When you find yourself in need of a towing service to help relocate your vehicle, it helps to understand the basics of towing capacities. There are different classes of tow trucks with capacity limitations. The bigger the broken down vehicle, the bigger the tow truck or the higher the capacity is needed. For those with small to extra-large vehicles and want to know which tow truck you need, Citywide Towing Service will share basic tow truck capacities and which tow truck is right for the job.
Tow Trucks Capacity Classifications
There isn’t one tow truck that fits all vehicle types. As vehicle’s range in size and weight, there are different types or categories of tow trucks. Many people wonder why not use a single large tow truck to tow all different types of vehicles. Basically it comes down to horsepower. The larger the tow truck, the higher its horsepower. Using the largest horsepower tow truck for every vehicle isn’t economically, nor is it environmentally friendly. This is why there are three different categories of towing trucks that range in capacities.
Light Duty Tow Trucks
A light duty tow truck is much like an oversize pickup truck. Light duty tow trucks often have a powered winch and use a type of wheel lift towing method. A light duty tow truck can safely tow vehicles at least 5 tons or range from 7,000 to 10,000 pounds. Light duty tow trucks are most often used for cars and smaller trucks. One major benefit of using a light duty tow truck over other tow trucks is that they are smaller and more maneuverable which makes it easy to load a broken down vehicle in most situations.
Medium Duty Wrecker
A medium duty tow truck is often a flatbed tow truck or a low boy and other similar configurations. A medium duty tow truck often has additional features such as a 12-ton boom lift, a 5-ton winch system and even wheel lift option. The medium duty tow trucks have the minimum weight capacity of 11 tons or vehicles that weigh between 7,000 to 17,000 pounds. A medium duty tow truck is best used for heavier trucks and used frequently for off road recoveries. They are also used for smaller cars when all wheels are off the road.
Heavy Duty Tow Trucks
A heavy duty tow truck is the largest category tow truck. Heavy duty tow trucks have a 25 ton single or double boom lift, a 25-ton winch, and a 6-ton wheel lift. As a heavy duty tow truck usually is used for over-sized vehicles, it also has an air brake hookup and additional safety lights. A heavy duty tow truck has a 17,000 to 110,00 weight capacity or 23 tons. Heavy duty tow trucks are used for construction equipment or over-sized vehicles.
Towing & Roadside Assistance 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
As a tow truck capacity varies, so do its uses. Many of the extra features such as boom lift and winches are used for winch out services such as those who get stuck in a ditch or in the mud. If you need towing or winch out services, Citywide Towing Service can help light to medium towing needs. If you’re stuck in a ditch, need your vehicle towed, or require roadside assistance, contact Citywide Towing Service today.
