64 replies to this topic

[Cooperman]

But I do drive slower when towing. I just drive even quicker when not towing .
How I used to love cruising legally at 120+mph when I had an office in Germany and used to go there about once a month.

[charie t]

I have 4 wheel straps, the best and safest way. But I have strapped to the subframes without a problem (used this method for 8 years of draging my hillclimber round the coutry). But as said, it can come slack.

I personally wouldn't advise putting a strap through the rear windows. Not for any safety reasons, but you'll quickly rub the paint off.

Its a good point about the paint and I certainly wouldn't do it to a car with decent paint.

Fortunately the kind of junk I usually haul around doesn't require a gentle touch!!

I hate cars bouncing on trailers, thats why I tend to strap both the chassis and the body to the trailer.

Straping the wheels to the trailer is no different to pulling an A frame

[Shifty]

I don't like a-frames either!!

[JVA10L]

I gho from the front towing eyes to the front of the trailer and from the rear sub-frame to the back of the trailer. But I have a very long 4-wheel trailer. When I've used a shorter trailer I've gone backwards from the front wheels and forward from the rear wheels. Also in-gear with the handbrake on hard.

A friend of mine always put his Rallycross Mini in reverse gear on the trailer until one time when we got to Croft it was stuck in gear. Would not shift so we had to go home and take the engine out to dismantle the 'box. I have never put any car in gear on a trailer since.

[Jordie]

Proper firms who move cars regularly dont tie the wheels.

They tie the body/chassis down to the trailer or truck. Basically pulling the car downwards towards the trailer. Modern cars have holes in the chassis and you can buy twist in type ends for ratching down with.

Look at trucks on trailers (ice road truckers etc) they dont strap the wheels, but the vehicle chassis down to the trailer using ratchet chains in heavy load cases

[Artful Dodger]

Wheels are the only sensible place to strap a mini down. All four is a must and never ever leave onein gear! My dad remembers driving past Peter baldwin on the way to a race meet, mini on tow. The car was rocking back and forth quite badly, apparently it was very funny... when they got to the track he did a few laps until his diff blew apart! Was the jarring back and forwards that did it.

[charie t]

Proper firms who move cars regularly dont tie the wheels.

They tie the body/chassis down to the trailer or truck. Basically pulling the car downwards towards the trailer. Modern cars have holes in the chassis and you can buy twist in type ends for ratching down with.

Look at trucks on trailers (ice road truckers etc) they dont strap the wheels, but the vehicle chassis down to the trailer using ratchet chains in heavy load cases

Heavy loads are a different case, "proper firms" that don't strap the wheels are being lazy.
If anything occured and they were pulled up on how it was strapped down it would be a different story

[lapider]

my godfather picked up my mini. he's a farm machinery dealer and has a big, long, wide pallet trailer for dealing with the huge heavy combines and tractors he tows. as it was local to him he drove my mini up against the back wall of the trailer against an old tyer. put the handbrake on put it in gear off he went.

if you don't have d straps to hold the wheels though you can take the strap around the back of the wheel over the prop shaft and back, providing that both fixing points for the strap are lower than the centre of the wheel. this was when towing a land rover with big military tiers on im not sure how stable it would be on a mini.

[jamesy]

Just another thought then.... why when on boats etc do they chain lorries todeck via their chassis?

[mini93]

All rally cars iv seen/came in contact with have been strapped down via the wheels. Certainly the only way id feel safe loading my cars on given how bumpy roads are

[charie t]

chain

don't stretch, they used the compression in tyres/suspension to keep the chains taught.
Ropes stretch and snap much easier

Edited by charie t, 24 October 2012 - 10:34 PM.

[Cooperman]

Just tie the bloody thing on so that it won't fall off! So long as it is tied with proper ratchet straps front & rear and the ratchets are tight it won't move. It's really not a problem.

[charie t]

Just tie the bloody thing on so that it won't fall off! So long as it is tied with proper ratchet straps front & rear and the ratchets are tight it won't move. It's really not a problem.

The original question was where is the best place to tie a mini down.
So far you replied any where and have suggested travelling at excessive speeds is fine. Top tips there!

[Jordie]

The best place might be the wheels on a mini, but it is certainly not the way the proper car transporter firms do it as said above. Unfortunately the mini doesnt have the ability to be strapped down as per a modern car.

Go watch the trucks leave Nissan factory at sunderland, the cars on the back are strapped down from underneath. Nothing on the tyres. This is a perfectly correct way, but like i said not possible on every car.

Jordie

[lawrie124]

4 D wheels straps is the way to go.

Was chatting to a recovery guy the other day; that is how they do it. He was telling me they had a range rover on the back of a beavertail truck which slid into a ditch on it's side and having hiab'd the recovery truck back upright the rangie was stood firm.

We ALWAYS use 4 wheel straps.