4 Tow Truck Options When You Call A Towing Service

When a car gets stuck or breaks down, pushing it to the nearest service station or mechanic is not practical. Hence, it is advisable to have a reliable towing service in your contacts for such situations. When you call a tow towing service, you should explain your situation to the towing company so they can dispatch a tow truck suited for your situation. It is also advisable to learn about the types of tow trucks you can request when you call a towing service.

Here are four types of towing trucks that towing companies use. 

1. Flat Beds or Rollback Truck

Flatbed tow trucks derive their name from the large bed they use to tow vehicles. Unlike a hook-and-chain tow truck, flatbeds do not drag cars along the road. Instead, a vehicle gets rolled onto the flatbed, then gets safely secured to the bed using cables and winches before towing it away. 

Flatbeds are used to tow totaled/wrecked vehicles that can't get towed using hook and chain or wheel lift tow trucks. Thus, if you need to have a wrecked or totaled vehicle towed, ask the towing service to bring a flatbed tow truck. 

2. Boom Tow Trucks 

Boom tow trucks come equipped with a hydraulic arm (boom). Hence the name boom truck. Traditionally, boom trucks used hooks and chains to tow a vehicle from a ditch, cliff, or canyon. But today, boom trucks use a belt or sling to safely tow a vehicle without damaging it. 

If your car gets stuck in a ditch, cliff, or canyon, you should ask a towing service to bring a boom truck. 

3. Wheel Lift Tow Trucks 

Wheel lift tow trucks replaced the traditional hook and chain tow trucks. They use a metal yoke instead of a hook-and-chain setup. The metal yoke gets secured underneath the vehicle right between the front wheels. Then a hydraulic lift applies force to the metal yoke, which raises the car's front end. Thus, a wheel lift tow truck tows your vehicle away by dragging it on its rear wheels. 

Towing services use them to tow vehicles that have sustained damage to their front wheels due to a collision. However, even if your car has broken down due to mechanical failure, a wheel lift tow truck can also help you tow your vehicle to an auto repair shop. 

4. Integrated Tow Trucks 

Integrated tow trucks have an extra axle that enables them to tow larger vehicles than a saloon car. Integrated trucks also come equipped with a hydraulic arm to pull vehicles out of tricky situations. 

Hence, integrated trucks are mainly used for towing large vehicles. If your RV, truck, trailer, or motorhome breaks down, request your towing service provider to dispatch an integrated tow truck.