Proper trailer tie down procedure?

Crossed and by the suspension is how I would do it. On all 4 corners, obviously.

 

Plus, it's a good idea to have rubber stops under the front wheels - forces on the car being trailered are greater under hard breaking then under hard acceleration.

 

Cross strapped to the chassi with wheel chocks is the only way to go. Ever seen a car being strapped to a dyno? thats how ya do it, no way the car will move at all.

Personally I don't care for the straps that muzzle the wheels, can be a pain to install them and I just don't trust them going over the larger wheels/tires.

 

We trailer exotics (Ferrari, Lambo, Bentley, Porsche) to & from our renters on both open & enclosed trailers every day. We strap down all four corners through the wheels only. No need to cross-strap if they're all tight (and I mean TIGHT). Not a single incident so far.

Two things to be careful of:

-- Make sure you put padding / rags / etc. between all metal strap components and any potential contact points on the car (think of the bumps) -- this will prevent scrapes/cuts/bruises.

-- Be sure you pull over after the first 15 mins to re-tighten, because the car will have shifted slightly from initial tie-down once you're on the road.

nlh

 

I strap through the wheels and then cross them to prevent it from "walking" side to side. I have over 50k happy trailer miles doing it this way. Also be carefull of the straps rubbing on the underside of the car. We will be towing down to the Euro Fest in SC ...if there look for the LM002 towing a Gallardo.

Ciao'

Steve

 

I have not trailered my 348 Spider but I trailer my Spec Miata quite regularly as well as see many other cars being trailered to and from races. Most common seems to be through all 4 wheels and I would say there is a split vote on crossing the straps or not. I always put the car into neutral once I have the straps snug enough that it cannot roll. I would suggest setting the emergency brake although my Spec Miata does not have one and I have never had the car move at all. (make sure brakes are good and cool before setting it or you will warp the rotor however) As mentioned above you want to make sure you have the straps TIGHT.

 

Tie the wheels down to the trailer, by a tie down over the top of each tyre.

This is the only proper way ... and allows the body of the car to move on it's suspension.

If it is YOUR trailor modify it so that the tie down can go straight up and over the tyre. Go to a race meeting and you will get ideas, but I made my trailer so in front of the tyre the tie down went straight up but at the rear of the tyre it went down and through a bracket and then out horizontally on the trailer deck ... this was where the rachet thingy was.

So easy once setup properly and car will NOT move and be safe.
Pete

 

Only because they want the wheels to be able to move. Car will ofcourse move this way on a trailer cause it has suspension and every bump will cause the suspension to tug on the straps.

Not the ultimate way ... but each to their own.

Sometimes you have to modify the trailer a bit to get the ultimate setup and then this becomes easy.

Pete

 

thanks gang for another good discussion on this procedure. is nobody concerned about excessive loads on the steering rack by cross strapping? if u cross strap from lower a-arms then it's not an issue but most people go through the rim so this will really tweak the rack(both straps are trying to turn the rim towards CL of chassis) anymore feedback on this from more seasoned trailer experts??

 

I'm trying to remember the mantra.

* Check the four connections at the hitch
* Check the four straps.
* Check the air pressure in the four tires
* Check the four locking pins in the trailer.

Wash, rinse, repeat as necessary.

I've never heard of anybody having problems with cross straps. If you roll the trailer, it might make a difference, but I suspect you'll have other concerns by then.

Ps. Don't sit the car too far back on the trailer. You need to find the sweet spot as close to the front as possible.

 

never considered the failure mode "roll the trailer".....I guess you have to plan for the worst case scenario. my trailer is a sundowner and it has the spread Axel so it's quite balanced even if you are +/- 12" on the car's position.

 

strap at 4 corners not cross strap. Yeah people do it but prove it bad for yourself. Place 4 straps 4 corners tighten. Now find a hill loosen the front and see if the car rolls forward. Now cross strap do the same thing the car will move more. Just like racing harnesses the shortest path is the correct path. The dyno is dynamic and cars even with LSD put side loads to the rollers so you have to cross strap. You can't draw the conclusion that crossing is better on a static trailer deck. For those will zillions of towing miles crossed...well I have never had an accident on the street so my seatbelts are unnecessary? I think not....

 

One important consideration I didn't see mentioned: Tongue weight. Be sure it is correct. Check the limits of your tow vehicle and be sure you don't exceed them. Load too far back equals negative tongue weight which is very, very bad. Too far forward and your tow vehicle will be popping a wheelie down the road and the ride will be dangerous and terrible. Keeping the proper tongue weight is critical with a trailer. It's easy to do with a car on a flatbed but it's also easy to screw the pooch there. Use a scale and don't guess the first couple of times you use the trailer. Once you know the ideal position of the load, mark it so you can easily repeat and tell if the load has shifted.

 

I put screwed down wood blocks in my trailer.
I drive my 612 in and nudge the blocks, leave it in gear, set the brake and tie it down in front with a strap to the tow bar.
Never had a problem.

 

It has never moved enough to detect and I have looked.
The blocks in from are about 3 1/2” high and the car is pulled tight to them.
I have pulled the car several thousand miles that way.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login See the yellow blocks in front

 

smart.....I like that set-up. i'm going to so something similar but will likely chock the rear wheels. my trailer deck has a dove-tail and it gives me more clearance thank the front nose. still going to strap all 4 though.....I don't have the balls to just do 1 from the tow hook + blocks! appreciate the feedback......loving this chat room, crazy valuable.