defiant1

Well, in a few more weeks I will be going on my 1,000 mile round trip to get the S. So, since I am in preparation mode I need to know if there are any issues I need to be aware of when I trailer the car. Specifically, where/how to place the axle straps I have so I: 1) secure the car properly to the trailer and 2) not damage any of the front end or rear end steering/suspension components.

I am borrowing a nice trailer with D rings on the flat bed and a shield up front.

Any insight would be helpful. This will be my first "car hauling" experience, so I want to make sure I make this as painless as possible.

svnt442

Use axle straps and cross them in the rear, it's more stable.
Tie the front down first so you can take out the slack with the rear straps. It's much easier that way.

defiant1

Any particular axle strap placement points I should use in the front of the car?

svnt442

It's been a couple years sinse I towed my car so I realy can't remember the exact points I used, but any thing you can attach to the frame is a plus.

I know that's vague, but when you get under there you'll see what I mean.

Cecil Anderson

As important as making it secure is how slow and easy you drive. Pulling a horse trailer without killing the horse is good practice. Andy (no expert just two pence)

lshlsh2

Use more straps than you think you need.
Larry

wmachine

Here is what I do, and I've had excellent results:
1. Use no less than 2" ratchet straps in the front least. The fronts take the most pull!
2. Cross the fronts going from the D rings to *frame* bottom just rearward of the front tires. You should be able to find a hole there in the bottom of the frame to put the hook in.
3. On the rears, I run a strap straight from the D ring over the axle and back to the strap.
4. Snug up the fronts first, then the rears, but do not over-tighten.
5. After a few miles of bouncing around, pull over and snug them back up if needed (should be only the rears.)
6. Leave the car in gear, and put on the emergency brake.

Olds64

Also make sure the hauling vehicle and the trailer have proper tire inflation. You don't want any tire trouble during the trip.

leadfoot067

check the vehicle tie downs everytime you stop for something.make sure the car is forward enough on the trailer for tongue weight,but not too far forward=too much toungue weight..

70 cutlass s

Fly out and drive it home. Just kidding follow the above instructions and you will be fine.

Jamesbo

I'd check the trailer axle bearings before making that haul.

citcapp

I would never tie down to the frame of a car. The suspension should be free to work and you do not want to compress your springs with tie downs.

Tire restraints over the from tires is the best for the front, or hook to the lower A frames.

In the rear over the axle. Cross as mentioned above

wmachine

I understand your point, but done like I mentioned does not "compress the springs" and does allow *some* body to chassis movement, as the pull is more "forward" and not "down". It is far from a rigid tiedown.
But what is *does* do is keep the body under better control and keeps it from pitching as much on the trailer.

defiant1

Never hauled horses, but have hauled plenty of stacked square bales on a flatbed trailer. So, I understand taking it slow and easy. Because no one likes to have to re-stack the hay bales that fall off.


Great advice. Thanks for listing it in steps. I might have to pick up more straps to hook to the frame. Right now all I have is the axle straps that loop around the axle and the rings attached to the ratchet end of the strap. The only hook is the one that attaches to the D-ring of the trailer.

Thanks, would it be too much to assume to have 2/3 of the car resting above the tandem axles? Or do I need to have the car more forward?

I hope to have time to do that. That is one hassle I do not want to deal with on a road trip.


I will look into the tire harness/restraints. If I hook to the lower control arms, do I pull straight forward or cross the straps? If I can visualize it correctly I think I can loop my axles strap through the lower control arm before I hook it to the ratchet...


Thanks everyone for all the input. I definitely don't want this to be a catastrophe and want to ensure the Cutlass makes it home in the same condition as it was picked up.

Oldsmaniac

Does the trailer have brakes and tow vehicle a brake controller??...One reason I did a 1400 mile tow with a uhaul trailer with surge brakes. I own a nice trailer but have no brake controller in the truck, unsure of bearings and wire-ing as it has been sitting and tires.....U-haul has it all and any problems on the road ya just call them. Did a one way with it....was not cheap but a problem free tow....would recommend!

defiant1

Originally, I had looked at uhaul, but after trying to get a straight answer from the sales rep who could not guarantee they had a trailer that would work, I gave up. Plus I read where Eightupman, a member of this forum, had an issue with his uhaul trailer where the leaf springs came loose while the trailer was loaded with his Cutlass. The trailers are rentals and people treat them like a "rental", so unless I knew the manager of the uhaul place personally I don't know if I could trust how and when they do maintenance on them.

The trailer I am borrowing does not have brakes. And I pretty much resigned myself to the fact it will be slow trip and I won't be trying to break any speed records with a load on.

Oldsmaniac

I have towed short distances with no brakes and have warped rotors from some unexpected panic stops. You maybe be taking it easy but you are not the only one on the road. Maybe everything will be ok...probably... but I would not do that tow with no trailer brakes, unless I was haulin a junker for parts.

FATRATMATT

I'd make sure I had a large floor jack, a 4-way tire iron and a spare trailer tire just in case. A tool box and flashlight is useful also.

citcapp

X@ just plain bad news. Not you but the other guy thats cuts you off or panic stops in front of you , or the deer that jumps out.................

wmachine

I wouldn't even haul a junker without trailer brakes. With the weight of a car and trailer, it is a matter of safety.

Schober Motorsports

Take your time towing it, make sure you leave yourself a few car lengths of room when your slowing down if you don't have trailer brakes.

Red71

defiant1, what you use for a tow rig makes a big difference.

and using a weight distributing hitch makes the ride 100 x better.

I have pulled my 71 for many years to the track and have found it rides better

with the frame pulled down on the suspension like stated above.

this takes some of the sway out trailer and helps keep it from pitching

on bumps. when you load the car you want the truck and trailer as close to level as

you can. Leave a lot of room between you and the one infront of you to stop.

the car in your sig looks awsome,those Cragers are perfect on that.

do you have pics. of the one youare getting posted on here?

best of luck to ya.......

defiant1

Red71,
Thanks for the information. I am planning on having plenty of open stretches on the highway (it is Montana that I am primarily driving thru) so traffic should be at a minimum. I will be cautious just the same.

The car in my signature is the car that I am getting. I will post more pictures of it after I get it home.

Jamesbo

No brakes would concern me greatly also. You can get into situations [ like inclines] where the trailer is driving the tow vehicle. The only way out is to pull your way out and get the tow vechile pulling the trailer again.

big mean

What is your tow vehicle? I had an 8000lb camper I used to pull with my Titan, it had trailer brakes and a controller, it towed fairly well. My Titan was in getting some body work after ending the day of a big deer up in northern Nebraska. I used my Dad's F-250 Diesel, ex-cab long bed to pull the camper to the lake. Man what a difference the extra wheel base made, it didnt have a brake controller but the 3/4 ton brakes and wheel base made it a much better towing experience. I ended up trading the Titan in for a Duramax before it even got out of the body shop!

Oh and when I hit the dear, i had a 20ft pontoon boat in tow without trailer brakes. I had been telling myself the whole trip to not hit the brakes if a deer jumped out (going through kansas and nebraska), luckily I did not panick and everything worked out.....well at least for us, not the deer...lol I was going about 65 on a two lane highway with no shoulder, I just let off the gas and hit the deer, then stopped to check damages. Needless to say, I didnt need any red bull to keep me awake after that.

joe_padavano

I strongly disagree with crossing the straps or chains. The car isn't going to move sideways. The fore/aft loads and accelerations are much greater than any side loads. The chains or straps need to be as short and as directly aligned as possible. Crossing the straps makes them longer. If you are using straps, that means they can stretch more. Even if you are using chains, you have created a linkage that allows fore/aft movement with much less force. Essentially you have created a panhard rod. Don't cross them.

defiant1

I will be using a 99 Suburban 1/2 ton 4wd. It has fresh rebuilt transmission with tranny cooler. I do wish I had a 3/4 ton for towing. But couldn't justify buying one at the time as I mostly tow an ATV and a boat. Suburbans are known for not having the greatest brakes to begin with so I already have that working against me... But I have driven it enough to know what my limitations are.

defiant1

So, I if I keep the straps parallel, do I want compress the suspension slightly? Or am I just trying to secure the vehicle overall from any forward or backwards movement?

Hairy Olds

If it was me with a 99 half ton truck and no trailer brakes I would just stay home. That's just too many chances to take with your truck and your new car.
Find a trailer with brakes and proceed from there.
And with the straps check the every stop you make and try and get 1 more click out of them they do stretch. I have a sway system and a load distributing hitch/bars they are worth their weight in gold to me.

Red71

the Suburban is only 2nd when it comes to towing, you shouldnt have any problems for

the way it will handle. A crew cab 1 ton dually is #1 ( IMHO) which is what my last truck was.

now a '03 GMC ext. cab 1/2 2wd. with the hitch set at the correct height and dist. hitch

pretty darn good.

this is the way I put my straps on.... ( ahh wait that dont sound right..lol.)

one on the back from end of trailer to the rear end over the right side axle tube then under

the pumpkin,then over the top of lef tube,then back to the trailers end.

Up front, hook one end top of upper control arm then down to front of trailer ( D ring /pocket)

same for other controll arm, but not cross each other.

with car in park snug all tie downs,then put trans in neutral and realy draw it down.

shift back to park. This way it will take some load off the parking paw in the trans.

Then I hook up the winch and give it a little snug.

sorry so long winded...

Red71

x2, Right on Hairy Olds
thats the set up I have.

oldsdroptop

I have been trailerering cars for about 25 years now...I have absolutely swore off tow dollies...I was bringing a car back from Ohio (I took it up there pulling it with 1975 Datsun 280Z with a 5 speed) On the way back I brought my 71 Olds 442 on a tow dolly pulling it with an F150 truck...When I stopped for fuel at the Flying J truckstop in Wytheville, Va I discovered all the bearings had fallen out of the right side wheel on the tow dolly...I was in a panache....this is not what I had planned on....luckily there was a truck repair shop very close by and I talked the guy into pulling the wheel assembly off for me. I found the bearing across the street at a NAPA store (the guy raced go carts and had soem extras for his cart trailer) After about 3 hours we were able to back on the road. Now I run a Roadrunner 32 ft gooseneck trailer with twin 7Klb dexter axles. It runs 16" tires and both axles are braking axles. I tow with a 1999 Ford F-350 with a powerstroke diesel. It has a 6 speed manual transmission. I can haul both my 3800lb Olds convertibles with ease anywhere. I think the 7.3 Navistar was the best engine ever built for sure. I tie mine down by running 10Klb tie downs to the trailer with the tires by way of those neat tire wrap nylon straps. I tie the back down by X ing 10Klb tie downs with larger hooks that fit around the back of the bottom of the shock and works well in keeping it well held down. I included some pics to show you the setup. I love my trailer and truck and won't sell either 1 of them. My wife we work something out.lol. Oldsdroptop

joe_padavano

If you use axle straps, the suspension won't be loaded. If you attach to the frame, then yes you should compress the suspension. Bouncing of the suspension can cause the tiedowns to loosen.

wmachine

X3 Me too.
When I bought my trailer, I had a long talk with the guy that sold trailers/hitches, etc. He said you'll see all kinds of "legal" towing out there, and just because somebody doesn't have a problem it doesn't mean they *won't* have one if put in the right circumstances. And he explained in depth what you need and why you need it. By the time he finished, there was no question about whether or not I was getting dual axle brakes and a load leveling hitch. Just like with most things, there is "doing it" and "doing it right". Anything less than "doing it right" means you are taking a chance that can be avoided. No matter how careful one drives.

defiant1

Well, I bought a weight distributing hitch with sway attachment. I figured this would give my front brakes a better chance of stopping me if the truck was level. Not too mention better steering. A little pricey insurance, but I will have a little more piece of mind.

Thanks to all that gave input and advice.

Shaun

big mean

Dont forget that you will need to adjust the hitch after the car is on it. It might take a try or 4 to get the right amount of links for your specific weight. I would make sure to drive with it a while and make sure it feels right before jumping on the highway home. I know the wd hitch worked wonders while pulling a 8k lb trailer with a half ton truck. It would almost put the axle on the bumpstops without it. It did not sit totally level even with it, I added some helper bags to get it level. This set-up was great, the bags helped with sway a bit to. Good luck and take it easy!

Allan R

X2 Trailers are often overlooked when it comes to maintenance. Also check the trailer brakes and tires. I know lots of guys who just assume everythings good to go because trailers don't take a lot of wear??? Thats just not true. If you're trailering a long way all these things are really important. A blow out? yikes. Can't get it stopped? double yikes. Siezed wheel bearing? Also check your wiring and lights, nothing worse than a police officer citing you for a lighting violation.

I tend to be a little over protective and safey conscious of my rolling stock, so if your borrowed trailer is in top shape, disregard, just want you and your car to arrive safe and in one piece.

slowolds

Well now that the geometry and physics of a car on a trailer have been detailed, did anyone mention about what gear to drive in?
I was always told to leave it in 3 (on an automatic) and not put it in D,overdrive.

defiant1

I figured I would be in 3 most of the time. I don't know if the tranny would stay in OD anytime there was slight incline or even a headwind. I can imagine there it would be a lot of downshifting.

Red71

If that car runs as good as it looks, what a blast it would be to fly out and just drive it back. take some cash and some tools,enjoy the road trip.

lots-o- stuff covered here ,but like slowolds and a few others said. check tires,electrical,
check the u-joints on the sub. air pressures,belts hoses,trans oil,

this is just some of things that some of us that trailer just do automaticaly.

just trying to help a Oldsmobrother out.

how much longer till you go get it?