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Recently, we completed a hospital parking-garage extraction in Somerville, New Jersey, involving a black SUV and a wrecker. The garage had a seven-foot clearance. Jobs like this show why the space around a vehicle matters just as much as the vehicle itself.
Moving a vehicle out of a garage with limited working room starts with suitable equipment and a plan for the entire route out.
A customer’s experience
After the extraction, Jackie shared a five-star Google review describing the challenge of getting an SUV out of a second-level parking garage with low clearance:
“[Dominick] came out, figured it out and got our SUV out safely and efficiently.”
— Jackie, Google review of Chain Gang Towing & Recovery Agency
Why garage clearance matters
A hospital parking garage can present low ceilings, overhead pipes, ramps, columns, parked vehicles, and tight turns. A truck that fits through the entrance may still face a lower obstruction or a difficult turn farther inside. Lifting a vehicle also changes the dimensions that must be considered.
Planning a garage extraction means checking overhead clearance, turning space, and ground clearance along the route. The tow truck, towing equipment, and vehicle all need enough room as they move through ramps and corners.
On this Somerville job, the garage’s seven-foot clearance was an important planning consideration. A single clearance figure does not establish that every part of the route has identical headroom, or that every tow truck and towing setup will fit.
The posted clearance is useful information, but the actual conditions inside the garage still need to be assessed. Where hospital staff or security control access, coordination can also help keep the working route clear.
Choosing suitable low-clearance equipment
A suitably configured, low-profile wrecker or wheel-lift truck may be appropriate where overhead clearance or maneuvering room is restricted. A wheel lift supports a vehicle at its wheels, allowing the operator to use a towing setup suited to the vehicle and the available space.
The equipment’s actual height, capacity, and working dimensions matter. A truck is not automatically suitable for a particular garage just because it is described as light duty or has a wheel lift. Likewise, whether a flatbed can reach the vehicle depends on the garage and the specific truck.
The goal is to select equipment for the conditions, rather than assume one setup works everywhere.
When wheel dollies may be needed
The vehicle’s drivetrain and condition also affect the towing method. Depending on the manufacturer’s instructions, an all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicle may need all four wheels kept off the ground during towing.
With a wheel lift supporting one axle, correctly rated towing dollies can support the other axle. That arrangement can help protect drivetrain components when it is an approved method for the particular vehicle. Suitable dollies may also help move a vehicle when its wheels cannot roll normally.
Dollies are not necessary for every extraction. The correct method depends on the vehicle, its condition, the equipment, and the manufacturer’s towing instructions. Simply putting a vehicle in neutral does not establish that a towing method is safe.
What to tell us when you call
If you need towing from a hospital or another parking garage, tell us the garage entrance, parking level, posted clearance, and your vehicle’s make and model. Let us know about any known steering or wheel-movement problems and whether access needs to be arranged with staff.
Those details help us plan the response before arriving. Avoid trying to push or tow the vehicle through the garage yourself.
For parking-garage towing assistance in Hillsborough and the surrounding Central New Jersey area, call Chain Gang Towing & Recovery Agency at (908) 642-3699 or contact us. Tell us where your vehicle is parked so we can discuss the appropriate recovery plan. When access is tight, we’ve got you covered.