Lift and Pull Strategy Recovers Submerged Dozer

By George L. Nitti When a construction dozer slid backwards into a deep drainage pond near Harrisonburg, Virginia, the operator escaped safely—but the machine disappeared almost entirely beneath the surface. Recovering the 45,000-pound CAT D5 dozer required planning, specialized equipment, and precise rigging to bring it back onto solid ground.

The dozer had been working along the bank of a drainage area when the ground gave way.

According to operator Kevin Payne, owner of Payne's Towing & Recovery of Ruckersville, Virginia, the machine “was tracking in the bank to kind of get the bank packed in running the tracks over it and it took off sliding down backwards and it slid down into that hole.”

The pond was deeper than expected, with the machine nearly lost beneath the surface. Only part of the cab remained visible before contractors began pumping out the water.

The recovery scene was located roughly 40 to 50 miles from Payne’s shop. The crew responded with a 50-ton rotator mounted on a 2022 Kenworth W900 chassis and a skid steer equipped with a 30,000-lb winch box. The equipment combination allowed the team to work in a confined area while applying both pulling force and controlled lift.

Limited space around a fenced power facility required a straight-line pull using the skid steer winch box positioned near the edge of the pond. The crew used excavators already on site to assist with preparation and rigging, including digging out the submerged blade so chains could be attached.

As the recovery began, resistance from the slope and buried blade increased the load on the winch lines. Additional rigging was added to increase mechanical advantage and reduce line load, while an on-site excavator was used as a deadman anchor to stabilize the pull.

One key technical element was applying lift with the rotator boom while winching. Payne explained that without lifting force, the dozer blade would have continued digging into the bank and prevented forward movement. “Our skid winch box wouldn’t just drag it out because the blade would dig in the bank the whole way up and just kept piling up and eventually it would have stopped.”

Underwater rigging presented one of the toughest challenges. Crew members had to locate attachment points by feel in cold water while securing chains beneath the submerged blade.

After the dozer was pulled to the upper bank, the team transferred the load to the rotator for the final pull onto level ground.

The entire recovery took about three and a half hours, much of which was spent exposing rigging points and preparing the pull. Experience played a major role in the successful recovery, particularly in choosing rigging points and balancing pull and lift forces.

By combining mechanical advantage, controlled lifting, and careful rigging, the crew was able to recover the submerged dozer safely and without further damage—turning a difficult situation into a controlled and methodical heavy-duty recovery.