Flatbed Towing in Calgary

What Flatbed Towing Is

A flatbed tow truck carries a hydraulic trailer deck that tilts down to ground level, allowing a vehicle to be driven or winched onto it before the deck levels out for transport. Unlike wheel-lift towing, none of the vehicle's wheels touch the road at any point during the tow.

This matters because some vehicles and situations aren't well suited to having only part of the vehicle rolling on its own wheels. Below are the main reasons flatbed towing tends to be the more appropriate option.

Why Keeping All Four Wheels Off the Road Can Matter

All-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive systems are generally designed to have all wheels turning together, driven by the vehicle's engine. When a wheel-lift truck partially tows a vehicle, some of those wheels remain in contact with the road and can turn independently of what the drivetrain expects, which is why flatbed towing is commonly recommended for AWD and 4WD vehicles.

Driveline, transmission and axle issues can be made worse by towing a vehicle with any wheels touching the ground, since the problem component may still be engaged during the tow.

Accident-damaged vehicles may have bent wheels, damaged suspension, or steering that no longer tracks straight. Loading the vehicle fully onto a flatbed avoids relying on the vehicle's own wheels and steering to roll during transport.

Flatbed towing isn't automatically required in every situation — a standard front-wheel-drive car with no mechanical issues can often be towed safely with wheel-lift equipment. But for the situations above, flatbed towing is often the more appropriate way to move a vehicle without adding further damage.