Trailer tie-down discussion

[Sixseven]

I'm interested in optimum or preferred methods for tying down my vehicle on a flatbed trailer. I've searched this forum and found discussions pro and con on open (flatbed) and enclosed trailers. I see options for securing the axles fore and aft of the vehicle to control forward and rearward movement, I also read one thread on this forum that talks about crossing the straps to control lateral movement. I've rented the U-Haul flatbed trailer that had straps over both front tires. Then I have read that tire straps should be used on all four tires. I guess that would address the lateral loading.

For my specific application, chose an Aluma flatbed trailer. I won't be concerned about long distance travel requiring protection from weather and so that I could use the F150 as a routine driver rather than a heavier duty truck. I bought the trailer to haul my truck for show and tell, meets, local events and possibly events up to 8 hours away. I'm not sure that I want to install the track with re-locatable tie down clip location, but considered that as I will haul potentially either of two vehicles (vintage Mustang) as well as the truck. The trailer came with four D-ring tie downs. The trailer was specifically designed for the use I intend; electric brakes on two axles, weight capacities, etc, so I would like to focus on tie down methods.

[Lazy Jake]

I hauled my car back to Mississippi from Florida on one of the U-Haul aluminum trailers with the straps over the front wheels. You have used the same. I can't imagine anything being any better or easier than that setup. If I ever get a flatbed trailer I would mimic that system in it's entirety.

[JM 35 Sedan]

I tow cars quite often on my flatbed trailer, sometimes on very long trips. I connect four straps, two to front axels and two to rear axels, with both front and rear straps crossed. On long distance trips I also attach a safety chain to both front and rear, from center of axels to front and rear of trailer. On some occasions I will also have wheel chocks at all wheels both front and back. I guess I am a belt and suspenders type of person when I am towing a vehicle on a trailer. I figure better safe than sorry.

[trainguy]

Cross strapping is not recommended because if something happens to one strap the remaining strap is not doing much to control the vehicle.Overkill method would involve both straight and cross strapping on bothe ends.Most important is to use good quality straps and have a secure attachment to the trailor.Phil

[green50]

When I got my '50, I rented a u-haul and used the front tire straps and a heavy strap on the rear axle. I trailered it 700 miles at highway speeds...no problems.

[blucar]

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I have been hauling all kinds of loads, general freight, cars and light trucks on flat bed trucks, enclosed and open trailers for over 50 years.. I learned early on that about the time you think that a couple of ropes or a light strap from the local big box is good enough, you find out it is not.
I am not a big fan of most tie down straps, unless they are rated at over 10,000 lbs and are designed to tie down vehicles.
I prefer the J hooks with 3/8" chain X'd on the rear axle attached to D rings welded and/or bolted to the trailer frame.
I always use two 3/8" chains on the front of the vehicle, securely attached to the chassis and to D rings on the trailer frame.
To secure the front and rear chains I use medium duty binders, the kind that attach to the loose ends of the chains, then tighten by pulling the handle to take up slack. As a safety feature I put a safety wire through the binder handle, to the binder assembly.
I learned many years ago that the tow vehicle has to be up to the task it is being asked to do. The average 1/2 ton is rated for a max load of 5,700/6,000 lb's.. Some heavy half tons, F150 etc., are rated to carry more. When you factor in the weight of the tow vehicle, 4,000 # plus, a trailer at 2,k and a 4k vehicle, without realizing it you have over 10k rolling down the road being pulled by a vehicle designed to carry maybe 6/8k... A standard 3/4 ton, F250.C20, is usually rated to gross 8,5k
My tow vehicle since 2001 is a Super Duty Ford F350 7.3 diesel, it currently has 164k on the odometer..
I may sound paranoid about my towing practices, I can only say that I have never had a wreck, nor have I ever lost a load..

[Bill's Auto Works]

I have been a transporter for 30 years with almost 3 million accident free transport miles. For strapping down a vehicle you will want to use good quality ratchet straps & over the axle short straps. CROSS strapping is the ONLY proper way to tie down a vehicle. The straps will not break unless you are using junk or warn out ones. If you do not cross the straps the vehicle can move side to side. 2 crossed straps in the front & 2 cross straps in the rear & I also keep my winch cable on as well for safety. You do not want to use chains on a nice vehicle as they will scratch the paint on the suspension/axle/frame, etc..
You will see lots of opinions but cross strapping is absolutely the safest way to secure your vehicle. In some states it is the law.

[PeterC]

I am "belt and suspenders" like John M ... have e-track on the trailer floor and use MACS https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/ high quality straps. These straps secure front and rear axles with vertical pull down at each corner pulling straight down - then I also cross tie front and rear - super secure and gives be piece of mind.

[JSeery]

I use specific short tie down straps, two in the front and two in the rear. I see no advantage to cross strapping unless you were using a strap long enough to allow side to side movement. Guess it wouldn't hurt, but would require a longer strap than I would want to use. Set them tight enough to not allow the car to bounce or move. The trailer I prefer to use has channels for each wheel, to me much better than a flat bed. I have several trailers and much prefer the channel style.

[Bulligen]

Going is one thing, Make sure the vehicle and the trailer have proper braking ability or there will be a problem when you have to stop quick!

[Sixseven]

What are the thoughts on the tire straps? They would seem to hold lateral loads.

My concern strapping the axles would be damaging brake lines or other undercarriage parts. I just looked at the '41 and I would not interfere with brake lines when I strapped to the axles, either front or rear. The brake lines on the newer car (1967 - non-flathead) has brake lines running just behind the top surface of the rear axle.

[Sixseven]

Originally Posted by blucar

I have been hauling all kinds of loads, general freight, cars and light trucks on flat bed trucks, enclosed and open trailers for over 50 years.. I learned early on that about the time you think that a couple of ropes or a light strap from the local big box is good enough, you find out it is not.
I am not a big fan of most tie down straps, unless they are rated at over 10,000 lbs and are designed to tie down vehicles.
I prefer the J hooks with 3/8" chain X'd on the rear axle attached to D rings welded and/or bolted to the trailer frame.
I always use two 3/8" chains on the front of the vehicle, securely attached to the chassis and to D rings on the trailer frame.
To secure the front and rear chains I use medium duty binders, the kind that attach to the loose ends of the chains, then tighten by pulling the handle to take up slack. As a safety feature I put a safety wire through the binder handle, to the binder assembly.
I learned many years ago that the tow vehicle has to be up to the task it is being asked to do. The average 1/2 ton is rated for a max load of 5,700/6,000 lb's.. Some heavy half tons, F150 etc., are rated to carry more. When you factor in the weight of the tow vehicle, 4,000 # plus, a trailer at 2,k and a 4k vehicle, without realizing it you have over 10k rolling down the road being pulled by a vehicle designed to carry maybe 6/8k... A standard 3/4 ton, F250.C20, is usually rated to gross 8,5k
My tow vehicle since 2001 is a Super Duty Ford F350 7.3 diesel, it currently has 164k on the odometer..
I may sound paranoid about my towing practices, I can only say that I have never had a wreck, nor have I ever lost a load..

Blucar: I just bought a 2015 F150 that for my specific vehicle reports that it can tow 9,100 pounds with a max GVW of 14,400 lbs. The vehicle weighs 4,871 pounds. If I pushed to max vehicle weight I would have a fully loaded 9,100 pound trailer and over 400 pounds of passengers and luggage. The 41 with a V8 is reported to weigh 3,419 lbs (http://carnut.com/specs/gen/_ford40.html). My trailer (aluminum) is 1,200 pounds. combined trailer weight loaded with the 41 is about 4,600 pounds. I would be inclined to add 100 pounds for fuel and coolant totaling 4,700 pounds. I would ignore the weight loss from rust. Based on those numbers, I feel quite safe hauling the load. The trailer does have dual axle brakes and the truck has the heavy duty tow package. I am unfamiliar with other truck specs. Are these capacities typical with other 1/2-ton trucks?

I'm inclined to go with the Ford limits, but am very interested in knowing from others experience if this is not a safe load. I towed the '41 home on a U-Haul flatbed connected to my 06 Suburban and didn't seem to have any trouble. I wasn't traversing mountains though. I'm thinking the F150 should do a better job.

[Bill's Auto Works]

That combination will tow safely with out any issues, mountains or not. Here is a picture of a half ton with the towing package & an aluminum Featherlite trailer. This combination has 604,000 miles on it mostly towing with never an issue.

Also, your concern about the brake lines...nylon straps will not hurt the brake lines. I have found that if the line is up off the axle a little, I slide the strap under the line, if not I go right over it. There is nothing wrong with wheel straps though, it is more a personal preference & having properly located mounts on the trailer.

Also, GVWR on a truck is NOT intended to include the weight of something you are towing. This rating is strictly for the weight of the truck & what you load in it.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by JM 35 Sedan

I tow cars quite often on my flatbed trailer, sometimes on very long trips. I connect four straps, two to front axels and two to rear axels, with both front and rear straps crossed. On long distance trips I also attach a safety chain to both front and rear, from center of axels to front and rear of trailer. On some occasions I will also have wheel chocks at all wheels both front and back. I guess I am a belt and suspenders type of person when I am towing a vehicle on a trailer. I figure better safe than sorry.

I tend to agree with you more than others that have chimed in. While I realize there are a few good methods to do this job safely, there are MANY ways to do this job UNSAFELY!
I do not cross tie but do use FOUR high quality straps. It is very important to pull down the sprung weight of the vehicle as much as possible. professionals know this and do it always. You want to minimize the ability of the towed vehicle to bounce.
in other words, tie it down above the springs.
Also, as a previous poster has mentioned, the tow vehicle, trailer, etc. MUST be "right" as well. We've all seen too much tongue weight and too little. Some of the vehicles I've seen towing make me wonder how the idiot driving ever got a license. Of course, i wonder this while I am increasing the space between he and I.

Not long ago I witnessed a guy pulling a trailer with a modern Silverado pick-up loaded on the trailer. Only two straps, both on the left side while he's going 65mph+ down the freeway. The towed vehicle was bouncing all over the place on that trailer. I wondered how far he got until it came off...
Makes me a firm believer that in order to obtain a drivers license there should be a minimum IQ required. If so, there would be a LOT less traffic...

[36coupe]

Originally Posted by Bill's Auto Works

I have been a transporter for 30 years with almost 3 million accident free transport miles. For strapping down a vehicle you will want to use good quality ratchet straps & over the axle short straps. CROSS strapping is the ONLY proper way to tie down a vehicle. The straps will not break unless you are using junk or warn out ones. If you do not cross the straps the vehicle can move side to side. 2 crossed straps in the front & 2 cross straps in the rear & I also keep my winch cable on as well for safety. You do not want to use chains on a nice vehicle as they will scratch the paint on the suspension/axle/frame, etc..
You will see lots of opinions but cross strapping is absolutely the safest way to secure your vehicle. In some states it is the law.

That's how I do it. Look how truckers tie down heavy loads. Stop often and check your load and straps.

[Randy/In]

I tow a 20 foot enclosed trailer and 35 pick up with a F150 rated at pulling a 9400 lb. Trailer, no problems yet. I also pull horse trailers and a 8200 lb. Travel trailer. I use the wheel style straps on 4 wheels of my 35 when in the enclosed trailer, they are easy to use.

[barnfind]

I got forced off the road one time down a deep ravine.
Cross strapping, plus tire straps, and a tight winch cable kept the car on the trailer with no damage.

[trulyvintage]

Originally Posted by Sixseven

I'm interested in optimum or preferred methods for tying down my vehicle on a flatbed trailer. I've searched this forum and found discussions pro and con on open (flatbed) and enclosed trailers. I see options for securing the axles fore and aft of the vehicle to control forward and rearward movement, I also read one thread on this forum that talks about crossing the straps to control lateral movement. I've rented the U-Haul flatbed trailer that had straps over both front tires. Then I have read that tire straps should be used on all four tires. I guess that would address the lateral loading.

For my specific application, chose an Aluma flatbed trailer. I won't be concerned about long distance travel requiring protection from weather and so that I could use the F150 as a routine driver rather than a heavier duty truck. I bought the trailer to haul my truck for show and tell, meets, local events and possibly events up to 8 hours away. I'm not sure that I want to install the track with re-locatable tie down clip location, but considered that as I will haul potentially either of two vehicles (vintage Mustang) as well as the truck. The trailer came with four D-ring tie downs. The trailer was specifically designed for the use I intend; electric brakes on two axles, weight capacities, etc, so I would like to focus on tie down methods.

If you do not want to install e-trac and use the d-rings supplied with the trailer
then get some axle straps and ratcheting soft tie straps from Summit Racing
or a comparable source ...

Depending on the location of your d-rings relative to the vehicle position
on the trailer & the attachment points you choose - you can decide which
direction to run the straps and whether or not to cross them.

Fasten at (4) points to the axle and/or frame and you are set to go.

Check your straps after a few miles of driving & re-tighten as required.


Jim

[jimTN]

I cross strap to the axles to welded Drings so that front straps pull forward and rear straps pull rearward. I bought the heaviest car strabs Northern had and have never had a problem. I also strap to the axles with not problem of bounch. Have pulled a Model T to MN,VT and lots of other places from TN. I too have been hauling heavy equipment, farm equipment, logs and other loads for many years.

[Sixseven]

Thanks guys. I see some variance of recommendations here, but I hope this thread becomes searchable for the next guy with this question.

Meanwhile, I am comfortable with the four tie-down locations on my trailer and have my question sufficiently answered.

[JM 35 Sedan]

I know this post mainly delt with how we strap down a car on a trailer, but was wondering what others do about setting their emergency brake and transmission in or out of gear. I usually have the emergency brake set "on", and transmission in first or reverse. Comments please.

[Bill's Auto Works]

If it is your vehicle & you know the e brake functions properly then use it. I transport other peoples vehicles & would never take a chance of having it not come off at my destination. Stick shifts I put in first gear, autos in park.

[blucar]

The subject of hauling, towing, vehicles, especially what is the best tow vehicle is like talking about women... Everyone has their own feelings about what works best for them.
Over fifty years ago I learned that a 1/2 ton pickup is fine for carrying golf clubs, a couple of potted plants from the nursery, etc.
I could write a very lengthy book about all of the friends, neighbors, relatives, etc., that have asked my for my opinion as to what would be the best vehicle to purchase for an RV that they were thinking about buying, Almost without exception, within a matter of weeks, maybe months I noted my neighbor, etc. driving a shiny new pickup with a huge camper, or travel trailer, with the back bumper dragging the ground.
One neighbor bought a Ford F150, a week later he bought a 12' self contained camper, (I could not believe that the dealer installed that big of a camper on a F150} A couple of days later I heard a loud noise out in the street.. The neighbors outfit was stuck in the dip in the intersection, hung up by the dragging rear bumper.
When I questioned my neighbor about the truck he bought, it was all about price and the salesman told him the truck was a camper special, so there would be no problem. Da!
As I said in my previous comments, my tow vehicle is a 2001 Ford F350 Super Duty 7.3 diesel, it has 164K on the odometer. The truck is not a daily driver, I generally only use it to haul one of my trailers, an enclosed 25ft 12,000.lb GVW or a 20ft 8,k GVW flat trailer.