A truck on its side, a bus in a ditch or a loader stuck in a trench is not a normal tow. A tow truck heavy duty enough for that work means a rotator or large wrecker, winches rated in tonnes, recovery straps and an operator who plans the lift before touching anything. Heavy recovery often takes several vehicles and hours of work. Tell us what happened and where, and heavy operators near the site quote you directly. The request is free, with no obligation to accept a quote.
The equipment
- Rotator: a crane-style boom that turns, with outriggers for stability, used to upright and lift trucks and buses.
- Heavy wrecker: a fixed boom with winches and a big underlift for towing loaded rigs.
- Low bed tow truck or lowbed: carries machinery and wrecks that cannot roll. See lowbed transport.
- Air cushions, snatch blocks and soft slings: for lifting without more damage to the body and load.
How a heavy recovery is planned
The operator works out the mass of the vehicle and load, the ground conditions and where the anchor points are. Often the load is taken off first, by hand, forklift or a second truck, because uprighting a loaded trailer can tear it apart. Fuel and oil spills are contained. Only then does the lift or winch start. A rushed recovery can cost more in damage than it saves in time.
Permits, roads and safety
Recoveries on national roads are usually managed with traffic officials and the road authority, and lanes may be closed for the work. Moving an oversize wreck or a lowbed load can need a permit and an escort, so ask whether a permit is needed when you compare quotes. If anyone is hurt, call emergency services first. Never try to drag a heavy vehicle with a smaller truck and a chain. Keep vehicles and onlookers well back from the boom and winch lines while the lift is under way.
How heavy-duty jobs are priced
Heavy towing and recovery is quoted per job or per hour per unit, plus the km to the workshop. Extras can include extra recovery vehicles, load transfer, spill clean-up, permits and storage. Ask for a written estimate with the hourly rate for each truck. Insurers and fleet managers often ask for photos and a short report of the recovery, so ask the operator to provide them. For a straightforward tow of a running truck, see truck towing.
What to include in your request
- What the vehicle or machine is and its mass
- Its position: upright, on its side, in a ditch
- Whether it is loaded and with what
- Ground and access at the site
- Where it must go after recovery
Heavy-Duty Towing for different clients
- Motorists and families: an owner-driver's rigid truck winched back onto the road after sliding off the verge
- Company fleets and rental firms: a refrigerated delivery truck righted and towed to the fleet workshop after a rollover
- Truckers, buses and logistics: a loaded long-haul rig recovered from an embankment on a freight corridor
- Farmers and 4x4 owners: a tractor or loaded grain truck winched out of a flooded field or river crossing
- Dealers, panel beaters and workshops: heavy wrecks lifted and moved to an assessor's yard for an insurance claim
- Construction, mining and plant hire: an excavator or dump truck lifted out of a trench and loaded onto a lowbed
- Caravan, boat and bike owners: a large motorhome or bus recovered after leaving a mountain pass road
- Municipalities, estates and schools: municipal buses and refuse trucks recovered and lanes cleared after a crash
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between heavy towing and heavy recovery?
Can a heavy-duty tow truck move an excavator or loader?
Who arranges a heavy vehicle recovery after a crash?
Do you send the rotator yourselves?
Heavy-Duty Towing by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg