Towing Power By The Numbers
With a complete line up of towing vehicles, we often say that there’s no towing job we can’t do. From transportation jobs and heavy duty towing to roadside recovery. As you can expect, that invites questions like; what’s the biggest towing job we’ve ever done? More importantly, how much do each of our trucks really tow?
Towing is actually a complex business. For every job, there’s a lot that goes into it and a lot to be aware of. But the first thing we need to know is what is being towed, hauled, plucked, or pulled so we can figure out how much weight will need to be moved.
Flatbed Towing Capacity
If you’re fortunate enough to catch a tow from one of our fleet, the chances are that a flatbed will be assigned to come do the job. The reason for that is because they’re the best for safe, secure vehicle transport that doesn’t damage your vehicle.
But the question you’re here for, how much can a typical flatbed carry in tow? Our flatbeds are rated for up to 25,000 pounds, but they’re typically used to transport much less. From ferrying single motorcycles to classic cars, our flatbeds are the preferred way for A-B moving of just about any vehicle. The best part? There’s still plenty of capacity left over to give you a ride to where you’re going as well.
Medium Duty Movers
A good portion of our “light” duty towing will also be used to tow “medium” sized vehicles. Give or take a few thousand pounds, medium sized can be defined as anything around 25,000 pounds. That includes things like box trucks, buses, other tow-trucks, as well as most construction vehicles.
Most of the vehicles that fall into the “medium” category tend to be commercial vehicles. If you get yourself into a jam on the job, there’s a good chance that your vehicle will be retrieved by one of our medium-duty haulers.
Rotators: The Heavy Lifters
Engineered to drag, pull and cherry-pick vehicles of just about any size from hard-to-reach places, our rotators are the crown jewels of the O’Hare fleet. With upwards of 50,000 pounds of lifting capacity, there aren’t many situations that they’re not helpful in.
And not only can they lift vehicles (including vehicles that have been submerged underwater), they can also rotate them a full 360 degrees and put them exactly what they need to be. Without getting into the details, the physics for that to be possible make rotators some of the most advanced (and helpful) machinery anywhere.
Towing It All Together
As you can see, there’s never a job that we’re not overprepared for – and that’s the name of the game. With as many variables and unforeseen considerations to even the “smallest” tows, coming with more than enough is always a safe bet.
From carrying a single person to their destination to an oversized construction rig to a job site, we’ve got the heavy tow truck for the job. Our towers love the challenge of figuring out how to move a vehicle from where it is, including those with some added weight to them