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Trailer Tie Downs

6K views 38 replies 14 participants last post by  60pontiacdude 
#1 ·
I just a bought a new trailer and I am wondering what is the best/easiest method of tying down my hot rods? I was looking at the wheel web tie downs, E-tracks, or just ratcheting each corner to the frame. Any of you hot-rodders have a similar trailer? I have attached 2 photos to show what type I have. :confused:
 

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#5 ·
Time to start a little lively debate-
I prefer to tie the frame down to the trailer.With a heavier car,I've found that the rig handles and rides better if suspension movement of the car on the trailer is minimized.I use a set of "t" hooks simular to those used by car carriers that deliver new cars to dealers.These hooks are available from any towing equiptment dealer.
I also prefer chains to straps.To protect the paint on the trailered car,I use old 1-1/2" fire hose,cut to the needed length.
The first step in tying down the car is to position it properly on the trailer,both fore and aft and centered side to side.The goal of the front/back position is to get the proper weight distribution on the tow rig.At this point,I run a chain from the tie down holes or hooks on the car to a tie loop or keyhole slot on the trailer.I set up chains on all 4 corners,then use ratchet type load binders to pull the frame down snug to the trailer.I load the suspension on the trailered car enough so the car doesn't bounce while going down the road.

George :cool:
 
#6 ·
i have to agree with george

i have multiple t hook set ups that i use with cross chains to welded squares on the trailer,
I use chain binders and a some along on each end just for insurance
i dont like the vehicle bouncing around with the suspension in use because thats what it does bounce around
straps stretch tear and burn chains stay put!!

I have enough to worry about with people trying to drive over and under me without worrying about my load if you want i'll dig out the stuff and take pics


SR66 :thumbup:
 
#8 ·
we have never had A N Y Paint or body damage issues to date. tire straps don't come close enough to the vehicle to chafe the paint the tire strap goes over the top of the tire, down to just above the top 1/2 of the tire. with the tire straps around the front tire pulled to the center of the car, and with the ratchet hooked on the trailer. and a rear tire strap around the rear tire pulled to the center of the car, with the ratchet hooked on the trailer, has worked Best 4 us. our 1st trailer was a 3 car wedge with chains with "t" hooks similar to those used by stacker car carriers, and the straps are less worry and hold the vehicle the most secure. if you seen where and how the wedges and stacker's tie them chains to the vehicles, you would prefer straps this February will be or 7th yr owning a car transport business. we transport about 12 to 15 vehicles a month, 1800mi one way is a usual transport.

Straps have very little stretch, those who say straps stretch, have very little use with them we check our load in the 1st 100mi after loading and make adjustments then.

on a single car trailer pulled with a light weight truck, vehicle bouncing on the suspension maybe a issue,and so is positioning it properly on the trailer, but on our set up it is Not !

100% Right on positioning for a single car trailer

The first step in tying down the car is to position it properly on the trailer,both fore and after and centered side to side.The goal of the front/back position is to get the proper weight distribution on the tow rig

on a single car trailer the car positioned correctly is important, and on a single car trailer in the past i've used chains & boomers. butt now know that straps are the way to go.

Everyone that puts wheel straps & ratchets down, have you tried them on a vehicle ???

to date we have Never had a Strap Tear !

what i'm saying is from 100% Experience ..............

Mustangsaly
 
#10 ·
Mustang-
On the rig in your picture,I don't doubt that wheel tie downs work great,but the trailer reddog has is a different story. I'm not questioning your proffessionalism or the things that work for you,but simply telling what has worked for me for the past 20 years,both towing cars on a trailer ,and transporting them on a rollback truck.Any suspension movement on the car being towed is felt in,and affects the ride and handling of the tow rig.Proper tying down of the suspension minimzes this effect.Thats why I do what I do,and why I don't use wheel straps.They work for you,but allow too much movement on a car trailer pulled by a pickup,in my opinion.
I personally prefer chains to straps because they have more uses than just tying a car to a trailer,cost less,don't mildew or rot and can be inspected easier.I use class 7 3/8" chain,which has a working load over 5000 lbs,along with correctly sized ratchet load binders.Although I have a winch on my trailer,I don't use it to secure the car on the trailer,only to load it if needed.
I have never lost or damaged a car either.

George :cool:
 
#11 · (Edited)
single unit hauling

I agree with the vehicle positioning. Get it square on the trailer and weight properly distributed fore and aft. I used a truck scale to get almost exactly 10% of the total load on the tongue. The pickup set almost level at that point. I built a hitch adapter with the proper drop to make the trailer set level when loaded and another to make it set level empty. Having the trailer axles unevenly loaded will make the trailer pull poorly.
While this is kind of as moot point now, match the trailer to the normal load it will be hauling. It should be long enough to have the whole car on the deck at proper tongue load. The axle and spring capacity should also be matched to the load. I had a trailer very similar to yours and it was only a 3500 lb capacity. By time you factor in the trailer weight, it would only haul 2600 lbs. While I did haul more than that on it, I had constant wheel bearing problems and a broken spindle was its demise. My new trailer has a 7000 lb capacity and I have had no problems with it for the last eight years. Normal load I haul is 5600 lbs.
Now to your original question. I use only the over the tire holdowns. They hold the car in place, don't put undue stress on the trailer and are easy to install. I do use a single 2 1/2' strap over the axle to the back of the trailer frame. Maybe it will keep the car from running over me if the worst happens.
I have had good success with nylon straps on the axles, both crossed and straight.(watch thw brake lines) Crossed is better because they don't let the car move sideways ( I consider this the biggest problem) while straight has better fore and aft control. So I guess that a combination of them would be the best for nylon straps. You still have to crawl under the car to put them on.
Tying down the body on a on a single unit trailer will cause you a lot of grief. These are personal experience- lost straps (at thirty dollars apiece, don't buy cheap ones), A small heart attack when the 67 Vette rolled off the front of the trailer while stopping (see lost straps), bent frame on a original 57 fuelie convert, tie downs jerked out of the trailer deck along with part of the wooden deck (they aren't designed for a vertical pull with a shockload.) broken springs and list goes on.
I'll shut up now :)
 
#12 ·
Fast Orange, i understand completely. we carry chains and binders for salvage we transport, and use the winch for loading & unloading, butt not for securing the load. our take 3 trailer has 3 7K axles, and we have not lost one yet, never had any trouble on a single car trailer either. but many use to small of a truck to pull the trailer. straps are great and the ones i use are not expensive and make DOT happy. $10 for wheel loop straps 10k rating and 2in X 12ft long with w/7" sewn eye, and one end heat sealed and $ 17.50 for ratchets, they do ware and we replace them.




Mustangsaly
 
#13 ·
I use heavy duty rings bolted to the frame rails in the four corners of the trailer. I bolt them on with grade 8 bolts. If you bolt to the wooden deck you will have to reinforce it with steel plates. By using four 3500 lb tie downs the car is supported very well. This system works well in enabling the trailer to carry any vehicle of any wheel base. The trick is getting the car in the right place to stop suspension bounce. Every 6 inches you move the vehicle frontward or backward changes the tongue weight by about 100 lbs. I have found measuring the vehicles wheel base and putting that center point directly between the two trailer tires is a good starting point.
 
#14 ·
61-
Your post brings up another good point.Tie down points should be bolted/welded to the frame of the trailer,not to the decking.I have 8 keyhole plates on my trailer,all are welded to the actual frame and crossmembers.
I havent had any problems with the tie downs coming loose,nor have Iever had a broken spring on either the trailer or the car on the trailer.
I probably run about 10-15% tongue weight when loaded also.
As I posted earlier,your way works for you,my way works for me.I don't think theres a right or wrong thing that either of us are doing,just what works for each of us and our rigs.
Set up the way I've described,I can run down the road at 70-75 MPH,straight,true and stable and feel comfortable doing it.

George :cool:
 
#15 ·
2X4 stake holders

reddog728 said:
I just a bought a new trailer and I am wondering what is the best/easiest method of tying down my hot rods? I was looking at the wheel web tie downs, E-tracks, or just ratcheting each corner to the frame. Any of you hot-rodders have a similar trailer? I have attached 2 photos to show what type I have. :confused:
I forgot to mention I have 2X4 stake holders welded around the frame, I would like to secure to these. :embarrass
 
#17 ·
I use the ratchet straps with either hooks or Ts on the end depending on what I am securing. I prefer to use axle straps around either the front or rear axles and connect the hooked straps to them. I then secure the right side strap to the left side of the trailer in a pocket and do likewise for the other side so that the straps cross each other. I do this front and back if possible again depending on what is being towed.

I have a trailer very similar to yours. I recently added eight additional stake pockets to it and then strapped down the outside of the pockets with 3" x 3/16 flat bar so I have continous connection points. I also added two stake pockets to the front of the trailer and I find I use those most often.
 
#18 ·
I'm just curious to what would happen if that PU on the back of that rig pictured above(nice rig) if one of those tires were to loose pressure or catch a piece of shrapnel while going down the road???

Ive had the distinct pleasure of being on the other side of a wreck that literally blew the guard rail off and sent it at me no choice but to run it over(it was at night on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway)i was real lucky it wasn't air born!

I guess it will be personal preference i don't care for the vehicle's suspension moving along with the trailer plus I run 10ply tires on tow and trailer to reduce as much sway as possible.

i know "T" hooks that go into the frame are a pain in the arse to get in that oblong hole to start with,

if something was to fail i'll bet there is not going to be alot of travel before my chains grab hold plus i double tighten when i hook up and use ratchets to secondary the load i've had ratchets fail while loading never had a chain binder fail and iI use a big piece of pipe to tighten it . then i'll throw a couple of comealongs just to make my self feel good

I know if i flip the whole rig its going to stay together but i have to say i dont have alot of faith in the tag along hitch system i guess the best trailer hitch(on the trailer) would be the BULL DOG type .

These are MY opinions and preferences I have a different perspective than most having spent close to a decade and a half in auto salvage yards I've seen lots of vehicles that have been wrecked with one one in them ..meaning not properly secured down in a tow situation , so maybe thats why i dont take any chances.

TO EACH THEIR OWN

SR66 :thumbup:
 
#19 · (Edited)
Rob Keller said:
I'm just curious to what would happen if that PU on the back of that rig pictured above(nice rig) if one of those tires were to loose pressure or catch a piece of shrapnel while going down the road???



TO EACH THEIR OWN

SR66 :thumbup:
we have been in the transport business over a decade & Not One Transport Problem yet ! i try to check straps in 1st 50 to 100mi after loading and bout every 4hrs a walk around to check straps, loosing one is a worry. our truck turns about 15000mi a month. very few miles dead heading / empty.

i'm guessing your asking cause of the p/u being raised with big tires & 1/2 sitting on the trailer rear dove tail slant part we have transported new & old vehicles, Hot Rods some restored some not, some big 4 X 4 vehicles with Big Tires & with lift kits and body lifts, rock crawling Jeeps, some were slammed on the ground , with Wide Tires, T Buckets vipers & high top vans, old Austin Minis & new BMW Minis, salvage, Big Boats, car trailers, enclosed trailers pop up campers, dully P/Us F450s F550 & one F650, Chevy SSRs , Vetts, many vetts to rogers corvette center in Fl., one trip we moved 3 1967 Vetts with 427 4 speeds BMWs Mercedes & Jags with window stickers of 127k price, motorcycles, we do a lot of New dealer to dealer trades, we have moved a lot of pro football players, & other sports players vehicles too, there was 3 Broncos players vehicles we moved from TX to Denver & back 2 Xs a yr for about 4yrs in a row. you name it we have transported it, a lot of repeat customers and corporate moves, a lot of rental car company moves, internet / ebay sales. a lot from here,http://www.classicalgasstation.com/ B4 911 a lot of people flew and had there vehecle transported (Not as Much of that Now) if it pays, we move it , we have had the pleasure to move some neat stuff.


(we have had tires go flat & had a strap come loose b4 with no problems, butt if checked and watched just like a chain a strap can come loose, thats why we use 4 per vehicle)

well all 4 tries have wheel straps, and DOT only requires 2 wheel straps. we have put 300k + mi on this tractor and 500k mi on this 53' stepdeck trailer, (not counting our 2 other tractors & the other 2 51' wedge trailers b4 this one, at 1st on the wedge we used chains, but changed over to wheel straps) this set up, and with vehicles secured correctly is 100% Safe. if theres a doughs at all, i put a extra strap on frame to trailer or a good ole chain & boomer

Mustangsaly
 
#20 ·
so let see if i got this right the good ol DOT only requires 2(two) wheel straps and if someone was to "cheap out " or being "green" did the bare minimum and a tire went down there would only be 1 strap holding it on to the trailer ??

i never follow behind anything that might be hazardous but i'll bee looking @ dem straps a little harder when passing thats fershur :thumbup:

where in FLA do y'all deliver to??


SR66 :thumbup:
 
#21 ·
we have run all of FL. from the panhandle to Miami, and from left to right butt FL. is a state it is easy to get the money to go to. but hard to get enough money to get out of FL. we haven't been to FL. in a couple yrs. yup DOT will let a small or average size vehicle get buy with 2 wheel straps, i think on big vehicles like Dulles, big 4 X 4s & big vans ect. need 3 i think, look at the next 7 or 9 car stacker you see, most have one small chain hooked towards the front of the vehicle, and one small chain hooked towards the back of the vehicle.



i try never follow behind anything that might be hazardous either, i try to avoid car transporters, flat beds & log trucks ect. and i try not to follow any boats either (i've seen my share of boats loose tire wheel & hub from no maintenance & in & outa da water)






Mustangsaly
 
#22 ·
having witnessed a friends drag car come off the trailer i now have a link of chian with a large master lock. i use it as a safty measure. i tie them down good and then lock them to the trailer.
 
#26 ·
my 3rd trip out transporting vehicles, (Not my 1st time driving a truck, i pulled a refer OTR for 3yrs in the early to mid 80s ) i stopped at a truck stop in Norfolk Va. and moved the cars around, so they were in order of drop offs. then crawled in the bunk 4 a nights sleep, and when i woke up i went in the truck stop to shower & eat breakfast and b4 i pulled out, i did a walk around b4 heading out on the road, and noticed both my ramps were gone. (they snagged them while i was sleeping or when i was eating) so now my ramps are chained a locked with a padlock. luckily i was headed to Denver Co. with no drop off in between, so i called a local welding shop and had a set made, so when i came thur Nebraska i picked them up. butt someone stole them, i did not loose them cause the truck never moved after using them last.




Mustangsaly
 
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