OK, so I picked up my car trailer today, but I've never hauled a car before. Went out to get tie down straps or chains and wasn't sure exactly what I need.

Do I need straps rated for the entire load at each corner? Or if I have a 5000# vehicle, can I use 4 2K # straps at each corner?

Or do I need chains? Or chains in the front, straps in the back (with a come-along or something)?

Don't want to go buy the wrong stuff and have the vehicle come loose halfway there! Thanks.

 

Get yourself some chains, referably transport grade, 70 or so, and some loadbinders.

Chain around the axle housings, near the spring perches. Run the chains from the left front forward to the right front corner of the trailer, and right front forward to left front corner of trailer.

Then chain the rear the same way, left to right, right to left, but chain back toward the rear of the trailer, so that it is pulling away from the front chains.

Be careful not to pinch any brake lines or hoses when doing this, and cinch it down fairly well. Stop after about 10 miles, and check for slack in the chains.

Chaining down by the axles eliminates the suspension of the car from the equation, so you don't have to worry about screwing up the frame or springs, etc. as well, there is less chance of a chain loosening.

I will say, what I am suggesting here is overkill for chaining a car down, but then having it come off the trailer and kill someone, can wreck your whole day.

Happy Hauling

 

I may be wrong but I would think the place where you bought the trailer would have sold you the correct tiedown straps with it. Actually I would have thought they would have come with the trailer

 

When I haul tractors or trucks or cars, I always go into overkill tieing down things. I use four DOT approved chains and binders, one at each corner. I also secure the binders handles the the chain with shackles to keep them from springing loose.

Can't see the chains real good in the first one.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...cat/500/page/1

The second one shows the 730 diesel on the trailer tied down.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...cat/500/page/5

This one shows two tractors on the GN.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...cat/500/page/7


If you're going to haul a lot of cars, www.awdirect.com has all the special connectors for cars. I bought quite a few from them.

Joel

 

Actually, I got this trailer just for this trip. Wife doesn't want to drive and talk via walkie-talkie. Plus I can do more hours than her in a day, so we're hauling her car. Then when I get to New England, we'll just sell the trailer. (Though, we're doing this all again in a year, so maybe we'll keep it until then....).

Super - the lot where I bought the trailer was pretty new and they didn't have much in the way of accessories. Price was right, so I took it. Guess I'll have to go to a more established trailer store and get a tie-down kit.

 

I heard from an old trucker once that you don't want to tie cars and trucks down by their axles. The suspension canstill bounce then and that means that all the stress is only put on one part of the wheel bearings all the time. You have more force with the car bouncing up and down than having the suspension compressed all the time. We always do the criss cross method like pind mentioned above. Don't go small on strapping or chaining things down! It's is definitely a lot better to be safe than sorry in this case. We are also fans of chains and binders, you don't get any stretch.

 

That is an old truckers tale!! Strap em down by the axles or tires. That's why they sell axle straps and tire nets. Chains/binders are for heavy farm equipment.
I run car carriers and use a tire net at each wheel.
http://www.talcospecialties.com/web18.htm

 

I sold a 68 Mustang over the internet. A professional 18 wheeler transport hauler showed up to haul it to Tennesse. They have special eyes that hook into the frames of cars. Ford GM and Dodge have different holes and slots in there frames to put these transport hooks. Works kinda nice. Also if you tie the axles and have to do an evasive manuver the trailered vehicle tends to wallow around on its suspension causing a stabilty problem. But I have hauled both ways. I like tying to the frame the best. No movement!!! Chains work the best! Straps tend to fray if you get them around sharp edges. But are cheaper if you are doing a one or two time thing. Chains can be used for lots of things!

 

After reading the posts here, I went looking for chain sets. None to be found at the trailer places in the area. They all have web straps.

So, I bought 4 12,000# break point straps (3333# load each). I think this is OK - I'll have basically a 12K strap at each corner.

I haven't crawled under the Montero Sport yet to see where to hook up, but I guess I'll be looking at the axles first, then the frame to see what works best.

Movers didn't get out of here until 8:30 tonight! We're getting up early to load the vehicles; we want to be on the road by 9 or 10. Only going as far as Memphis tomorrow night, though.