Hauling car on a trailer

[azmodela]

Originally Posted by Dave D

And just how would you chip a gear if the gear is engaged? Are you telling me that rocking back and forth would put more strain than accellerating under load??

Do you really want me to answer this?

I'll leave this up to the room full of supposed towing experts!

Tow your cars anyway you want, I really don't care.

[Duffy1]

I put one strape on each side of front axle and back axle near backing plate . Pull up emergency brake and put in 1st gear.

[oldandtired]

I use 4 axle straps and 4 comealongs. The straps keep from messing up the paint. I put two in front and two on the rear. I hook the winch to the front as a backup. I put it in gear with the brake on or in park if it is an automatic. I generally tow about 20 minutes, pull over somewhere and make sure everything is still tight and check each couple of hundred miles afterward when I stop to use the facilities or get gas.
I do not want to end up wearing the vehicle but I would feel a lot worse if it came off and hurt someone else.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by azmodela

Do you really want me to answer this?

I'll leave this up to the room full of supposed towing experts!

Tow your cars anyway you want, I really don't care.

I'd like you to answer this, yes please...

[41ford1]

Have you rented a UHaul car trailer lately? The straps on those secure the tires against the front of the trailer. That along with a safety chain is it. The pickup came home on a UHaul. Put the trans in third and set the hand brake. No problems.

[Larry in NH]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Having logged in several thousand miles over quite few years attending National Early Ford V8 and AACA Meets I have always tied the 4 corners down using top quality MACS tie-down straps with car in neutral and the emergency brake set.
Always double check straps before heading out and recheck at first stop on the trip for any movement. We encounter some rough roads at times but we have never had an issue with any major movement of the vehicle in the trailer. Why put any unnecessary load on the transmission gears. Just my take on the subject and proven to work without incident.

[oldford2]

This thread is going the path of many threads. Dozens of pro/con posts. I only towed once with a U-Haul transporter, car tied down with their wheel straps and my come-a-longs to the frame. In first gear. W Virginia to MA and the car never moved. Now we have many first hand reports by people towing in gear but not a single post by someone who has broken a tooth towing in gear. Just a bunch of folks that claim this might occur. Too many guesses to some of these threads.
John

[oldford2]

Sorry, I posted twice accidently

[trulyvintage]

I haul ....

Every day ....

Cars in my enclosed trailer that have a transmission are in gear.

(4) straps at (4) points

9000 winch line attached



Jim

[uncle buck]

Originally Posted by azmodela

Do you really want me to answer this?

I'll leave this up to the room full of supposed towing experts!

Tow your cars anyway you want, I really don't care.

OK , enlighten us with your vast towing knowledge Mr. towing expert.
Inquiring minds want to know...........

[Dave D]

Now to open a can of worms: Do you cross the rear straps?

No, because if one came lose it would pull the rear off the trailer.

[Pete]

I do it like Frank Sinatra did it.
Works for me.....

[uncle buck]

Originally Posted by Dave D

No, because if one came lose it would pull the rear off the trailer.

Also I believe I read in the past they are rated in straight line shear load rather than side shear load. Can somebody confirm this?

[Scott H in Wheaton]

No one has opened the other can of worms with trailering a car....has anyone towed with the car on the trailer backwards?

If its an empty body, no big deal. But if it has an engine, you want the weight of the engine towards the trailer tongue and not towards the tail. Too little of the weight on the tongue will cause the trailer to sway.

And to throw my two cents in to the pot, I always tow with four straps in a straight line and don't think it hurts at all to leave it in park or in gear. Lots of old cars I've towed are projects and are lucky to even have a parking brake, much less one that works.

[itslow]

Originally Posted by Scott H in Wheaton

No one has opened the other can of worms with trailering a car....has anyone towed with the car on the trailer backwards?

Yes, but only because it wasn't feasible to get the car on the trailer the "regular" direction. Car also had a 55/45 weight distribution and was pretty short (2004 GTO).

[Marv]

No but i done it with a 4 place taildragger airplane. Everything was ok till i got in the mountains and it was raining. I barely made it because of the truck tires spinning. The planes engine and cabin weight was actualy lifting the rear of the truck up. The trailer was not long enough to load the airplane correctly.

[Shu47]

I have towed one on a trailer backwards once and just made sure I put it far enough forward to put the weight on the tongue.

[keith oh]

Drive it where your going, no tie down problems and it is not a trailor Queen.

[thirt4]

That nice Canadian, Red Green, would use duct tape. I think I might try that once myself........ someday.........