It All Started With The Old Professor

In 1916, Cadillacs and Ford Model T’s where the main types of cars that people use to travel around places. One day, a mechanic from Chattanooga, Tennessee named Ernest Holmes received a call from his old professor saying that his Ford Model T was stuck in a creek after he lost control of the situation. Holmes, along with ten men, managed to rescue the car. But, it took eight hours and uncomfortable blockages and ropes before it was completely out of the wreckage.

The First Rescue Truck

The situation might have stressed Mr. Holmes so he started to think about a way how to make it simple in order to save time and manpower. He developed a method to recover vehicles by designing a crane and pulley system with two of his friends. Then, they put the whole system on a 1913 Cadillac. The Cadillac was famous back then because it was one of the first cars that start through ignition rather than hand cranking.
A little later, Holmes was still not satisfied as he found that the system he built could not withstand heavy-duty work. He did not give up at this point and added outriggers so the system becomes more stable. When he perfected the invention, he was granted patent for it in 1919.

The First Official Tow Truck

By this time, people discovered the need for towing and they were very happy for the invention made my Ernest Holmes. The first tow truck that Holmes manufactured was called the Holmes 680. It was sold at $680 just as how it was named. It was too expensive for a towing company so he created the Holmes 485. The second generation of tow trucks was sold for $485. It was cheaper as it used a 1913 Locomobile which is a steam-powered automobile with a six-cylinder engine and four-speed manual transmission.
During the Second World War, Holmes Company built similar vehicles for military use. But, the whole towing company was sold in 1973.

The Undefeatable Tow Truck

Ever since its first existence, tow trucks have been very useful. It served as an inspiration to towing Los Angeles companies. Without tow trucks, you can just imagine all the hassle that recovering a vehicle entails. It will take a lot of time and manpower. These days, towing is just as simple as ABC. Any trained professional can just drive a truck, attach the tow truck hitches to the vehicle and easily transport it. Towing Los Angeles companies today can even fix problems in car removal whether it happened on the highway or the countryside.

The Development of Tow Trucks

Throughout the years, people started to add in features to the original tow truck designed by Ernest Holmes to make it even easier to work. Manufacturers even managed to create tow trucks that are specialized in many areas. Among them are:

1. Hook and chain
2. Wheel lift
3. Boom
4. Flatbed
5. Integrated

Not Your Ordinary Solution Provider

Because of these developments, we can categorize tow trucks as necessities. Most of us own cars and it is such a hassle when our cars suddenly break down out of nowhere. The different kinds of tow truck developed also made towing more reliable as manufacturers manage to consider the needs of every type of vehicles. There are even heavy-duty tow trucks that are specially made for transporting and towing large and heavy trucks and industrial vehicles.
Whenever you are in a situation where you are in need of a towing service, don’t hesitate to call the nearest towing service company in your area. Also, be thankful and always remember that if not for this invention and its development, recovering your car would be a headache.

Some Fun Facts About Tow Trucks

• There is a museum for tow trucks. In Chattanooga, Tennessee which is the hometown of the inventor of tow truck, there is the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum that showcases antique tools, wreckers, tow trucks, equipment, and even photographs that detail the history of tow trucks.
• Not anybody can drive a tow truck. The whole industry of tow trucks is governed by a few Congressional laws. For you to be qualified as a tow truck driver, you must have a special license for it.
• The world’s largest tow truck is actually the original tow truck made by Ernest Holmes. It was assembled in Quebec and shipped to British Columbia to a private company.
• The world’s smallest tow trucks are found in Asia. Asian countries are known to have the heaviest traffic in the world so it is not wise to have large tow trucks block traffic. Some towing vehicles in Asia aren’t even trucks but they are motorcycles and bikes to reduce the need for space.