DOT battles storm with new tow plow

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BROOKINGS – With the big snow storm still on its way, Mike Thielen and Rick Reichling inspect a new tow plow at the South Dakota Department of Transportation station in Brookings on Wednesday morning. 

The tow plow has a lot of unique features. It is bi-directional, which means it can clear snow to the right or left, said Reichling, highway maintenance supervisor for the Watertown area.

“You can clear two lanes off at once,” he said, adding, “Back wheels steer over.”

The left wing will be in the passing lane and the tow plow will be in the driving lane. With it taking up both lanes, other drivers can’t pass and they shouldn’t try, Reichling added.

The back end of the vehicle is actually at an angle coming down the road, making it look like the back end is out of control, but it’s not. 

The whole apparatus costs $500,000, “so don’t hit it,” Reichling joked. 

Hitting it isn’t a good idea anyway, cautioned Thielen, who will be driving the tow plow. He won’t be hurt, but the person who hit him will be because of the sheer size and weight of the machine. 

A total of 72 feet long, the tow plow can carry 500 gallons of brine and haul six to eight tons of rock salt, Reichling said. The truck can carry 540 gallons of brine and 8 tons of salt. The blade on the tow plow is 26 feet long, sits at 60 degrees and covers 14 feet. The truck plow is 12 feet, the wings are 8 feet, and about 30-plus feet altogether. 

There are four cameras so Thielen can see behind, along the sides and see the product, Reichling said. He’ll only be traveling 35-45 mph.

There’s a lot of prep before a big storm, they both said. Road crews watch the weather and monitor predictions. 

Reichling will have eight guys out – “this and seven other trucks and plows,” he said. In addition to Thielen’s tow plow here, one more tow plow will operate in the Clear Lake area.

How long they stay out “depends on if he can see or not,” Reichling said. Drivers will go to work about 5 a.m. and run until 7 p.m. During those 13-14 hours, they will take breaks, but otherwise run straight through, Thielen said. They’ll have to stop and re-fuel, Reichling added.

They had some tips for the people who will be sharing the road with them, like not using cruise control. 

“Give us room. Make sure their headlights are on so we can see them,” Thielen said. 

“If the weather’s bad, stay home,” Reichling said. “Don’t venture out if you don’t need to.”