trailering straps

[Don S.]

I am borrowing a trailer to go fetch an 1982 vette which is about 450 miles away from my home. I need to buy tie down straps. I looked in an auto store and there were many variations, of weights, thickness etc. . I neeed to know which kind , weight, length. etc. to purchase. I will also be towing a 75 bricklin 500 miles next month. I also am purchasing an enclosed trailer and may haul a 55 and a 65. Is there any preferred formulae for tying these down. I sure want to get it right as I do not want the car rolling around on the trailer. (Please also keep it in non technical language as I am kinda new at this.) Thanks

[Mike Cobine]

Re: trailering straps

I like to point most to the URL below. The straps you want and need should be at the least the 3000 lb. straps, that are 2 inches wide. Unfortunately, there are many varieties and qualities so what you need to look for are the heavy stiff straps that are probably in the 5000 or 10,000 lb rating to be sure you have quality items and not the cheap marketing stuff you find in discount houses.

You should check with a trailer store in your area. However, they will be high. If you could hit one of the car swap meets and find a vendor selling straps, you'd be better off money wise.

Do a search on Google or Yahoo for tie down straps and you may find vendors. However, sight unseen can be tricky since many list the flimsy nylon straps at high ratings which are really not good enough to hold a motorcycle.

The quality of the strap is readily noticable when you use it.

Cars unfortunately usually do not roll around on a trailer; they come crashing off violantly. Tying it down so it stays is of the utmost importance.




Trailering Your Corvette

[Mike Cobine]

Re: trailering straps - more info

A quick search brought up these sites:

http://www.trailer-parts-forless.com/mr_tiedowns/auto_tie_down_main.htm

http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/products.htm

http://www.masterhitch.com/hitchAcc.asp?prodID=21

http://www.coversmfg.com/nylonstraps.html

http://www.jhnunn.com/prod07.htm

http://www.tie-downs-ratchet-straps.com/id25.htm

Usual disclaimer, I know nothing of these, I am not connected, and I make no endorsement either way on their quality.

I noticed that the 3000 lb strap is never mentioned, probably because the real 3000 lb 2 inch wide heavy duty industrial cargo straps has been confused with the cheap imitations sold in K-Mart, WalMart, and the rest. The so-called 3000 strap in many of these pre-packaged deals would snap if a real 3000 lb load ever came on it.

The best is to stay with at least the 5000 (60000) or 10,000 (12,000) ratings depending on who makes it. In a worse case scenario, you could have the car hanging by one strap and it has to handle the load of the entire car. Ideally, you have four straps (2 front, 2 rear) but in a crash, the loads could be in one direction only. If one strap were to come loose or be cut as part of the accident, your car would hang by one strap only. Think of all the things that car could hit if that strap failed.

Also remember you are dealing with a vehicle costing $10,000 to $75,000 or more. The value of a life that it could hit is priceless. Do not cheap out on the straps.

[Eugene B.]

Re: trailering straps

Don,
I you have a Jeg's auto parts store in your area, they might be a good place to shop for tie downs. They have several choices in their catalog.

I would think that considering the value of race cars, they would provide quality products.

Good luck,
Gene

[Don S.]

Re: trailering straps

good article on towing--thanks

need to know lenght of staps, whether to get rachet type and where to attach straps where they will do no damge to various autos.

Don
steele

[Terry M.]

Re: trailering straps *TL*

I purchased several sets of ratchet tie down straps - 10,000 lb rated - from Northern Tools. They were such a hit that others wanted them. They also have padded axle straps for wrapping around frame members. They worked for me. I got the loan of chassis hooks that go into the oval holes that are punched in the frame of C1-C3 Corvettes for transport tie down. Those also worked well for me.
Some folks prefer an over-the-tire tie down, and those are available from Northern Tools also, but they require trailer D-rings installed is specific locations.
Goggle will find you Northern Tools. I searched on straps and found most of the above, but their catalog has lots of neat items, so you may want to get one.
There have been several previous discussions of trailering and vehicle tie down methods on this board. Search and yea shall find. I believe tow vehicles have also been discussed IIRC.

[Art A.]

Re: trailering straps

Terry I'm with you-----I think the utilizing the GM designed frame key hole for tying down a vehicle is the way to go. My question is-----what does the chassis hook look like and where do you think I can buy them?

Art

[Clem Z.]

Re: trailering straps

after towing race cars all over i have found the best way is to pull down the frame on blocks of wood. this makes for a solid tie down. if you use the wheel straps or axle straps the car will work up and down on the suspension as you go down the road and if you do not use the blocks of wood under the frame you must pull the suspension all the way down to the snubbers. you have to look at the case that you might have a accident and you want the car a tight as posible in the trailer. JMHO

[Terry M.]

Re: trailering straps *TL*

Art,

The chassis hook for GM vehicles looks like a capital T with a 90 degree bend about a 1/2-inch below the crossbar. The top part fits into the oval hole, but is wider than the hole and must be pushed in one side at a time. Once in it is turned 90 degrees and is thus locked in. There is an eye at the bottom of the T that the tie down strap can be hooked into.
I have seen them advertised in the Northern Tool catalog, but couldn't find them on-line. I have seen them at the larger swap meets where there is a vendor stitching tie down straps. Those hooks are sometimes sold three to a ring, with the other hooks being designed for the other two major car manufacturers. Of course, for our operations that may be overkill.
A google search using "GM tie down hooks" came up with the below site. The hooks I borrowed did not have the chain on them, but were shaped like the top illustration.




Tie down hooks

[Dick W.]

Re: trailering straps

Art, straps with hooks (3) as Terry described are available from Trailer World in Bowling Green KY. M & R Products used to have them, but I could not find them in their online catalog. However they do have a good site for hints about tying down cars. Go to the link below




http://www.mrproducts.com/tips.html

[Harmon C.]

Re: trailering straps

Sams Club has the heavy duty ratchets at a good price. I have seen cars with the hook holes torn out so they have a limit or were rusty. I like wheel bonnets but the trailer needs set up for them. Lyle

[Larry S.]

Re: trailering straps

What I can tell you about trailering.No matter how well you think you have the car tied down YOU DONT,I always seem to have a problem with the new style ratching straps that I have them set TIGHT and after a couple of hundred miles they seem to stretch and get slack.I always check my straps often.Also when usning an enclosed trailer you look at all that wall space inside and think of all the nice things you can store up there on the walls,tools,spare parts,chairs,umbrellas,well you get the idea just remeber in a panic stop or swerve no mater how well you think you have them secure the become missles.Good Luck and be safe

[Terry M.]

Re: trailering straps *TL*

Lyle,
I too have seen the torn holes. The way back 1968-69 team leader, Ralph Spears, used to work in a train yard unloading Corvettes c. 1973-75. He tells how that happened.
In some cases they couldn't reach the hook on the frame to remove it, so they took the chain lose from the winch and moved the car to a position where they could reach the hook. Sometimes in moving the car the chain caught on the rail car and pulled the hook lose.
I can picture the same thing happening on a car carrier. However, you are right in that there is a limit to the strength of all materials.

[Mike M.]

Re: trailering straps

Try www.kinedyne.com look for ratchet straps. These straps are used on aircraft, trucks ect for tieing down loads. These are good straps not K-Mart.There sometimes called Herc straps. This is the brand I use, they work great and thats all I've ever used. Mike