Towing A Car On A Trailer

[AngryRB]

May sound like a silly question,

I'll be towing my car on a car trailer for the first time next week and need some advice on how to tie the car down, eg. where do i tie down? the diff? each wheel? all 4 wheels? chains or truck tie down ok?

[mad082]

where you tie it down sort of depends on the trailer and where the points are to tie it down. my opinion is to tie it down via parts of the car connected to the lower part of the suspension that aren't going to move too much if the suspension is compressed. for example, if you were to tie it down via the body somewhere, if you hit a big bump then the suspension of the car can compress and the chains/tie-downs can slacken and the car can move. but as i said, it comes down to where the points are on the trailer to tie down to.

also make sure that you have the car foward all the way so you have most of the weight over the front of the trailer. this will make it tow better. having too much weight over the back of the trailer is a good way to cause an accident once you pick up a bit of speed.

[luvpsi]

Trust him about the weight distribution I had a trailer jack knife on me at speeds

[AngryRB]

Thanks for the tips, im hoping that 4 ratchet tiedowns ( 1500kg rated each ) is enough around the lower suspension on each corner then, i think the tow trucks use chains and winches but ill be driving steady , its a 30min drive and the front of the trailer has a wire that hooks onto the tow hook, and the trailer has brakes . The trailer says its rated at 1200kg, do you guys see any problem if the skyline is 1400kg?

Do you guys think there is any issues with this setup? i know i could of just got a tow truck but it would be alot more expensive.

[luvpsi]

As mentioned have the car as far forward on the trailer as possible and a tie down on each corner compressing the suspension

[Rekin]

i had 4 ratchet tie downs. Going through the rim. Front wheels anchored to the front of the trailer. Rear wheels anchored to the rear of the trailer.

Like this;

[AngryRB]

Thanks for the pic Rekin,

ok i think im all sorted now , cheers people.

[JonnoHR31]

yep facing forward with tie downs on all 4 wheels is the best way

[benm]

Think of the car as a tennis ball, doesn't matter which way you tilt the trailer (forward, backward, side) the tennis ball should not be able to move. Don't take any notice of how a tow truck operater secures a vehicle, 98% of them should be shot for their unsafe practices (a winch + 1 wheel tied down is not safe).

The easiest way is as Rekin has posted, using each wheel diagonally to the corner of the trailer. This prevents forward, backward and side movement but can play havoc on alignments.

Use 'hooker & keeper' 50mm ratchets which you can get a 4 pack from bunnings for about $50 rated to 1-2 ton. The amount of retards I see at motorsport events use 1x 20mm s-hook looped through the front axle and another looped through the back axle is astonishing. Most importantly is to tie it all down, then do a lap of the trailer to re-check each point then drive the car 50 or 100m and brake then get out and check it all again.

[kawasakirider]

Just make sure your hand brake is on and the car is in the gear that you value the least. Chuck a mate in there to hold the brakes on and turn the wheel for a bit of extra friction for security.

Make sure it can't move by tying it on as said (I'd also have the winch tightened if you can) and then take it a bit easy, towing a trailer with a car on it isn't hard if you use your brain, let people overtake you and if the trailer gets unsettled don't smash your brakes, pump them once and power out.

[DVS JEZ]

And keep a good safe braking distance behind people. Make sure all the brake lights etc work and the brakes work

[AngryRB]

Thanks guys for all the good advice,

Towed the car to ERD this morning, ended up using 3 tie downs and had my bro follow behind me in his car just to make sure it was ok, first time towing was a bit anxious lol, but was suprisingly smooth ride,

the car didnt move at all on the trailer and was solid, the EL falcon got a work out.. i can see why people use 4wd's to tow there drag cars.. the temp guage was sitting high and the brakes became shakey by the end.

Cheers