Tow Truck Superstructure
Bestdan Oy Design Office contributed to the design of a custom tow truck superstructure for Inter Gruppe Oy. In this case, the client already had a solid understanding of functional principles and structural solutions based on previous commercial products and their own designs. They also had a strong vision of the type of structure needed for the vehicle.
Bestdan’s role was to assist with engineering calculations—performing force analyses, calculating resultant forces, and optimizing the structure’s strength using both manual structural calculations and FEM simulations. We were also responsible for finalizing the structural drawings. Thanks to the strength calculations, Bestdan’s design expertise also influenced the final form and geometry.
The result was a much more durable mechanism than commercially available alternatives—especially well-suited for harsh Finnish conditions. To maximize the remaining payload capacity of the chassis, the structure was made from high-strength steel, further optimized based on engineering analysis.
The vehicle’s frame also had to be reinforced to support the towing mechanism. The original chassis was not designed to withstand the stresses introduced by a superstructure capable of lifting heavy vehicles by the rear, to the extent that it could lift the cab itself off the ground through torsional load.
