first time towing anything this big
04-30-2019, 08:53 AM
#21
Mike
04-30-2019, 09:20 AM
#22
I can tell just from looking, you didn’t have enough tongue weight. Almost all of the load was over and behind the rear axle. Probably was on the ferge of swaying quite a bit. Often times, people who aren’t familiar with towing a trailer don’t pay much attention to what they’re doing, or understand it very much.
I don’t recall reading what region you were in, and that makes a difference; hills, flats, etc. But something you also want to keep in mind, is securement. Nothing wrong with using ratchet straps instead of chains, but you want to try and get away from wrapping a strap around something, like a frame member. Try to utilize the hooks instead, and on the ends attached to the trailer, turn the hooks up, so the ends of the hooks are not catching anything, and can bounce up and out of the deck rings if they become slighty loose. Anywhere your smaller straps were laying across a metal edge, should have a towel under them, because they’re subject to chaffing and/or cutting... and just throw away those cheap little 1” orange straps anyways. The heavier, yellow 3” straps are much heavier, more durable and better suited to securing loads on trailers.
I don’t recall reading what region you were in, and that makes a difference; hills, flats, etc. But something you also want to keep in mind, is securement. Nothing wrong with using ratchet straps instead of chains, but you want to try and get away from wrapping a strap around something, like a frame member. Try to utilize the hooks instead, and on the ends attached to the trailer, turn the hooks up, so the ends of the hooks are not catching anything, and can bounce up and out of the deck rings if they become slighty loose. Anywhere your smaller straps were laying across a metal edge, should have a towel under them, because they’re subject to chaffing and/or cutting... and just throw away those cheap little 1” orange straps anyways. The heavier, yellow 3” straps are much heavier, more durable and better suited to securing loads on trailers.
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Wassup8687 (04-30-2019)
04-30-2019, 04:20 PM
#23
Just as a reminder Enterprise Truck Rental will give you a F250 for around $100 a day and they encourage you to tow with it. Great for "I just need t tow this heavy thing one time" kinds of situations.
05-03-2019, 01:14 PM
#24
Senior Member
He used 3" straps to secure to the chassis at the ends, that 1" just runs through the cab, for some reason. I agree on not wrapping around a beam, never do that unless you are returning to the same side, and never go around the beam more than once as you won't stress the strap past a single wrap, and the strap will work loose.
Not sold on the trailer being too tail heavy, the trailer wheels appear close to the rear of the trailer. In the second photo, you can see the wheel well of the car starts before the rear of the trailer fender starts to curve down around the tire. At most, rear axle of the car was past the rear trailer axle.
Not sold on the trailer being too tail heavy, the trailer wheels appear close to the rear of the trailer. In the second photo, you can see the wheel well of the car starts before the rear of the trailer fender starts to curve down around the tire. At most, rear axle of the car was past the rear trailer axle.