Abstract: Apparatus adapted to be mounted on the bed of a towing vehicle for lifting and towing disabled vehicles, particularly large vehicles. The apparatus includes an extendible boom disposed for positioning beneath the disabled vehicle and retracted for moving the disabled vehicle close to the rear of the towing vehicle. The boom is pivotable about a substantially horizontal axis on an elevator from a vertically disposed storage position to its operative position, the elevator being slidably mounted in slideways for vertical movement between the storage position and the operative positions. The elevator is supported by an extendible beam which is vertically driven for raising and lowering the elevator and which is extendible for varying the angular inclination of the elevator which may pivot relative to the slideways.

Abstract: A towing vehicle that has a tiltable boom includes wheel lift apparatus including a support plate adapted for attachment to the bumper of the towing vehicle and carrying a slideway receiving a vertically moveable slide gate and a lifting beam pivotably mounted on the gate for rotational movement from a stored position within the bed of the towing vehicle to operative positions extending rearwardly of the towing vehicle. The support carries pivotable legs moveable by linkage attached to the beam, the legs having sockets for receiving lugs secured to the beam when the beam is in the operative positions. When the beam is in the operative positions the gate may be lowered to drop the beam for loading a disabled vehicle onto wheel receiving members carried by the beam. The gate is thereafter raised together with the beam for towing the disabled vehicle. The gate is raised and lowered by the tiltable boom or a winching cable and the legs preclude the beam from tilting downwardly.