Light Duty Towing for Cars, SUVs, and Pickups That Won't Make It on Their Own

The term comes from the truck, not the car. A light duty wrecker is built to carry or lift vehicles in the weight range of ordinary passenger cars and light trucks. Macarthur's light duty fleet is a mix of flatbeds, which carry the whole vehicle on a deck, and wheel-lift wreckers, which raise one axle and tow with the other rolling. Between them they cover nearly everything parked in a Long Island driveway.

Where light duty ends is where the weight and the length stop fitting the equipment. A one-ton work truck with a utility body, a cutaway van with a box, a pickup pulling a loaded trailer: those are borderline, and the office decides from what you tell us about the vehicle. A box truck, a bus, or anything with air brakes is heavy duty and gets a wrecker built for it. If you are not sure which side of the line your vehicle is on, say what it is and we will say which truck.

Below: how we choose flatbed or wheel-lift, how each load is done, the breakdowns we see most, where the car can go, what affects the quote, and the towns the light duty trucks cover.

Here is the job as you will see it from the sidewalk.

Walk-around. Before anything is hooked, the driver looks at the car and notes dents, scrapes, and anything loose. That protects you and him. Take your own photos if you like.

Positioning. In a straight line with the car if the space allows. On a road, the truck is parked to shield the car from traffic with its lights on. In a tight lot the driver may ask to move a neighboring car or may winch from an angle.

Loading on a flatbed. Deck tilted and extended to the ground, winch cable to a proper tow point, parking brake off, neutral if the car will shift. The car is winched up slowly with the wheels straight. A car that will not shift or roll goes up on skates. Four straps, one per tire, ratcheted to the deck rails.

Loading on a wheel-lift. The yoke goes under the tires of the lifted axle, the driver secures the tires with straps, and raises the axle to towing height. The steering is locked straight or the steering wheel is secured so the rolling wheels track.

Checks and departure. Straps rechecked with the deck level or the lift raised, keys secured, lights on. Ask about riding along; it depends on the truck and the situation.

Drop-off. Reverse of the above, and the car is placed where the destination wants it, with the keys handled the way you and they agreed.

Give the office the destination's name and address and whether anyone needs to meet the truck. For a shop that will be closed, say where the keys should go. For a driveway, say where in the driveway; a flatbed needs room to tilt its deck and a clear path for the car to roll off. For a car with body damage, the shortest path is our collision shop at 170 East Lincoln Avenue, where the estimate and the insurance claim are handled under the same roof. The destinations section on the towing page covers each option, including collecting a car from another yard once it is released to you.

Parking garages. A flatbed is tall. Tell us the posted clearance and whether the car can be rolled to the exit. We may send a wheel-lift or meet the car at the ramp.

Tight driveways and lots. A flatbed needs room behind the truck to extend its deck. In a narrow space the wheel-lift is often the only truck that fits, and for an all-wheel-drive car the driver may winch it to a wider spot first.

Electric and hybrid. Flatbed only, and if the 12-volt battery is dead the car may not shift or unlock. The driver carries a jump pack for the manufacturer's jump point and skates for the drive wheels. The flatbed page covers this.

Lowered cars. Long ramps and boards to flatten the approach angle. Say the car is lowered so the equipment is on the truck.

Leases and new cars. Ask for the flatbed. Lease inspectors look for lift marks, and most manufacturers specify flatbed towing in the owner's manual.