Cat Challenger Accident Caterpillar Tractor Dozer Crash in the Frozen Sea Unfall Traktor

"TT350500600" posted that the belly pan and the frame were frozen solid.
Now understand that it takes around 24hrs to warm up a bigger engine and start it no problem, under normal conditions of -30 and below.
But considering that the machine is half a block of ice and sitting IN / Under ice, there is just no way to get it warmed up AND the water out ;).
I know several Ice roads where they just leave the machinery till the summer to pick it out later.
Cuz they freeze even worse and sink.....

what i don't understand is why they didn't use the heaters to warm the block up on the challenger so it could be started and drive the tracks while the other pulled.

Machinery in Canada have coolant heaters and or oil heaters installed.
Coolant heaters will heat up the engine block.
Oil heaters, such as engine oil pan heater or hydraulic tank heaters take care of the lubricants.
Glow plugs will do the rest.
There is NO WAY you can start a diesel machine with temps below -30 degree celsius, without having it warmed up, at least I don't have good exp. with it :P .
Hydraulic oil is as thick as cold honey at these temps too, making it hard to work the machine...

but if it was used up there then how did they get it started in the first place? do they have to heat the engine block with torches or will the glow plugs do the trick?

This is at McMurdo Station Antarctica. By the time they got to it the belly pan and frame had filled with water and frozen. So the driveshaft and everything was mired in ice. It sat in the shop for a few days thawing so we could change out the fluids. Don't know whose video this is but I was a mechanic in the shop at McMurdo when it happened.