Winch-Outs from Ditches, Snow and Mud Around Waterloo

Q: Who do I call to get my car out of a ditch in Black Hawk County?

Call Waterloo Roadside at (319) 271-6565 , at any hour, for a winch-out anywhere in Black Hawk County. Give the road name, the nearest crossroad, and whether the car left gravel or pavement. Rollovers and crashes with injuries go to 911 first. A winch-out starts at $125.

A winch-out from Waterloo Roadside starts at $125 around Waterloo and Black Hawk County, for a car, SUV or pickup stuck in a ditch, snowbank or soft shoulder: call (319) 271-6565 any hour. We give you the price before anyone heads out.

Call 24/7 (319) 271-6565

Winch-out

Hours
Someone answers every call, 24/7. The price and timing are agreed on the call first.
Price
from $125
- Towing from $117
- Jump start from $79
- Car lockout from $79
Area
Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Fayette, Grundy, Butler and Chickasaw counties, Iowa
Where
Tell us the town, the road and the nearest exit, mile marker or cross street.

These from-prices are the starting point. Availability, time of day, distance, weather and vehicle type can each push the final price up. The call confirms that final price before help heads your way.

A sedan slid into a snowy ditch beside a two-lane road through flat farmland, a taut winch cable hooked near its front wheel.

Key takeaways

A winch-out from a ditch or snowbank around Waterloo starts at $125, 24/7.
Black Hawk County maintains 761 miles of road, and 522 of those miles are gravel.
Waterloo Regional Airport averages about 39 inches of snow a year, about 10 of them in January.
Tell us whether the car left gravel or pavement, and how far it sits from the road's edge.

What is included

You get pulled out of a ditch, mud, snow or a soft shoulder, as long as the car or pickup can be reached safely from the road. If it is not drivable after, the call also quotes a tow. A rollover, or a crash where someone is hurt, goes to 911 first.

Ditches on Black Hawk County gravel roads

Black Hawk County's secondary roads department maintains 761 miles of road. Of those, 522 miles are gravel and only 239 are paved, and the county also keeps up 1,534 miles of ditches. That puts more than two-thirds of the county's road miles on gravel. When you call, say whether the car left gravel or pavement and how far it sits from the road's edge.

When Black Hawk County plows and runs graders

The county normally plows from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its 16 plow trucks take about 3 hours to clear both lanes of a 16-mile paved route. Its 9 motor graders usually head out on gravel after 3 inches or more of snow. They need about 12 hours to work through a 57-mile district. Paved roads are done first and gravel as soon as possible after. The county does not plow private roads at all; those are up to the property owners. A gravel road at night, or early in a storm, can go hours without a grader.

Blowing snow and long winter trips

In heavy blowing snow, Black Hawk County warns that clearing all of its roads can take up to 2 days. Roads already cleared can drift shut again while the wind keeps up, and plows and graders may be pulled off for poor visibility. On the state highways, a trip in severe winter weather can take three or four times longer than normal. At Waterloo Regional Airport, the 1991-2020 normals put snowfall at about 39 inches a year, about 10 inches of it in January.

Stuck in snow on a Waterloo side street

Inside the city, residential streets wait until 3 inches have fallen before Waterloo plows them. So a car can be hung up on a side street's snow before any plow has been by. A pull off a snowbank in town starts at the same $125.

Slid into a ditch near Waterloo: what to do

If the car is upright and nobody is hurt, stay inside with your seat belt on. A county road in blowing snow is no place to walk. Run the engine only in short spells, and only after checking that the exhaust pipe is clear of snow. A blocked pipe can fill the car with carbon monoxide. Then call (319) 271-6565 with the road name and the nearest crossroad.

Questions

How much does it cost to get pulled out of a gravel-road ditch near Waterloo?

Getting pulled out of a gravel-road ditch near Waterloo or Hudson starts at $125. Snow or mud, how far out the car sits, the hour and the vehicle can add to that. If it will not drive after the pull, a tow is priced on the same call. You hear the full figure before anyone heads out.

Should I stay in the car if I slide into a ditch in blowing snow near Waterloo?

Usually, yes. An upright car out of traffic, with a clear exhaust pipe, is safer than walking a Black Hawk County road in a whiteout near Waterloo. Run the engine only in short spells. Call 911 if anyone is hurt. A winch-out from the ditch starts at $125.

Can a pickup stuck in a Waterloo side-street snowbank be pulled out?

Yes, as long as it can be reached safely from the street. Tell us what you drive and how it is sitting in the snow. A pull out of a Waterloo snowbank starts at $125. If the pickup will not drive afterwards, a tow is quoted on the same call.

Who do I call to get my car out of a ditch in Black Hawk County?

Call Waterloo Roadside at (319) 271-6565, at any hour, for a winch-out anywhere in Black Hawk County. Give the road name, the nearest crossroad, and whether the car left gravel or pavement. Rollovers and crashes with injuries go to 911 first. A winch-out starts at $125.

How long does Black Hawk County take to plow gravel roads?

Black Hawk County's 9 motor graders usually go out on gravel after 3 inches or more of snow. They need about 12 hours to work through a 57-mile district, and paved roads come first. If you are stuck before a grader reaches your road near Waterloo, a winch-out starts at $125.