International 4300 Wrecker
This is an International 4300 with a 14ton wrecker bed. It is considered a medium duty truck and the largest tow truck in the fleet. It is equipped with a 6500lbs wheel lift. This under reach is capable of towing motor homes, campers and box trucks up to 32ft. This truck is also equipped with a drive line retarder. This is a magnetic brake that helps slow the truck down long descents with a heavy load. Towing out of the mountains to Denver is a common occurrence, the type of equipment we have is crucial for a safe and damage free trip. Overheating and transmission problems are very common occurrences on I-70 between Vail Pass and Georgetown. The reason for this is the rise in elevation. The ride from Silverthorne to the Eisenhower Tunnel is a 9 mile hill where a lot of break downs occur. Equally taxing on vehicles is the drive from Silver Plume up over Loveland Pass. These are windy roads with steep inclines. Our unit #06 is also the largest recovery truck in the fleet. It has two 15,000lbs winches and a boom rating of 28,000lbs. The two winches hold 150ft of cable on each. It also carries an additional 200ft of spare cable. This is important because there are a few places on Vail Pass, near Copper Mountain, where a vehicle can go down 200ft. The really big recoveries usually take place either on Loveland Pass or on I-70 just before the Eisenhower Tunnel. We have had crashes that slid off the road and have gone over the edge and down more than 350ft. For accidents this big, we need a wrecker of this size with all of it equipment to be able to extract the causality.
