Car breakdowns and accidents are some of those road emergencies that no one wants to happen. But it can happen. If your car ends up in a ditch or stuck off-road with your wheels deep in a mud pit, you need the services of a towing company. The good news is Towing in Lafayette is just a phone call away.
When you call the towing company, tell them what help you need. It’s either you need towing or off road recovery for your car. This is important. Why? Because there are different towing options, and each one requires specific equipment. Towing and off-road recovery are not the same. It’s crucial to understand the difference between them to figure out which one you need.
Towing versus Off-Road Recovery
Towing and off-road recovery require the same skill and expertise to recover your car. However, off road recovery is more challenging. You would need off road recovery if your vehicle landed in a ditch, a farm field, ravine, desert area, river, lake, a body of water, or outside of the designated road.
Here’s a situation. If a car breaks downs from mechanical failure or is involved in an accident, they need to be removed from the road by towing. However, off-road recovery becomes necessary if the vehicle was pushed off the road and fell onto a ditch from an accident impact.
Towing companies need to know whether they will render standard towing, heavy-duty towing, or off-road recovery services to arrive with the proper equipment for the job.
Proper Equipment
To tow your car, the towing company will use any of the following: a flatbed trailer, a tow dolly, four-wheels down, a tow strap, or a tow chain. For example, towing a permanently-damaged vehicle like one pulled out from an accident requires a hook and chain truck.
Towing a car that broke down from mechanical failure and needs repair requires a flatbed or hook and chain truck. The towed vehicle’s front tires are off the ground and up a small trailer using a tow dolly.
Tow bars, on the other hand, come with an A-frame design. The frame is attached to the tow vehicle via the rear-mounted hitch. Towing your vehicle using a trailer is the safest option. All four wheels of the towed car will sit on a trailer, securely fastened with chains or straps.
For off road recovery, especially in pulling out a car from a ravine or a ditch, towing services will need a wheel lift and rotator trucks. Wheel lift towing is common off road recovery method. It’s when the wheel lift towing truck will ‘pick’ up the car using its wheels.
In the old days, tow truck drivers had to be careful in picking up the vehicles to avoid causing further damage. Today, wheel lift trucks have hydraulic systems that support the vehicle at the car’s tires to prevent more damage.
Rotator trucks are mainly for pulling out vehicles from dangerous positions. Vehicles turned over or turned upside down, stuck deep in mud, or cars hanging from a ledge. Rotator trucks are usually used in road accidents involving large trucks or trailers.
Experience
There is more to off road recovery than you would think. Besides having special equipment for the process, it takes experienced operators to properly do the job.
An experienced tow truck operator can maneuver the tow truck through a tight or hazardous road. He is also aware of how slow he has to drive and maintains that slow speed to put less stress on the vehicle, reducing the risk of further damage.
Suppose the off road recovery involves water crossing. In that case, an experienced operator must be skillful enough to determine if the tow truck can make it safely across. The operator should also know how fast or slow he can drive during a water crossing to keep the tow truck and the recovered vehicle safe.
Choosing the best Lafayette towing and off road recovery
With so many companies in the market, it’s sometimes difficult to choose the best Lafayette towing company. Most companies offer 24/7 towing services, and they are trained to recover and transport your vehicle back to safety.
Do your research before you need towing services. Find a towing company that can answer all your questions and has trained and certified drivers in towing and recovery. A good towing company has a fleet of tow trucks available when needed.
Most towing companies have technicians who have the knowledge and tools to help with basic repairs like unlocking doors, jumping or replacing batteries, changing tires, and much more. Keep the company’s contact number in case of emergencies. Make an extra copy of your car insurance information so the tow truck driver can take care of billing the insurance company.
Contact us for all your towing and off road recovery services in Lafayette, Indiana.
Additional Reading