Different Types Of Tow Trucks

A vehicle breakdown when you least expect it is challenging and frustrating. Depending on the location where your car has broken down, you might have to call for towing services or roadside assistance. Apart from towing broken down vehicles, tow trucks are used to transport impounded, disabled, improperly parked, and scrapped motor vehicles from one point to another.

Tow trucks are also used to recover damaged vehicles in an accident. They safely tow these vehicles from the accident area to a repair workshop. You call these towing companies whenever you are stuck in the middle of the road with a broken car and they help you get your vehicle to the automobile repair center.

There are several different types of tow trucks available, and depending on your needs and situation, it is essential to choose one that works for your vehicle.

Flatbed Tow Truck

This is one of the most widely and commonly used types of towing vehicles in the world. A flatbed truck has a long empty bed with a flat top. They have hydraulics that move the flatbed upwards and downwards. What makes flatbed trucks easy to use is that you can simply drive your vehicle up the ramp, or have it pulled up. They are mostly used to transport damaged vehicles. One of the best things about flatbed tow trucks is that it keeps cars entirely off the ground. Flatbed towing is more like carrying the vehicle than towing it. They are also called tilt trays, slide, and rollback trucks.

Boom Tow Truck

A boom truck is equipped with a hydraulic arm that is called the boom. It uses that hydraulic arm to tow vehicles. This boom reaches out past the end of the vehicle, and grabs the vehicle that needs to be towed. Heavy-duty boom trucks are like a smaller version of cranes. Some boom trucks have a fixed boom whereas some have adjustable and moveable hydraulic arms. Older boom tow trucks used the traditional hook and chain method to tow a vehicle. But now the latest boom trucks use a belt and slings to tow vehicles which is a bit safer method.

Wheel-lift Tow Truck

A wheel-lift tow truck uses a mechanism similar to the hook and chain method. The only difference is that they use a metal yoke instead of a chain which minimizes the risk of damaging the vehicle. The metal yoke goes under the front wheels of the vehicle and lifts the vehicle. The truck tows the car while the back wheels remain on the ground. Since no chain is in place, there is much less chance the front bumper will get damaged.

Integrated Tow Truck

An integrated truck uses two mechanisms. When a boom and wheel-lift are combined we get an integrated tow truck. Integrated trucks are used for small purposes where a full boom truck may not be necessary. They are also called self-loaders because the integrated trucks can control the interior of the vehicle. This way operators can tow the vehicle without even exiting the tow truck.

Integrated trucks can also be used for heavy-duty towing, as the arms of these trucks are heavily embedded into the core of the vehicle, which makes them more capable and stable.

Final Word

Tow trucks can be classified into different categories depending upon their sizes, power, function, and capacity. Now that you have a better understanding of what the different tow truck types are, you can decide which one you may need. If you ever need a tow truck you need to explain the whole situation clearly and ask for the towing truck that fits your needs.