just thinkin comin back from BG . if i'm towin a car on my trailer i try and hook my tie downs to the vehicle frame ( to keep the weight of the car from "sloshin" and trying to throw the trailer around during corners and stops ) . but i see quite a few set ups where the car is just tied down at the axles ? any dif ? or is one better than the other ? del
You are going to get opinions going both ways. When I started using trailers to haul cars 25 years ago I bought a new set of 4 tie down straps, axle straps etc. from a company called M&R http://www.mrproducts.com/ They had put an info sheet in the package when they shipped them. It said to make sure your strap wrapped around the spool of the rachet 2 full times so it would be locked and less likely to work loose,,, and to tie the vehicle below the suspension so the car would not "work" up and down nor put any un-nessary strain on the hold downs which could encourage them to work loose. I have always done this and I have never had a problem with many many miles of towing. But like I said there will be disagreement on this, do what works and you feel comfortable with. The info from M&R made perfect sense to me then and still does. Mike
i have to agree with mike, i have the tie downs and the extra straps that go around the axle. i always figured if i was holding down the suspension it would be best seeing that thats holding down the contact points to the trailer.(being the tires) but i have also seen alot of guys that have there straps hooked to stay on the car so all they do is hook the tie downs too it.
I use M&R tie downs. I like thier axle straps with the black sleeves. I have always tied the car down by the lower control arms and axle, never to the frame. Once its strapped down, I put the E brake on. After I get over the bridge and off LI, I pull over and recheck the straps. They usually need to be snugged up. After that, every gas stop. Straps get changed regardless every 4 years. I recall Ron Mooney bent his frame by tying it down to the frame. Ive never had a problem with the car rocking around on the trailer. It doesnt slosh around like you think. Its very stable. With tying it to the frame, you would really need to compress the suspension to the point of it being on the bump stops. Anything less and I would think the straps would slack when the car went over a hard bump.
After seeing several conversations about this I have come to the conclusion that people get confused because many of the big truck car carriers hook to the frame and cinch it down tight. The reason they can do that is because the binding system is different. The chains typically pull/ratchet down on a more vertical angle vs the more horizontal angles most common when tying a car to a single car trailer. The big truck cinching systems can can compress the suspension enough so it won't bounce no matter what. That is very difficult if not impossible to accomplish when a ratchet strap or chain is used on a standard car hauler because of the more horizontal angle. The physics just don't allow it to work. So, thats why most of us tie to the axle and control arms.
Thanks for that clarification as I was thinking of the big car haulers too and how they tie to the frame not the suspension.
I have always been told to tie off on the suspension and to cross the straps to help keep the car centered.
