Owner's guide

Tilt tray vs traditional tow truck

They both say 'towing' on the door. What's behind it decides whether your car arrives the way it left. Here's how the equipment actually differs.

Three machines, three philosophies.

Hook-and-chain is the old way: chains around the axle or frame, front wheels up, rear wheels rolling on the road. It still has a place. Wrecks heading to scrap, and no place at all under a car anyone cares about. Chains mark what they touch, and the rolling wheels put kilometres and wear on a car that may already be damaged.

Wheel-lift is the modern evolution: a yoke cradles two wheels, the other two roll. Gentler than chains, fine for short urban moves of ordinary cars, but half the drivetrain is still turning, which rules out all-wheel-drives, and the raked angle rules out anything low.

The tilt tray (flatbed) carries the whole car. Nothing rolls, nothing drags, nothing is left to luck: the vehicle sits strapped on a deck, fully off the road. It's the only method we use, because it's the only one where the car's condition on arrival doesn't depend on the route.

When the tray is the only right answer

  • All-wheel and four-wheel drives: towing them with wheels down damages driveline components
  • Anything low: a wheel-lift's angles are hostile to splitters and sills; a shallow tray with ramps isn't
  • Accident damage: a bent car dragged on its own wheels gets worse; on a tray it gets photographed and preserved
  • Anything you'd rather not gamble: prestige, classic, new: the tray removes the variables

The question that sorts operators in ten seconds

Ask: "How will my car be secured?" The right answer is soft straps through the wheels, to rated points on the deck. The wrong answers. Chains, hooks to the chassis, "she'll be right". Tell you everything before the truck arrives. It's the first thing we'd want asked of us, which is why it's the standard we publish.

Questions

Good to know.

Is a tilt tray more expensive than a normal tow truck?

Usually a little, and it's the cheapest insurance you'll buy that day. The price difference is small; the difference in what can go wrong is not.

Can an AWD car be towed with two wheels down?

It shouldn't be. Driving two wheels of an all-wheel-drive system while the others roll can damage the driveline. AWD and 4WD vehicles belong on a tray, full stop.

What's the safest way to secure a car on a tray?

Soft straps through the wheels to rated deck points, with padded contact anywhere a strap comes near the car. The body, suspension arms and tow hooks are not tie-down points.