What Is The Difference Between A Tow Truck & A Recovery Truck?
If you've ever found yourself in an unfortunate situation where your vehicle breaks down , you've probably come across the terms "tow truck" and "recovery truck". While they both serve a similar purpose in the transportation of immobile vehicles, there are subtle differences between the two. This article aims to define each type, how they operate and outline their differences.
Tow Trucks
Definition And Types
A tow truck, also referred to as a wrecker or breakdown vehicle, is designed to relocate vehicles unable to move on their own. These could be vehicles that are improperly parked, impounded, disabled or damaged. Various types of tow trucks are available to cater to different situations:
- Flatbed Tow Trucks: Are equipped with a flat surface at the back. This bed can be hydraulically manoeuvred to form an inclined ramp, enabling the vehicle to be winched or driven onto it for transport.
- Integrated Tow Trucks: Reserved for more strenuous and challenging operations, these trucks have additional axles that provide increased stability and strength. Their booms are also integral to the truck structure, providing superior strength for heavy-duty applications.
- Wheel-Lift Tow Trucks:
Named after their unique operating mechanism, these tow trucks utilise a metal yoke that is slipped under the vehicle's front or rear wheels. From there, a hydraulic lift or pneumatic hoist can be used to lift the car off the ground for towing
How They Work
Recovery Trucks
Definition And Types
- Slide and Tilt Trucks: With a bed that can slide back and tilt to ground level, these trucks make it easy for vehicles to be loaded onto the bed.
- Heavy Recovery Vehicles:
These trucks are built for massive vehicles such as buses and lorries. They are equipped with robust tools including a sturdy tow bar, powerful winch and an underlift for efficient recovery operations.
How They Work
Comparison Between Tow And Recovery Trucks
Similarities
- Both tow and recovery trucks have been designed with a primary objective of moving immobile or broken-down vehicles.
- They both employ the use of winches and hydraulic or pneumatic systems to lift and transport vehicles.
Differences
- Recovery trucks are crafted to handle more intricate situations than a tow truck, often dealing with vehicles that cannot be simply towed.
- Recovery trucks are equipped to lift a vehicle entirely off the ground, a feature not consistently present in regular tow trucks.
Application & Use Cases
When To Use A Tow Truck
- Tow trucks are often used to remove vehicles that are parked improperly or violate parking restrictions.
- They come in handy when vehicles are involved in minor road incidents and they need to be moved to allow for regular flow of traffic.
- Tow trucks are the go-to option for towing broken-down vehicles to garages or repair shops.
When To Use A Recovery Truck
- Recovery trucks are invaluable when it comes to extracting vehicles stuck in tricky spots like ditches or steep gradients.
- Vehicles that have suffered significant damage in accidents and cannot have their wheels rolling on the road are best handled by recovery trucks.
- Heavy recovery vehicles, a subset of recovery trucks, are specifically designed to recover larger vehicles such as lorries, buses and coaches.