What Is Tow Recovery?

logo by Editorial Staff | Posted on July 17th, 2022

Most people have seen a standard tow on the side of the road. However, specific situations cause the use of specialized towing gear and equipment. For example, trucks may become stranded off-road, or huge vehicles may generate enough velocity to fall off the road or roll over.


Vehicle recovery, also known as recovery towing, employs specialized equipment to transport these cars back to safety.

brown and white vintage car on snow covered ground during daytime

How can you tell whether you require recovery towing?

There are times when regular towing is not the best solution. For example, if your car becomes disabled and requires specific equipment, you will require recovery towing services. In addition, large vehicles, such as buses or trucks, typically require recovery towing since they frequently fly off the road or flip due to their velocity.

Light Vehicle Recovery 

Light vehicle recovery will be required for standard passenger vehicles such as automobiles. When standard towing is insufficient, recovery is employed to retrieve your car from an emergency scenario.

Driving through the countryside or the mountains can be dangerous since it might result in your car becoming stuck on dirt roads or even in a ditch.

Recovering a car that has slid into a ravine necessitates using specialized equipment and knowledge of the finest approaches. Experts in recovery towing will also handle any dangerous chemicals found at accident scenes. 

Some scenarios that necessitate light vehicle recovery include:

  • Engines that have failed
  • Punctures in tires
  • Batteries that have died
  • Terrain elements
  • Accidents
  • Road conditions force you to spin or slide off the road.

Heavy-Duty Recovery 

The primary distinction between light-duty and heavy-duty recovery is the vehicle’s weight to be retrieved. Heavy-duty recovery is used for heavier automobiles that have gone off the road and require a greater towing capability.

A semi-truck is three times the weight of a conventional automobile. Therefore, a normal tow truck cannot recover bigger vehicles such as trailers, buses, RVs, or tractors. In addition, heavy-duty vehicle recovery requires specialized equipment, training, and skill, especially if the cars are flipped or off the road.

Heavy-Duty recovery is challenging since it requires several considerations to secure everyone’s safety and the precise recovery of the heavy vehicle. However, the top towing firms have the know-how and equipment to handle heavy-duty recovery.

They must prioritize minimizing damages and weigh specific factors to identify the best compensation strategy. For example, we may employ a forklift, rotator, airbag recovery system, duty wrecker, other recovery gear, and even a crane to recover heavy-duty automobiles properly.

A heavy-tow truck with maximum towing capacity, an expanded wheelbase, and winches and cables is also used. A heavy-duty tow may cause the use of many recovery trucks sometimes.

Among the most frequent heavy-duty recovery services are:

  • Semi-trucks for machinery
  • Motorcoach and bus
  • Commercial vehicles
  • Tractor-trailer
  • Trucks in fleet

Towing Services Come in a Variety of Forms

Different types of towing services can be used for various scenarios. Whether you have car trouble, have been involved in an accident and must be towed, or need to get your car unstuck from snow, towing services can help you in several ways.

Flatbed Towing Services 

A flatbed tow truck is used for a flatbed towing. First, the truck’s flatbed is lowered to the ground. Then, a hydraulic winch system is employed to drag the car onto the truck bed. It is one of the most popular services in the US. Before shipment, the car is placed on the truck’s bed, leveled, and the vehicle is securely fastened down. It is one of the safest and simplest methods of towing a car.

Light and Medium Duty Towing Services

Breakdowns, flat batteries, lockouts, running out of gasoline, or towing small to medium automobiles are classified as light or medium duty towing services. These services are appropriate for most small automobiles, motorbikes, vans, and light commercial vehicles.

Wheel Lift Towing Services 

Wheel lifts are appropriate for most compact automobiles and lightweight trucks but not for hauling 4WD or all-wheel drive vehicles. Before the car’s drive wheels are raised, a yoke is placed beneath them, pulling the vehicle on the non-drive wheels.

They are one of the world’s oldest sorts of towing services. They are excellent for transporting two compact automobiles with little space for a flatbed tow truck.

Heavy Duty Towing Services 

Wreckers or rotators are big recovery trucks used in heavy-duty towing services. They can rescue massive trucks, tractor-trailers, heavy equipment, and other vehicles. Wreckers are outfitted with huge hydraulic winches and cables capable of lifting, pulling, and rotating big automobiles.

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Editorial Staff

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