Tip #26: An all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive car belongs on a flatbed
If your car drives all four wheels, ask for a flatbed. Towing it with two wheels turning on the pavement can strain the center differential or transfer case, and the repair costs far more than the tow.
Tip #26 in one line
If your car drives all four wheels, ask for a flatbed. Towing it with two wheels turning on the pavement can strain the center differential or transfer case, and the repair costs far more than the tow.
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Call nowWhy two wheels on the road is the problem
A wheel-lift tow raises one axle and lets the other two wheels roll on the pavement. On a front-wheel-drive car with the front wheels lifted, the wheels that roll are not connected to the engine, so nothing inside the drivetrain turns. On an all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicle, every wheel is linked through a center differential, a coupling or a transfer case. Roll two wheels while the other two sit still, and those parts are forced to absorb the difference for every mile of the trip.
The damage does not always show up the same day. A coupling that ran hot on a ten-mile tow down Route 1 & 9 can start shuddering a month later, and by then nobody connects it to the tow. That is why most owner's manuals for AWD and 4WD vehicles say to transport the vehicle with all four wheels off the ground. Check yours; the towing section is usually near the back, under emergencies or vehicle transport.
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Call nowWhat to say on the call
Tell the dispatcher the year, make and model, and say the words all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive if they apply. If you are not sure, say that too. We send a flatbed for AWD and 4WD vehicles, and the price works the same way as any tow: a flat hook fee plus a per-mile rate to the destination you choose, quoted on the phone before the truck rolls. There is no extra charge for needing the deck.
Some part-time 4WD trucks and SUVs can be towed differently if the transfer case is in neutral, but that procedure varies by model and is easy to get wrong at night on a shoulder. A flatbed takes the question off the table, which is why it is our default for these vehicles.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowWhen the car cannot roll at all
If the AWD car is stuck in park with a dead battery, has a locked wheel after a crash, or is nose-down in a ditch, the flatbed's winch pulls it onto the deck, and the driver may use skates or dollies under a wheel that will not turn. Tell the dispatcher if the car rolls, steers and shifts into neutral. Those three answers decide the equipment before the truck leaves Linden. The flatbed towing guide covers the loading in more detail.
One more point: a car with a dead battery and an electronic parking brake may not release the rear wheels at all. That is another reason the dispatcher asks about drive type and battery together, because the answer to both decides how the car is loaded and how long the job takes on the shoulder.
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Call nowMore on vehicle types
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- EV towing in New Jersey: what electric car owners need to know
- Motorcycle towing done right: what riders should expect
- Tip #27: Never let anyone tow an electric car with its drive wheels on the ground
- Tip #28: Tell the dispatcher your car sits low before the truck is sent
- Tip #29: Know where your motorcycle can be strapped before it needs a tow
- Tip #30: Your car may be all-wheel drive even if it does not look like it
- Tip #31: Close and latch a convertible top before the car is towed
- Tip #76: A Tesla needs a flatbed, and the owner's manual explains its transport mode
- All posts
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