Many people think that Henry Ford invented the first automobile. However, some 20 years before Ford automated car production with the assembly line, Karl Benz invented the first car. It wasn’t until 1916 that the first driver’s licenses were issued. A couple of years later, a Model T Ford was driven into a creek in Tennessee and the seeds of the evolution of the tow truck were planted.
A local businessman found out about the accident and got his brother, the owner of the local gas station, to help him get the car out of the ditch. With the help of a few more volunteers, a block and tackle, and a little sweat, the men finally got the car out of the Tennessee creek. And it only took 8 hours to do it. The businessman thought, there has to be a better way!
His name was Ernest Holmes and he came home and started going around his garage mounting some kind of winch on the back of his 1913 Cadillac. The first time he tried to use it, his car started to tip over. He realized that he needed some side support and designed rudimentary stabilizers that he could attach to the side of the Caddy to keep it from rolling over. He tested and modified his Caddy with the winch and stabilizers for the next 3 years until he had a product that worked reliably and without incident.
He applied for a patent in 1919. The Holmes 485 was the first vehicle produced for the sole purpose of towing disabled cars in the early 20th century. He made his “jackets”, as they were known then, and sold them to the service stations of the time. He continued to produce two trucks well into the 1970s. His 1919 Holmes 485 still exists in an automobile museum in Tennessee.
Today’s cranes have come a long way. There are trucks for simple car towing that put the car’s drive train on a fork lift. This prevents any damage to the drive train while the car is towed to the body shop. At the other end of the spectrum are very large semi-trailer sized trucks that have large cranes on the rear decks that have the ability to put an overturned 18-wheeler on their wheels.
Most tow trucks now have GPS navigation and tracking systems, on-board HD cameras and other modern technology that make it easy to get damaged vehicles of any size safely to the shop.
Most towing companies offer a full line of automotive services including flat tire repair, car lockout rescues, gas breakdowns, jump starting for dead batteries, and other automotive services needed to keep your car on the road and you in gear. their way.
Quality towing companies have 24/7 answering machines and drivers on call so if you have a breakdown or accident at any time, day or night, help can be dispatched. to help him.