here.
Yeah.
Get a little straighter.
Literally it's a game of inches
trying to keep this thing off the highway.
Keep coming, keep coming.
Stop, stop!
I'm going to snug up here.
[Eric] Yeah, let's see if it'll pull her.
I'm getting it.
[Daren] Oh, yeah, that's a little better.
[Eric] Okay.
[Daren] I'm just spinning the tractor right around now.
Is she coming?
Yeah, it's coming.
Am I moving the trailer back end?
Yeah, you're backing up the trailer.
[Narrator] As the semi straightens out,
Daren's angle has less effect.
[Daren] Uh, I'm going to come to a point here shortly
where I don't think I'll do much.
Yeah, I'm just...
I'm going to get a lot of resistance here.
What, are you saying you're done?
Yeah, I'm done here now.
[Narrator] That puts all the weight
on Eric.
[Eric] Uh...
That truck is maxed out.
We can't pull it anymore.
These roads are absolutely terrible.
[Narrator] At the far end of the 401,
Andrew is back on the clock, and on the move.
[Andrew] We've got a milk tanker that's rolled over
in pretty much the middle of nowhere.
[Narrator] Still cleaning up
after the big storm,
he's heading north
to the village of Chesterville.
[Andrew] Small township roads,
no room to work.
Yeah, I'm a little nervous for this one.
She's seen better days.
We got a milk tanker that's sitting on her side.
Loaded with 30,000 KGs of milk.
Lovely.
Liquid is one of the most tricky loads to work with.
It's not going to be an easy one,
let's put it that way.
[Narrator] So Andrew's called in
all the heavy iron he has available...
Oh, yeah!
Should be a fun day!
[Narrator] Bill will operate the 80-tonne rotator.
This is a very heavy, tricky pull
in a very tight space.
[Narrator] ...and recently promoted heavy op Kris...
Snow's deep, should be quite a pull.
[Narrator] ...will run the 50-tonne.
I'm still learning,
so hopefully everything goes well.
[Andrew] Okay, so Bill,
I'll get you to take care of the ass end.
All righty.
Okay, so we're going to try to upright this thing
without running a strap
or running any high lines.
[Narrator] They'll rig from both rotators
to pull downward on multiple lines,
forcing the tanker upward onto its wheels.
Bill, keep constant on the auxiliary,
or else he's going to grab all the brunt.
[Narrator] But the load of milk,
moving and sloshing around inside,
will fight against their pull.
[Andrew] I'm not too confident, to be honest with ya.
I'm gonna try.
All right, boys, it's go time.
Keep going.
Okay, torque on the front end, Kris.
Watch out, she might slide.
If she slides, she might roll.
[Andrew] The margin for error is very slim,
'cause if the truck does move sideways or does shift,
you've got no room.
I'm seeing Kris's rotator sliding towards the wreck,
and I'm thinking to myself, "This isn't good."
-Whoa! -Stop, stop!
[Eric] We had good weather when we started.
It's starting to go sideways now.
[Narrator] On a gusty shoulder just east of Windsor...
Temperature is dropping, wind's picking up.
[Narrator] ...the County crew is rushing to rerig
ahead of the worst of the incoming storm.
Use the snatch block, Ethan.
So Daren's truck is really at its limits
pulling off the side,
so I've decided
I'm just gonna jump in the front,
and I'm gonna take it out with Big Orange.
-Is he good? -He's good.
Let's see if it'll pull her.
[Narrator] Pulling all 60,000 pounds
up the steep bank
rests on a brand-new rotator
and the old hand at its controls.
[Eric] She's in there pretty good.
Okay, here we come.
[Eric] My biggest concern
is keeping the trailer standing up
when we bring it out onto the bank.
There's a big question mark,
and question marks in this business
get you in a lot of trouble.
[creaking and squeaking]
[Eric] Truck's too new.
I don't know all the sounds yet,
and I don't want to hear any ones that don't belong.
[Narrator] Now that the semi is so close,
and Eric is forced to pull from the shoulder,
there's no room to angle his boom to the side.
Dennis, what are you pointing at?
Uh, you are just getting a lot of twist on that boom.
[Narrator] It's too much,
even for Big Orange...
[Eric] Oh, the whole truck's leaning.
[Dennis] Yeah, the whole middle rack.
[Narrator] ...but the veteran has a plan.
[Eric] Let's run the boom, the big drag.
Get that van back up on the...
[Dennis] Okay.
[Narrator] Eric's banking
that the extra low line from the drag winch
can take some pressure off of his boom.
Are we good, Dennis?
Yes, sir!
Look at all this rigging. Looks like Spider-Man.
[Eric] I'm still trying to figure out
all the damn controls.
Daren, come over here.
Pull the yellow.
[Daren] Run out of hands, are ya?
Just slow, slow, slow.
Just nurse it.
Okay, stop, let me catch up with the other line.
Two operators working three cables.
-Pull! -Yeah.
Get on it, buddy, get on 'er!
Okay, hold on, just hold, I'll bring it around...
...and there we go.
We got 'em, buddy.
Hey, to hell with closing a lane!
Everybody safe, we're going to pull him out!
Mission accomplished, no harm, no foul.
Big Orange really strutted 'er stuff there.
It worked really well.
[Narrator] A solid win for the new truck
starting its first winter on the road,
and for an operator facing one of his last.
[Eric] I think Big Orange is going to last.
It'll definitely outlast me,
and I think that with two rotators now in the fleet,
especially one the size of Big Orange,
it's going to be a legacy for the sons,
and probably the grandkids.
Dennis!
Thank you, sir!
It was really nice to see it perform well,
and everybody worked well with it.
[Bill] Down, down, down.
[Narrator] On the back road in Chesterville...
Sliding was just an indication
that we were walking into trouble.
Look at that!
[laughs]
Love it!
[Narrator] ...Andrew and his crew
have used the outriggers
to ease the sliding wrecker back into position.
There's just a quick fix to a big problem.
[Narrator] ...but if they're going to budge
the milk tanker,
they need better footing.
Austin, you gonna grab a shovel,
either on this truck, I want right underneath,
right to the gravel on this spade.
We'll pull a little bit more and see where it goes.
Okay.
Ready?
Hold the front end, Kris?
Front end, front end, front end.
Okay, trailer.
Okay, torque on the drive there, Kris.
[Narrator] They've stopped the wrecker sliding...
[Andrew] Whoa, not too much.
[Narrator] ...but their tight working space
is getting even tighter...
[Andrew] This trailer, being a milk load,
centre of gravity shifted out.
As we lift,
we're not transferring
the amount of weight that we want to to the wheels.
Keep pressure on it.
You're kidding me, man.
[Andrew] Wheels are not anchoring.
Bill is pulling, they're just sliding towards him.
Whoa, Kris, whoa.
We're running out of room,
because she slid so far out to the trucks.
[Andrew] We came to a point of no return.
The trailer is sliding so much,
to the point that Bill ran out of line...
[Narrator] ...but Andrew's lead operator
might have just spotted a solution...
[Bill] We got a space.
So if you want to throw a strap in, do it now.
You got room to run a strap?
Yeah, I see right through.
[Andrew] Now we are left with the only option
to run a top line around the shell.
[Narrator] ...and to rig a strap around the tank,
Andrew will have to go
directly underneath the dangling trailer.
[Andrew] You gotta keep that auxiliary snug?
[Bill] There's still space.
Clevis!
I wasn't going to ask any of my guys
to be put in that position to go rig.
Don't let go, Bill.
Don't let go of the auxiliary.
[Bill] I'm not.
Can we hurry up?
[Andrew] I've got complete confidence
in Bill running this rotator,
but rigging failures do happen,
and I'm putting myself in a position
that's really tricky right now.
[Bill] I'm keeping 'er steady.
Hold on, boy, hold on.
This is getting pretty intense.
Guys, hurry up.
[Bill] Guys, hurry up.
[Narrator] On a country road northwest of Cornwall...
[Andrew] Don't let go, Bill.
[Narrator] ...Andrew's life
is in his lead operator's hands.
[Bill] Andrew is under there
trying to get that strap on there,
and I'm trying to hold these lines
so the trailer doesn't move and fall on him.
Okay, I'm going to keep a little pressure on it--
-[winches whirring] -Sorry!
[Andrew] I could hear that winch let go,
that trailer fall two, three inches,
Bill bringing it back up.
It's not the best feeling in the world.
Thank God it was Bill.
He's the guy with the most experience
running that truck.
I wouldn't want anybody else on that control.
[Narrator] ...and with the strap in place,
Andrew can get out of the danger zone.
[Andrew] Okay, go on the other side,
extend that out.
[Bill] Okay.
That was a little nerve-racking.
I had to have just enough pressure on that line.
[Andrew] We got one line wrapping around the tank.
[Narrator] Now they'll see
if the boom will help wrestle up the tanker,
and the unwieldy load inside.
Now the boom is doing the lifting.
Okay.
Bring 'er to ya, Billy.
That's fine.
Okay, line out on the auxiliaries, Bill.
Slowly but surely.
[Andrew] Dealing with a liquefied product
is unpredictable.
As you lift,
that centre of gravity shifts on you,
so you gotta consistently adjust.
Don't move, Kris.
So having Bill and Kris in sync
is extremely important.
Very slowly, Bill.
Slower than that.
[Andrew] If one overpowers the other,
it transfers more weight to that wrecker,
and that wrecker might slide,
jeopardizing the whole recovery.
That's it, whoa!
And boom out.
[Bill] Yeah, she's dropping, she's dropping...
Touchdown.
Yee-haw!
[Andrew] Good right there.
That'll do.
Phew!
[Bill] Look at that.
[laughs in triumph] Love it!
Let's just put your legs up,
hop in the truck, and just drive out with it.
That was a tough one.
Yeah, I was a little nervous.
I have a lot of faith into Bill, but...
I just don't want it to get to his head, though.
[Bill] Good job, boys.
[Narrator] Today,
Andrew trusted his lead op with his life.
Bill has a knowledge.
I think now he just needs a confidence,
and by me stepping back
and letting him lead,
it's going to do exactly like my father did with me.
[Bill] I appreciate the amount of confidence
Andrew has in me.
It says a lot.
[Narrator] Now Andrew needs the confidence
to let Bill take on more responsibility.
[Andrew] Coming home from a wreck of that nature,
putting myself in that position,
was kind of that feeling of gratitude
to be able to go home.
Back to the 401!
Whoo-hoo!
[Narrator] Next time on Heavy Rescue: 401...
[Kerry] You don't get a call like this too often.
[Narrator] ...valuable cargo...
[Kerry] 7,000 pounds of gold and silver. Wow.
[Narrator] ...catches attention.
[Kerry] We got another crash over here.
[Narrator] Father and son...
[Gary] Hold on, Collin!
Sounds like the wall is coming out.
[Narrator] ...hit a snag...
[Collin] Big, big mess.
[Narrator] ...and a tricky recovery...
[Kim] It's gonna take forever to empty it.
[Narrator] ...pushes everyone.
[Kim] Oh, look at the trailer!
Completely fubar'd!
[♪♪♪]