Trailering tips for protection

[Al 29Tudor]

Afternoon Gents,
Planing to trailer my Tudor for around 600 miles each way to a tour.
I plan to rent a U-Haul flat bed trailer so what I'm wondering is how to protect it while on rout. Cover or no cover?
If you have any tips I'd like to read about them and others experiences.
Thanks for your advice,
Al

[CarlG]

Here's a picture of how my friend did his. This was probably a 600 mile trip, about 100 of that was on an unpaved mountainous road.

[Kurt in NJ]

A tarp flapping about can damage a lot of paint

[J Franklin]

2 days pre-tour driving it and you'll be there.

[77Birdman]

Unless your car is concours quality, I dont think I would consider putting a cover on it, and if it was an enclosed trailer would be a must. Like was mentioned, a flapping tarp will damage the paint greatly. Much better off not having anything. There is a product that is a clear wrap that is a paint protector that may work if you are really concerned about debris coming off the tow vehicle. I think I have seen it for sale in the California car cover catalog. Bigger question is how many hoops you will need to jump through with uhaul. I rented a car trailer one time and it darn near took an act of congress to convince the dealer my truck would do the task (f 150).

[1955cj5]

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We wrapped the glass areas with Stretch Wrap that is used for shipping..U-haul sells it around here.

We also had a neighbor who was good enough to lend us the mud flaps that slip over the hitch.

I don't know if either made a difference but the glass and headlights survived just fine over about 300 miles.

[Al 29Tudor]

Thank you all for your time and interest in my question.
There is nothing better than listening to those who have experience in what is asked.
Al

[RUNNERBUN]

Covering a car with a tarp will create more damage than it can prevent. A big no no in my opinion. A flapping tarp will wear thru your paint very quickly.
If at all possible I would drive it which would most probably be only an extra one day on the road in each direction.

[copgib]

I trailered my Model A from Texas to Florida with a UHaul Trailer. I cut cardboard out to cover the grill, headlights and front window to protect it. Taped it on. I had no problem at all. It is a cheap way to protect it. Hugh

[kbinde2]

We towed our '29 Special Coupe from upper Michigan to Delaware, summer-time.. storms, wind etc.. No problems, just check tie-downs and over tire webbing every stop. We backed the car on the trailer, and secured it that way, reasoning was the important stuff, and the visor would be more protected. JMO/kb

[Cool Hand Lurker]

You can get a roll of industrial heat shrink film for about $200 that will do at least six cars. That will keep junk off your car for several trips or you can share it with other guys in your club. This is the stuff that is used to cover boats when they get delivered from the factory to the dealer. When you shrink it, nothing will flap.
Here is one source: uline.com but there are others.

[Big hammer]

Originally Posted by kbinde2

We towed our '29 Special Coupe from upper Michigan to Delaware, summer-time.. storms, wind etc.. No problems, just check tie-downs and over tire webbing every stop. We backed the car on the trailer, and secured it that way, reasoning was the important stuff, and the visor would be more protected. JMO/kb

I was going to suggest backing the car on the trailer, I worried the trailer tongue weight might be off, sounds like it worked for you!

[trulyvintage]

There is no substitute for an enclosed trailer.


Jim

[rotorwrench]

If a person uses a tarp, it has to be the real thing. Not one of those cheep plastic things they call a tarp. Real cotton duck material should be used. There are grommet eyelets on them for a reason. The tarp has to fit all the way over front to rear and side to side. good quality bungees would be needed to pull the tarp tight all the way around. Slip stream air should not be able to get underneath the tarp when driving down the road or it will flap. The flapping will damage what ever surface it is flapping on. Covers can be put over the car before the tarp but they must be well secured and soft material that will not mar the finish. Bubble plastic will even mar the surface so that should never be considered. sharp edges should have a protective piece of cardboard taped securely over so it won't rip the tarp.

Over the road truck freight that is too big or heavy for a van body trailer gets tarped up for a long haul every day but they don't scrimp on the way they do it or they will get called out for it. If you can't meet these specs then the car should not be tarped at all or it should be in an enclosed trailer.

[katy]

After hooking up the trailer check all the trailer lights, running lights, brake lights, right signal, left signal.
After the first 50 or 100 miles, stop and check everything: tie-downs, hitch, trailer lights.

[Jim Brierley]

I live on a dirt road with several ups and downs. I check my tie-downs when I get to the paved road, about 1/4 mile and often need to tighten them a little.

[31Cabriolet68-C]

Certainly put it on backwards, however you wrap it up....

Now... Since the OP was about the safety of the finish, I guess it may seem a bit off topic, but I have an overall project safety question:

Wouldn't it be prudent to drain the gas tank?

Practically speaking it's going to be a bit of a pain...

However, in a worst-case event, it would have been incredibly important...

We all know the drill: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!

Just wanted the group opinion, in general, about the choice of safety-vs-hassel in draining and then refilling the tank for over-the-road projects like this....

FWIW, My tank has always been empty whenever I trailered/towed my A, but that was many years ago, and back in the day, I wouldn't have given it a second thought if it HAD been full...
Now, at 75, while I am well aware that age and experience will wear down your risk-takers genes, and that I should reduce as many of my "risk factors" as possible, I still would (almost certainly...) leave it in the tank...

So here's the choice:
Am I,
Prudent??? Or, Paranoid??? If I drain the tank...
Lazy???? Or, Logical???? If I leave the gas in tank....


Thanks...

JB

[rotorwrench]

Most of my cowboy customers trailer their helicopters to and from jobs. The flight time is just too valuable to waste for long ferry flights and their customers don't want to pay for that. They have fold down blade holding set ups so they don't have to de-blade.

I've seen at least three incidents over the last 35-years. One was a deer that tried to jump over and it was hit by the helicopter. That one did some minor damage but it could have been worse. The other was a rock kicked up by a passing truck that busted out one of the plexiglass windows. The worst one was a hitch failure that caused the trailer to disconnect. The operator only noticed when the trailer started to pass him as it was leaving the roadway. He watched in horror while the trailer continued off the road, down through a fence and into the side of someones home. It did some damage to the forward main rotor blade on the helicopter but the house was damaged a lot worse.

Most of them use goose necks now days with air ride suspensions and all sorts of bells & whistles but none of then can use an enclosed trailer. They don't use tarps either. They have to be able to take off and land back on the trailer so an enclosed set up is out of the question. The front of the goose neck protects the helicopter from nearly all strike damage.

[burner31]

Engine weight should be towards the front of the trailer, you ever see a trailer wag like the tail on a dog?

[denis4x4]

Burner31 gets it! Backing an A on a trailer is asking for trouble. I use a ShurLine hitch weight scale to determine the exact placement of my cars and use a removable stop so that their always in the correct position on the trailer. Too, the motor home pretty much prevents possible damage. The photo was taken as we were leaving Durango heading for Lincoln for the Speedster Reunion. Trailer is an aluminum tilt model and it was really easy to use the A to go out for dinner during the trip. Always reserved pull through sites at the campgrounds.

[flatford39]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but what about trailer brakes??? I have never used around here locally as I am in Illinois and we are as flat as a pancake.



Planning a trip to Colorado in a couple of years and am concerned about coming down the mountain without them.



Thoughts??

[TerryO]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but what about trailer brakes??? I have never used around here locally as I am in Illinois and we are as flat as a pancake.



Planning a trip to Colorado in a couple of years and am concerned about coming down the mountain without them.

I bought a 5th wheel RV in Colorado and towed it back to GA last year and I wouldn't even consider towing without trailer brakes there or anywhere else..


TerryO

[denis4x4]

Anything over 2000 pounds is required to have trailer brakes in most states. In addition to trailer brakes, you also need a brake controller. U-Haul car trailers have surge brakes and do not require special wiring or a controller. A lot of guys will cheap out on a dual axle trailer and only get brakes on a single axle.

[TerryO]

Wouldn't it be prudent to drain the gas tank?

Personally I would rather have a gasoline issue on the trailer than with the tank sitting above my lap while driving down the road...


TerryO

[flatford39]

Originally Posted by denis4x4

Anything over 2000 pounds is required to have trailer brakes in most states. In addition to trailer brakes, you also need a brake controller. U-Haul car trailers have surge brakes and do not require special wiring or a controller. A lot of guys will cheap out on a dual axle trailer and only get brakes on a single axle.

My trailer has the surge brakes but I can't control them from the cab of my truck.



I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact I need them if I travel through a mountainous terrain as I plan to do in two years.

[Nick in Fayetteville]

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As an Insurance Adjuster for the last 37 years, I can tell from experience....Don't tow it backwards on a trailer. The weight ratio is all wrong. It is is an accident waiting to happen.

[rotorwrench]

Tongue weight is very important for controllability. The weight has to be forward of the trailer axles to a level of 9 to 15% of the overall trailer gross weight as loaded. That can be as much as 450 lbs on a 3000 lb load. You don't want a trailer to start whipping around on you or you can loose control of it depending on road conditions.

[Apperloo]

In my area the difference in cost between an open trailer and enclosed is minimal. Check around for enclosed.

[History]

I told my son if he wanted to live to be an old man he better start acting like an old man. Old guys know how to use a knife and pee behind a bush if the wind is blowing hard. Old guys get old because they avoid stuff young dead guys don't.

That's being said ^^^, I wouldn't drain the gas myself unless it was leaking. The weight won't matter much from the gas alone. Yeah it's fuel if there's a crash and sparks but I'd take the risk myself.

The load being proportioned is very important. I once loaded a skid steer bucket on the back of a lawn mower dual axle trailer to have it repaired. It almost crashed me with it hooked to a 3500 Dodge 4x4 dually dump bed truck. The truck is almost 8k pounds empty so it's not a toy. I was amazed at how the trailer controlled the truck. I have a lot of seat time on tractors, silage trucks with no brakes sliders ect,, and I drove an 18 wheeler for a few year. My point is, I should have known and did but never imagined such a small weight as the loader bucket could do that. Once saw a man with a brand new chevy 3500 4x4 Silverado and a brand new kubota tractor over the bank from???? You guessed it, tractor was balanced on trailer with no tongue weight.

I might pull a trailer with no brakes but the load would have to be almost nothing, especially if you don't have experience pulling things. I have brakes on both axles of a 16 foot tag trailer I use to haul logs,equipment,,,,,. The lawn mower trailer doesn't have brakes and only an expanded metal floor so there's not much danger of needing brakes. Just make sure the mower or whatever is loaded in the front.

[Bud]

One of my club members towed his Model A to a National Meet (it was a show car) on an open trailer. But he rigged up a large air deflector made of plywood and 2x4's and placed it in front of the car to deflect debris, rain etc. Naturally it was secured to the trailer. He avoided damage from a tarp that way. Car was clean when he arrived.

[Cool Hand Lurker]

Get the top shroud from a semi truck cab and put it on the front of the car trailer. Bolt it to the floor. This will give a lot of protection to whatever you are hauling. They can be found cheap too. Farmers will buy a semi tractor to use as a grain truck and a lot of times the top shroud is sitting in the weeds out behind the barn. If it isn't free, it won't be too expensive either. And it can be trimmed if you like.

[barkleydave]

10 percent of load needs to be on hitch
Trailer plus car. About 400 lbs
Backing on a short trailer will be rear heavy and dangerous

[Al 29Tudor]

Thank you Guys.
Number 9 covered all the glass and that's what i'm going to do.
Also engine to the front with proper tongue weight and the u-Haul trailer has serge brakes.
It will be an adventure!

[History]

I have no experience with surge brakes. Do they work if you're backing downhill? I would think things would have to adjusted and lubed well for surge to work properly but I have no idea. Do they work best right when you hit the brakes from the surge or is it consistent? Could someone who's used surge brakes chime in on the experience??

[Al 29Tudor]

I don't think it's a precise science but they worked very well today.
Model A on a U-Haul trailer over 500 miles and there was no noticeable "extra" pressure required for braking. Works like a charm - fuel mileage towing is another story.
Al