Tow Truck (1)

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Tow Truck
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A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown
truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) is
a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked,
impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor
vehicles. This may involve recovering a vehicle
damaged in an accident, returning one to a
drivable surface in a mishap or inclement
weather, or towing or transporting one via
flatbed to a repair shop or other location. A
tow truck is distinct from a motor carrier that
moves multiple new or used vehicles
simultaneously in routine transport operations.
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History The tow truck was invented in 1916 by
Ernest Holmes, Sr., of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a
garage worker inspired after needing blocks,
ropes, and six men to pull a car out of a creek.
Upon improving his design he began manufacturing
them commercially. The International Towing and
Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in his home town
displays restored antique wreckers, tools,
equipment, and pictorial histories of the
industry Holmes created.
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Types of towing equipment Five general types of
tow truck are in common usage, usually based on
the type or size of vehicle to be towed Boom
use an adjustable boom winch to recover vehicles
from a ditch, over an embankment, or any place
the vehicle cannot be safely reach backing-up.
Some booms are fixed, some heavy pivoting
A-frames, others pneumatically powered
telescoping tubes. Hook and chain (also known as
a "sling" or "belt lift") chains are looped
around the vehicle frame or axle, which is drawn
aloft by a boom winch to rest against a pair of
heavy rubberized mats so the customer's vehicle
can be towed on its other axle. Slings are not
used much today because they can scratch the
bumpers of cars. But they are sometimes used for
towing vehicles that have been in an accident or
have one or two of the front or rear wheels
missing or for pickup trucks and other vehicles
that have steel bumpers. Cars equipped with
all-wheel drive cannot be towed with a sling,
since it can cause problems with the car's
drivetrain.
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Wheel-Lift (or spectacle lift) evolved from the
hook and chain technology to produce a large
metal yoke that can be fitted under the front or
rear wheels to cradle them, drawing the front or
rear end of the vehicle clear of the ground by a
pneumatic or hydraulic hoist so it can be towed.
This apparatus generally picks up the drive
wheels of the vehicle (i.e. the front wheels if
it is front wheel drive, the rear wheels if it is
rear wheel drive) touching only the tires. The
wheel lift was designed by Frank Casteel and
Felming Cannon Jr. The name spectacle lift is
common in Europe the cradle resembles a pair of
squared spectacles (eyeglasses). Flatbed (also
called a Rollback or a Slide) the entire back
of the truck is fitted with a bed that can be
hydraulically inclined and moved to ground level,
allowing the vehicle being towed to be placed on
it under its own power or pulled by a
winch. Integrated (also referred to as a "Self
Loader" Snatcher, Quick Pick or Repo Truck)
boom and wheel-lift integrated into one unit.
Used in light duty trucks to repossess vehicles
or move illegally parked vehicles. Most have
controls for the apparatus inside the cab of the
tow truck to make quick pickup possible without
the inconvenience of exiting the truck to hook up
the vehicle. Heavy duty trucks are also
manufactured with integrated lift. These are the
most common arrangements, but are by no means
exclusive, as there are flatbed units that offer
a wheel-lift, boom trucks that can recover but
not tow, and wheel-lift units that offer a
combination boom with sling.
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Operations Tow trucks are usually operated by
private businesses, except for major highways and
toll roads, where the road authority may operate
the tow trucks for that stretch of road.
Businesses who operate a large fleet of vehicles,
such as school bus companies or package delivery
services, often own one or several tow trucks for
the purposes of towing their own vehicles.
Government departments with large fleets (such as
the police departments, fire departments,
transportation authorities and departments of
public works of major cities) may similarly own
tow truck(s). Police department tow trucks may
also be used to impound other vehicles.
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The military also deploys tow trucks for recovery
of stranded vehicles. In the US Army, a variant
of the HEMTT truck is used for this purpose, the
M984 wrecker. For recovery in combat situations
while under fire, many armies with large vehicle
fleets also deploy armoured recovery vehicles.
These vehicles fulfill a similar role, but are
resistant to heavy fire and capable of traversing
rough terrain with their tracks.
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Each State and Territory of Australia has their
own regulations and acts for the operation of Tow
trucks. Tow trucks are generally divided into two
categories, either by standard, trade and private
towing or Accident Towing. Accident Towing tow
trucks are clearly identifiable by number plates
ending in either "ATT" or "TT". Tow trucks which
are not endorsed for "accident towing may use
general number plates of any combination pursuant
to each states own registering system. An example
of a statute regulating the operation of tow
trucks and the towing industry in Victoria is the
Victorian Accident Towing Services Act.
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Article Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tow_t
ruck Image Source http//a1carsremoval.com.au/