TRAILERING A RIG

I leave it in 4wd/park but i have been told to leave it in neutral.. I need a damn good reason behind this before i start doing that!
 
With an automatic, you put a fair amount of strain on the parking pawl if the rig has any motion fore and aft. This is probably more of an issue with straps over chains.
 
I accidentally left my junk in neutral on the way up to Rubicon over the summer and didn't notice until we went to unstrap it and it rolled off the trailer.

I have started putting all four straps pretty close to straight forward and backward to avoid putting extra stress on them. I use a wood deck trailer with an angle steel lip around it so I expect junk to not slide off sideways.
 
Here's a tip. Once you have the straps on, put your Jeep in neutral while you cinch the straps tight. Then put it back in gear once it is secured. This will keep you from fighting the transmission while tightening.


That's what I do!!! Good answer.

I have a "sweet spot" mark on my trailer.(to lazy to put a permanent wheel chock on it) When I pull on I get it as close as possible.
Hook all the straps up then put it in Neutral.
This allows me to get it exactly on the mark then back into park.
Stukboy
 
http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/product/215/All

Edit:

For what it's worth, I never tie the body down. We only use soft tie downs, axle straps, wheel straps, and let the suspension work as it should. Granted it is a little different on a rollback. But I've found that compressing the suspension makes the tow vehicle ride much much rougher.

Those guys can help you with what you need to do. Watch the video with Jay Leno.
 
x in the front

straight back in the back because of my lack of space.

it's not like it's going to fall out of my box truck, but I don't want to kill the fridge.
DSCF1973.jpg


for some reason the straps are always loose after 10 miles. I think it's the frame flexing up under the strap tension. So after 15 minutes I pull over, tighten them back up and go on my way. They never seem to loosen after the first tightening. (I check all straps everytime we stop)

So remember, always check your straps after a few miles!
 
I've been towing my race truck to and from the desert for 4 seasons now and I always just run 4 straps. Two up front wrap around the lower a-arms and the two rears cross over the axle. I've yet to have any kind of issue with swaying or weird handling. I also put it in gear once its all strapped down.

Just my .02
 
I read this and a couple things concerned me

A little background, I've hauled it all, cars, trucks, wrecks, tractors, hit air balloons, incomplete major components all on flatbeds, thousands of loads over the last 20 years.

in California the vehicle code requires a minimum of 4 independent anchors, so no sharing a D ring or tying 2 straps to the same point in the load (vehicle)

Chain VS strap is a moot point, truckers use both and 80,000# trucks can tie a 25 ton load down with nylon a little jeep will do fine.

Make sure your chain or strap is heavy enough that each individual strap can hold the weight of the entire vehicle. If it is damged don't use it, I carry rags and place them over any sharp corners the strap may contact.

Frame vs axle...

use one OR the other, do not mix and match. To the axles let's the body bounce a little, if you have soft springs this could be a problem, mix and match is a great way for things to come loose.

I always put all 4 in snug, vehicle in neutral, cinch all straps 2-3 times each, vehicle back in park, frame or axles, get it tight!

Make sure you have solid anchor points on both ends

I generally run straps from the axles out at a slight angle to add tension, I criss cross from time to time as a last resort, and crew cabs on my 20 foot trailer get tied to the center, don't ever go straight down, this allows for vehicle movement.

I have never used webbing that goes over the tire, never had the need.
 
Back
Top