Trailer Tie down methods

[GThomas]

Hey guys!

About to be the proud owner of a Trailex 7541. I'm new to the whole trailer game so I am looking for the best transport methods and recommendations on straps etc. The new car will have rear shock tie down mounts but I've heard negative things about them.

In for advice.

Thanks!

[bradmer]

car hauler trailer tie down method

I strap the rear sub frame to a D ring towards the rear of the trailer with a ratcheting web strap, encircling the sub frame with each rear strap, one on each side of the diff.
During sudden stops it should stay in place, and has so far because when you tow a trailer it's a license for people to act stupid in front of you.

I tie the front factory mount forward to a D ring on the trailer with a ratcheting web strap, one on each side.

I strap over each front tire to a D ring on each side of them with a ratcheting web strap. I'm saving up for some of the tire web strap hold downs I've seen around, they look pretty slick.

During transit I check the straps kinda often because they can loosen depending how rough the road is.

If you look at a flatbed wrecker they have 4 hooks that seemingly stretch the car in place. That's what I'm shooting for.

[vpilarrt]

Nice looking trailer.

On the rear I use thru-the-wheel straps crisscrossed to D rings (like the black Cayman in the Trailex website) with ratchet straps, on the front I use the factory tie points crisscrossed to D rings with ratchet straps.

You want the tongue weight to be about 12% of you total trailer + car weight.

[1990m3]

I use the tie down that garagistic and AKG and others sell that bolts onto the lower shock mount bolt for the rear.

I run Kosei wheels in the front and use an axle strap through the wheels in the front. It pulls on the barrel of the wheel, not the spoke. The front is trickier, I'd like to come up with a better / easier to get to method for the front but haven't taken the time to figure that out yet. Maybe this winter. Ideally I would weld a few hooks to my subframe or use the ratcheting straps that are designed to go over the wheels, but on a lowered track car those may be challenging to squeeze in between the fenders and the tire -- it's car to car.

[TobyB]

There are several schools of thought.

Do be careful putting a sideways load on the factory tiedown points-
they were meant to go straight (and quite down) so loading them sideway
CAN (depending on angle) distort them. Doesn't always...

Personally, I don't cross the straps. I use all 4 factory points, and go down
to the trailer at about a 30 degree angle. But my trailer has channels for the tires,
and sideways motion will just move a tire up against the channel.
It's only happened once or twice.

Crossing at a 45 degree angle makes sense. But much 'flatter' than that reduces
the lateral load carrying ability of the straps considerably, and the car may be able
to move front- to- back quite a bit.

I like tying to the body, as that way the trailer suspension is doing the work, and the
car's shocks, etc, aren't moving. Makes the trailer a bit more predictable, too.

Getting tied down is a big pain in the butt, I agree. Shackles help a lot.

t

[kronus]

have been told by trailer strap engineers that you're not supposed to cross them

[pandaboo911]

Tow hooks are meant to have tension applied normal to the hook, not at an angle. Especially if you have aftermarket hooks made from sheet aluminum

[Jb325is]

If you don't have alignment capabilities at the track, I would not use wheel straps. Just my opinion, but it is based on experience. Only time we would use wheel straps on the race cars I work with is if the car was wrecked/damaged in some way and the post race set down numbers didn't matter

I've always strapped the body down in the front and angled out from subframe in the rear, through diff mount. Make sure you get plenty on wraps on your strap and all that

[GThomas]

Thanks for all the input!

If anyone has pics etc that would be a huge help also.

[TimeMachinE30]

While you may not fall under the federal regulations, might be worth a peak to see what the carrier regulations are:

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/cargo-securement/cargo-securement-rules

[GThomas]

Anyone have links to strap packages they'd recommend or brands that I should get? Not trying to guess based on amazon reviews and find out the hard way.

[Jb325is]

http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com

These are pretty nice

[TimeMachinE30]

Talk to your local tow truck companies, too. I think many of the drivers would be glad to show you their profession

[Jbauman]

These tie downs work nice

I mounted E-track to the deck of the trailer and am using these straps:
http://www.uscargocontrol.com/2-x-11...-Cleats-4-Pack
They work pretty well. Jeff

[JimmyP]

The preferred method of the NE E30 track crew for many, many years has been a axle straps around the rear subframe and straight back to trailer tie down points.
Front unibody factory "frame rail" tie down points (that are just above the front lower control arm brackets) hook through the slot and straight forward to trailer tie downs.

No need to cross the straps.
The car rolls fore-aft, not side to side. The trailer is driving for and aft.

You are not doing it any benefit by crossing the straps "except" in the event off a broken or loose strap allowing it to slack.
The E36 guys commonly cross straps because it keeps those hokey T hooks in the slots.

With straight pulls, even if a strap breaks or loosens the other side still keeps the car under tension.

If you look at the way a car rolls, the direction of towing, there is no reason to cross straps on an E30 ever.

The E30 is one of the simplest cars to tie down, some people way overcomplicate it.