Why Use a Flatbed Tow Truck?
Watching your car get loaded onto a tow truck can be a stressful experience. But you can rest assured that your vehicle will arrive safely when you book a flatbed tow truck!
Flatbed tow trucks consist of a flat tray on a sliding mechanism. They can be tilted at an angle and slid down to the ground for easy loading and unloading of almost any vehicle.
They’re also the safest and most efficient way to tow cars, motorbikes, 4WDs, trucks and more. In this article, we’ll see why you should use a flatbed tow truck to deal with accidents, breakdowns and vehicle transport.
Why Use a Flatbed Tow Truck?
We send flatbed tow trucks to deal with most of the towing jobs we attend. They’re versatile, easy to operate and they’re the best way to prevent damage to our customers’ vehicles.
Here’s why we use a flatbed tow truck in most situations:
A flatbed tow truck is the safest way to transport any vehicle.
Towing a vehicle can create a hazard for drivers, pedestrians and other road users. If the towed vehicle is damaged or unstable, it can be difficult and dangerous to transport using equipment like wheel lifts.
A flatbed eliminates any safety concerns. The vehicle is securely strapped to the bed of the tow truck, making it stable and reducing the risk to other road users.
With a flatbed, the vehicle is winched onto the flat tray and tied down securely. We secure vehicles using one tie-down per tyre. Tying a vehicle down at the wheels reduces movement while the tow truck is in motion. It also means there’s no strain on your wheels and suspension, so your vehicle won’t be damaged.
If we’re towing something unstable (like motorbikes), we use additional tie downs to keep the vehicle upright.
The truck absorbs all the lumps and bumps in the road, and your vehicle’s suspension can handle anything else that’s transmitted through the truck. That means we can reduce the risk of damage to your vehicle and other people on the road.
Flatbed tow trucks are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment in our fleet. We use flatbed trucks to tow:
- Passenger cars
- Motorbikes
- Luxury vehicles
- Modified and lowered vehicles
- Racecars
- 4WD and AWD vehicles
- Commercial vehicles and light trucks
- Earthmoving equipment and other machinery
Harvey’s Towing operates a fleet that includes specialty trucks, like low tilt trays and heavy super tilts. These are ideal for modified vehicles, oversized vehicles and all types of commercial equipment.
If you’ve been in an accident, a flatbed tow truck is the best way to move your car to the mechanic or an insurance centre.
Modern vehicles are designed to crumple in an accident. This can save your life, but it means the wheels, suspension and steering components are easily bent. Using chains to tow a damaged car is incredibly dangerous, and it risks further damage to the vehicle as it moves around on the road.
With a flatbed, the damaged vehicle can be winched onto the tray and tied down securely. This prevents further damage and protects other road users from harm.
Some types of towing require time-consuming work, like disconnecting a vehicle’s driveshafts. This can easily add 1-2 hours of work before your vehicle can be moved.
We use flatbeds because they eliminate the need for any work onsite. We can simply winch the vehicle onto the bed of the truck and drive away. The whole process only takes 15 minutes!
Can I Tow a Truck With the Drive Wheels on the Ground?
One of the reasons we use flatbed tow trucks is because they lift the vehicle’s drive wheels off the ground.
When a vehicle is towed with its drive wheels on the ground, this causes the transmission and engine to rotate, which can do serious internal damage. While it’s possible to tow some vehicles with their drive wheels on the ground, we strongly recommend using a flatbed tow truck.
With a flatbed, the wheels of the towed vehicle won’t rotate at all, avoiding damage to internal components.
Ensure Your Vehicle is Towed Safely With Harvey’s Towing Service!
Booking a flatbed tow truck is the best way to make sure your vehicle gets home safely!
Harvey’s Towing offers vehicle towing in the Brisbane region. We have depots located across the city, so we can send a tow truck to meet you at any time of the day or night.
Our fleet includes dozens of flatbed and super duty flatbed trucks that can tow vehicles up to 21 tonnes in complete safety. We prefer to use flatbed trucks for most towing jobs, but we also have specialist equipment for other situations, like recovering your vehicle from an underground carpark.
Whatever the situation, we’ll send the safest and most efficient tow vehicle to your rescue!
Contact us online to make a booking, or call us if you need 24/7 emergency towing in Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich or the Gold Coast.
