Flatbed & Rollback Tow Trucks

What To Know Before Purchasing a Flatbed or Rollback Tow Truck

Flatbed and rollback tow trucks are designed to pick up a vehicle and place it horizontally on top of the bed of a truck so that it can be transported elsewhere. With a rollback truck, a mobile bed lifts up off the chassis at an angle and rolls backward until it meets the street to allow a cable and winch to pull a vehicle up onto it before setting the bed back on top of the chassis. Things you should know about new or used flatbed tow trucks on eBay include transmission speed, manufacturers, number of axles, and the suspension system.

Flatbed tow trucks come in five- and six-speed in both manual and automatic transmissions. The difference between the two speeds has to do with highway driving and fuel consumption. The more gears you have, especially when driving on the highway, the better able you are to set the transmission at a cruise speed that lowers the rpm on the truck. This results in using less fuel to power the vehicle. If you are not going to be driving a lot on the highway, then there is not a significant amount of difference between a five- and six-speed transmission.

There are 10 manufacturers of new flatbeds and rollbacks: Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Freightliner, GMC, International, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Peterbilt, and Sterling. Reasonably priced newer and older rollback tow truck models are typically available for most brands on eBay.

Flatbeds come with single and tandem axles. Single-axle trucks are typically used to carry light loads and are easier to handle and maneuver than larger flatbeds. They are commonly used to tow passenger cars and smaller commercial vehicles that have been involved in city accidents. Flatbeds with a tandem axle can carry a heavy load such as a semi-truck. Tandems are also normally used when towing vehicles on the highway since they are heavier and more stable than single-axle tow trucks.

A flatbed tow truck typically comes with two types of suspension: air and spring.

• Air suspensions use bags to lift the flatbed off the chassis so that it doesn't bounce up and down on it. Typically, the reservoir and air compressor for the braking system is used to supply air for inflating the bags.
• Spring suspensions use arched metal slabs to hold the bed up from the chassis.