How do I tie down my 308 to a trailer

if it's a tilt and load and you have kleats in the trailer bed at all 4 corners. use straps and tie down all the tires. i have speedlines with the 5 spoke so i just loop thru the rim. works great and the car stays put.

 

If you are unable to loop the tie downs through your wheels, a good way to go is around the lower A-frames, front and rear. I would not recommend attaching to the tow hook on the car, if you have one. It will put too much downward pressure on the hook, and they are not designed for that use. You are much better off going through the wheels or around the frame or A-frames to get closer to being parallel with the floor of the trailer.

 

If i had $ for every time i trailered my 308...

i prefer using the lower A arms, less stress as they are closer to chassis. Use axle straps and/plus the usual 5k lbs rated hefty straps with clamps/hooks.

Use lower A arms all around. Use axle straps around front right lower A-arm, connect one of the 5k lbs rated straps to to axle strap's metal loops, the other to the D ring on the trailer. Use the 5k lbs ratcket and tighten strap. Repeat sequence for front left.

As for the rear, you want to CROSS the 5k lbs straps. What i mean is, same lower A-arm and axle strap, but this time the REAR RIGHT gets hooked by the 5k lbs strap to the REAR LEFT trailer D ring. Visa vera for the other side. When you are looking from the rear of the car the 5k lbs straps will form an 'X'.

The front of the car is standard straight when straps hooked up.

Makes sense? Hope i explained it well.

IMPORTANT: after you have driven about 5 miles pull over and CHECK THE TIGHTNESS of the straps.

Wishing you a very happy and safe towing.

NOTE: Please observe those YELLOW speed signs when you take offramps and sharp turns when towing, they mean you Mr. Towing a car. Also, take turns wider than normal, do not early apex.

 

Hi fellaz,
I have driven tow trucks for years(and still do so),moved many many (super)cars,and never even lost one!LOL
So I think I can give you a correct answer.
You need AT LEAST 2 straps,for secure thightening.
You can secure a car in many ways,put you ALWAYS need to secure it in the 2 driving directions,so the car can't move while pulling off,and in braking process.
ALWAYS ALWAYS put the straps at the same side of the car,otherwise when braking hard the car will "rotate".
1 Drive the car on the trailer.
2 Hand brake ON.
3 Is the trailer in balance? In case of a 308 or a Porsche 911 you might be better to put the car on the trailer in reverse,or you MUST have a SERIOUS 4-wheeler trailer.
4 If you have wheel blocks to prevent the car from moving in braking process,pull or push the car wheels against them.(look the pics of the 355:the tires are against the blocks).
5 Strap the car on at least 1 side with at least 2 straps.
6 Is the car well positionned?
7 If so,make sure that the front wheels are straight AND NOT TURNED.
Or,if you're an experienced dude,make sure 1 side of the car is almost against the outer bed and turn the wheels to it,so that the tyre is,hmmm....but that is to difficult to do.
8 Start tightening the straps,not to much!!(see n° 9 why).
9 Put the gear in 1st OR reverse,handbrake slightly OFF,and turn on the ignition,crank the engine for 1/2 second or so,WHILE THE GEAR IS ENGADGED.
DO NOT START THE ENGINE!!! When done,handbrake on hard,the engadged gear is an extra security,and by crankin' the engine for 1/2 second,you "block" the gear so you won't get it out without using the clutch pedal...
10 Remove the key from the column,and block the wheels as much as possible in the straight line.
10 Straps thigten them hard.
11 If you've got nice wheels,be sure you don't ruin' them.Put the straps TROUGH them,not ON them.
12 When finished,ALWAYS go around to chek everything:gear, handbrake,wheel alignment,straps,all doors properly closed etc...You DO NOT WANT to loose your 308 on the way!
13 Drive off,and by 20-30mph,step seriously on your brakes (impulse movement,by balancing,no need to stop the vehicule),and watch in your mirror if the 308 or straps are moving or not:they are supposed NOT to move,but bear in mind the suspension may "work",therefore the car is not neccesairly moving...
14 Go chek it out:are the straps OK?
15 If so:floor it!!!
Check my pic's,you can see the 2 straps on the SAME SIDE in the opposite direction:the car CANNOT move...
Also on the trailer,put it's a bit harder to spot...
Look at those trucks:ALL of them were in deep s.h.i.t. because the cars/metal pieces were not correctly strapped....you brake=you generate a tremendous weight displacement!
I know,I'm a little hard and extreme,but I move very expensive car for people who trust me,and this is the way to go if you want to earn their trust!
Speedman
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With all due respect to Stefaan who I am sure has substantial towing/trailering experience, the way that Steve/Enjoythemusic described using the tie-downs is what is required in most states in the U.S. You are required in most states to cross the rear tie down straps. To me, it makes only partial sense. The idea is that if the trailer should lose grip and swing out, the car won't slide off to the side. But, if one of the crossed straps let's loose, it won't keep the car from moving forward. However, to comply with DOT regs, you have to cross them.

Now, if you really want to be extra safe, you can cross the rear straps, plus put straps from the D rings straight forward to the lower A frames or rear tires. That way, if one of the crossed straps let's loose, the car won't move forward under emergency braking or an accident.

I've trailered for a long time, and I do it the way Steve/ETM does it. I've thought about adding the extra straps in the rear, but thus far have not.

 

Agree..

I was under the impression that straps were most effective in the linear/straight orientation. Crossing the rear straps seems to be somewhat of a controvercy. The reference to state/fed law is interesting....

Overall....my point of view/reading on F-chat...

1. You want the car to ride on it's original suspension. That means securing by wheels, or a-arms, so the car can freely ride up/down like it would on the road.
2. Some say you should load the car rear first so that you have the proper tounge weight/load distribution.
3. Some say the car should be towed (via trailer) in neutral w/chocks & the parking brake on so that the car doesn't jump/jam around while in gear or against the trans gears.

If you have reasonable set-up, just be sure your tow vehicle can handle your load!

There is a tow rating for your vehicle and a combined weight that takes into account the GVW + the towing payload and be sure you do not exceed that. There is nothgin worse than towing a load with an underrated vehicle/set-up.

Be smart and you should be ok.

 

Agree, you want the suspension freedom to move up/down.

In STOCK form, yes the weight distribution of a 308 would probably demand that. My 308 has different suspension (other than stock A arms) and we have corner weighted her, so my weight distribution is different than stock and so i can go in front first. Over time i have been able to judge things by how much the rear suspension of my truck goes down. Also, i can feel the way things handle when towing and in the beginning moved the car an inch forward or back until it all felt perrrfect. Then used Gorilla (DUCT) tape and marked of the trailer where the center of the wheels were. This aids in consistant loading of the car to the same position.

Agreed, in neutral and never used chocks. Wouldn't the chocks fly off the open trailer due to wind forces if the car moved a bit, thereby removing the pressure on the chocks?

Yes, leave the car out of gear. i find the e-brake worthless but guess it can't hurt leaving it on.

Agreed.

 

I suppose I will be the lone dissenter here. I have also driven tow truck and flat beds to haul cars, hauled furniture for Global, and trailered just about everything from cars and motorcycles to heavy equipment. I almost always cringe when I see a flat bed semi hauling some kind of heavy equipment, because of three very obvious things I almost always see.

In almost every case people use tie downs or chains that on thier own, in a straight line, barely exceed the wieght of what they carry. When you see a 80,000 pound crawler held on to a trailer with 5/16" chain, you need to stay the hell away from them. The line, cable, strap, or chain, should well exceed the wieght of whatever it is your carrying. In a very common 5 to 10 mph crash, the G loads could be as high as 10 G or more. If all you have holding a 3500 pound car that suddenly wieghs 35,000 pounds are two 5000 pound tie downs, are they going to keep it from plowing through the back of your car?

Secondly, when the pulling angle moves away from a direct line pull, the load factor begins to fall off dramatically. I cant remember the calculations, but when the angle gets to around 30 degrees, you may only have half the load rating of the straight line pull. Suddenly your 5000 pound straps cant really hold 5000 pounds of offset forward movement.

Another one I see a lot, mostly on heavy equipment, is running a single chain past the hitch pin of the machine, and attaching both ends of chain to either side of the trailer. Not only is only one chain now carrying the entire load, its rating is compromised by the angles, and there is nothing to stop the machine sliding laterally. I have seen videos and still pictures of semi truck cabs being crushed flat when the load on the trailer broke free, and rolled forward into the tractor.

When I first started hauling things around on trailers, I found I didnt like heavy cars that moved around on the trailer. I noticed that on the car carrier semi haulers, they winch the cars down against thier suspension, to make the car squat down and not so readily move around. You can just imagine driving down the highway with 12 or more cars all swaying around like bowls of jelly. They could sway you right off the road.

I prefer short runs and as close to staright angles as I can achieve. If in doubt, use more tie downs. On the Ferrari I use four heavy tie downs rated at 20,000 pounds each corner, hooked to the frame at the rear, and the inner lower control arms in front. I then tie the car laterally (criss crossed) with 5000 pound ties at the front and rear, 8 tie downs total. I have seen guys tieing cars down with the wheels, but I just dont feel comfortable doing that, as its just to easy to put excessive loads into the steering or suspension. I like to attempt to pull the car down a bit on its suspension so it resists any spring or bounce movement, and transfer the energy into the trailers suspension. Rides a lot better of rough roads.

No offense, but in Speedmans pictures, I am not comfortable how the cars are tied. Taking the 914 Porsche as an example, certainly the car cannot roll fore and aft very easily. But if the car were to shift laterally, nothing would stop it. The ties are to long and criss crossed. The side of the car could lift and the car could either roll off, or slide off the side of the trailer/flat bed. In addition, on a hard forward impact, nothing would much prevent the rear of the car lifting, as the rear tie is held at a forward point. If the rear wheel was tied farther aft, and the front tied farther forward, neither case would be as likely.

Look at how the military ties a tank or any kind of heavy equipment down to the floor of a C-130. Thats probably a good way to secure a Ferrari to a trailer. You may be the safest driver in the world. But when that soccer mom whips out in front of you and stops, the clock starts to tick very slow. What you have tied to your trailer should be as secure as can be reasonably accomplished. Sorry for the long winded response.

 

I use straps through lower A-arms, crossed in the rear. In the front, I have to use the wheels becasue the trailer is not long enough for me to get at the A-arms. I've driven perhaps 5K miles with this setup, no problems. Good idea to check and retighten tension after 100 miles or so on a long trip.

PS: It is a good idea to balance the trailer as best as possible, it will be much more stable and enjoyable to drive. I used a scale designed to weigh tongue weight and then screwed a piece of wood on the floor as a front wheel stop. With an 18 foot trailer, this meant putting 3X8's about as far forward as I could go.

Dave

 

Hi Paul,
Yes indeed,you're fully right about that.
It COULD happen...
But know this:my truck bed is sometimes fully loaded with f.e. my toolkit,booster,a small jack and sometimes old pieces of metal like flywheels,clutches,bodywork and so on...
I NEVER strap those down,and I never lost somethin' on the road.
Only once my toolkit flew of the bed and landed on top of the gearbox housing,because I just had to tow a wrecked car and all the oil was on the bed,my toolkit just slipped on it when braking.
I don't take my truck on a track...I drive it in good health and don't push her...would that be possible with 69hp and 2800kg empty truck weight?
Max speed 60 mph!
And believe me,before,in the case of the 914,you lift the rear of the car up,you must generate serious stopping power,in my opinion only a concrete wall or pillar can generate this...
Usually,I try to move around them.
If I see a concrete wall showing up in front of me,I won't give a s.h.i.t of the car I'm towing,even if it's a ENZO or F50...
My a.s.s.and my life is more important.
Look at this:
My truck: 2800kg
a car on it: 1200kg
some tools driver and stuff: 300kg
We are talking about 4 tons+ load to stop.
Believe me,even if a hit hard a minivan or a small truck,the inertial power of my weight will keep me rollin' for a moment...
Car sliding of the bed by the side???
Hmmmmm...
Theorethically you are right,but on the field,I have never seen this happening...
"You can just imagine driving down the highway with 12 or more cars all swaying around like bowls of jelly. They could sway you right off the road."
OK now! 12 poor cars,let's say 12 to 18 tons of weight,right?
Have you ever driven a semi truck with liquids in it? Like fuel,milk,chemicals etc...?
I did,and when they are full or completely empty,all is fine.
When they are 1/2 or 2/3 loaded,things really really change...
It might even be scary!
Let me make the exemple of the last semi's I drove:
Tractor+ semi: 10 tons of weight.
42.000 liters of fuel:+/- 40 tons.
You go serve your first gas station and refuel them with let's say 12.000 liters fuel and 10.000 liters diesel.
That means you just dumped 22.000 liters of liquid stuff,it's +/- 20 tons of weight.
All fine,no?
Well,not really,cuz now your liquid s.h.i.t. in the truck HAS THE PLACE TO MOVE AROUND!!!
In other words:your truck is carrying around a heavy stuff,moving around in all directions when braking,turning,pulling off etc...Let's go back:truck 10 tons empty. Fuel remaining in the truck:20.000 liters,let's say 18-19 tons...
WOW:that's +/- the double of the truck weight!!!!
If you don't understand it,imagine Danny Devito not carrying,but dancing around with Arnold Schwarzenegger in combat outfit with UZI and all on his back....
This is only to explain that 1 poor little car on a flatbed is really not scaring me...at all!!Look at a petrol hauler semi that stops on a red light:if it's 1/2 loaded,if WILL balance many minutes,generated by the weight dispacement the moving liquids create...
The poor littl' car on my flatbed is a SOLID MASS,it does NOT move...
And believe me for 200%:they WILL NOT slide of my bed...
Once you're used to drive liquid haulers,you become prudent,and you will keep this habitude in other trucks!
Speedman
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I have followed this thread with some amusement as one who has trailered my 308 GT4 often. Having been, in a former life long ago, a semi-truck driver who hauled many an oversize load, I think that I can speak with at least some knowledge.

Stepping onto the soarbox.

We all have personally seen poorly done tie downs and the results of such. In the last few years there has been quite a push by self described "safety" groups to require special licensing for ANYONE towing ANY trailer or operating ANY RV. Governments are starting to lean in that direction due to tragic accidents (and additional license revenue prospects). Check out any RV, tractor or pickup truck based forum in their "towing" section to see the lastest concerns. My point is: don't give these groups any ammunition. Personally, I would tie my lawn mower down better than most of the photos show.

Stepping off the soarbox.

I sent this thread to my brother who, after years as a driver, is the "training instructor" for a company that delivers new cars to dealers all over the SE part of the US. He had a good laugh. He sees the results of poor tie downs everyday. He stressed, as some have mentioned, that the tiedowns have to pull in equal angles and opposite directions, as well as an equal number of tie downs front and rear.

Granted that commercial trailers are set up to maximize the number of vehicles per load and minimize the load/unload time. Most use the time honored method of attaching chains to manufacturer supplied slots under the car and cranking it down. Quick and secure but it also lowers the vehicle height so that the load can be compressed; ie, more cars on a trailer. With just inches of roof to upper deck clearance, the chains keep the car from moving vertically on it's suspension. Not a concern to those who haul a single car on a trailer to the track or show.

The first few years that I trailered my car I had problems with finding attachment points on the car and trailer that would get good angles without rubbing the body or subjecting the strap to sharp edges. Then I modified my trailer to use the wheel strap system that my brother's company uses on their "high end" deliveries.

What a difference! Absolutely no movement, much quicker and easier to use and it also has given much versatility for anchoring other loads as well. I cut long slots in the deck were the car's wheels would be then welded in 2 angle irons with multiple pin locations under each slot. At each wheel the strap hooks on the pin under the deck, over the wheel, hooks on another pin, then out from under the car to an easily accessible ratchet. The straps have small rubber blocks that engage the tread on the tires to prevent any slippage. I can move the pins to accomidate different vehicles as long as their tires rest over the slots. One on each tire holds the car perfectly, ratchets are not under the car and the straps don't get cut. No worries about the strap or chain slacking then snapping tight (and then breaking) as the trailer flexes on rough roads.

Increasingly manufacturers are specifing that their cars are transported using the wheel strap method. M/B, Lexus, BMW and Toyota deliveries for my brother's employer. A couple of photos of not correctly tieing down and of the wheel straps.
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We transport portable generators and compressors, up to 7.5 tonnes, and if any of my drivers strapped one of our customers machines down like this, they would be in the sheite.Appalling!
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Exactly,you made your point....
As you said yourself,portable generators and compressors up to 7.5 tonnes are NOT the same a 1 poor little car of 1 ton...
As mentionned before,I also drive liquid haulers semi trucks,now that is somethin' serious s.h.i.t.,holding them on the road,and I also said that I don't take the trucks on the track...I respect the inertia of the weight.
2 wheelblocks(you can see them in the pics with the 355 and the 914,2 straps in the opposit direction,and the hook under tension,holdin' the car agains the wheelblocks...handbrake,reverse or 1st gear under tension....
They won't go down!!
I always,when I strapped a car on the bed,drive away and brake serious,to see the car movements...they never move,becuz they are well strapped...
Speedman
BTW Happy newyear to all you fellaz on the F-chat!

 

Whenever I have shipped my 328 it has been tied down in the container using blue plastic ropes through all four wheels to the suspension arms. The car went from the UK to Malaysia by sea then later from Malaysia to Australia by sea.
The tension in the ropes is sufficient to lower the car slightly on its suspension. When unloading the car you have the option of cutting the ropes.
I have seen truck drivers tensioning ratchet straps to the point that the anchor point is ripped from its mounting. I worry that overtightened ratchet straps could deform Ferrari bodywork, chassis or other components.
Don't use the tow point, that's just to drag the car off the track. Aeroplanes are held up by their wings, cars are held up by their wheels.