history of cranes

The wreckers, repair trucks, recovery trucks and tow trucks came from Earnest Holmes Senior of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Holmes invented the crane after he had to pull a vehicle out of a river using six men, ropes and wood. Due to the complexity of this, the idea for the crane was born and later manufactured by Holmes.

There are many different types of towing equipment that fit into different cabs and chassis. The heavy-duty boom is used for large accidents, such as tractor-trailer rollovers or pulling a vehicle out of an inaccessible ditch. The 60-ton heavy-duty Jerr-Dan rotator extends its boom up to 43 feet at 50-degree elevation. The boom can lift 24,600 pounds and rotate 225 degrees while lifting 53,000 pounds; which is 7,000 pounds more than a typical steel coil.

Many wreckers and car haulers use Wheel-Lifts. These are basically large L-shaped pieces of metal that come out of the back of the tow truck and suck in the tires of the towed vehicle. The hydraulic system then lifts the vehicle off the ground so it can be towed.

The flat bed or car carrier or rollback is placed in a cab and chassis configuration. This allows the cab and chassis to have a bed that hydraulically moves up and down and lowers to ground level. All of this is easily done with a winch that is operated on the side of the truck.

The wrecker goes by loader truck, snatcher, quick pic or repo. The boom and wheel lift are placed in one cab and one chassis. This is usually put on a light or medium duty truck. The crane’s length allows it to get into tight city areas and hitch up trucks quickly.

There are many styles available to customize. An experienced crane dealer with an excellent service shop and parts department can customize virtually any crane to meet the needs of your ideal application.

Since the selection is very varied and the reasons for each application also offer different price points. If you intend to work in a city with narrow streets, a wrecker is your best option. If state highway work is your goal, having a heavy-duty rotator in your fleet will probably be a prerequisite. Happy hitch.