Secured to your trailer

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Pentastarnut

67' Barracuda
Joined
Mar 12, 2010
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Location
Abita Springs, LA
How do you secure your Mopar to your trailer. nylon straps? chains with turn buckles ? wheel straps? i've seen some weld a small loop to the k member and hook on to it. just trying to get ideas. thanx ;)
 
Macs tie downs with axle straps wrapped around the rear axle and lower control arms. I was using chains and binders but they are a bit of a pain in the butt to use. Cinched them down and drove 1600 miles, not 1 loosened even slightly. I have a set of Mac tie downs for my bike also.
 
ultimately you want the body tied down and not the supension. figure out how to put an eyebolt/u-bolt on on each corner of your hotrod. install the same on your trailer. use nylon rachet straps to pull the body down and cross the straps. each strap should cover the weight of your hotrod(dot rule). by pulling the hotrod down you don't over heat the shocks and springs or wear them out prematurely. by crossng the straps the hotrod doesn't move around at all, even if there is a mishap.
 
Ratchet straps with a D ring. Put it around the axle then hookit on the D ring in the rear. Just put the hook in some thing on the front. If you use nylon make sure they are not touching any thing that wil rub or cut them.
 
Being in the car hauling business for over 25 years I use regular car carrier chains and winches on my trailer.
I try to do an outbound (A) pull if possible. I have seen guys that do an
inbound (V) pull and have actually bent frames on pick-up trucks.
You need to keep a small (fore and aft) angle at each end of the vehicle and a very small (side to side) angle.
Crossing straps is a HUGE liability as if you lose tension on 1 side, that end of the car can come completly off the trailer before the other strap can exert any tension on it.


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Hey Dave,
I've been known to haul a few.
Why are you NOT using the hook in the pic I have circled?
It is designed to go into that slot with a twist and does not come out like that "S" hook you have in that slot could.
I was just wondering. I haven't been doing long and my tow truck buddy might have told me wrong.
Please advise and
Thanks, John.:glasses7:
 

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ultimately you want the body tied down and not the supension. figure out how to put an eyebolt/u-bolt on on each corner of your hotrod. install the same on your trailer. use nylon rachet straps to pull the body down and cross the straps. each strap should cover the weight of your hotrod(dot rule). by pulling the hotrod down you don't over heat the shocks and springs or wear them out prematurely. by crossng the straps the hotrod doesn't move around at all, even if there is a mishap.
I have never had a car with anything but a stock suspension so I have always went to the suspension/axle. A neighbor goes to the frame. He had a strap loosen slightly which allowed the frame to start moving. A short while later all the straps were loose from the car moving ever so slightly. Of course he was in the left lane going 70 mph when he noticed it. Another buddy tows long travel off road trucks alot. He goes to the frame and the suspension/axle. The suspension/axle is to keep the truck on the trailer and the frame is to keep the truck body from moving......
 
Many years ago I remember reading an article I believe was written by Dave Vizzard in Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine where they tested the overheating shock theory and found it to not be true. The shock temperature didn't change from when the car was tied down from the frame or the axle.
 
Another buddy tows long travel off road trucks alot. He goes to the frame and the suspension/axle. The suspension/axle is to keep the truck on the trailer and the frame is to keep the truck body from moving......


Ya we never tie long trvel sand cars down buy the frame. They just bounce around and loosen the straps. We either go around the tires or as far out on the suspension as you can get it.
 
Hey Dave,
I've been known to haul a few.
Why are you NOT using the hook in the pic I have circled?
It is designed to go into that slot with a twist and does not come out like that "S" hook you have in that slot could.
I was just wondering. I haven't been doing long and my tow truck buddy might have told me wrong.
Please advise and
Thanks, John.:glasses7:

John, you have a good eye. But that hole is made for an outbound pull. If I used the T-Hook, it would not stay in the slot . There is another T-Hook slot behind the suspension designed for an inbound pull and I would have the same problem. The slot is pointed in the wrong direction.
So I used the S-hook.
My trailer was set up to pull the Dart but I have used it to pull many other cars here at work.


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I use nylon tire wrap straps on the front and nylon axle straps with ratchet straps on the rear. Furthest I have pulled it with the car on is about 200 miles one way but they have showed no signs of loosening up and zero car shifting.
 
John, you have a good eye. But that hole is made for an outbound pull. If I used the T-Hook, it would not stay in the slot . There is another T-Hook slot behind the suspension designed for an inbound pull and I would have the same problem. The slot is pointed in the wrong direction.
So I used the S-hook.
My trailer was set up to pull the Dart but I have used it to pull many other cars here at work.

OH.....
OK!
I guess I'm doing right then for my set up.
That mini CAT couldn't have been easy to load!!! WOW!
Thanks!
John:D
 
I wrap straps around my rear and straps to a loop I welded to my K-frame when it was out for modifications.I also use blocks of wood..front and back of the big slicks on back.This is in my enclosed trailer,never came loose once.
I also tie the strap handles closed with extra length of the straps.:D
 
I always tie to the suspension. That way it is solid to the trailer. Let the
car bounce if it wants to. That way you won't have the straps getting loose.
Been hauling cars on my open trailers for 20 years. Never had one loosen up.
 
I always tie to the suspension. That way it is solid to the trailer. Let the
car bounce if it wants to. That way you won't have the straps getting loose.
Been hauling cars on my open trailers for 20 years. Never had one loosen up.

I agree, I have always tie down to the suspension.
 
I always tie to the suspension. That way it is solid to the trailer. Let the
car bounce if it wants to. That way you won't have the straps getting loose.
Been hauling cars on my open trailers for 20 years. Never had one loosen up.
Just got back from getting my car, had no shocks in it and the tires were soft. Had my car straps to the axle and the lower control arms, but the car was getting air born due to the angle of the pull. Glad I bought my bike tie downs with me, went around the k-frame and to the shackle, no more hopping on the trailer. I will never again tow another vehicle with no shocks and soft tires.
 
64 Dart,

Real easy to transfer it from my trailer onto my brother's trailer.......

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