Is your car too old and rusty to run?
Or maybe you want to sell your unwanted junk car to get some money and need a tow truck?
Or maybe your car is severely damaged and won’t start due to a car crash.
Vehicles break down at the most inconvenient times. Vehicles, like most other manufactured vehicles, are vulnerable to failure. Your car is unlikely to break down when in the repair shop, where it will be serviced immediately.
There will come a time when you will need to contact the services of a towing company to transport your car to an auto repair shop, whether in a parking lot, on the driveway, or in your garage. Or maybe you want a tow truck to a nearby junkyard to get some cash. With this in mind, it’s definitely a good idea to familiarise yourself with the various types of tow trucks available.
Each vehicle is used for a particular type of towing and has a range of advantages. What you have to do now is figure out which one is best for you.
Flatbed Tow Truck
One of the most popular and commonly used towing vehicles is the flatbed tow truck. The bed of a flatbed truck is long and bare. The most noticeable characteristic is a long hydraulic that inclines and lowers to the ground.
Flatbeds are convenient since they lock the towed vehicle and raise it off the ground. This type of truck has a winch that lifts the vehicle into the bed while immobile. They are convenient to use, so you can either drive or get your car driven up the ramp.
Mostly the vehicles that have been damaged due to a car accident and cannot move are towed by flatbeds.
Integrated Tow Trucks
Heavy-duty tow trucks use integrated tow trucks, and they are more advanced. The most popular combination of two separate systems is a boom and a wheel lift combined into one structure. Rigs or buses are lifted using them. These tow trucks have an additional axle, which gives them significantly more stability and strength.
They’re built to carry big, heavy loads and help vehicles get out of tough situations.
Hook and Chain Tow Trucks
If you’re acquainted with the tow truck business, you’ll know that this is the oldest tow truck method, and it’s the one you’ll find the most on the road.
This tow truck lifts and suspends one end of the car, leaving the other set of wheels on the track, using hooks and chains. After that, it’s just a case of pulling the car to its final destination. If the vehicle is a front-wheel drive, this ensures that the front wheels will be taken off the ground. Since it puts severe pressure on many parts of the vehicle, the construction of this tow truck exposes the car to damaged scratches, especially the bumper.
Allowing your car to be towed using this procedure is not recommended if you drive a vehicle with 4WD. This towing method will impose serious harm to the vehicle, which may cost thousands of dollars to repair.
Wheel Lift Tow Trucks
Wheel-lift tow trucks are extended forms of hook and chain tow trucks, but they operate in a somewhat different manner. These trucks use a metal yoke instead of a hook and chain, which also just reaches the front wheels. The wheels are designed to ride directly on top of the yoke. A hydraulic or pneumatic hoist then raises the vehicle’s front end into the air, ready to be towed.
Although this truck does not have the same degree of safety as a flatbed truck, it does protect the bumper, and there are no chains to scratch the vehicle’s body.
One of the best things about wheel lift tow trucks is cheap, fast, and easy to operate.
This method of towing is still not recommended for 4WDs.
Boom Tow Trucks
A boom truck has a hydraulic arm, known as a boom, that stretches out past the car, and it is also the simplest way to rescue a vehicle from a difficult situation or tight spots. The heavy-duty boom trucks are basically smaller versions of cranes, with booms set in place and others pivoting about.
Conclusion
Choosing the correct tow truck is important because it can help you with the situation where you are not sure what type of tow truck you need to lift your car, truck, bus, or 4WD. The majority of these trucks can perform admirably in most situations. There is a handful who are much better at specific tasks than others.
Last updated on July 13th, 2021 at 04:06 pm