Trailering a Car

[WildBill3]

What not to do 1.Never use the old chain booms that rachet over,had our racer nearly come off,tapped the brakes so it rolled forward over the front end fortunatly all the crew was caravaning together and help get the car back on.Wow how unnerving it was thinking of what could have happend.Threw those away and got the good strapps no more problems.

[McD00]

Originally Posted by WildBill3

What not to do 1.Never use the old chain booms that rachet over,had our racer nearly come off,tapped the brakes so it rolled forward over the front end fortunatly all the crew was caravaning together and help get the car back on.Wow how unnerving it was thinking of what could have happend.Threw those away and got the good strapps no more problems.

Boy does that remind me of my towing nightmare. I never towed before, I borrowed a old jeep cherokee. Turns out the back brakes didn't work...I was toeing a old trailer and no one told me about putting the load so the weight was right on the hitch.
It started to whip back and forth, I panicked and jammed on the brakes it jackknifed and I had the wrong size hitch ball. The trailer came loose and took out 60ft of my neighbors fence. Good thing I was only going 30mph or it could have been a lot worse. Another lesson learned

McVette

[LRcobradreamer]

"Was it enclosed? Thanks for the tip! I'll give them a call tomorrow"


Yes it was enclosed. Trailered well. Going to LCS got 8 mpg trying to keep up with the group at 70 to 75 + mph. On the way back we went the back roads and got 9.5 mpg. Usually get 14 to 15 non-towing and about 11 to 12 towing the 23 foot boat. Aerodynamics suck. Oh, can I say that????

Like others have said, tow in neutral with e-brake on after you get the tie downs adjusted. Tie down in a way to keep some movement of the springs so the Cobra suspension still absorbs some of the bumps. He installed additional tie down points in the front which better fit the Cobra, if you get the same trailer.

Lee

[capteddie]

Originally Posted by McD00

Boy does that remind me of my towing nightmare. I never towed before, I borrowed a old jeep cherokee. Turns out the back brakes didn't work...I was toeing a old trailer and no one told me about putting the load so the weight was right on the hitch.
It started to whip back and forth, I panicked and jammed on the brakes it jackknifed and I had the wrong size hitch ball. The trailer came loose and took out 60ft of my neighbors fence. Good thing I was only going 30mph or it could have been a lot worse. Another lesson learned

McVette

OK McDOOOOO....

You need to get some help. First you wreck your car in a parking lot of all places and now your telling stories about jack knifing trailers. Maybe you should stick to golf carts in Sun City

[DAVID GAGNARD]

As for tying down the car in the trailer, I originally posted this back in September 2005....

I tie my Cobras (along with every other car I tow) down as follows (all using 10,000lb rated tie downs, ratchets, and axle straps as you can never be too careful/cautious):

Front: Short padded axle strap around the outside of the lower control arm closest to the wheel assembly. Front left to Front left tie down loop, front right to front right tie down loop.

Rear: Short padded axle strap around axle tube as close to the center section as possible. Crossed in the rear to prevent movement of the car once strapped down. Left rear to right rear tie down loop, right rear to left rear tie down loop.

I do pretty much the same thing with a few exceptions..... I have a set of straps made the correct length for my car/trailer for the front and use rachet straps in the rear, I also winch my car on and off the trailer... I put both the front and rear straps in the X pattern, keeps the car from moving side to side and after all is done, I leave the electric winch connected and pull the cable up real snug for added insurance....I never leave my car in gear, although I know plenty that do.... I've towed different cars for over 10 years now all over the country and using this method I've so far, never had any problems....

One other thing I do: once I get on the road, I stop after 5 to 10 miles and get out and check the straps and also put my hand on the axle hubs of the trailer just to check for excessive heat....doesn't hurt to be too careful..........

David