How to Buy a Heavy Wrecker on a Budget: The Old Way and the New Way

For towing companies looking to add to their bottom line, there’s not much that beats heavy towing and recovery work.

But heavy wreckers aren’t cheap. 

So even though adding one to your operation would pay off down the road, it’s often tough to figure out how to afford it up front.

Historically there have really only been two ways to ease that initial investment. But Zacklift’s detachable heavy duty towing equipment gives you new options to get into the heavy towing and recovery market without a huge initial outlay.

In this article we detail both the traditional and the new options, so you can combine the ones you need and start earning more money.

The 2 Conventional Ways to Afford a Wrecker: Tried and True—but Limited

If you already own a wrecker or have been researching your first one, you know these machines can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But when you search for ways to make that affordable, you probably only see a couple options.

These traditional options are helpful. But they have some significant limitations when it comes to making ownership realistic for many companies.

Let’s take a look at them in detail.

Finance Your Wrecker to Pay it Off Over Time

Unless you’ve got a few hundred thousand dollars laying around, buying a heavy wrecker outright isn’t an option.

The most common strategy to bridge this gap? Take out a loan.

Luckily a wrecker is an income-earning asset, so you’ll often find a number of different financing options. And since the income from a heavy wrecker can quickly outweigh the extra loan payments and interest expense, it’s a great option for many businesses. 

Financing has helped countless companies get the equipment they need to open up new income streams.

But not everyone wants to take on that much debt. And the larger the loan payments, the less profit your wrecker earns you.

Buy a Used Wrecker Instead of a New One

Anyone who’s ever wanted something they can’t quite afford is familiar with this one:

Buy it used.

But if you’ve tried shopping for used rigs you’ve probably already noticed the two big challenges.

First, heavy wreckers hold their value remarkably well. Unlike commuter cars that famously “lose 30% of their value” when you drive them off the lot, wreckers make money for their owners. So used ones don’t carry as much of a discount as people might imagine.

Second, you’re rolling the maintenance dice. In order to find significantly lower prices you often have to look at older rigs. But that opens you up to greater likelihood for high maintenance and repair costs.

The 2 New Paths to Wrecker Ownership: What Detachable Towing Makes Possible

When most people picture a heavy wrecker, they see a truck with an underlift, boom, winches, etc. permanently installed.

The truck and the equipment are a single unit. Kind of like a fire engine.

But that’s not the only option. 

Zacklift’s heavy duty detachable towing and recovery equipment is just as capable as what you’d find on those permanent options. But it opens up new ways to use—and to buy—your wrecker that didn’t exist before.

Use a Truck You Already Own

When you break it down, a wrecker is just a tractor that’s been outfitted with towing and recovery equipment.

So if you’re a fleet manager or a semi owner-operator, you already have half a wrecker. 

The same semi tractor you’re using for transport can easily be outfitted with a detachable wrecker. Which means instead of buying a whole rig, you only need to get the equipment.

This dramatically reduces the initial outlay to get into the heavy towing and recovery market.

Build Your Wrecker Over Time with the Money it Earns

If you’re just moving into heavy towing, you may not want to invest in a full wrecker right away.

With traditional options that meant you’d have to buy a smaller, less powerful rig. Then down the road you might sell it to put a payment down for a new wrecker. 

Now there’s another option.

With Zacklift detachable equipment, you can start with just a heavy duty underlift and start earning money right away. Then as you save up you can add winches, stifflegs, a boom, a sidepuller, and other accessories to give your truck the capabilities you want.

Your New Heavy Wrecker is More Accessible Than Ever with Detachable Towing Equipment

These new options break down a lot of barriers for companies that want to add a wrecker to their business.

But you can also combine them to make them even more effective than they are alone. 

For example, you can get financing to add wrecker equipment to a truck you already own. Or you could finance a truck and an underlift, then add more equipment as that pays for itself.

If you’re curious about investing in a heavy wrecker and want to explore these options to get started, get in touch today and we’ll help you choose the best path for your business.