MARSHALL — It’s been an unusual winter for Pulver Towing crews, Josh Schafer said. Over the past several weeks, they have helped pull a few different vehicles out of southwest Minnesota lakes.

“Normally we don’t have this many,” said Schafer, division manager of Pulver Towing in Marshall. He estimated that Pulver had been part of about five vehicle recoveries in southwest Minnesota this winter – and that was before another vehicle went through the ice on Cottonwood Lake on Monday morning.

Crew members from Pulver will be part of recovery efforts there, too, Schafer said.

Ice conditions this winter haven’t been very consistent so far, Schafer said.

“There’s good ice in areas, and there’s bad ice in areas,” he said. In comparison, there were fewer ice recoveries last year, when there was little ice and not many people out on area lakes.

In a typical winter, accidents where vehicles or fishing houses break through the ice tend to happen more on early ice, or when ice is deteriorating, Schafer said.

This winter, Pulver Towing has worked together with City Line Towing of Willmar to recover UTVs and other vehicles from locations like Lake Sarah and Fox Lake in Murray County, and Cottonwood Lake in Lyon County.

“We have good relationships with towing companies across the state,” Schafer said. Towing companies often help each other, like mutual aid between fire departments, he said.

Last week City Line and Pulver recovered a SnoBear recreational vehicle, after it went through the ice on Lake Sarah.

A lot of different factors come into play when trying to get a vehicle out of a frozen lake, Schafer said. The thickness of the ice, the weight of the vehicle and more can all make a difference on how recovery crews approach the job. Some recoveries can even require a certified diver, he said. “It depends on the circumstances, and how deep the water is,” he said.

Checking the ice and trying to find the safest path to tow the vehicle out is always an important part of the process, Schafer said.

When City Line Towing and Pulver Towing recovered the SnoBear on Lake Sarah, they set up a “pontoon system” on the ice, Schafer said. When the pontoon framework was set up, they cut into the ice and attached straps to the SnoBear to help haul it out of the lake.

Dealing with the weather is another challenge ice recovery crews face, Schafer said. This past weekend, Pulver was at Cottonwood Lake in freezing temperatures to retrieve a UTV that went into the lake. “It went well but it was very cold,” Schafer said.

The whole process of recovering a vehicle from a frozen lake, including setting up and taking down the equipment, can take hours, Schafer said. It can be costly, too. For example, the pontoon rig used at the SnoBear recovery on Lake Sarah costs about $1,250 an hour, he said.

In addition to using caution on the ice, Schafer said it’s also a good idea for vehicle owners to know what kind of insurance coverage they have. “If you have a UTV or a snowmobile, make sure you talk to your insurance agent,” he said. “Know what you’ve got before you take that risk.”