Winch Out Service NJ | Stuck in Snow, Mud or a Ditch

Vehicle recovery

What a winch out is, why it is not a tow, and why it costs less than one

A winch out is a recovery, not a tow: the truck's winch pulls a stuck but undamaged vehicle from snow, mud, a ditch or a soft shoulder back onto the road, rigged to a proper recovery point and pulled straight, at a flat price that is lower than a tow because the vehicle is going nowhere but back to the pavement.

The most common misunderstanding about a stuck car is that it needs to be towed somewhere. It usually does not. A car that slid off an I-78 ramp into the grass, an SUV high-centered on the plow ridge at the end of a driveway in Westfield, a sedan buried in an unplowed side street in Elizabeth or sunk in a muddy ball-field lot in Cranford is off the road, not out of commission. What it needs is to be put back on the road by someone who knows how to pull it without bending anything.

That is a winch out. The truck anchors on solid ground, the driver rigs a strap or the winch cable to a recovery point that is designed to take the load, and the vehicle comes back out the way it went in, slowly and straight. Then you check it over and, most of the time, you drive away. When something is bent or leaking, the flatbed is already on scene, and the tow is quoted right there with no second callout fee. Call (908) 444-0129 and say exactly where the car is and how it is sitting.

Recovery versus towing: the difference on the receipt

A tow is a hook fee plus mileage to a destination. A winch out is one flat recovery price, because there is no destination. If the vehicle drives afterward, that is the whole bill. If it does not, the tow is quoted on scene and added, and you are not charged a second dispatch. The towing cost section of the homepage explains the tow side; the recovery side is simpler.

What counts as stuck but not broken

Wheels spinning in snow, ice, mud, sand or wet grass. High-centered on a curb, a median, a parking block or a plow ridge. Nose or tail down in a ditch or an embankment with the car still on its wheels. Slid off a ramp onto the shoulder or the grass. Driven into a soft construction lot or the edge of a field. In all of these the drivetrain, the steering and the brakes are probably fine, and a straight pull solves it.

What is not a winch out

A car on its side or its roof is a recovery that requires police clearance and a different rigging, and it almost always becomes a tow afterward. A car in water is a recovery plus a tow, and it should not be started. A car that went off the road because something broke, a tie rod or a ball joint, is a tow. The dispatcher will tell you which one you are looking at from how you describe the scene.

Why we rig to a recovery point and never to a bumper

Bumpers, suspension arms, tie rods and axles are not made to take a winch load. A pull on any of them bends something and turns a recovery into a repair. Every modern car has a screw-in tow eye in the trunk kit or a fixed recovery loop under the front or rear; trucks and SUVs have frame hooks. The driver finds it, rigs to it, and pulls in line with it. If you know where your tow eye is, have it ready; it makes the pull cleaner and faster.

Off the road right now? Stay warm in the car, keep the tailpipe clear, and call. We rig it and pull it straight.

Call (908) 444-0129 All services

Stuck in snow

Stuck in snow or ice in New Jersey: where the winter winch-out calls come from and how we run them through the storm

Every winter storm produces the same calls from the local streets at the foot of the Parkway ramps at Clark and Cranford, the unplowed side streets of Elizabeth, Newark and Union, the plow ridges at the end of driveways in Westfield, Summit and Scotch Plains, and the Route 22 and I-78 hills; we run winch-outs during the storm and the day after, when the drifts freeze.

Snow is the busiest week of the year for the winch. It is also the week when arrival windows stretch, because the roads the truck has to drive are the same roads you got stuck on. The dispatcher tells you the real number, and the driver gets there. Here is what the storm looks like from the yard.

The Parkway and Turnpike ramps that ice first, and where our winch can and cannot go

The Garden State Parkway ramps at Clark, Cranford and Kenilworth are elevated, curved and shaded, and they glaze before the main line does. Cars slide off the ramp onto the grass or into the guardrail, and the Turnpike's Exit 13 and 13A ramps and the long approach to the Goethals do the same. On the ramp itself and the shoulder above it, the pull is the Turnpike Authority's authorized garage's to make, and we are not one of them yet; once the car is back on its wheels at the bottom of the ramp, on the local road or in the garage's lot, we take it wherever it needs to go. A car that made it off the ramp and slid on Raritan Road, North Avenue or Route 1 at the foot of the exit is our winch-out, direct from Linden. Tell the dispatcher which ramp, which direction, and whether the car is on its wheels and facing the right way.

Broke down on the Turnpike or the Parkway? Book with us, and we take it from the exit

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority allows only its authorized garages to tow or work on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, and we are not one of them yet. Call us anyway. The dispatcher tells you how to reach the Authority's roadside help, and you book the rest of the job with us: the moment the authorized truck has the car off the highway, at the nearest exit or in the garage's lot, our truck takes over and moves it to the shop, the dealer or the driveway you choose, at our normal flat quoted price.

Coming soon: a booking assist that connects you to the right authorized garage for your stretch of the Turnpike or Parkway through us, so the highway leg and our leg are arranged in one call. Every other road we serve, including Routes 1 & 9, Route 22, I-78, I-287, I-280, Route 3, Route 46 and every local street, is a direct dispatch from Linden.

Unplowed side streets in Elizabeth, Newark, Union and Hillside

Dense residential blocks where the plows come last. A front-wheel-drive sedan that tried to leave a parking spot and dug itself into a rut, a car that slid sideways into the snowbank the plow left, a delivery van that could not make the turn. These are short pulls, often just a strap and a few feet, and they come in dozens on the morning after. The Union County page and the Essex County page list every town in this pattern.

Driveway plow ridges in Westfield, Summit, Scotch Plains and Cranford

The plow goes by and leaves a two-foot ridge across the end of the driveway. The SUV that tries to push through it ends up high-centered with all four wheels spinning in the air. A straight pull backward or forward, depending on which way the frame is resting, and the car is free. This is the single most common winch-out call in the suburbs, and it is usually solved in ten minutes.

Route 22 and the I-78 climb through the Watchung Reservation

Route 22's hills from Union through Mountainside to Watchung and the long I-78 grade through the reservation ice on the first cold rain. Trucks jackknife, cars slide into the ditch on the inside of the curves, and everyone waits for salt. Winch-outs here are longer pulls with the snatch block, because the car is often well off the shoulder and down a grade.

Running the storm and the frozen day after

We run winch-outs during the storm as long as the roads are passable for the truck, and we run them the next day when the drifts freeze solid and a car that could have been pushed out at noon needs a winch at dawn. Give us the exact spot, whether the road has been plowed, and whether the car is on its wheels. If you can safely dig the tailpipe clear and stay in the car with the engine running for heat, do that; if the car is in a spot where it could be hit, get out and away from it.

Buried in a bank or stuck on the plow ridge? Say the street, whether it is plowed, and how the car is sitting.

Call for a winch out Union County towns

Stuck in mud

Stuck in mud, sand or a soft shoulder: recovery from ball fields, construction lots, river roads and the edge of the pavement

Outside of winter, winch-outs come from muddy ball-field and park lots after rain, construction sites and unpaved lots along Routes 1 & 9 and the Turnpike, the soft edges of the Rahway and Raritan river roads, and highway shoulders that turn to mud in spring; we rig from solid ground so the truck does not sink too.

Park and ball-field lots after a rainstorm

Warinanco Park, Rahway River Park, Echo Lake, Nomahegan and every town's Little League complex have grass overflow parking that turns to soup. Cars sink to the frame during a game and cannot move afterward. The truck stays on the pavement and rigs a long strap or the winch line out to the car; the driver never drives into the same mud.

Construction sites and unpaved lots

The warehouse belt from Carteret to Edison and the industrial areas around Linden and Elizabeth have unpaved lots, staging areas and truck yards where a car or a van bogs to the axles. Contractor pickups with a loaded bed are the common call. Say what the ground is like and whether the truck can get within fifty feet on something solid.

River roads along the Rahway, the Raritan and the Passaic

The shoulders along River Road in Cranford and Clark, the roads through Bound Brook and Manville, and the Passaic River roads in Essex and Passaic County are soft for weeks after a flood. A car that pulls onto the shoulder to let someone pass and sinks a wheel is a straight pull back onto the road. If the water is still up, we wait until it is not; a car in water is a different job.

Highway shoulders that turn to mud in spring

A driver pulls onto the grass shoulder of Route 22, I-78, Route 27 or Route 35 to change a tire and finds the car sunk to the rim when he tries to leave. The truck rigs from the paved shoulder with the amber bar running to shield the scene. If the reason he pulled over was a flat, the flat tire change and the winch out are one call.

Sand at the shore approaches

The Bayshore towns at the edge of our map, Keansburg, Union Beach and Atlantic Highlands, have sand at the ends of streets and around the beach lots. A car that drove past the pavement is a winch out with a wide strap and a slow pull; sand holds a car harder than snow does. See the Monmouth County page.

High-centered on a curb, a median or a parking block

Not mud, but the same job. A car that drove up on a median on Routes 1 & 9, a curb in a Woodbridge Center lot or a parking block in a Jersey City deck and is resting on its frame with wheels spinning is lifted or pulled straight back off. The driver checks the underside before you drive away.

Sunk in a lot or on a shoulder? Tell the dispatcher what the ground is like and where solid pavement is.

Call (908) 444-0129 Flat tire change

How recovery works

How a safe winch out is rigged: recovery points, straps, the snatch block and pulling in a straight line

A safe winch out anchors the truck on solid ground, rigs a soft strap or the winch line to a frame hook, tow eye or recovery loop, uses a snatch block to straighten the angle when the truck cannot line up, and pulls slowly with a damper on the line so nothing bends and nothing snaps.

Recovery is where a towing company either knows what it is doing or damages your car. These are the steps our drivers follow on every pull, and they are the reason the car comes out the way it went in.

Finding the recovery point on your car

Cars have a screw-in tow eye in the trunk with the jack, and a threaded hole behind a small cover in the front and rear bumper. Trucks and SUVs have frame hooks or loops under the front. Some cars have a fixed loop under the rear. The driver finds it and rigs to it. If you know where yours is, have it out; it saves minutes. If the cover is frozen or the eye is missing, the driver rigs to a frame member with a soft strap, never to a suspension part.

Anchoring the truck so it does not join you

The truck stays on pavement or packed ground and sets its brakes and, when needed, its own anchors. A recovery truck that drives into the mud to get closer is two stuck vehicles. When the truck cannot get close, the winch line reaches; a synthetic extension or a second strap reaches farther.

The snatch block and pulling straight

A pull at an angle drags the car sideways and loads the recovery point the wrong way. When the truck cannot line up with the car, a snatch block, a pulley anchored to something solid, redirects the line so the pull on the car is straight. It also doubles the pulling force when a car is buried deep. This is what separates a clean pull from a bent tow eye.

Slow, steady, with a damper on the line

The winch pulls slowly. A blanket or a purpose-made damper goes over the line so that if anything lets go, the line drops instead of whipping. You stay clear of the line, out of the car unless the driver asks you to steer, and never in the arc between the truck and the car.

Steering, wheels straight, transmission in neutral

For most pulls the car is in neutral with the wheels straight and the parking brake off. Sometimes the driver asks you to sit in the car and steer as it comes out, or to give it a little throttle in the right direction. He will tell you exactly what to do. Do not spin the wheels while the line is loaded; it digs the car in and heats the line.

Checking the car before you drive

Once it is on solid ground the driver looks underneath for anything hanging, leaking or bent, checks the tires, and watches you pull away. If something is wrong, the flatbed is right there. A local tow to your shop is quoted on scene and you are not charged a second callout.

Know where your tow eye is? Have it ready. If not, the driver will find the right point. Either way, call.

Call (908) 444-0129 Local towing

Car in a ditch

Car in a ditch or down an embankment: what changes when the vehicle is nose-down, on a slope, or against a guardrail

A car nose-down in a ditch or on an embankment is winched with the line rigged to the uphill end and the snatch block set so the pull follows the slope, sometimes with a second anchor; a car against a guardrail is pulled clear of the rail first so the rail does not peel the side.

Nose-down in a roadside ditch

The most common ditch call is a car that left a curve on a two-lane road, Glenside Avenue in the reservation, Valley Road in Watchung, the back roads of Warren and Bernards Township, and went front-first into the drainage ditch. The car is on its wheels but tilted. The line goes to the rear recovery point, the pull is straight back up the slope, and the driver watches the front bumper so it does not dig in on the way out.

Down an embankment off a ramp or a highway

Off the I-78 grade or the Route 22 hills, the car may be twenty or thirty feet down a grass slope. This is a longer pull with the line at full reach, the snatch block anchored at the top, and sometimes a second truck as an anchor. It is still a winch out if the car is on its wheels and undamaged, and it is quoted as recovery with the length of the pull said on the call. Down the same kind of slope off a Parkway or Turnpike ramp, the pull belongs to the Authority's authorized garage; if the car needs to go anywhere afterward, we take it from the bottom of the exit or the garage's lot.

Against a guardrail or a tree

A car that slid sideways into the guardrail is often undamaged except for the panel touching the rail. Pulling it straight forward scrapes the whole side along the rail. The driver rigs to pull the car away from the rail first, then forward. Against a tree the same logic applies. Expect a scratch where it touched; do not expect a new one from the pull.

On its side or its roof

A car that rolled is not a winch out; it is a recovery that starts with police on scene and ends with a tow, because a rolled car has damage you cannot see. We right it with straps and the winch, load it on the flatbed, and it goes to a body shop or your insurer's yard. The accident towing page covers what to do at the scene and how to keep the car out of a rotation yard.

Car off the road and tilted? Get out on the uphill side, stay away from it, and call with the road and the nearest cross street or mile marker.

Call for recovery Accident towing

Highway recovery

Winch out and recovery on Route 22, I-78, Route 27, Route 35 and the reservation roads, and the hand-off from the Parkway and Turnpike ramps

Recovery trucks from Linden reach Route 22's hills, the I-78 grade, Routes 27 and 35, the roads through the Watchung Reservation and the local streets at the foot of the Parkway ramps at Clark and Cranford and the Turnpike exits between 11 and 14 inside the same 45-minute window as any other call; on the Parkway and Turnpike ramps and shoulders themselves the Authority's authorized garages make the pull, and we take the car from the exit.

Garden State Parkway ramps and shoulders: the authorized garage pulls, we take it from the exit

Clark, Cranford and Kenilworth ramps ice first. On the ramp and the shoulder the pull is the Turnpike Authority's authorized garage's; once the car is off at the exit or in the garage's lot, we take it anywhere. Cars that slid on the local road at the foot of the ramp are our winch-outs. Say northbound or southbound, the exit number, and whether the car is on its wheels.

NJ Turnpike shoulders and the Goethals approach: the authorized garage pulls, we take it from the exit

Soft shoulders between Exits 11 and 14 and the long curve to the Goethals Bridge. State Police close a lane and the Authority's authorized garage makes the pull; book with us and our truck meets the car at the exit or the garage's lot for the tow that follows.

Route 22 through the hills

Inside-curve ditches from Mountainside to Watchung, jughandle shoulders that are grass, and the Route 22 and Route 78 interchange. Say eastbound or westbound and the nearest store.

I-78 through the Watchung Reservation

The long grade and the express and local split. Cars down the embankment on the outside of the curves. A long pull with the snatch block anchored at the top.

Routes 27 and 35 and the local roads

Slid into a snowbank on St. Georges Avenue, sunk a wheel on a soft shoulder on Route 35 in Woodbridge, high-centered on a median on Routes 1 & 9. Short pulls. Name the cross street.

Glenside Avenue, Valley Road, Sky Top Drive and the back roads

The reservation roads and the two-lanes through Watchung, Warren, Berkeley Heights and out toward Bernardsville. Ditches on the curves. Send a map pin if you do not know the road name.

Say the road, the direction, the exit or cross street, and how the car is sitting.

Call dispatch now Every town we cover

Truck recovery

Winch out for vans, box trucks and commercial vehicles stuck on a warehouse apron, a job site or a soft yard

Commercial winch-outs use the heavy wrecker's winch for box trucks that slid off a snowy warehouse apron, tractors with a drive axle in a soft shoulder, contractor pickups sunk on a job site and fleet vans buried in an unplowed lot, and usually the unit drives away.

Box trucks and vans on the warehouse aprons

The Carteret, Avenel, Port Reading and Edison distribution centers have aprons and truck courts that ice over and turn to slush. A box truck that slid off the apron edge into the grass or a van that cannot climb the ramp is a straight pull with the medium or heavy wrecker. See the heavy duty towing page for the fleet side.

Tractors with an axle in a soft shoulder

A tractor that pulled onto the grass shoulder of Routes 1 & 9 or a warehouse access road and sank a drive axle is a heavy winch pull with the line rigged to the frame. Loaded trailers are dropped first when they can be.

Contractor pickups and dump trucks on job sites

Loaded beds and soft ground. A pull from the road with a long line, or from a solid part of the site. Tell the dispatcher what the ground is like and where solid access is.

Fleet vans in unplowed lots

The morning after a storm a delivery lot has ten vans buried and one plow. We can pull several in one visit; tell the dispatcher how many and we quote the job as one.

Truck off the apron or a van buried in the lot? Say the unit, the ground and where solid pavement is.

Call (908) 444-0129 Heavy duty towing

Winch out cost

How much a winch out costs in New Jersey, what changes the price, and what happens if the car will not drive afterward

A winch out is one flat recovery price quoted on the call, adjusted only for a long pull, a snatch-block rig or a second truck, all said up front, with no night or storm surcharge, and if the car will not drive afterward the tow is quoted on scene with no second dispatch fee.

The flat recovery price

A standard winch out is a straight pull from a spot the truck can reach: a driveway ridge, a snowbank on a side street, a wheel off a shoulder. One flat price, quoted before the truck rolls. That is most of the calls.

What makes it more: length, angle and a second truck

A car thirty feet down an embankment is a long pull. A car the truck cannot line up with needs the snatch block. A car deep in mud may need a second truck as an anchor. Each of these is said on the call, from your description of the scene, so the number you approve is the number on the receipt. If the scene is different from what you described, the driver calls dispatch and dispatch calls you before proceeding.

No storm surcharge, no night surcharge

The busiest winch-out week of the year is the one where other companies double their price. Ours is the same structure in a blizzard at 3 a.m. as on a dry Tuesday. Arrival windows stretch in a storm and the dispatcher says so; the price does not.

If it will not drive after the pull

The flatbed is already there. The driver checks underneath, tells you what he sees, and the tow to your shop is quoted on the spot as hook plus mileage. You pay the recovery and the tow, not the recovery, the tow and a second callout.

Get the exact recovery price in thirty seconds. Describe the scene and the dispatcher quotes it.

Call for a quote Emergency towing

While you wait

What to do while you wait for a winch out: staying warm, staying safe and not making it worse

Stay in the car with the engine running for heat only if the tailpipe is clear of snow, get out and away from the car if it could be hit, do not spin the wheels or rock the car into a deeper hole, and have the tow eye from the trunk kit ready.

The tailpipe and the heater

A car with its tailpipe buried in a snowbank fills with exhaust. Before you sit in the car with the engine running, get out and clear the pipe. If you cannot, run the engine only in short bursts with a window cracked, or do not run it at all.

When to get out of the car

If the car is on a highway shoulder, a ramp or anywhere it could be hit, get out on the side away from traffic and get behind the guardrail. A car in a ditch off a quiet road or in a driveway is safer to wait in than out.

Do not rock it, do not spin it

Every attempt to power out digs the wheels deeper, polishes the snow into ice and, in mud, sinks the car to the frame. Rocking a car with an automatic transmission overheats it. If the first gentle try did not work, stop and wait for the truck.

What to have ready

The tow eye from the trunk kit if you can get to it. The key. Your phone charged; the driver calls when he is minutes out. Tell the dispatcher if the car is on its wheels, which way it is facing, and where the nearest solid ground is.

Tailpipe clear, phone charged, wheels not spinning. Now call.

Call from the car What to have ready

Service area

Winch out and recovery coverage by county within 45 minutes of Linden

Recovery is dispatched from Linden to every town in Union, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic counties, with the local roads at the foot of the Parkway and Turnpike ramps and the Union County suburbs in the fastest zone and the hill towns of Somerset and Morris at the edge.

Zone 1: the ramps, the side streets and the driveways

All of Union County, Carteret, Woodbridge, Newark and Irvington. The streets at the foot of the Parkway ramps at Clark and Cranford and of the Turnpike's Exit 13, the side streets of Elizabeth and Union, the driveways of Westfield and Scotch Plains.

Zone 2: the river towns and the Route 22 hills

Edison, Metuchen, New Brunswick, the Brunswicks; Maplewood, Millburn, the Oranges, Montclair; Bayonne, Jersey City, Kearny; Watchung, North Plainfield, Bound Brook and the Raritan flood plain; Chatham; the Bayshore.

Zone 3: the hill towns and the Bergen and Passaic streets

Bridgewater, Somerville, Basking Ridge, Bernardsville; Madison, Morristown, Parsippany; Holmdel, Middletown, Freehold; Hackensack, Fort Lee, the Palisades hills; Clifton, Paterson, Wayne. Thirty-five to forty-five minutes, longer in a storm, and the dispatcher says so.

Inside the map? A truck with a winch is one call away, storm or not.

Call (908) 444-0129 Full service area

Related services

Winch out, then what: the tow, the roadside fix or the accident recovery that follows from the same call

The truck that pulls you out is a flatbed that can tow you if the car will not drive, and the same dispatcher sends a technician for a flat or a jump, an accident recovery for a rolled or damaged car, and a heavy wrecker for a truck off the apron.

When the pull reveals something broken

A bent tie rod, a torn CV boot, a leaking oil pan from a rock. The flatbed is on scene and the tow to your shop is quoted right there. AWD and electric cars go on the deck, never on a wheel-lift.

When you got stuck because of a flat or an empty tank

A car that pulled onto the shoulder for a flat and sank is a tire change and a winch out on one call. A car that ran dry on a soft shoulder is a fuel delivery and a pull. Say both and both are quoted.

One number for the pull, the tow if you need it, and the fix if that is all it was.

Call (908) 444-0129 All services

Winch out facts

Winch out and recovery in New Jersey at a glance: trucks, coverage, hours, price structure and what to have ready

A winch out from The NJ Towing Service is a recovery truck dispatched from Linden 24/7 to 163 towns in nine counties that pulls a stuck but undamaged vehicle from snow, mud, a ditch or a soft shoulder back onto the road, for one flat recovery price quoted on the call, with the tow quoted on scene only if the car will not drive afterward.

Service	Winch out and vehicle recovery: a stuck but undamaged vehicle pulled from snow, ice, mud, sand, a ditch, an embankment or a soft shoulder back onto the pavement; a recovery, not a tow, so there is no destination and no mileage, and most drivers drive away
Truck used	Flatbed with a winch, soft straps, a snatch block and a line damper for cars and SUVs, already on scene to tow if the car will not drive afterward; the medium or heavy wrecker's winch for box trucks, tractors and fleet vans; the line goes to a frame hook, tow eye or recovery loop, never a bumper or suspension part
Vehicles handled	Cars, SUVs, AWD and 4x4, pickups and vans, box trucks off a snowy warehouse apron, tractors with a drive axle in a soft shoulder, contractor pickups sunk on a job site, fleet vans in an unplowed lot; a rolled car is an accident recovery that ends in a tow to your body shop
What to have ready	Where the car is and what it is stuck in, whether it is nose-down, on a slope or against a guardrail, make and model, whether it still runs, and the screw-in tow eye from the trunk kit if your car has one; stop spinning the wheels, and keep the tailpipe clear of snow if you run the heater
Where the calls come from	The local streets at the foot of the Parkway ramps at Clark and Cranford, unplowed side streets in Elizabeth, Newark and Union, plow ridges at the end of driveways in Westfield, Summit and Scotch Plains, the Route 22 and I-78 hills, ball-field and construction lots, and the soft edges of the Rahway and Raritan river roads
Coverage	163 towns in Union, Middlesex, Essex, Hudson, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Bergen and Passaic counties, every one within about 45 minutes of Linden dispatch; the Union County suburbs and the roads at the foot of the Parkway and Turnpike ramps in the fastest zone, the hill towns of Somerset and Morris at the edge; on the Parkway and Turnpike ramps and shoulders themselves the Authority's authorized garages make the pull and we take the car from the exit
Response	Usually well under an hour in Union County and the neighboring towns even in a storm; longer at the edge of the map and when the roads are bad; winch-outs run through the storm and the day after when the drifts freeze; a real window is quoted on the call
Pricing	One flat recovery price for a standard pull, quoted before dispatch; a long pull down an embankment, a snatch-block rig or a second truck are said up front; no night, weekend, holiday, storm or fuel surcharges; no membership; if the car will not drive, the tow is quoted on scene with no second dispatch fee; call back to cancel before the truck arrives and there is no charge
Payment	Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash on site; itemized receipt by text or email, which most roadside plans and insurers accept for out-of-network reimbursement
Hours	24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every holiday
Phone	Tap to call

Everything about a winch out fits in one table. Getting the truck to the ditch takes one call.

Call now Service area

Winch Out by town

Winch Out in every town we serve: 163 winch out pages across 9 New Jersey counties

Winch Out is dispatched from Linden to 163 towns; each town below has its own winch out page with the roads, the lots, the neighborhoods and the price structure for that town.

Pick your town for the local winch out page. Every one is the same phone number, the same flat quoted price and the same 24/7 dispatch; what changes is the drive time from Linden and the roads the truck comes in on.

Winch Out in Hudson County: 12 towns

Bayonne and Jersey City via the Turnpike extension; Hoboken and the Gold Coast within the hour any time of day. Bayonne · Jersey City · Kearny · Harrison · East Newark · Secaucus · Hoboken · Union City · Weehawken · West New York · North Bergen · Guttenberg. County page: towing in Hudson County.

Winch Out in Somerset County: 16 towns

Route 22 and I-287 towns — Watchung, Bridgewater, Somerville and the Bound Brooks. Watchung · North Plainfield · Green Brook · Warren · Bound Brook · South Bound Brook · Bridgewater · Somerville · Raritan · Manville · Franklin Township · Hillsborough · Basking Ridge · Bernardsville · Bedminster · Branchburg. County page: towing in Somerset County.

Winch Out in Morris County: 11 towns

Up Route 24 and I-287 — Chatham, Madison, Morristown and Parsippany. Chatham · Madison · Florham Park · East Hanover · Hanover · Whippany · Morristown · Morris Township · Morris Plains · Parsippany · Montville. County page: towing in Morris County.

Winch Out in Monmouth County: 14 towns

The Parkway and Route 9 south — Matawan, Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown and Freehold. Matawan · Aberdeen · Keyport · Hazlet · Union Beach · Keansburg · Holmdel · Middletown · Marlboro · Manalapan · Freehold · Colts Neck · Red Bank · Atlantic Highlands. County page: towing in Monmouth County.

Winch Out in Bergen County: 26 towns

Southern Bergen along Route 17, Route 46 and the Turnpike — the Meadowlands towns through Hackensack and Fort Lee. North Arlington · Lyndhurst · Rutherford · East Rutherford · Carlstadt · Wood-Ridge · Moonachie · Little Ferry · Ridgefield · Ridgefield Park · Palisades Park · Fairview · Cliffside Park · Edgewater · Fort Lee · Hasbrouck Heights · Teterboro · Lodi · Garfield · Saddle Brook · Elmwood Park · Bogota · Hackensack · Teaneck · Englewood · Paramus. County page: towing in Bergen County.

Winch Out in Passaic County: 9 towns

Clifton, Passaic and Paterson by way of the Parkway and Route 21. Clifton · Passaic · Paterson · Little Falls · Woodland Park · Totowa · Wayne · Haledon · Prospect Park. County page: towing in Passaic County.

Do not see your town? If it is within 45 minutes of Linden we cover it. Call and ask.

Call (908) 444-0129 Full service area

Winch out FAQ

Questions drivers ask before calling for a winch out or recovery in New Jersey

The answers below cover damage risk, snowstorm response, tow eyes, price, what happens if the car will not drive, and how long the truck takes; dispatch answers anything else live.

How much does a winch out cost in New Jersey?

A winch out is one flat recovery price for a standard pull, quoted on the call before the truck leaves Linden. It is lower than a tow because there is no mileage leg; the car goes back onto the pavement and, if it drives, that is the whole bill. What changes the number is the work on scene, said up front: a long pull down an embankment, a snatch-block rig or a second truck. The hour, the day, the snowstorm and the town do not change it; no night, weekend, holiday, storm or fuel surcharge, no membership. If the car will not drive afterward, the tow is quoted on scene with no second dispatch fee. Call (908) 444-0129.

Will winching damage my car?

Not when it is rigged to a proper recovery point and pulled straight. We never hook to suspension parts or bumpers. If your car has a screw-in tow eye in the trunk kit, have it ready; it makes the pull cleaner.

Can you get me out during a snowstorm?

Yes. We run winch-outs through the storm as long as the roads are passable for the truck, and the day after when the drifts freeze. Arrival windows stretch when the roads are bad and the dispatcher tells you the real number.

What if the car will not drive after the pull?

The flatbed is already there. The driver checks underneath, tells you what he sees, and the tow to your shop is quoted on the spot. No second truck, no second callout fee.

Is a winch out cheaper than a tow?

Yes. A tow is a hook fee plus mileage to a destination. A winch out has no destination; the car goes back on the road and, if it drives, that is the whole bill.

My car is on its side. Can you winch it out?

A rolled car is a recovery that starts with police on scene and ends with a tow, because there is damage you cannot see. We right it, load it on the flatbed and take it to your body shop.

Should I keep trying to drive out while I wait?

No. Spinning the wheels digs the car in and polishes snow into ice; rocking an automatic overheats the transmission. If a gentle first try did not work, stop and wait.

Can you pull out a box truck or a van?

Yes. Commercial units are pulled with the medium or heavy wrecker's winch. Tell the dispatcher the unit, whether it is loaded and where the nearest solid ground is.

Can I stay in the car with the heater running?

Only if the tailpipe is clear of snow. A buried tailpipe fills the car with exhaust. Clear it first, or run the engine in short bursts with a window cracked. If the car could be hit, get out and behind the guardrail.

How fast can you get to me in the snow?

Inside Union County and the neighboring towns, usually well under an hour even in a storm. At the edge of the map, longer. The dispatcher gives you a real window based on the roads and where the nearest truck is.

Can you tow me off the New Jersey Turnpike or the Garden State Parkway?

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority allows only its authorized garages to tow or work on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, and we are not one of them yet. Call us anyway. The dispatcher tells you how to reach the Authority's roadside help, and you book the rest of the job with us: the moment the authorized truck has the car off the highway, at the nearest exit or in the garage's lot, our truck takes over and moves it to the shop, the dealer or the driveway you choose, at our normal flat quoted price. If the car is stuck on the local road at the bottom of the exit ramp, that is our winch-out, dispatched directly.

Do you charge to come out if the car is already free when you arrive?

If the truck was dispatched and arrives to find the car gone or already out, a dispatch fee applies, and it is stated on the call. Call us back to cancel before the truck arrives and there is no charge.

Question not here? The dispatcher answers it in one sentence and quotes the pull in the next.

Call (908) 444-0129 Contact

Winch out and vehicle recovery when you are stuck in snow, mud, a ditch or a soft shoulder anywhere within 45 minutes of Linden