Winch Outs & Roll Back Service

You may or may not know what a roll back tow truck is, and if you don’t, that puts you in the same category as the majority of our clientele. A roll back tow truck is a special tow truck that uses an incredibly strong winch and a flatbed platform to pull your car up onto it. The flatbed platform drops down and creates a ramp, and backs up as close as possible to your disabled vehicle. Then, one of our trained operators connects the bridle to a specific spot on your car and initiates the winch. Once your vehicle is up on the flatbed, our operator raises the back of the bed back up to level. Now you know!

Winch Outs

Winches are critical to the success of a roll back tow truck. Without winches, you wouldn’t be able to do much at all. Try as you might, you probably wouldn’t do so well attempting to push a vehicle up the steep ramp of a roll back tow truck. Selma Towing Service always comes prepared, and winches are just one weapon in our recovery arsenal. Our winches are not only incredibly strong and durable, but we service them regularly to keep them that way.

Roll Back Service

Now that you know what a roll back tow truck is, you may also know whether or not you need one instead of a regular tow. How can you tell? Well, are all of your axles intact on your disabled vehicle? If you answered yes, then you don’t specifically need a roll back tow truck. It would work, but you don’t need it. If you answered no to the previous question, then you would be a candidate for one of our roll back fleet. Let’s say your rear axle was damaged and couldn’t turn. We’d connect the bridle to the rear of your car and lift that end up to get you up onto the flatbed. Once the vehicle is up on the flatbed, there’s a lot less stress on it and this is ultimately the best course of action for highly damaged cars.

Winching Tips

Some of the wisest words every spoken to us from a veteran tow truck operator, “Don’t force it”. That saying goes a long way, and is especially profound in the context of winches. If you run into resistance on a winch, there’s a reason. Something might be caught on the asphalt, there might be more damage you weren’t aware of, or there might be a snag on your flatbed ramp. The last thing you want to do is force it and cause more damage or make an already bad situation worse.

Scenarios

Picture this scenario if you will. You’re in the city, where parking is bad and traffic is worse. Your car drops down in the front suddenly and you’re leaning forward and to the right. You think quickly and pull off to the right shoulder, but you can’t quite park straight and your bumper is up against a curb and a tree. How is a tow truck operator going to maneuvers into a spot, amongst heavy traffic to get your car out? Selma Towing Service operators wouldn’t sweat this job at all. An operator worth his weight would know that you could use a rig and a roll back tow truck to gently lift the vehicle up and realign it, ever so slightly without having to block traffic by coming in at a severe angle.