How does a flatbed tow truck work? Well, this is done by towing your vehicle by riding it on the flatbed, where the towed vehicles wheels do not turn. To understand the science behind the flatbed tow trucks, you need to have a basic idea about what is a flat bed tow truck.
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What is a flatbed tow truck?
A flatbed, or rollback, tow truck is the best way to tow a vehicle. During this process, the vehicle is being towed by making it ride on the flatbed; hence, the towed vehicle’s wheels do not turn. As a result this protects your vehicle from possible wear and tear on your tires, and other parts that are affected from the spinning wheels ordinarily.
If you own a four-wheel drive, damaged, or large vehicle, a flatbed tow truck is a life-saver at the time of unwanted crisis that happen on road.
The tow truck operator can easily lower the back of the flatbed to the road surface, which features an attached two end-hooks to tow slots at the bottom front of your vehicle. This helps pull your car or truck into place with a powerful automated winch.
Hence, it is important to know how to secure your vehicle on a flatbed tow truck. You need to ensure that the operator is handling your vehicle properly.
A rollback tow truck can drop the back end of the flat bed to the ground as a ramp to pull your damaged vehicle easily from your parking spot onto its flat bed.
Unlike the four other main types of tow trucks, the flatbed tow truck will even secure your vehicle if it is heavily damaged or has a heavy weight for the typical tow trucks. If you have a four-wheel-drive truck, the flatbed tow truck can handle it with no problem. Before the operator touches your vehicle, most tow services will ask you to sign a waiver regarding any damage to your vehicle.
The entire back of the towing vehicle features an apparatus consisting of a flat surface that itself can easily incline/decline and move to ground level. The incline and decline process is accomplished using hydraulics that is manually controlled by the operator using gears and switches.
You may find a wide range of sizes and shapes of vehicles that can be loaded onto the flat surface. The truck pulls in front of the vehicle, facing in the same direction, where the flatbed is lowered to just in front of your car or truck.
A cable that comes from a hydraulic winch is made to attach to your vehicle. The winch helps pull your car onto the flatbed, which is then powered back into the horizontal position for safe transport. You may find nylon straps placed on all four corners of your vehicle to ensure its safety during travel.
How does a flatbed tow truck work?
A flatbed tow truck has a little different look than the standard tow trucks that you usually have seen. The flatbed tow truck features a large flatbed on which a vehicle can sit on completely.
The back of the flatbed truck does allow a car to be loaded onto the flatbed easily. The flatbed can be capable of sliding out and then tilting towards the ground. When the flatbed is tilted on the ground, you can drive up a car or other type of vehicle and park on top of the flatbed.
Once you put the car on top of the flatbed tow truck, it can be secured with the help of a winch, and the ramp will return to its normal position. The back of the flatbed truck functions with the help of hydraulics. However, there is weight limits involved that you may not be able to exceed. The flatbed tow truck can be able to keep the cars entirely off the ground, which gives the car a much smaller risk of damage than a car riding along the road.
If your car is ultimately totalled, then you may need a tow truck. Sometimes there is no way to get a totalled vehicle to travel along the roadway on its own. So, it needs to be lifted and kept on top of a flatbed truck.
If your vehicle can no longer drive on its own, the winch can be used to pull what is left of the car onto the top of the flatbed truck. Sometimes a flatbed truck is referred to as a slide or a rollback truck because of the back end of the truck, which extends out of the back of the vehicle.
Related Queries:
Why do you need a flatbed tow truck?
It is best to use the flatbed style of tow truck if you have a heavy vehicle or a car that is equipped with all wheel drive systems. However, companies that provide tow truck service ensure that your vehicle’s bumper is not damaged during the towing process. If you are involved in an accident that makes your vehicle inoperable, then you can call the nearby available facility, who will be there very soon to assist. The only thing that you need to do is to find the companies that provide quick and reliable service at your locality
What can you do to keep your vehicle safe?
Everybody wants to keep their vehicle well maintained. We can provide the best of our expert knowledge and ability to do so. There are companies that provide best facilities to safely transport the vehicle to its local destination while keeping the risk of damage to an absolute minimum. These companies hire drivers who can operate with years of experience and are also very much dedicated to seeing their local service provided at a high rate of quality. Do not worry, these companies will follow strict industry safety guidelines and all of the pertinent laws regarding tow truck safety and traffic safety.
How long does a tow truck take to arrive and process my vehicle?
In case you face some problems during your road trip, you can contact the nearby shops that provide the tow truck facility. This can be done by searching online. You will find the shops providing such facility at the exact location you have faced the problem. Companies adopt a competitive approach to offer faster service these days. However, the majority of circumstances will not require any more than several minutes to safely lift your vehicle onto the flatbed tow truck and be on the way to a local destination.
In which situation do you need a flatbed tow truck?
There is a wide variety of situations and circumstances that can occur on the road, which may enable you to need a tow truck. You need a tow truck even if the accident or similar circumstances occur within your local community. You can contact the related personnel who offer the tow truck service. However, you can also check online to find out the local facility available within your reach.
Are Flatbed Tow Trucks Affordable?
Yes, flatbed tow trucks are affordable. If you are wondering about the price of the flatbed tow truck, you can search online to get the best price. You can purchase from online stores like amazon.com at an affordable range. However, you need to read the reviews and thoroughly check the dimensions of the tow trucks before selecting a particular product for yourself.
How Heavy Is A Tow Truck?
The weight of a tow truck depends upon what vehicles it is made to tow. Some trucks are better suited for towing everyday cars like sedans and SUVs, while others might be made to tow large pieces of machinery or buses.
There are three main classifications of tow trucks, and the main characteristic that decides what division a tow truck falls into is its weight.
- Light-duty tow trucks weigh between 8,600 lbs. And 10,000 lbs. These trucks can haul most types of cars with no problem and might be the most common type of tow truck you would see on the road on any given day.
- Medium-duty tow trucks weigh between 10,001 lbs. And 26,000 lbs. Also pretty standard, these tow trucks can tow regular cars as well as larger cars or trucks. On occasion, they can tow smaller pieces of machinery.
- Heavy-duty tow trucks consist of any tow truck that weighs over 26,000 lbs. These trucks do have the ability to tow cars, but they are often used for large vehicles, as mentioned above, like construction machinery, buses, and any other large-scale vehicle.
Source : TOW TRUCK
Final Thoughts
How flatbed tow truck work can be broken down into the five basic principals, although most tow trucks rely on a bracket system to get the job done.
