Different Types of Tow Truck and Their Uses

If you own a vehicle or you drive one, it is almost certain that at some point, you will need towing services. Vehicles are one of the biggest tools of convenience humans have, but from time to time, they are prone to break. When a vehicle breaks down, you need to call for towing services. Before calling towing services, it is very important to figure out what type of towing vehicle will be coming to your rescue. This is because we have a different type of towing vehicles, depending on what you want to achieve with towing.

Here are the most popular types of towing vehicles you need to know so that when you are in need of towing services, you are better informed on what to expect.

Flat-bed

A flat-bed is a tow vehicle that is commonly referred to as a rollback tow truck. It comes fitted with a hydraulic inclined bed, that can be lowered to the ground. The car to be driven is then pulled onto the bed. Once the car has been secured, the bed is then adjusted to a driving position. The flatbed is the most popular type of tow vehicle especially when it comes to emergencies. This is because it inflicts minimum damage on a car. Instead of dragging the car behind the tow truck, it carries it on its flatbed. A flatbed is very useful as it can be used to tow other types of machinery including motorcycles and boats.

Chain and Hook

The chain and a hook tow truck is one of the oldest tow trucks ever used. It has been in use for almost as long as the vehicles themselves. It is the cheapest and most readily available type of tow truck. It makes use of a hook and chain which is adjusted to lift and drag a vehicle. The tow truck is connected to the axle of the vehicle by the use of chains, where the chains are used to raise the rear part of the vehicle to facilitate easy dragging. Although these types of tow trucks are the oldest, they are not commonly used today. This is because of the probable damage they leave on a vehicle.

Wheel and Lift

Unless the flatbed, the wheel and lift tow truck is used to lift a car by the wheels and then drag it from behind. The wheel and lift is fitted with a metal yoke and a hydraulic system that is used to lift the front or rear tires of a car. These tow trucks are commonly used as they are seen as a better alternative to the hook and chain. However, they are still not as safe and effective as flatbed, but they have an advantage of being less costly.

5 thoughts on “Different Types of Tow Truck and Their Uses

  1. I like how you mentioned that a flat-bed tow truck does minimum damage to your vehicle. This is great because I have always been afraid that a tow truck would hurt my car. If I ever need a tow truck, I’ll make sure I get a flat-bed one to come out and help me.

  2. Thanks for explaining that flatbed trucks use hydraulics to power the lifting and lowering motions. My husband wants to hire a hauling service for his large landscaping equipment to ensure it won’t be damaged during transportation. Asking about the hydraulics of the truck should help him find a knowledgeable service for the job, so I appreciate you giving me the idea!

  3. I’m glad you explained that flatbed tow trucks are the most popular because they won’t cause damage to the vehicles they’re transporting. I want to find a local towing service in the area I just moved to so I’ll know who to call in case I’m ever involved in an accident. Thanks for letting me know why it’d be smart to find a towing service that has flatbed trucks!

  4. You made a good point when you shared that it is important to know the type of towing service that will come to rescue you when your car breaks down. My friend just told me last night that his car just stopped in the middle of the highway when he was on his way home from work so he just had to leave it there first since it is very late at night. I will suggest to him hiring a reliable towing service to help take his vehicle to the nearby auto shop.

  5. Towing business is a great part of road assistance services. The main thing I like about it is that all companies that served me (approximately 3 different service vendors in my region) were using the driver’s phone to submit my signature digitally. We are finally living in our future)

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