Crane truck (also called crusher , breaker truck , vehicle recovery or truck description ) is a truck used to move a defective motor vehicle, not parking, confiscation, or other unhealthy vehicle. This may involve restoring a damaged vehicle in an accident, returning one to a surface that can be passed in bad weather or bad weather, or withdrawing or transporting through the flatbed to a workshop or other location.
Crane trucks are different from motor vehicles that drive many new or used vehicles simultaneously in routine transportation operations.
Video Tow truck
History
The crane truck was discovered in 1916 by Ernest Holmes, Sr., of Chattanooga, Tennessee, an inspired garage worker after requiring blocks, ropes, and six people to pull the car out of the creek. After improving his design, he began to produce it commercially. The International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in his hometown featuring antique destroyers, tools, equipment, and a pictorial history from Holmes's industry.
Maps Tow truck
Types of towing equipment
Five types of tow trucks are generally used generally, usually based on the type or size of vehicles to be coupled:
- Boom : use a boom that can be adjusted with a winch to recover a vehicle from a ditch, above a dike, or wherever the vehicle can not safely reach the back-up. Some booms are fixed, some A-frames rotate heavily, others are hydraulic powered telescoping tubes. The heaviest boom type can rotate, effectively turning a tow truck into a kind of moving crane, called a "rotator", and is usually reserved for heavy vehicle accidents. In the past, boom trucks used a "hook and chain" system in which chains were looped around the frame of a vehicle or axle, then lifted by a boom winch. A towbar with a heavy rubber base connects the truck and vehicle, so it can be pulled on the other axle. "Sling" and "belt" are evolutionary, with rubber straps replacing parts of chains. Sling is not widely used today because they can scratch the car bumper. But they are sometimes used for towing vehicles that have crashed or have one or two missing front or rear wheels or for pickup trucks and other vehicles that have steel bumpers. Cars equipped with all-wheel drive can not be pulled with a sling, as it can cause problems with the car's drivetrain.
- Wheel-Lift (also called "spectacle lift"): evolved from hook and chain technology to produce large metal yokes that can be mounted under the front or rear wheels to carry them, draw the front or behind a clean vehicle from the ground by a pneumatic or hydraulic hoist so that it can be pulled. This equipment generally takes the vehicle's drive wheel (ie the front wheel if the front wheel, rear wheel if the rear wheel) just touch the tire. Wheel lift designed by Arthur W. Nelson from Weld Built Body Co. in 1967. The name of the spectacle lift is common in Europe; cradle resembles a pair of square glasses (glasses). Medium and heavy trucks use variations, "underlift" or "elevator chassis", which lift the shaft or frame, not the wheel. Wheel lifter trucks can have adapters that can also lift the chassis.
- Integrated (also known as "Self Loader", "Snatcher", "Quick Pick" or "Repo Truck"): boom and wheel-lift are integrated into one unit. Used in light trucks to pull vehicles or move parked vehicles illegally. Most have controls for the equipment inside the tow truck cab to make a quick pickup possible without the discomfort of getting out of the truck to connect the vehicle. Heavy duty trucks are also produced with an integrated elevator.
- Flatbed (also called "rollback" or "slide"): the entire rear of the truck is equipped with a bed that can be hydraulically tilted and slid back to the ground, allowing the vehicle to be placed under its power alone or withdrawn by the winch. Because they carry rather than pull the vehicle, it can be fully mobilized; in the US they are used to carry a car that is badly damaged from a collision.
- Lifting the flatbed : the boom uses a lift-wheel frame to lift the vehicle vertically and load it on the bed. Used in Europe, this truck can remove parked vehicles in parallel.
This is the most common, but not exclusive, arrangement because there are flatbed units that offer wheel-lifts, recoverable but non-drawable boom trucks, and wheel-lift units that offer booming combinations with slings.
There are also some size and weight categories of tow trucks. The lightest models are usually based on light trucks and van chassis that offer booms and weights of around 5 to 10 tons of cranes, making it ideal for towing cars. Most flatbed type vehicles are based on medium and heavy duty trucks to provide the necessary chassis strength to transport the entire vehicle. A further step up from it is a medium-duty crane truck that offers a boom capacity of 15-20 tonnes. Even heavier is the heavy duty crane truck based on the chassis used by semi trucks, with a double axle and the ability to pull full trailer and trailer trucks, with a 25 to 50 ton booming capacity. At the top is a rotator, which can range from 40 tons to 75 tons (though lighter models do exist as seen on the right) and often come with many other features per customer specification.
Operation
Crane trucks are usually operated by private companies, except major highways and toll roads, where road authorities can operate truck cranes for the road. Some police departments have truck cranes, but in the US it is common to contract police vehicles to private companies. Businesses that operate large fleets of vehicles, such as school bus companies or packet delivery services, often own one or more tow trucks for the purpose of attracting their own vehicles. Government departments with large fleets (such as police departments, fire departments, transport authorities and public works departments in major cities) may also own a tow truck (s). Police tow trucks can also be used to confiscate other vehicles. Heavy truck cranes are often called in to clean up semi-truck accidents and straighten truckloads. In rural or unorganized areas, companies that operate crane trucks can sometimes also offer additional services suitable for highway cleaning where government supplies are not available, such as fire suppression.
The military also deployed a tow truck to recover the stranded vehicle. In the US Army, a HEMTT truck variant is used for this purpose, the M984 destroyer. For recovery in temporary battle situations under fire, many armies with large vehicle fleets also deploy armored recovery vehicles. These vehicles fulfill the same role, but are resistant to heavy fires and are able to cross rough terrain with their tracks, as well as towing vehicles outside wheeled wheelblind densities, such as tanks (many based on tank design for this reason).
Each Australian State and Territory have their own rules and actions for the operation of Tow trucks. Crane trucks are generally divided into two categories, either by default, trade and personal withdrawal or the Accident Withdrawal. Towing tow truck accident can clearly be identified by number plate ending with "ATT" or "TT". Unsupported tow trucks for "crash towers" may use the common platen number of each combination under each state that has a registration system.Example of the law governing the operation of tow trucks and the towing industry in Victoria is the Victorian Accident Billing Act.
See also
- Armored recovery vehicle
- The auction of confiscated vehicles
- Mater, a character in the Disney animated production Car
- Motorized
- Roadside assistance
- Drive the hitch
- Vehicle restoration
References
External links
- International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments