Why a flatbed instead of a hook
A wheel-lift picks up one end of a vehicle and drags the other end down the road on its own tires. For plenty of cars that is perfectly fine. For plenty of others it is how transmissions, driveshafts, bumpers, and undertrays get destroyed, and the damage is done long before you would notice it.
A flatbed puts all four wheels on the deck. Nothing rolls, nothing drags, and nothing is loaded through the driveline. Wimberley Towing runs six flatbed trucks out of three Hill Country yards, which is why flatbed towing is our default rather than an upgrade we sell you.
When a flatbed is not optional
- All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. Towing an AWD vehicle with two wheels turning can wreck the centre differential or the transfer case. Most manufacturers say so in the handbook, and it is one of the most expensive mistakes a careless tow truck can make.
- Lowered, classic, and exotic cars. Ground clearance is the whole problem. See specialty car towing.
- Non-runners. No engine, no brakes, sometimes no steering. It gets winched on rather than driven on.
- Accident damage. A bent suspension or a seized wheel cannot roll, so it cannot be dragged. See accident recovery.
- Anything you actually care about. If it is going to a dealer, a buyer, or a restoration shop, it goes on the deck.
How a car gets loaded
The deck tilts and, on a low clearance car, the ramps come out to shallow the approach angle. If the vehicle rolls, it is winched up straight and slow. If it does not, it still goes up straight and slow, just with more line. Soft straps go over the wheels rather than chains over control arms or subframes, because a chain on a suspension component is how you bend one.
None of that is exotic knowledge. It is the difference between a driver who has moved cars like yours and one who has not.
What it means on a Hill Country road
Loading a car onto a deck needs a shallow approach and room to work. On a narrow shoulder on Ranch Road 12, or a caliche drive out to an acreage property, that is a real consideration, and it is worth telling dispatch what the ground looks like when you call (512) 375-1215. After rain, caliche turns slick, and a flatbed needs somewhere firm to sit.
When the deck is the second step
If the vehicle has left the pavement entirely, getting it back to the road comes first. That is a winch job rather than a lift, and only then does it go on a deck. See off-road recovery and winch-out service.
Where we take it
Wherever you need it, within reason. A repair shop, a dealership, a tire shop, your home, a buyer, or our own yard. Tell dispatch on the call so it goes to the right place the first time, because moving a car twice costs you twice.
Heavier vehicles are medium duty towing or heavy duty towing. If the car simply will not start, it might be a battery rather than a tow, which is roadside assistance and considerably cheaper.
Electric and hybrid vehicles
Almost every electric vehicle manufacturer requires a flatbed, and it is worth knowing why rather than taking it on trust. On most EVs the drive wheels are permanently connected to the motor, so towing with those wheels on the road spins the motor as a generator with nowhere for the current to go. That damages the motor or the inverter, and it is not a cheap repair.
The same logic applies to plenty of hybrids. If you drive either, a flatbed is not a preference and it is not us upselling you. Tell dispatch what you are driving and it will arrive on a deck.
What it costs
If law enforcement ordered the tow, the rate is regulated by the county: $272 starting in Hays County, $300 in Blanco County, before hookup, mileage, or special circumstances. For everything else, dispatch gives you an estimate before the truck rolls and the number does not change on arrival. The published figures are on our towing rates page, which is more than most towing companies in this market will put in writing.
Where we run
Three yards, in Wimberley, Kyle, and Blanco. The Kyle yard sits on I-35, which puts Kyle, Buda, and San Marcos within a short run. Dispatch answers 24 hours a day.