What a tilt tray or tow truck costs in Australia in 2026

New tilt tray trucks are listed from $164,888 for a Hino 300 to $275,000 for a medium-duty 8.5 m unit, and $359,880 to $418,900 for heavy 6x4 and 8x4 tilt slides. Used tilt trays run from $125,000 (874,000 km) to $268,888 (a 2018 6x4). Truck class, body length and kilometres drive the price more than the badge.

A tilt tray truck is a cab chassis carrying a hydraulic tray that tilts and slides to the ground, with a winch, remote controls and toolboxes. The same words cover a light truck that drives on a car licence and a heavy 8x4 built for machinery and accident recovery, so one price does not exist. A new Hino 300 921 tilt tray asks $164,888 and a new Isuzu FYJ 8x4 asks $418,900. This guide sets out 18 listings from five states, what moves the price, what the tow licence costs in NSW, Queensland and Victoria, and how a purchase is funded.

What tilt tray and tow trucks cost

Prices come from the dealer and private listings in our sources, opened on 22 October 2026. Truck Dealers listings are quoted inc GST. Cain Equipment says inc GST before on-road costs. Tilt Tray Design does not say what its prices include. To strip GST, divide by 1.1: the $164,888 inc GST Hino FC 1022 below is $149,898 ex GST (our arithmetic). These are asking prices, indicative market data and not Ventas offers. Heavy wreckers and rotators are left out because we found no published Australian price for them.

New tilt trays and tilt slides.

Used tilt trays and tow trucks.

Three things stand out. Class sets the price more than the badge: the cheapest new unit, a Hino 300 921 at $164,888, is about 39 per cent of the $418,900 asked for a new 8x4 Isuzu FYJ (our arithmetic). The same truck still varies by seller: the Hino FS 2632 6x4 asks $359,880 in Victoria and $379,000 in New South Wales, $19,120 apart, and the NSW unit is still in build. And used light and medium trucks with 100,000 to 140,000 km ask $164,888 to $177,900, about what a specialist builder asks for a new Hino 300 921. Trucksales' February 2026 review of a Hino 300 916 hybrid with a Kyokuto single-car tilt tray (7,995 kg GVM) gave an as-tested price of just under $200,000, including nearly $20,000 of lights. The review put a standard tilt tray option at around $160,000 plus on-road costs.

What moves the price

Five things explain most of the spread in the tables.

• Chassis class and licence. A car licence covers up to 4.5 t GVM. Light rigid (LR) covers more than 4.5 t up to 8 t, medium rigid (MR) covers two-axle rigid trucks over 8 t, and heavy rigid (HR) covers three or more axles over 8 t (Transport for NSW). The Hino 300 916 hybrid at 7,995 kg sits just under the LR ceiling. A new Isuzu NPR in Western Australia is dual-rated at 4,500 kg or 6,500 kg, and the higher rating needs an LR licence. The 11,000 kg Isuzu FRD is an MR truck, and the 6x4 and 8x4 units are HR.
• Body length and build. Bodies in the listings run from 5 m on the 2019 Hino FC 1022 to 9.1 m on the Hino FS 2632, with 5 mm or 6 mm Hardox or high-tensile floors. Longer bodies sit on bigger chassis, which is why price climbs with length.
• Winch and controls. Winches run from 6,600 lb on the Bozmac-bodied Hino FC 1022 to 30,000 lb on the Hino FY 3036, with radio remotes, stabiliser legs, container pins and toolboxes on the heavy units.
• Kilometres and body age. A 2010 Hino 500 with 874,000 km asks $125,000, while a 2021 Hino FD 1124 with 102,000 km asks $177,500. The 2019 Fuso Fighter at 405,056 km lists a body fitted in March 2026, so ask the age of the truck and the body separately.
• What the price includes. Cain lists before on-road costs and most Truck Dealers listings do not say. Ask for a drive-away figure with stamp duty, registration and delivery.

No builder in our research publishes a tilt tray body price, so we do not give one. For a rough read, a new plain-tray Hino 300 616 asks $78,700 inc GST (Arndell Park NSW, HAP4567) and a new Isuzu NPR 45/65-175 with a 4.5 m alloy tray asks $101,900 (Forrestfield WA, C06007), against $164,888 to $184,888 for the lighter tilt trays above. The tilt trays sit on larger chassis, so the gap is not all body. Ask any builder to price chassis and body as separate lines.

Wheel lift, underlift and heavy recovery

A wheel lift or underlift tows a vehicle with two wheels raised, instead of carrying it on a tray. Few listings show one. The Cain Hino 921 with tilt slide and wheel lift asks $179,800, the Gilbert and Roach Isuzu FRR with a tilt and under-lift body asks $177,900 at 137,565 km, and a 1995 Isuzu NKR150 sold as a wheel lift unit asks $35,000 at 478,700 km, with its listing saying it needs a couple of things to get it up to shape. We found no published Australian price for a heavy wrecker or rotator, which are quoted to order. For a Kenworth chassis, the Kenworth prices guide has used bands by age, and the tipper truck cost guide prices the same chassis classes with a different body.

Tow licences and running costs

The truck is only part of the entry cost. Towing for accidents is licensed state by state, and the licence, plate or accreditation is a cost on top of the table prices. Published 2026-27 figures for New South Wales and Queensland, and how Victoria works:

In NSW, a first year in the metro area with one Category A plate is $1,871 (our arithmetic: $1,360 plus $511). Other states differ, so check the regulator before you buy. Registration is separate: NSW lists charges effective from 1 August 2025 of $714 for a two-axle Type 1 rigid truck and $1,181 for three axles, plus a surcharge of 10 per cent of the national charges, inspection fees and stamp duty. Check how your state classes a tow truck.

Financing a tilt tray or tow truck purchase

Tow trucks are usually written as a chattel mortgage over three to seven years. You own the truck from settlement, the lender registers its interest on the PPSR, and the cab chassis and body can be funded on one facility.

Be realistic about lender appetite. Lenders fund mainstream-brand trucks with a standard body and a clear resale market routinely. They get cautious about high kilometres and age (an 874,000 km Hino or a 1995 NKR can mean a shorter term, a deposit, or a no), a transferred or refitted body (expect to supply compliance and engineering paperwork), and a business with no work behind the truck. The truck is the business, so time on an ABN, contracts and the right state licence all count. In Victoria the licence is bought separately, so plan for it on its own. A property-backed loan can cover a deposit because the lender relies on the property, at the cost of putting that property at risk. Ventas is a broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates here.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. A new medium-duty tilt tray, near the $204,888 to $234,888 listings:

And how it is typically funded across lender types:

If you are GST registered, the GST in an inc GST price is normally claimed back on your next BAS, about $18,636 on a $205,000 truck (our arithmetic: $205,000 divided by 11). Confirm with your accountant. Some lenders fund the whole invoice on a strong file and others want the deposit shown.

To get a number from Ventas, send the truck (make, model, year, GVM, km), the body builder and spec, the price and whether it includes on-road costs, the seller, your ABN age, the work lined up and whether you own property. Start at tow truck finance or truck finance, read can I finance a tow truck, or test a figure on the truck finance calculator. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.