A tow truck is also known as a wrecker, a breakdown truck, among other names. It is used to pull cars that have been damaged, parked inappropriately, confiscated, and those that are have a slight malfunction. It offers much help in pulling vehicles that have been involved in accidents or stuck in an unpleasantly cold or wet weather. Therefore, you will be able to avoid being stranded and reach a repair shop or any other destination.
There is a difference between a tow truck and a motor carrier, which usually transports many cars at the same time.
In 1916, Ernest Holmes made the first tow truck. As a person who worked in a garage, he needed to move a car from a creek using six people, ropes and slabs. He then upgraded the design of the truck and started making many of them for sale.
Common devices used in towing vehicles
The five tow truck types are based on the size and nature of vehicle that needs to be pulled. They have unique devices for the particular tasks. The devices include:
1. Boom
A versatile boom has a lifting device which is used to pull cars from ditches or ridges among other places that a vehicle can get stranded. Boom trucks’ system comprised of chains and hooks. The chains were wrapped around a car frame and then a boom lifted the vehicle. The truck and the vehicle are linked by a towbar which has mats with dense rubber.
Nowadays, the chains are partly replaced by straps made up of rubber. Slings are uncommon today since they possibly cause scratches on vehicles’ bumper. However, slings are currently mainly applicable when there is a need to tow cars that have been involved in accidents or those that have lost their front wheels. It can also be used to tow pickups and other cars with bumpers that are made of steel. Due to the possible cause of damage on the drivetrain on a car, slings can’t be used to tow cars that have four-wheel drive.
2. Wheel-Lift
Wheel-lift, which is also known as spectacle lift, is an advancement of the “hook and chain” system. It has a yoke that is made of metal that can be attached to the car’s front wheels to hold and pull them from the ground using a hydraulic lift to enable towing. The device lifts the vehicle’s drive wheels by getting into contact with the tires only. The design of the wheel-lift was invented in 1967 by Arthur W. Nelson.
3. Integrated lift
An integrated lift is also known as a self-loader or quick pick. It utilizes both a wheel-lift and a boom. It applies to trucks that perform simple activities so as to recover cars or to pull those that have been parked unlawfully. The majority of the integrated lifts can be controlled from the driver’s compartment of a truck. This makes it possible to quickly pick up a vehicle without the truck’s driver getting out of the cab. Trucks that perform heavy tasks also have integrated lifts.
4. Flatbed
Flatbed, which is also known as rollback or slide, is mainly used to carry (instead of towing) vehicles that are severely destroyed as a result of accidents. It is attached to the whole truck’s back. It can be bent forward or slipped back to the level of the ground using a hydraulic lift. This enables the car to be pulled by winch or put on the flatbed.
5. Lift flatbed
In a boom, a wheel-lift frame lifts a car vertically and then puts it on the Lift flatbed. This helps in the removal of cars that have been parked parallel to each other.
