RV and bus towing needs a heavy-duty wrecker built for the extra length and axle weight, not the wheel-lift that handles a sedan. Detroit Towing runs that equipment across all 20 of its Detroit, MI service areas, Mon–Sat Open 24 hours, Sun 12:30 – 5:30 PM, for motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth-wheels, and buses that break down or won't move.
A wheel-lift built for a sedan can't safely carry a motorhome or a coach bus — the axle weight and overall length call for a heavy-duty wrecker with a longer bed and a higher-rated underlift. Detroit Towing keeps that equipment in rotation specifically for RVs, fifth-wheels, and buses, dispatched anywhere across its 20 Detroit-area service zones, Mon–Sat Open 24 hours, Sun 12:30 – 5:30 PM.
The calls that come in look different from a car breakdown, too: a blown tire on a top-heavy rig leaning toward the shoulder, a transmission that won't shift out of park, or a tow-behind trailer whose hitch failed mid-trip. Each one changes how the truck gets positioned before anything gets lifted.
Why can't a regular tow truck handle an RV?
Length is the first problem — a wheel-lift's ramps and underlift arms are sized for a car's wheelbase, not a motorhome's rear overhang. Weight is the second: a loaded travel trailer or a diesel pusher can run well beyond what a pickup or a standard rollback is rated to pull, which is why the job needs a heavier wrecker with a higher-rated hitch and axle rating.
Do you tow travel trailers and fifth-wheels, or only motorhomes?
Both. A fifth-wheel or bumper-pull trailer that's lost a tire, snapped a hitch, or won't track straight gets picked up the same way a motorhome does — the difference is in how the load gets secured, since a trailer has no engine or brakes of its own to help control it once it's off the ground.
Does a charter or school bus need anything different?
Not the equipment — axle weight and length decide the truck, not the number of seats inside. A charter bus stranded on a route or a school bus that won't restart at a stop gets the same heavy-duty wrecker Detroit Towing sends for a motorhome.
Does a slide-out or awning stuck open change how the RV gets loaded?
Yes — anything extended has to be retracted or secured first, since a slide-out or awning left out can catch on the truck bed or a support beam during loading. If it won't retract, the crew straps it down and works around it instead of forcing it.
Will towing damage the RV's undercarriage or tow bar?
Not when it's rigged correctly — the heavy-duty wrecker lifts from the frame, not from the tow bar or a dinghy hitch, so those stay unloaded during the trip. A vehicle already being flat-towed behind the RV gets disconnected and handled on its own.
What if the RV is parked somewhere the truck can't easily reach?
The crew scouts the approach before committing the truck — a driveway, a campground site, or a road shoulder each call for a different angle to hook up safely. If the truck genuinely can't get close enough, the options get talked through on the phone before anyone drives out.