How Do Flatbed Tow Trucks Work?

How Do Flatbed Tow Trucks Work?

This post was written with the expertise of 24 Hr Towing Oceanside, an Oceanside towing services company in Oceanside, California.

Flatbed tow trucks are great for towing all kinds of vehicles. A lot of tow companies have flatbed tow trucks today. When you hear the phrase “flatbed”, it is exactly what it says. A bed that is flat. The difference is that it is a tow truck. Let me tell you about how flatbed tow trucks work and what they can be used for.

What Exactly is a Flatbed Tow Truck?

You are probably wondering what makes a flatbed tow truck any different than a regular tow truck. We know that a tow truck in general tows vehicles. A flatbed tow truck does the same. A flatbed tow truck provides more security. Your entire vehicle is loaded onto the back of the truck instead of being pulled behind.

How Are Vehicles Loaded Onto a Flatbed Tow Truck?

If you have ever seen a flatbed tow truck with a vehicle loaded on it, you may be wondering how they got it up there and is it secure? When properly secured the vehicle is safe. It will not go anywhere. Here are some ways that the vehicle is placed on the flatbed tow truck below.

  • The Tow Truck Driver will have the truck pulled a couple car lengths ahead of your vehicle.
  • There is a hydraulic lever located near the cab of the truck. The driver will then lower the bed at an angle. This is so the vehicle can roll up the bed.
  • He/she will not be pulling you vehicle up the ramp just yet! He/she will first take two chains and hook them criss cross to the under part of your vehicle. There are places to hook these chains built in almost every vehicle specially for this.
  • The driver will then put your vehicle in neutral, and winch it up the ramp once the cable winch is connected.
  • Your vehicle, once winched onto the flatbed, will be placed in emergency park. The driver will then straighten the flatbed back to a level angel. More ties ill be put onto your vehicle to secure the hold.

You can find more information on how to use a flatbed tow truck at visihow.com.

What Vehicle Can Be Towed With a Flatbed?

There are several different kinds of vehicles that can be towed with a flatbed tow truck. Sometimes, that is the only tow truck that can tow certain vehicles. A flatbed tow truck can be a better option for most. Below are some of the types of vehicles that can be towed with a flatbed tow truck.

  • Heavy duty work trucks.
  • Normal sized cars.
  • Boats. Yes, I said boats.
  • And much more.

As you see, there are several different kinds of vehicles that a flatbed tow truck can tow.

How Much is a Flatbed Tow Truck?

Now that you know about flatbed tow trucks. Are you curious their price? Well, that can range as with any vehicle. Sometimes you can find amazing deals on some great flatbed tow trucks. Other times, you may be stuck with what you got. And, what about to have a driver come tow your vehicle for you? Let us go over some of the average prices of a new and used flatbed tow truck.

The Price to Have A Flatbed Tow Truck Tow.

Every place is different so, I cannot say for sure. I can tell you that the average price to have flatbed tow truck tow your vehicle would go something like this;

  • $60 for local towing.
  • $75 hook up fee. This is to load your vehicle onto the truck. Even if the driver does not tow the vehicle, once hooked and on the flatbed, you  must pay the hook up fee.
  • Whatever the price per mile is. In some states it is $3.50 a mile. So, you would need to average out the miles your vehicle will be towed.

The Price of a Flatbed Tow Truck To Own

A flatbed tow truck to own would be anywhere from $10,000 and on up for a used flatbed. For a new flatbed, you are looking into several thousands of dollars. They can go really high in price. I would start with used and work your way up. A new tow truck flatbed can the price of a home $72,000 dollars and going up.

How is a Motorcycle Towed with a Flatbed?

You may think that this may be a little difficult, but for the most part it is not. The tow truck driver can simply lower their bed then roll the motorcycle onto the bed of the tow truck. ONce on top the motorcycle is secured. This requires two people. It is simple.

If you are interested n more info on how to tow a motorcycle with some other ideas, you can visit Howstuffworks.com.


 I hope you find all this information useful and all your questions answered when it comes to a flatbed tow truck