A tow truck is a special emergency
vehicle designed to tow or pull disabled vehicles out of the
roadway to a safer location. It is also commonly used to confiscate
illegally parked vehicles. Most tow trucks are based on a medium
truck or heavy-duty pickup chassis.
There are three main types
of tow trucks in use today: hook and chain, axle cradling,
and flatbed.
The hook and chain is the oldest
type of tow truck; it uses chains around the towed vehicle. The
axle cradling type features a large metal yoke that is fitted
under the front wheels; a hydraulic hoist then lifts the front
end of the vehicle so it can be towed. The flatbed type of tow
truck has a bed at the back of the truck that can be hydraulically
moved to ground level. This then allows the vehicle to be placed
onto the bed either through a winch or through the towed vehicles
own power.
Most of the time, the tow trucks
equipment is adequate enough for various situations. However,
there are accessories and add-ons that can augment the capabilities
of a tow truck and allow it to do more. Tow truck wheel lifts
are accessories that can be installed in a tow truck to improve
its versatility and functionality. Wheel lifts raise towed vehicles
by attaching a winch cable to a lifting ring through a snatch
block on the main boom. These wheel lifts can carry a heavy load
capacity, although there are some wheel lifts that can be installed
in light-duty pickup trucks.
