Heavy Recovery Team Use Air Lift Cushions to Upright Trailer
Baker & Baker’s heavy recovery team made their way to Eugene, OR, to clear up an early morning incident. The call came in at 2:50 AM from Puddle Jumper Towing, a company we often partner with for complex recoveries.
On this particular morning, a loaded tractor trailer had lost control when driving down the I-5 just south of Eugene. Baker & Baker were called in as they have air lift cushions which are perfect for this type of recovery.
The heavy recovery team was on route within ten minutes of receiving the call. They made the 82 mile trip and arrived on scene by 5:00 am. The team first used starter air bags to begin the recovery process.
The super thin bags were placed underneath the trailer and slowly inflated. Once the trailer was lifted high enough, the regular air lift cushions were placed underneath the trailer. Very slowly, the team began inflating the air lift cushions.
They had catch bags on the other side of the trailer to keep it from falling over on it’s other side during the uprighting process. Using a combination of lift bags and rigging from their heavy wrecker, the team successfully uprighted the fully loaded trailer.
The recovery team safely towed the totaled trailer back to the customer’s yard prior to making their way back to Woodburn. Great work out there team! It was a pleasure, as always, to work with our friends at Puddle Jumper Towing.
Details of Heavy Recovery Team Use Air Lift Cushions to Upright Trailer
A call for a heavy recovery team came in at 2:50 AM. The heavy recovery team was called to Eugene, OR, after a semi-tractor carrying a fully loaded trailer lost control and went through the guardrail on I-5.
Ten minutes after receiving the call, the heavy recovery team was on the road towards Eugene. Once they arrived at the scene of the incident, the heavy recovery team assessed the situation. The fully loaded trailer was laying on it’s side so the heavy recovery team placed starter airbags underneath it.
Once the thin airbags were in place, the recovery team slowly began to inflate them. Once there was enough space for the larger air lift cushions to fit underneath the trailer, the team put them in strategic locations.
The heavy recovery team slowly inflated the air lift cushions. The cushions allow the recovery team to upright the fully loaded trailer without putting excess pressure on the weak trailer walls. Once the air lift cushions had almost completely uprighted the trailer, the recovery team used their wrecker to complete the uprighting.
They had catch bags prepped on the other side of the trailer in case momentum caused it to tip over to the other side during the uprighting process. With the trailer back on all wheels, the team hooked onto the trailer with their wrecker and slowly towed it back to the customer’s yard.
