TECH - How to PROPERLY load your trailer

How do you expect to get a project car home if it has no motor? Build it at the sellers house? Your so traditional, i bet you build covered wagons instead of hot rods...

 

For long distances, I trailer my '29 RPU. It isn't that I don't love driving it, but rather if it does brake down - and Murphy's Law dictates it will on occasion - I like to have my recovery vehicle close by. Its a personal preference, and its why I do it.

Not to mention that it is a stock size cab and I'm 6'3" with a 36" inseam, so riding in it for extremely long periods of time aren't comfortable with the problems I have with my back.

The other thing I do wherever I go is offer the support of my trailer to anyone who might need it should their ride break down on them and they need to be hauled somewhere. If needed, I'll drive my RPU and let whoever drive my truck and trailer with their ride on it.

So... it isn't always about just trailering a queen.

 

one subject that always brings out the most confusion and mis information is proper trailer loading. some people make it so hard and others make it so unsafe.

 

USE COMMON SENSE. If you don't know then ask.

 

Good thread - one more thing: passenger car tires are not designed for trailers and "they'll do" doesn't cut it -USE TRAILER TIRES ON TRAILERS! Ask me how I know this is a good idea.

 

I agree with you here, but part of the problem is that trailer builders/manufacturers are putting passenger car tires on trailers when they are new.

The information in this post will also help find the center of balance on your race car - especially for those who are looking to find that perfect 50/50 balance front to rear. Just by moving and experimenting with numbers and distances, you can find where it'll be balanced before you ever attach anything permanently.

 

TRAILER??! We don't need no stinkin trailer!

 

actually, passenger car tires are just fine, so long as at bare minimum ALL the tires on an axle are the same. IE both sides have a "car tire" or a bias trailer tire. in a perfect world, yes... all the tires should be load rated purpose made tires, but passenger tires work just fine so long as its got em all the way 'round. the ride is a lil spongy, but thats the price you pay for cheapin' out on tires

 

yea, yea... we get it. trailers are for faggots, little girls and hauling shit to the grocery store so you can buy it. better yet, why dont we all just learn to wrap a chain around the bumper and flat tow new stuff home?

 

WORKING trailer brakes are also a good idea. A lot of people don't realize how much a loaded trailer will "push" you in a hard braking situation. Well, until they have made a mess of things

 

if used right, they can also pull your titty out of the ringer before it gets pinched and makes that mess of things too

 

I have always done well with my utility trailer, but you almost can't load it wrong (you can only get about 800# in it before it bottoms out). I have rented Uhaul trailers for my projects a few times though and never thought about load distribution much, just pull the car to the front of the trailer and strap it down. Never had much of a problem. Last time I rented though was a last minute thing for an off topic 4x4. I bought it and agreed with the PO that he would get AAA to tow it for me and I would give him an extra $100. He messed up the deal with AAA though and with the anticipated snow fall I needed to get it off the street from in front of his house. You know a 139" WB truck doesn't really fit on a 133" rated trailer, I have pictures to prove it -- what a waste of $50 there. I guess it is important to really pay attention to your load!

 

As far as trailer tires vs. car tires. I ran my 16' trailer all over the country with passenger car tires on it. Had one flat (road hazard the tire was 6 months old and umder warrenty) in probably 25,000 mi. With the 24' trailer I run 10 ply truck tires.

As far as balance. Never have the load balanced 50/50 you want weight on the tongue at least 10% of the weight of the trailer loaded.

 

great post.
This is important stuff right here. ApeKing should be glad its being discussed for alot of reasons. The best reason is if he shares the road with morons (and we all do) the more people know about trailer safety or just loading a vehicle properly, the better for everybody.

 

Reminds me of this past September. I hauled a '92 Cadillac hearse from home to Cincinnati [200 miles] with my E-250. Probably the 250th car I've hauled, but never this far. The night before, I loaded up the car, took my time, and secured it with 4 straps and the winch cable. I test drove it, getting up to 60 mph with no sway. I had to pull it forward so the bumper was over the winch to get enough tongue weight.

The drive was still white-knuckle. I kept it under 60, and just stayed in the right lane. Bridge crossings were scary, especially the high one over the Miami River. Truckers were probably just shaking their heads.

Got the car there safely, but I will NEVER again haul something that heavy, for that distance, until I upgrade to a 1-ton or more and an Equalizer hitch or goose neck trailer!

 

One of the scariest things to cruise next to on the interstate while riding my bike is a Uhaul pulling a trailer! Because you KNOW that moron has probably never driven a truck that big much less a truck that big pulling a trailer! It makes me pucker up so much you couldnt drive a needle up my ass with a jack hammer as I pass them!!! That is why I usually do so at a very high rate of speed!

Ive pulled a few trailers in my life* and I agree 1000% with the comments about trailer brakes! They not only make stopping easier but can save your bacon, and your load, when things get tricky.

*DISCLAIMER: I was not hauling cars or bikes when I pulled those trailers!

 

we do that a lot... prolly more in a day than anyone realizes. people in cars do some retarded shit. the ones i find worst are the "im a very carefull driver" ones...

 

Years ago, I spent a couple years hauling car across the country with my 1 ton Dodge and an open trailer. Probably 100,000 miles on car tires on the trailer. If you know what you have and pay attension, so many problems just do not happen. I knew where my trailer balance point was, and I knew how much tounge weight was on the hitch when the truck was loaded. I used chains and chain binders, on all 4 corners and a back up at each end, ever had a chain break? I have. I don't use the rachet straps, I don't trust then to secure a car to a trailer, I only used them to tie light things into the box. Even then, standard proceedure was to drive about a 1/2 hour and stop to recheck the chains. Put some road miles on pulling a trailer and you will see how bad most of the drivers really are. They do some truley stupid stuff.

And just for the record, I had many finished cars on that trailer, most going several hundred miles to their new owners. Some people can't afford to take off work, or can't get the time off work, to go get their "new" car.

I drive my crap, but fully understand the reasons some cars get trailered. I'm not to big on myself to pass judgement on what other people do or do not do with their cars. Gene

 

Made several long road trips on a bike with a group, funny we normaly had someones ole lady or a one leg brother following us in a van. Just times when a tow is needed. A hot rodder without a trailer is like a biker witout a pickup, if you don't have one there will be times your just plain screwed.
I own a 64 Harley, a couple of pickups, a one ton cube van, 3 car trailers, a horse trailer, 2 utility trailers and have a use for every damn one. I have a ramp truck also but because of insurance cost it's cheaper to pull a dangerous trailer than load a car on a ramp truck (go figure).

 

Great post.

You can hit the scales at most truck stops and pull on the CAT scales. They are 18 wheeler length and most are set up with 4 seperate weighing pads. If you can get the truck on two seperate, the trailer almost always lands on the 3rd.
Get a big stick or stand on your buddies shoulders to press the button to record the weight. Go on in and pick up your sheet. Cost varies by location but $8-14 for your weight.
Look for these signs.


I can guarantee you have underestimated the weight. I have a very very large enclosed and prior to weighing it I was off 3000lbs based on the previous owner. Hows that for a bad guesstimate?

 

Not gonna drive an open wheeled roadster with no top, or air conditioning from Dallas to Bakersfield for the March meet, or to Santa Maria for father's day !! Not gonna do it!!!
Take a hint from the Harley people, trailer to where you are going and unload. Drive around, have a good time, reload, and be comfortable going home. I've owned three different roadsters, and going down the road in the rain gets old quick!
Not to mention by the time you've spent a couple hours in there, you can't hear and you've been wind burnt beyond recognition.
But wait....I'm going wayyy of topic, my bad.
Good info on this thread. Now that I've ranted I'll go back to sleep. Thanks, Mike

 

On my last haul the truck brakes quit and I used the trailer brakes for the 300 miles home

 

Some of the horror stories on here reminded me of a guy I know. One of those who thinks he doesn't need brakes, weight distributing hitch, lights and a 1/2 T truck is fine. We were headed to a swap about 50 mi away and of course his trailer had no brakes. I let him lead as I didn't want to be in front of him. Sure enough he comes up to a stop sign and there's no way he could get it stopped, the load just pushed him right through the intersection just missing another car. A few years later he buys 32' travel trailer and hauls it home with a little 1/2T no brakes and no weight distributing hitch. He hooks up the brakes and the next week he and his wife go camping after they get home his wife puts her foot down and says never again in that truck. So he ended up buying a suitable truck to pull it. We've all heard the excuses. I only use it during the day so I don't need lights. I don't go very far or fast so I don't need brakes. I know a lot of people think they can get by this way but if you get in an accident who do you think will get the blame?

 

Bookmarked!

~Jason

 

Hopefully you mean you are using your best straps for FORWARD restraint and the one strap for AFT or REARWARD restraint!

If you are using them in the opposite direction - as you stated - then you are setting yourself up for a dangerous situation. The reason I say this is if you hit the brakes, or something else, then you have less restraint holding the car from going forward. Chances are the car with very little restraint on it will not go off the back of the trailer.

WHenever I tie down a load on my 20' dovetail, I try to always use chains to hold the vehicle from moving forward (Forward Restraint) and straps to hold it from going off the back (Aft Restraint). Now, I'll adjust this to chains if necessary depending upon the load. However, my straps are 5000# capacity, and are always doubled back onto themselves to increase the overal restraint.

If you meant what you said the way I described it, then please accept my apologies for misinterpreting your post.

 

Guys, the thing about this thread is not an idea about bashing who does what with their trailer, but a 'take it for what its worth' informational post about how to exactly figure certain points about your trailer and possible vehicles that you put on it.

If you only have something to say regarding "drive your car, don't trailer it" then you have your opinion, but you cannot force it upon me - or anyone else for that matter.

It was mentioned not to build a driver you can't ride comfortably in. Well, I'm 6'3" tall, have a 35" inseam, and issues with my back (disc disease in my thorasic vertebrae and a bulging disc between L4 and L5). If I completely followed this mantra, then I'd never have a vehicle that I can ride in comfortably for long periods of time.

Following this same idea, what about a vehicle that has spanned 4 generations of your family, and you don't really want to change it that much, or radically modifiy it? My '29 RPU was my grandpap's truck, and he was 5'7", and short legged with a 27" inseam. He fit perfectly in it, and drove it well. However, my legs are approximately 8" longer than his, so its a bit uncomfortable riding for long periods of time - even without factoring in my back problems.

So, all being said, opinions are like assholes: everybody has one and they usually all stink. Out of safety for my RPU, and for the comfort of my wife as well as my own comfort, I will continue to trailer it to and from events that are longer distances away. If you don't like that, heed what Momma used to say: "If you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut!"

 

AMEN!!! If you don't have "T"-rated tires on your hauler, you have the wrong tires. Passenger "P"-rated and light truck "LT"-rated tires are NOT rated for trailers, and are wrong, wrong, wrong!

Some of you mentioned how you secured a car...I have an electric winch that I will use to pull the car/truck up on my hauler. I leave it attached to the vehicle, and add two straps to the front. I use a chain, plus two axle straps for the rear; for a total of six tie-down points, both front and back, each. Put the trailered vehicle in First (man) or Park and set the parking brake...it's going to stay on that trailer.

 

Yes - please stay on topic here - the bashing has been edited.

 

I'm surprised at all this talk about straps.
I've never used anything less than CHAIN for the last 40 years

What kind of straps are y'all using?

 

I use tie-down straps that are designed for this task and properly weighted for the job. 2 in front and 2 in back.