Does towing shorten the life of a vehicle? Not always, but towing over capacity can contribute to increased wear and tear and the chance of damage. Problems caused by towing beyond your vehicle's max towing capacity can include but aren't limited to: Engine or transmission damage.

Typically, an integrated tow truck features a wheel lift and boom integrated into a single unit. Because they're designed to haul incredibly heavy and large vehicles, they also feature an extra axle.