I am thinking of trailering my 2012 GS to Colorado soon and I was wondering how you all tie down the car to the trailer. Where you hook up too, what kind of straps you use, etc, etc.

Oh, and pictures would be great!

Thanks,
-Bob George

 

FWIW....before I bought my own tilt-bed auto trailer I once tried using a U-Haul auto trailer. I won't list all the problems I encountered but suffice it to say for my C6 the U-Haul trailer was a nightmare. If you're renting a trailer chances are you'll simply lash-down the wheels. With my trailer I use 4 ratchet straps with flat snap-hooks and T-hook connectors. I criss-cross the straps and connect the T-hooks into the oval frame slots (where jacking pucks would go). Ratchet straps are widely available but I use DLD Truck Straps out of Phoenix 602-278-2878 (tell them you want flat snap-hooks on the straps). I'd have to dig a bit to find where I bought the t-hooks but it might have been Northern Tool. If you go that route and can't find where to get them PM me and I'll look it up. Good luck.

I don't know if it helps but here's a picture of the car on its trailer....

 

Some good info in these previous discussions:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...ul-method.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...-w-uhaull.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...railering.html

 

This is the trailer I have.



So you use the cargo straps on the front and the back? I don't have the d-rings like your trailer has. I wonder if clipping them to the trailer frame would work?

Thanks,
-Bob George

 

have you tried contacting the trailer manufacturer for their recommendation as it pertains to where on the trailer to clip to?

 

I didn't think of contacting the trailer dealer. I guess I just assumed that just as some dealers don't kow how to correctly work on a Corvette that the trailer dealer wouldn't know how to tie one down without damaging it either.

-Bob

 

Northern does sell the t hooks and they have nice car straps use a strap rated for what your doing.getting the car on that trailer will be the issue it looks flat with no dovetail you will need long ramps and get the front of the trailer as high as you can back your truck up on old car ramps that will get the back of the trailer down lower.

 

Another problem I see with the trailer is your not gonna get the door open once in it. Is it rated for a car???

 

I hope it is rated for a car. That's what I told the salesman I wanted when I bought it 5 or 6 years ago. I didn't get one with a bobtail then because I was only looking at towing a Astro van behind a RV and truthfully I had no idea of what I was getting into. Towing the Astro van didn't work out too good as I could not get the straps to stay attached to the trailer. I had the straps that just have a rod bent into a hook.



BTW, the sides are made come off. They just slide into pockets. Having said that, I have never taken them off so who knows what kind of fight that might be. Also, the fenders come off too. They are held on with a few carriage bolts.

Thanks for the info on the hooks. I'll check them out.

 

Don't use j- or t-hooks in the frame slots. Doing so pulls your car down against its suspension, and if you compound that with the movement of the trailer's suspension, your car will bounce up and down against the straps. This repeatedly lets slack into the strap, then tightens up, which shockloads the straps and attachment points.

When I owned my towing business, I used this wheel strap set on all of my flatbeds:



There are lots of sources, but here is where I bought mine:

AW Direct

With this tie-down system, the car is secured completely by the wheels, allowing the car to float on its own suspension.

 

The wheel straps are a good idea just would not want them used on my wheels. My drag car is secured in the trailer with hooks in the front frame rails chains to front d rings then axle over strap in the rear works well never had one come loose. I see you point in the t hooks in the chassis but it it's tied down tight enough and checked often don't see a problem as long as there tight.

 

I haul my GS a lot using wheel straps and rags between the strap and the wheel.. Have hauled it as far as 1000 miles in a single trip with no issues.

 

I had heard back when I tried to tie down the Astro van that you should tie down to like an a-arm, axle or such. I was told to stay away from the frame, bumpers, hitches, etc because the straps will come loose from the suspension moving while the trailer is moving.

I was worried about tieing down to the suspension on the Corvette because I didn't know I'd cause damage to whatever I strapped to. That's why I posted this thread. So far I've really only had two suggestions, the t-hooks and the wheels straps. The other posts have been about the trailer.

I did a search on the web and the site that was the most informational about tieing down cars in general said not to use the wheel straps unless you have a light car such as a Model A because using them on a heavier? car would put too much stress on the wheels, bearings, spindles, etc.

I was hoping to come to some sort of concensus about the best way to do it, but it's hard to say that I have with only three actual replies to my question. Thank you both for your inputs, I really appreciate you taking the time to offer your suggestions.

-Bob George

-Bob George

 

^^^^^ These.

I've towed a lot of C5s and C6s. I go through the wheel with rags or lash down through the lower control arms or cradle. I let the car float rather than a hard pull down on the suspension that COULD come loose.

 

Wow! A lot more input in just a few minutes. That is awesome!

jmoffett, I checked out the site from your post and I like them. My car has the chrome gumby's. Do you think I'll hurt the wheels using those straps? I think I saw some "sleeves" somewhere. Would I need some of those?

Thanks for the help,
-Bob George

 

I lashed the wheels also with rags under the straps to protect the wheels. I like allowing the suspension to be active while not affecting the tightness of the straps. Plus, my car is pretty low, getting straps underneath can be tough. Going through wheels is easy and accessible.

 

I can't see any way that a nylon strap could damage a chrome wheel. However, if you're concerned, get some basket straps that go over the wheel. One word of advice, though, if you go to AW Direct for such an alternative. The basket strap set on their website (that sells for $219 I think...can't get their site to come up) isn't big enough for C6 wheels and tires. I bought a set once, but had to use them as through the wheel straps on Corvettes because they wouldn't snug down far enough to secure the vehicle.

 

'

I bought 4 of these for $4 each and fit them into each of the four frame holes and then hooked them to a typical ratchet tie-down when hauling with a U-haul auto transporter...... Worked perfectly!!!!!




Frank

 

I want to amend my earlier post. I was running my car at Inde Motorsports Ranch today and saw a guy with a U-Haul auto trailer. It was vastly improved from the one I had a bad experience with year's ago. I retract my previous blanket condemnation of the U-Haul auto trailer for a Corvette....changed to guarded optimism.

 

I have been towing Corvettes on trailers for 20 years. I have always used the factory shipping slots. The ones in the C5/C6 frame work well with T hooks. I have a trailer similar to the OPs and had the trailer dealer weld four D rings onto the frame of the trailer. He notched the wood bed so they would fit flush with the bed and the wood wouldn't burn when he welded them. Four T Hooks, and four ratchet straps work well. For several years when I first got my trailer I had two chains mounted to D Rings in the rear center of the bed. The chains were wrapped around the D rings and had T hooks at the other end. With a 3K WL limit they kept the car from going forward. I would drive onto the trailer fasten the T Hooks into the rear shipping slots, drive forward until the chains stopped the car, set the parking brake and then attach straps with T hooks to the front shipping slots and use the straps to pull the car tight against the chains. Biggest issue was getting the car on the trailer straight since it had to be straight for both chains to be tight.

Despite what one of the posters above says I believe it is good to pull the car down on its suspension. When you are towing down the highway at 70 to 75 mph and get into a bumpy section of the highway you don't want the car bouncing independently of the trailer. You want them to bounce together as much as possible or to restrain the car's bouncing as much as possible. I can drive down a bumpy section of highway with all sorts of dips and heaves, look in the mirror and barely see the car moving in relationship to the trailer. It it was tied down at the wheels it would be bouncing all over.

Bill