In 1916, a mechanic named Ernest Holmes, Sr. invented the first tow truck after a difficult roadside recovery. Since then, tow trucks have evolved, and tow truck manufacturers such as Miller Industries, Jerrdan, and NRC Industries have manufactured stronger and more durable tow trucks for various towing tasks.
Flatbeds Tow Trucks
You might hear flatbed tow trucks referred to as rollback or slide trucks. This is due to the way they operate. There’s a long flatbed with an inclined, descending back end that reaches the ground. Its main feature is an inclined hydraulic flatbed. During the towing process, the car will be driven or pulled onto the truck bed and secured before the truck bed is raised back to a level position. Tow trucks with flatbeds are the most common type, and they are versatile. The benefits of flatbed towed vehicles include being secure and being elevated off the ground.
Flatbed Carriers by Miller Industries
In Miller Industries car carriers, there are brands such as Vulcan, Chevron, and Century brand carriers. There are also 2 carrier designs, the Low Center Gravity design and the Conventional design. The Low Center Gravity-style carrier design uses a lower deck height, allowing for a lower approach angle of the carrier deck as well as minimizing the height of the loaded carrier to ensure the transport of tall loads is kept to a minimum due to the lower center of gravity. Loaded carriers have the advantage of being less “top-heavy” when loaded. This provides better maneuverability when loaded. Furthermore, the lower platform provides ergonomic and safety benefits when loading a loaded vehicle onto the carrier deck. By keeping the platform low to the ground, less effort is required to secure the vehicle on the carrier deck.
Range of Towing Capacities for the Carriers
There are many things to consider when selecting a rollback, slide bed, or car carrier. Capacity is one of the most important factors. Miller Industries have a range of flatbed carriers for various towing capacities. They can range from 10 to 40 thousand pounds.
The 10 to 16 thousand pounds capacity car carriers are primarily designed for towing and recovery of motor vehicles. In addition to all special features, a wheel lift and deck should be considered depending on how the carrier is going to be used.
Bed ratings are determined by a “water” load, which means the load is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the bed. Typical passenger vehicles weigh between 3,500 and 8,500 pounds. Work trucks SUVs and pickups can weigh between 5,000 and 10,000 pounds and can go up to 15,000 pounds.
Wheel Lift Tow Trucks
The wheel-lift tow truck is an evolution of the hook and chain tow truck, although they operate somewhat differently. Instead of hooks and chains, these trucks use a metal yoke that is often only in touch with the wheels. The yoke is placed into the bottom of the drive wheels, so depending on the vehicle, it may be in the front or the back pair of wheels. To tow the vehicle, the vehicle’s end is lifted into the air with a hydraulic or pneumatic hoist.
Wheel Lifts from Miller Industries
In the modern light-duty wrecker, wheel lifts are essential for towing vehicles. When a light-duty wrecker was towing a vehicle, a tow sling was the latest option. These old tow slings are fast becoming a thing of the past, thanks to self-centering wheel lift crossbars, as well as auto-stop limiting switches. Miller offers different crossbars and wheel lifts, and each has its features.
Auto Grip II
With this wheel lift, a hydraulic cylinder is enclosed beneath a roller that supplies power to the chain-driven L-arm retainers. There are no physical stops on the L-arm retainers of the Auto Grip II, so it can grab tires of various sizes without the need for a spacer. The situation can arise when a vehicle has one tire on one side and a spare or donut on the other. This design also has the benefit that the L-arms fold back into the side of the crossbar when they are closed. You can chain the disabled casualties axle to the crossbar of the Auto Grip II to use it as a tow bar.
Generation 1 Crossbar
There is very little experience required to operate the crossbar because it is so easy to use. In addition, the design of the L-arm retainers provides a straight, square frame to the tire. It can be very accommodating if you don’t quite get the L-arm centered on the tire. You can simply bump the controls so that the L-arms open and close slightly, allowing the tire to align with the L-arm.
Heavy Duty Tow Trucks
In addition to towing trucks for light-duty jobs, there are those meant to do the heavy lifting. Most standard tow trucks can handle parked cars and trucks, but buses and semi-trucks require heavy towing, and this is where heavy-duty tow trucks come in.
Heavy Duty Tow Trucks by NRC Industries
The NRC CSR85 to have a double purpose: structural and counterweighted, because there is such a thin line between grossly overweight recovery vehicles and properly counterweighted vehicles. The newly designed central body structure of the wrecker improves torsional rigidity while enhancing weight distribution. As a result, the wrecker’s performance is greatly improved while requiring minimal additional weight.
UI and Controls
A hallmark of NRC’s products, the CSR85 offers an enhanced hydraulic control system that allows operators to execute the recovery plan to their exact specifications. In order to improve real-time insights into scale system data, the software has been revised to take into account the part number used.
The Slider & Hydraulic System
Through the gigantic version of the Slider System, the CSR85 offers increased hydraulic sliding power. This makes the slide rails less prone to local deformation and has a positive effect on safety. By activating the slide function, the automatic carefree lubrication system sequentially lubricates 14 critical areas of the mast carrier.
With the redesigned hydraulic system, 3770 psi (260 bar) of pressure is supplied to a giant boom cylinder set. Hydraulic systems with load sensing technology improve system efficiency by adjusting output flow and pressure in response to demand. In addition, there’s a hydraulic pump with a torque limiter that enables the transmission to be protected from overload by regulating maximum output flow proportional to system demand.
Boom & Mast
To ensure safety, you must have the power and capabilities necessary to handle even the most challenging scenarios, while remaining within the safe operating procedures. The CSR85 is equipped with main winches that can pull 60 thousand pounds and optional auxiliary winches that can pull 25 thousand pounds for difficult situations.
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