Trailering a Seven

[locost7018]

I have some questions involving trailers. I am using E track for tiedowns and I installed them along the length of the trailer. I noticed on the group buy trailer the E track was installed ACROSS the width of the trailer. Which is proper? Does it make any difference? Also my trailer is only 153" long inside and the car is 129" long so I don't have much room fore and aft to run the tie downs to the track. I was wondering if I could tie toward the center of the car as opposed to tieing away from the car. Thanks Russ

[scannon]

I have E-track running lengthwise like yours. I tie down from the left E-track to the right side of the car, etc., going forward or rearward as far as possible on the E-track. It has worked well for me so far. I also hook up to the winch as a safety factor.

 

Anyone know a reason not to do it this way? I don't have the over the tire straps, just hooks to the frame and E-track.

 

Skip

[MHKflyer52]

Hello Skip an locost7018,

 

I have E-Track in my trailer and it runs FWD an AFT on the floor and is anchored into the frame plus the flooring.

I tie down my car using a cross pattern, left rear to right rear E-Track and right rear to left rear E-TrackAnd the front is done the same but opposite of the rear as this helps keep the car from moving forward and aft and side to side. My tie downs hook directly into the E-Track and I have some short straps that let me hook a D-Ring into the track so I can tie down objects with straps that do not hook directly into the E-Track. When I saw some of the photos with the e-Track going sideways I just figured that they (the owners) wanted them that way. You just need to remember that your straps are only as strong as their attachment points ans that those attachment points are not loaded the wrong way as with E-Track it is designed to take the pull down is lenght and not sideways unless you have special attachment hooks that are designed for that loading. I also have wheel chocks that I place in front and behind each wheel to help.

[Al N.]

Regarding the E-track...my trailer came that way...I did not specify. I use the special 6,000 lbs attachement hooks and conventional ratchet straps and padded loop thingies. I was thinking about adding fore-to-aft e-track, but don't know how that would actually help...I can't used those tire tie down harnesses that go over the tires since my fronts have less than zero clearance from the cycle fender lips. I'll take a pix some time. I think I posted in a separate thread that that I ended up going cross on the back tires and straight on the front lower A arms.

[jmanz6]

In my experience it's best to tie down forward and aft of the car. Also, it seems better to compress the suspension instead of using the tire cradles. When I had a Datsun 280Z tied by the tire cradles it would lunge and sway on the trailer making the trailer pull the tow vehicle around a lot. My 240Z gets tied to the front and rear suspension and I crank it down enough that the car squats. This has made the car less likely to sway and makes it tow a lot better. Note that I tow with an 18ft open trailer and a 2003 Jeep Liberty.

[lowflyer]

One thought to consider when you tie down the suspension.

 

You can damage suspension parts, especially the light weight A-arms on a "7" quite easily. Also, you are pre-loading the wheel bearings which can cause them to flat spot. I have an open trailer and can watch the car's suspension work as it goes over bumps. Without that movement, the power generated by the bump can only go into the car's suspension and frame.

 

A strap arrangement that goes over the tire is a better system, IMHO.

 

I had a pair of them made up for the front wheels on my car. The straps have a "basket" which captures both the top and both sides of the tires, preventing them from slipping off. They are also available commercially.

 

On the rear I can't use them because the fenders are in the way, so I go over the rear axle, but pull it to the rear, instead of straight down.

 

Also, always check the tension on the straps, as they will loosen as the car "settles in" over the first few miles.

[slngsht]

On Al's he has straps with soft covers that go through the wheel spokes. I thought that was a nice setup.

 

On mine, I wrapped the rear tie down around the axle, pulling it towards the rear and down. I hooked the front around a frame joint where it is 6" apart from a bunch of tubes coming together on either side, and pulled it forward and down.

[drew...]

Because my trailer is short - 12' - I use padded straps thru the spokes of the front wheels and the pull the car tight using a tie down loop welded to the frame on the drivers side rear and a strap looped over a diaganol frame member on the passenger side rear. The car has been towed from MN to Lime Rock Conneticut and back and also from MN to Banff (Calagary BC) with no issues. The rear suspension is compressed while the front is not - with the limited amount of travel designed into the front it has not been an issue.