New 2025 Tow Trucks For Sale

A rollback tow truck uses a tilting, sliding deck to load the entire vehicle onto the bed, which is preferred for all-wheel drive vehicles, low-clearance cars, damaged vehicles, and longer transport distances. A wrecker typically tows the vehicle with a wheel lift, boom, or underlift, leaving part of the vehicle on the ground. For light-duty work, many buyers prefer a rollback with an integrated wheel lift because it covers both transport and standard towing jobs.

Common GVWR ranges depend on the chassis and body style. Light-duty tow trucks on Class 4 and 5 chassis are often around 16,000 to 19,500 GVWR, while medium-duty rollback carriers are commonly built at 25,999 or 26,000 GVWR. That 26,000-pound range is popular because it delivers useful payload and equipment capacity without moving into a higher CDL threshold in many applications, although operators still need to confirm local and federal requirements.

A common setup is a 19-foot to 22-foot deck with a 96-inch to 102-inch width and a 6-ton rating. Lower-profile XLP or LCG decks help with loading sports cars, electric vehicles, and other low-clearance units. Wider 102-inch bodies can improve versatility, while steel decks generally favor durability and aluminum decks help reduce body weight. The right choice depends on the type of vehicles you haul, your average trip length, and how much accessory weight you plan to carry in toolboxes and side storage.

4x4 is valuable for operators working in snow country, on gravel lots, rural shoulders, auction yards, or undeveloped recovery locations. It is most common on lighter-duty tow trucks and self-loaders where off-pavement traction matters more than maximum body size. For urban carrier work on paved roads, a 4x2 chassis is often sufficient and usually provides a lower upfront cost, less drivetrain complexity, and slightly better payload efficiency.

Most new tow trucks in this class are outfitted with an 8,000-pound winch or similar drag winch, a hydraulic wheel lift rated around 3,000 to 3,500 pounds, L-arms, tiedown straps, chains with cluster hooks, V-bridles, work lights, light bars, and side toolboxes. Buyers should still verify exactly what comes with the truck, because included towing gear affects startup cost, daily usability, and compliance readiness as much as the chassis and body specs do.