Flatbed Towing in Shelby Township, MI
Even a short trip puts AWD and 4WD vehicles, electric cars, lowered cars, classics and motorcycles on our flatbed, and any trip beyond the towns around Shelby Township goes on it whatever the car. You hear the total before a truck is sent.
Ask for the flatbed by name, and have these answers ready
If your vehicle drives all four wheels, runs on a battery, sits low, is a classic or has two wheels, ask for the flatbed. We winch it onto a tilting deck, strap it down and deliver it with no tire turning on the road.
The call is short: year, make and model; which wheels the engine or motors drive; whether it rolls, steers and shifts into neutral; where it sits; and where it's going. Not sure if your SUV is all-wheel drive? Say so, and we plan for the flatbed.
If the car stopped in a traffic lane or on an M-53 shoulder, follow our breakdown and crash towing steps first: 911 if anyone is hurt or a lane is blocked, and hazard lights on.
While the truck is on its way:
- Keys or fob. The driver needs them to release the steering lock and select neutral.
- Electric car. Unplug the charging cable and keep the key or phone key close; on a Tesla, tow mode is under Controls, Service, Towing.
- Your things. Garage opener, child seat, medicine and valuables come out before the car goes up.
- The far end. The shop's name and closing time, or the driveway address, so the quote covers the right miles.
Our Shelby Township towing service answers around the clock, and you hear one total on that call, built from the truck, the miles, the time at your car and the destination.
How a flatbed quote is built: the truck, the miles, the loading and the drop-off
There's no rate card here. We add up four parts of the job and give you one total before a truck is dispatched; you decide then.
- The truck. The flatbed goes to AWD, 4WD, electric, lowered, classic and two-wheeled vehicles, and to any car leaving the area.
- The miles. A run to Utica covers about 3 road miles from central Shelby Township; Rochester Hills is about 7, Sterling Heights about 8, Romeo and Clinton Township about 12 each. Trips past our towns are priced on the route we'll drive.
- The loading. A car that rolls and steers winches straight up. A locked steering column, a dead EV that can't enter tow mode or a pothole-bent wheel means dollies or wheel skates, and more time.
- The drop-off. A shop closing early, a low parking garage or a steep driveway at the far end can add time.
A car stuck in a ditch or snowbank needs a winch-out before loading, quoted in the same total. Our pricing page explains how miles and time on scene shape a tow price and Michigan's rules for tows that police or property owners order.
AWD, electric, low, classic or two wheels: what the makers say and how we secure each one
All-wheel drive and 4WD: both axles off the road
On a wheel-lift, one axle hangs from the truck while the other pair of tires rolls on the pavement, and in an AWD or 4WD vehicle those tires are still tied to the drivetrain. Toyota's towing bulletin for several 4WD models from 2006 to 2015, among them the RAV4, Highlander, Sienna and Venza, says towing with front or rear wheels on the ground may damage the all-wheel-drive system; it allows a wheel-lift only with dollies and rules out sling-type trucks.
Subaru's June 2023 technician newsletter calls a flatbed the recommended way to transport a Subaru, requires one for every BRZ and the Crosstrek Hybrid, and lets its automatic and CVT models roll on all four tires only up to 20 mph and 31 miles. We skip the sorting: AWD or 4WD means the deck.
Electric cars: no tire turns on the road
Tesla's instructions for transporters call for a Model Y to travel with all four tires off the ground, a flatbed being the recommended method. In capitals, the manual says never to transport it with tires that can spin, since in rare cases the overheating can ignite nearby parts. Dollies are a fallback for 35 miles at most, and damage from improper transport isn't covered by the warranty.
Tow Mode gets it aboard: hold the brake, choose Controls, Service, Towing, then Enter Tow Mode, and the car rolls freely, under 5 mph and less than 30 feet, while our winch draws it up. It needs low-voltage power and a key nearby; if the car is dead, tell us and the driver brings wheel skates. Ford's Mach-E support page also recommends a flatbed.
Lowered cars and classics: a shallow angle, straps on the tires
Chevrolet's 2014 Corvette manual says to carry that car on a flatbed, warns that a wheel-lift could damage it and that dollies may too because of reduced ground clearance, and calls for nylon strap harnesses around the tires, with nothing hooked to suspension parts. Every lowered car gets that treatment from us: the deck at its shallowest angle, boards under the ramp where the approach is steep, a slow winch and straps over the tires.
Classics ride the deck too; we won't press a wheel-lift's crossbar against original bumpers. Michigan historical plates go to vehicles at least 26 years old, and outside Memorial Day to Labor Day those cars are limited to events such as club activities, parades and car shows. If yours should arrive without being driven, book the flatbed ahead.
Motorcycles: upright, chocked, soft loops
A bike never goes on a wheel-lift. It stands upright with its front tire in a wheel chock, tied down by the rules in Harley-Davidson's motorcycle loading guide:
- At least three straps, with soft loops on the frame so no metal hook touches the bike.
- Each strap snug until the suspension compresses about an inch.
- No strap pinching a cable, hose or wire, or crossing a sharp edge or bolt head.
- Never on the center stand: if the bike rolled off it, every strap would loosen.
Tell us about a fairing or lower bodywork; the guide says those bikes may need straps on the fork legs and lower triple clamp instead.
When the wheel-lift is fine
A front-wheel-drive car that rolls and steers, going a short way within the towns near Shelby Township, may go on the wheel-lift with its front tires raised; we'll tell you on the call. A dead battery, a flat with a good spare or an empty tank needs a jump, a spare or fuel at the curb, not a tow.
Flatbed calls on M-53, M-59 and the mile roads, in pothole season and past our towns
M-53, the Van Dyke Freeway, runs north through Shelby Township about a mile east of Van Dyke Avenue, with exits at 23 Mile (20) and, on the Washington Township line, 26 Mile (23); exit 17, Hall Road, sits on the Utica and Sterling Heights line. M-59 is a freeway from near Pontiac to Utica, with exits at Rochester Road (46), Dequindre (48) and Mound and Merrill (50), and becomes the Hall Road boulevard at Van Dyke.
On a freeway shoulder, tell us your direction and the last exit you passed. The deck needs room to tilt behind your car, so coast to a ramp or a wide shoulder if you safely can.
According to Shelby Township's road page, MDOT maintains the M-53 expressway, the Road Commission for Oakland County maintains Dequindre Road on the county line, and the Macomb County Department of Roads is the local authority for maintenance and snow removal. Report a dangerous pothole to the agency in charge.
Pothole season
MDOT says the spring thaw softens the roadbed with moisture trapped under the pavement, and it links the potholes that follow to winter's freeze-thaw cycles. A pothole that bends a rim, ruins a tire past what the spare can cover or knocks a tie rod out of line leaves a car that won't roll straight; it rides the flatbed with skates under the damaged corner.
Past the nearby towns, always the flatbed
Leave the towns around Shelby Township and the flatbed is the only truck we send, front-wheel drive included: a dealer across the metro area, a body shop your insurer chose, a car coming home from far away. Inside our area, Troy is about 11 road miles from central Shelby Township and Chesterfield Township about 12.
Official pages for the roads and rules above
- M-53 (Michigan highway) - each interchange on the Van Dyke Freeway, from 18 Mile north past Romeo.
- M-59 (Michigan highway) - the freeway from Pontiac to Utica and Hall Road east to I-94.
- MDOT spring weight restrictions - why roadbeds soften in the thaw and how the seasonal limits work.
Flatbed towing in the eight towns around Shelby Township
The flatbed covers all of Shelby Township, from driveways off the mile roads to the M-53 shoulders, and each town below has its own flatbed section.
- Flatbed towing in Utica - the closest stop, about 3 road miles; Hall Road takes over from the M-59 freeway at Van Dyke Avenue in Utica, and the Clinton River runs through the middle of the city.
- Flatbed towing in Sterling Heights - about 8 road miles south; the M-53 freeway begins near 18 Mile, where it splits from Van Dyke Avenue, and exit 15 feeds a roundabout at 18½ Mile and Van Dyke.
- Flatbed towing in Macomb Township - about 6 road miles east, in Michigan's most-populous civil township (91,663 people in 2020), from the Waldenburg area near 22 Mile to Meade at 26 Mile and North Avenue.
- Flatbed towing in Washington Township - about 6 road miles north; the community of Washington sits at 26 Mile and Van Dyke, and the M-53 freeway ends inside the township at exit 25, Van Dyke Avenue toward Romeo.
- Flatbed towing in Romeo - about 12 road miles north on M-53, which passes the east side of the village; the Michigan Peach Festival on Labor Day weekend includes a car show and three parades, and a classic headed there can ride the deck.
- Flatbed towing in Rochester - about 6 road miles, across Dequindre Road into Oakland County, where downtown's Main Street has 22 buildings more than 50 years old.
- Flatbed towing in Rochester Hills - about 7 road miles; the M-59 freeway crosses the city with exits at Adams Road (42) and Rochester Road, M-150 (46), before it reaches Dequindre.
- Flatbed towing in Clinton Township - about 12 road miles southeast; at the Macomb and Clinton township line, Hall Road meets the north end of Groesbeck Highway (M-97), and east of Gratiot it carries the name William P. Rosso Highway.
Frequently asked questions
Does my all-wheel-drive SUV really need a flatbed for a short tow?
Yes. Shelby Township Towing puts every all-wheel-drive and 4WD vehicle on the flatbed, even for a mile or two, because with one axle on the road the rolling tires turn a drivetrain that is connected front to rear. Toyota's bulletin covering 4WD RAV4, Highlander, Sienna and Venza models through 2015 requires all four wheels off the ground, and Subaru calls a flatbed the recommended way to move its cars.
How do you tow a Tesla or another electric car that won't move?
On the flatbed, all four tires off the road, the method Tesla's Model Y manual recommends. Tow Mode lets the car roll freely while our winch pulls it aboard, slowly and for less than 30 feet. It needs low-voltage power and the key nearby, so if the car is completely dead, say so and the driver brings wheel skates.
Can you carry my motorcycle on the flatbed?
Yes, upright on the deck, never on a wheel-lift. The front tire sits in a wheel chock, and at least three straps with soft loops hold the frame, each snugged until the suspension compresses about an inch, as Harley-Davidson's loading guide describes. The bike never rides on its center stand, and no strap crosses a cable, hose or sharp edge.
My car is lowered. Will it scrape getting onto the deck?
Not if the loading is set up for it. The deck goes to its shallowest angle, boards go under the ramp where the approach is steep, and the winch runs slowly while the driver watches the front spoiler. Straps over the tires hold the car, never hooks on control arms or stabilizer bars, the method Chevrolet's 2014 Corvette manual gives.
Can you take my car to a dealer or shop outside the Shelby Township area?
Yes. For any trip beyond the towns we serve, the car goes on the flatbed whatever its drivetrain, so no wheel turns on the road for the whole drive. Give us the destination when you call; the miles, the time at your car and the drop-off make up the price, and you hear one total before the truck leaves.
Is a flatbed tow priced differently from a regular tow?
Every tow is priced from four things: the truck it needs, the miles, the time spent at your car and the destination. A car that needs the flatbed gets a flatbed quote. There's no rate card or price list on this site; you hear one total on the phone before anything is sent.
Have these four details ready, and we'll quote the flatbed
One total on the call, before a truck leaves.
- What you drive - the year, make and model, plus the drivetrain: AWD, 4WD or electric, or a lowered car, classic or motorcycle
- Its condition - whether it rolls, steers and shifts to neutral, and whether an EV will power on
- Where it sits - street and cross road, a parking lot and row, or the freeway, direction and last exit
- Where it goes - a driveway, a shop or a dealer, and that place's hours