Transporting w/car trailer

[Dangermouse]

My guess on the in gear/ out of gear issue: as the guide is aimed towards commercial car transporters in the 80s, perhaps there was an issue with vibration from a long journey causing spall marks on the gear teeth if it was left in gear?

[David T]

Leaving the car in gear and/or putting the parking brake on will not keep the car on the trailer. First of all you can not trust the parking brake especially on a car you are not familiar with. The tie downs have to be strong enough to keep the car secure without counting on the brakes or leaving it in gear. IMHO the main reason it is advised to always leave it it neutral (we are talking about the manual now) is to prevent any accidents from starting it in gear. You can imagine the result if it started in gear and drove off the trailer into the tow car! The other good reason you want it in neutral is if it is left in a gear the car will be bouncing back and forth on the same teeth and can eventually cause wear and damage on a long trip. BTW another important tip is to cross the rear tie downs so the car can't move sideways. The rear tie downs are the most important because they are the ones keeping the car from moving forward during braking. As you can see from the pictures the car is very far forward so as to get as much weight on the tongue as possible because of the rear engine. You need to always have weight on that tongue during towing. Don't forget bumps, and hills, they affect the tongue weight too. As the trailer goes over them they momentarily cause weight to transfer and the result can be "unsettling". It will feel as if the back of the car is floating. Becomes more interesting if it happens when you have to use the brakes or are turning! If you feel uncomfortable pick a lower speed till you can figure out what is wrong.

[Rich_NYS]

So here's the funny part: we realized how close the car was to the side rails, and when we first checked it appeared there wouldn't be clearance to open the door. So, we put the car in neutral and used a hand-winch to pull it onto the trailer (with the window down, dragging the E-brake.) We had part of the ramp break, close calls with the side rails....etc. So, in the midst of the issues we were working on, we forgot to re-check the door clearance during the loading.

We loaded the car "by hand," tied it down all the way around.....then during the final check we realized the door had just enough clearance. I could've driven the car on and gotten out just fine.


Pics are in reverse order, not sure why. http://dmctalk.org/album.php?albumid=219

[eagle-co94]

Don't take offense, but that was the wrong trailer for transporting a car. The floors aren't designed to carry weight like that. That's a landscaping type trailer which is why the gate broke. I'd be scared the car might shift sideways and rub one of those rails. The car looks great though and I'm glad to hear you made it safely!

[Jimmyvonviggle]

Congrats on the car. You have some interesting stripes, never seen the lower stripe like that, looks like a custom job.

[David T]

Don't take offense, but that was the wrong trailer for transporting a car. The floors aren't designed to carry weight like that. That's a landscaping type trailer which is why the gate broke. I'd be scared the car might shift sideways and rub one of those rails. The car looks great though and I'm glad to hear you made it safely!

Although the trailer is not ideal it should be OK. The biggest problem is how to properly tie the car down. You do not want to count on the floor, ideally the tie-downs should be from the frame of the trailer to the frame of the car. The other problem with the trailer is capacity. Many of that type are not meant for the weight of a car. You should be able to figure that out from the label on the trailer. If the tailgate was not strong enough that is a hint the trailer may be overloaded.

[Rich_NYS]

Don't take offense, but that was the wrong trailer for transporting a car.

None taken at all, good feedback and I totally agree. It was borrowed from a friend who transports a lot of stuff and I saw it for the first time yesterday AM. I believe the weight rating is OK, but made sure we strapped it all the way around and blocked the wheels. We criss-crossed the rear tie-downs and I [neurotically] stopped often to check the tie-downs.

Everything worked out OK, but next trip I'll definitely use a different trailer. (Insert "wiping sweat off brow" here!)

Get back to me about that window.....ready when you are.

[Rich_NYS]

Congrats on the car. You have some interesting stripes, never seen the lower stripe like that, looks like a custom job.

Thanks, I'm psyched! The stripes look like a "one size fits all" vinyl tape kinda thing. I'll be removing them asap (Don't shoot! )

[Rich_NYS]

Although the trailer is not ideal it should be OK. The biggest problem is how to properly tie the car down. You do not want to count on the floor, ideally the tie-downs should be from the frame of the trailer to the frame of the car. The other problem with the trailer is capacity. Many of that type are not meant for the weight of a car. You should be able to figure that out from the label on the trailer. If the tailgate was not strong enough that is a hint the trailer may be overloaded.

I tied it as you mentioned, and followed suggestions earlier in this thread also. It handled OK, and also has brakes but as I mentioned.....will opt out of this one next time for sure.

[eagle-co94]

My main concern was the design of those trailers. The floors are normally just angle iron and not I-beams and they're spaced about every 2-3' with simple metal mesh laid down. Adding a wood floor helps, but the floors are designed for evenly distributed loads, not concentrated in 4 small contact patches. Ride on mowers, ATV's and motorcycles are more typical in a trailer like that.