When you call for towing services, you may have noticed different types of trucks arriving to provide roadside assistance and vehicle transportation. Each truck is equipped to handle specific situations and cargo weights. To better understand the differences, below is a breakdown of the four most common tow trucks you may encounter.

Type of Trucks Used for Towing

1. Flatbed

Flatbed tow trucks are the most common vehicles for towing. These trucks are designed with a long, flat bed suitable for housing any car, small truck, or boat that needs roadside assistance. This bed moves up and down to form a ramp by way of hydraulics, allowing vehicles to be driven or pulled right into the bed. As one of the safest ways to move vehicles, this truck is widely used to remove broken down or damaged vehicles from the road.

2. Hook & Chain

Although hook and chain tow trucks were used extensively in the past, they are less common now once it was determined their apparatus may apply too much pressure to vehicles and damage bumpers from the hook used to drag it. The chain may also leave scratches. Nowadays, hook and chain options are mainly used for junk cars and vehicles heavily damaged in an accident.

3. Wheel-Lift

Similar to the hook and chain truck, wheel-lift trucks use a metal yoke hooked under the wheels instead of a chain, which leaves behind less damage. A pneumatic hoist or hydraulic lift then engages to lift the car from the ground and tow it away. Even though these are better than hook and chain options, they are not as widely used or as safe as flatbed tow trucks.

4. Integrated

These specialized trucks feature extra axles for increased stability in towing heavier loads like big rigs and buses. The arm of this towing vehicle is embedded deeply into the truck to create additional strength for handling heavier vehicles that need to be transported to another location.

When you need reliable towing in Columbia Falls, MT, call OHS Towing. With four locations in the Flathead Valley region and a friendly team of professionals, their 24-hour roadside assistance services give you peace of mind that someone is there when your car has broken down or there is an accident. They also have ASE®-certified mechanics on hand to repair whatever is troubling your vehicle. For more on this towing company, visit their website or call (406) 892-1600.