History of Towing Facts in Irving, TX; First Tow Truck Invented By Holmes, Evolving Equipment & More

Tow trucks are an essential part of auto travel. Without them, there would be no way to get a vehicle transported when it is no longer able to drive. The beginning of tow trucks is much different than you may think. Citywide Towing is here to share some of the history behind these necessary vehicles and where the use of tow trucks all began.

Beginning of Tow Trucks

Tow trucks have been around since 1916. It was when Ernest Holmes heard about someone driving their vehicle into a creek. He offered assistance, but it took 8 men hours to get the vehicle out and back on the road. It was then that Holmes thought there had to be a better way to get a vehicle out of such a pickle without so much manual labor being involved in the process.

First Tow Truck Attempt Fail

With the help of some friend, Holmes designed a pulley system that sadly didn’t work well enough to be used. The pulley system was attached to a crane to lift the vehicle and hold it in place during the transporting process.

Cadillac was the First Tow Truck

While you would never associate towing with a Cadillac, that was what was used when Holmes originally envisioned another vehicle towing a broken down vehicle. In 1917, Holmes got a patent for his towing design and started mounting his wreckers on the back of other used vehicles. The first model that was produced was the Homes 485 and was likewise sold for $485.

Different Towing Technology Throughout the Years

Towing hasn’t drastically changed much over the years, but there have been some methods that have worked better than others. Here are some of the different technologies that have been used to transport vehicles.
Sling/Belt Lift– a boom and winch system that is used to recover cars that have gotten stuck in embankments, water or other sticky situations.
Wheel-Lift– This method lifts a car by its two driving wheels and pulls the car to another location.
Integrated– This is a combination of the wheel lift and boom methods. Used primarily to move a car that is being repossessed or parked illegally.
Flatbed– A large platform that can support the full weight of a vehicle and move it to another location.
Lift Flatbed– A combination of flatbed, boom and wheel lift, this method is mostly used in Europe and uses a boom with a wheel-lift frame that lifts a vehicle and vertically places in on the flatbed.

Towing, Roadside Assistance & More in Addison, Balch Springs, Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Cockrell Hill, Combine, Coppell, DeSoto, Farmers Branch, Ferris, Garland, Glenn Heights, Grapevine, Highland Park, Hutchins, Lancaster, Lewisville, Ovilla, Richardson, Rowlett, Sachse, Seagoville, Sunnyvale, University Park, Wilmer, Wylie, Duncanville, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Irving, Mesquite & Greater Dallas, Texas

Even though tow trucks have been around for over 100 years, they haven’t drastically changed. At Citywide Towing, we offer a large variety of roadside and towing services to help keep you safe on the road. If you are ever in need of our services, we will be ready to offer fast response as we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call us anytime, day or night!

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