Trailering your A-body

[SSG_Karg]

Took my Duster to the track last weekend and wasn’t real comfortable with the way I had it strapped down. I used a chain ran over the k-member for the front and two ratchet straps crisscrossed on the rear. I have a couple short axle straps that I use on either side of the pumpkin and strap to the opposite corner of the trailer. I feel like that is putting pressure on the rear end and fear tweaking it over time. Not much room to get the straps out towards the wheels with leafs, shocks, and brake lines in the way.

Tell me how you tie down your car when you trailer it. Pictures would be great too!

My son (crew chief) waiting patiently in the lanes last weekend.

 

[Xgoldfish]

I use the ratchet straps crisscrossed in the front (in k-member holes or around it) and not crossed in the back on my 69 Barracuda. Yes, not crossed in back to try and not damage the brake lines. Straps are still angled on my trailer. I feel the front crossed is most important; some folks just place a single chain on a rear axle to secure it. Sorry no pic available.

 

[RedFish]

Damage a brake fuild tube maybe. Damage a axle tube, I doubt it. Solid will bend much easier than hollow.

 

[prodart440]

Straps front and rear, not crossed. No pictures either.

 

[Vertex_Jeff]

If you envision trailing the car more than a couple times, I suggest welding or bolting on tie down points on the front and rear of the car. This makes it much easier. I have them on my k frame on the front, and shock plates on the rear.

 

[Daves69]

Maybe leaf spring tie down tabs?

 

[mvh]

The flatbed tow guys use straps over the tires (kind of a short net with a ratchet strap). In other words, they strap the wheels down and let the car ride on the suspension. To me, this seems like a better idea than trying to compress the springs by strapping down the frame or the suspension parts — it's less likely to break something, and it doesn't shift if the trailer bounces over a bump. Is there a reason why you don't do that?

 

[33IMP]

The flatbed tow guys use straps over the tires (kind of a short net with a ratchet strap). In other words, they strap the wheels down and let the car ride on the suspension. To me, this seems like a better idea than trying to compress the springs by strapping down the frame or the suspension parts — it's less likely to break something, and it doesn't shift if the trailer bounces over a bump. Is there a reason why you don't do that?

This does NOT apply to me but:
Guys with HIGH-dollar shocks tie down the body and use the trailer suspension. The cycling of the shocks in the trailer during a 200 mile tow amounts to thousands of passes down the strip.

 

[33IMP]

My cars get tied down with ratchet straps, either from the k-member to the trailer, and axle straps and ratchet straps in the rear, ( and also the front of the straight axle car)
I do not cross the straps.
If you check out some you tube videos about crossed verses straight straps, you won't cross either.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Never tie your car down on unsprung weight. Pull down on the wheels not on the body. Straps on outer control arms and on the housing in rear. If you tie it down using the k-member put something under the K-member and pull it tight down against it.

If you tie it down pulling the body down the car can detach when the car bounces and the straps loosen. You should be able to bounce the car without the straps loosening when pushing it down. Never tie the body down. Tie the unsprung suspension down. Such as the control arms close to the ball joints and the rear end housing at any point. Again if you tie the k-member down pull it down against blocking so the car doesn't bounce.

 

[HemiSSDart]

I have been trailering A-Bodies for 45 years and always use axle straps either through the k-frame by the front near the oil pan or if there is not enough room the lower control arms near rubber bumpers, then use ratchet straps straight to the d-rings. On the rear there is always room near the shocks to put axle straps and use ratchet straps straight back to the d-rings, I never criss-cross as that creates other issues. Some people have e-track and tie the tires down to it, but I rarely need to do that with A-Bodies. BTW, I transport muscle cars for a living and the worst are modern exotic cars like Vipers, Corvettes, McClaren's, Ferrari's and the like. Fat *** Muffstain's and Crapmaro's are also a *****...

 

[Johnny Mac]

Took my Duster to the track last weekend and wasn’t real comfortable with the way I had it strapped down. I used a chain ran over the k-member for the front and two ratchet straps crisscrossed on the rear. I have a couple short axle straps that I use on either side of the pumpkin and strap to the opposite corner of the trailer. I feel like that is putting pressure on the rear end and fear tweaking it over time. Not much room to get the straps out towards the wheels with leafs, shocks, and brake lines in the way.

Tell me how you tie down your car when you trailer it. Pictures would be great too!

View attachment 1716457107
My son (crew chief) waiting patiently in the lanes last weekend.

Unrelated to your question, is this quaker city?

I'm 10 mins from there.

I mount these tie does where it makes sense in my enclosed trailer. Use a loop on the k member in the front, and I use axle straps on the rear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9GRT3CM?tag=fabo03-20

I never liked e track for much more than strapping down coolers.

These things go all the way through. If they come up, they are bringing the entire floor.

 

[Demonx2]

I go around the front ear of the K-member on each side with an axle strap. Then the ratchet straps cross as otherwise they are too short in my enclosed 24' trailer.

In the rear, I use axle straps out by the wheels and the ratchet straps go straight back. My D-rings bolt to weld plates underneath on the trailer frame.

 

[SSG_Karg]

Unrelated to your question, is this quaker city?

Yep.

 

[SSG_Karg]

The flatbed tow guys use straps over the tires (kind of a short net with a ratchet strap). In other words, they strap the wheels down and let the car ride on the suspension. To me, this seems like a better idea than trying to compress the springs by strapping down the frame or the suspension parts — it's less likely to break something, and it doesn't shift if the trailer bounces over a bump. Is there a reason why you don't do that?

I like the idea of the over-the-tire straps but my trailer doesn’t have attaching points in those locations. May need to add some. Wood deck trailer.

 

[MMissile]

Have a loop welded into the front of the K-frame, and a pair welded to the rear of the rear frame-rails.

 

[abodyjoe]

i went around the rear axle before (wheel side of the shocks). now i have the plates that go under the shock plates. will be much easier now.. front i go around the lower control arm.


the guy (owner of the trailer manufacturer )i bought my trailer from said to cross the straps. strap company says not to cross the straps. back in july i towed the car 6 hours to the inlaws. front are too short to cross and in the rear the gas tank is kinda in the way to cross so all 4 straps were straight. car didn't budge at all in the 6 hours up and the 6 hours back.

 

[Demonx2]

I thought somebody would bring up Park or Neutral for automatics or in Reverse for manuals!

 

[oldkimmer]

I thought somebody would bring up Park or Neutral for automatics or in Reverse for manuals!

I strap it down in neutral then put it in park for travel. Kim

 

[67Dart273]

Straps front and rear, not crossed. No pictures either.

Or chains PLEASE GUYS DO NOT CROSS TIE DOWNS unless they are in a bad position and you can do nothing else. THINK about this. If you have "let's say" only the rears cross, and one works loose, or fails, anything, the car can "walk" sideways a bit as it bumps down the road, and cornering forces, and without too much ado, you have the car has rolled forward because of the diagonal slack caused. NOW everytime you apply power, up down hills, etc etc, the car rolls against or works against the slack and everything just gets WORSE.

Requirements are for FOUR INDEPENDENT tie points, so one strap over the K is not enough, legally.

Mine are not very elegant. I use 5/16 transport chain and binders. I put either one big long chain, which I can use "as two" by forming a loop on each side, up over the top of the leafs, and back to the rear and through the eye on each side. I rig them with grab hooks and roll or pull forward so they are both equally tight. The slack is across under the car to the other side, where the identical loop is rigged. When I am happy with position of the car, and equal length of the chains, I go up front and thread a chain over each LCA. Those make a loop through the front anchors, with a binder on each side. The chains are as close to inline front to rear as I can get, and as short as I can get. Bind 'em down, and wrap the chain slack around the binder handles. For long trips back in the day, I wire the end of the slack to the working part of the chain.

Some cars I've hauled for friends, etc, I use cargo ratchet straps. I had some wheel baskets, but fender interference and other issues, I quit fiddling with them.

If it's more than a few miles, I usually leave the winch attached, just for a bit off added safety.

 

[67Dart273]

There was a recent vid where some guy had two Chevells in wet weather and something happened, both came off the trailer, AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF ANY TIE DOWNS!!!

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2024/06/two-1972-chevy-chevelle-ss-models-damaged-in-trailer-accident-video/#:~:text=The damage was quite extensive, as both,the rear driver-side quarter panel and wheel/tire.

On the other hand, this guy seems to have a bit of a problem crashing most anything

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rick+ross+crash

 

[Oldmanmopar]

When Tying the car down in my race trailer I always would tie the fronta and rears straight front or back. The back straps are always longer then the front as are most trailers due to the location of the D-ring location.

When I loaded the car the slicks were damp from the grass where we were parked. When we got home the car was against the wall of the trailer. Since that time I always crossed the straps in the rear and it never happened again.

On my open trailer it has built in tie down chains. The rear tie downs are in the center and pull in from the center. The fronts are on the outside and pull out. we haul The skid loader , diesel dualies., and many cars on our open trailers across the states. They are never pulling straight back or front and always kept center

 

[MMissile]

I was carrying home my WO car from the chassis shop, and had all 4 straps running straight to the d-rings. About halfway home I checked on the car at a rest-stop. One of the straps had come off, and the car had moved a ton of distance inside. I don't know how, but the body stayed off the inside fender. Now....I always cross my rear straps, and make sure everything is as tight as a guitar-string. 100% fool-proof? No.... but nothing is.

I've had 5 enclosed trailers/4 open, and been trailering cars since the late 70's. I've had many mishaps and issues over the years, but only one car get loose in the trailer.
My last trip [2025 Nats], we were following a semi thru a construction zone in Ohio, and he spun a couple barrels into our lane. We were doing about 70, and I thought I had managed to swerve around them. Turns out...one tore my plastic side-door holding rod from the anchor point. Very fortunate to have only had that happen.

 

[CRUZE 418]

This securing a car when transporting has come up so many times. As a retired truck driver, I always crossed everything. After I retired, I hauled new and used cars for 3 years for a friend that had a dealership. I crossed both ends of the cars. It was getting difficult to do that with all cars towards the end, I left in '17. Was recommending a combination of E-strip and D-ring before I left when he was going to order a new trailer. The big thing is YOU, need to keep an eye on your load. Not once and done. Check load in first few miles, and every stop after that. If something is moving or working around, find out why and deal with it. I currently have both E-strip and D-rings in my enclosed trailer, so that I have the option.