Dan B

Towing a car onn trailer = scary

Get loads of 5ton rachet straps. Use towing eyes, strap going forward and back. Using the wheels can be interesting as the bouncing can loosen the straps going over the wheels. Also you can pull the wheels quite alot and **** up the bearings.

You are not allowed to go above 60 mph anyway, and the outside lane is out of commission. Watch out for down hill stretches (is it a breaking trailer by the way??) and the truck ruts.

If you get a wobble on the best way out (if it isn't too severe) is to accelerate out of it (pullin the trailer back in line). The difference between severe on not severe is the amount of tyre squeal and smoke you can see.

Think about insurance as well....

Good luck mate, towing loads like that always make me really nervous as I was in a vehicle that was turned over on the m25 by its trailer once. 15 miles of tail backs

Forgot to add: getting the thing on the trailer can be a b1tch. Is it a trailer where you can change the bed angle, like car a transporter? this would be very handy. Also, make sure the trailer is hitched up before loading (so that it doesn't pivot around the wheels), and loading it facing downhill always helps.

[Edited by Dan B - 11/1/2002 9:42:33 AM]

Avi

Just done exactly the same on Sat....

I asked a friend if i could borrow a trailer, arrived at his house to be confronted with the biggest mother fu##er of a trailer i have ever seen, sounds similar to the one you had, i reckon you could get two small cars on it at a push.

Change of plan, decided to use the Old Mans Range Rover to tow it.. good idea, as i could definitely feel the "weight" even with it empty. ( and it was over 3 foot wider than the Range rover )

Put my mates Mk1 Golf on it to tow it up to Dubsport, used ratchets over the back axel, and some on the wheels too.

I see what was meant about it being a pig to tow when empty

Once on the motorway, felt fine, Noticed the truck ruts though, seemed to travel fine when there were no ruts, and was perfect at high speeds

I was amazed at how easy these things are to reverse, much easier than ordinary trailers, reversed it into a tight drive in one go . Must be the Longer drawbar or twin axels

Andy

JGM - Just out of interest, how much did it cost to rent a trailer?

[Edited by Avi - 11/4/2002 1:08:16 PM]

Jolly Green Monster 2

Picking up a car trailer and then a car which I am towing behind the scoob this afternoon..

Anyone give some advice on loading the car on the trailer?

I understand engine should be towing end so the car travels forwards due to the weight (want more weight front end to try and stop snaking).. intension is to drive car on minding front spoiler and check rear of Scoob to get it taking a fair bit of the weight but not too much..

Any advice on best way to strap it on?

I am towing it about 200miles so want it to run as best as possible.

Cheers for any help

JGM

IanW

When I last towed a car back from a tuning company, I hired a flat bed trailer, it came with 4 straps that went around the wheels, and also I left the winch connected to the towing eye on the car.

The worst part was actually towing the trailer with no car on the back, it tended to bounce about a bit. Just take it easy and remember that its going to take you a bit longer to slow down/stop.

P20SPD

iTrader: (1)

Ditto above.

Can have great fun towing with no car on though

Jolly Green Monster 2

Cheers guys..

I have a trailer that is fun when empty but not on the motorway..
looking in rear mirror, trailer no trailer, trailer no trailer as it bounces along..

Just never towed a car before... I have these visions of it falling off...

JGM

Marc W

If clearance around the front spoiler is tight when loading the car you can lower the jockey wheel on the trailer and wind it down so that the front of the trailer lifts up giving you a straighter angle for the ramps. Does that make sense?

i towed my Caterham to Spa a week ago with a boot full of stuff and 3 people aboard and the car was rock solid. Fuel consumption not too clever though!

Marc

P20SPD

iTrader: (1)

Wait while you are twoing a trailer, downhill, and the towing hitch snaps off, no safety wiring for the brake, trailer overtakes you, hits barrier and bounces into your jeep.

Happened to someone i know!

Could not stop laughing at him

Jolly Green Monster 2

Cheers Marc..

I know what you mean about lifting the front of the trailer..

I slung my bottle jack in the back of the car before I left this morning so I can jack the back of the car / front of the trailer up if I need some clearance.. also figures if I put something under the ramps like a brick I would reduce the angle between ramp and spoiler.. or put the ramps on the kerb perhaps.

It is only a Corsa, but a CDX which has a front lip.. but I know it comes off as this is the second Corsa the wife has had and the front lip on the first one lasted about 2weeks before it came off on its own... nothing to do with your parking dear!!!!

Nice to hear that with that much weight on board you were okay..
Slightly concerned about the clutch but should be fine..

Cheers

JGM

Somerset Yokel

The main thing is to take it steady!

You can get conflicting messages about how to strap cars down. Most people avoid using the towing eyes etc as this does not allow the cars natural suspension to take the bumps, making the whole trailer more prone to bounce.

By using the wheels to tie down the car can still use it's own suspension travel.

Hope this doesn't confuse.

Journeys take longer to complete and alot longer to stop!!!

IanW

When I towed my car, I only left the winch connected as a fail safe, it was not really tight.

It was the starps that were actually securing the car down.

Jolly Green Monster 2

>>Towing a car onn trailer = scary
gulp.. :swallow:

>>Get loads of 5ton rachet straps. Use towing eyes, strap going >>forward and back. Using the wheels can be interesting as the >>bouncing can loosen the straps going over the wheels. Also you >>can pull the wheels quite alot and **** up the bearings.
I tried to get some straps last night to no avail.. the place I am hiring the trailer from is supplying straps with it and I have lots of rope in the car.. I think I will be roping everything by the sounds of it... I was after some extra ones..

Right after reading your reply if I am not happy then I will stop and get some on the way home.. no point cutting corners...

>>You are not allowed to go above 60 mph anyway, and the outside >>lane is out of commission. Watch out for down hill stretches (is >>it a breaking trailer by the way??) and the truck ruts.
It is a fairly new car trailer from Gordon Love trailers I believe,
I am hoping 4wheeled and brakes.. well it will be braked as they know I want to put a 900kg corsa on it and the legal is 450kgs for unbraked trailer IIRC.. also I will be sitting at 60mph max..
I really just want to get it into 5th.. which is will pull from about 50mph when I have towed about 500kgs.. so hopefully 55-60 should be fine..

You mean I cannot hold everyone up in the outside lane? shucks..
only joking..

>>If you get a wobble on the best way out (if it isn't too severe) >>is to accelerate out of it (pullin the trailer back in line). >>The difference between severe on not severe is the amount of >>tire squeal and smoke you can see.
Never had a wobble when towing either of my own two trailers., but both are not very tall or had tall loads in.
I know not to brake if it occurs but accelerating seems a strange, although I know why, solution.. I shall try and remember..

>>Think about insurance as well....
I have okayed it with insurance.. they had to check with the underwriters but the car on the trailer is insured..

>>Good luck mate, towing loads like that always make me really >>nervous as I was in a vehicle that was turned over on the m25 by >>its trailer once. 15 miles of tail backs
I quite enjoy it.. I think I must have been a lorry driver in a previous life, although admittedly this is the biggest challenge so far.. not sure if I should ask what happed to cause the M25 crash or not..?

A friend loaded a car on the wrong way around, engine on the back due to his front spoiler and it snaked and turned over the trailer, car and landrover that was towing it.. so I am hoping that the loading is the key and as long as I take it steady and load it well I should be okay.

JGM

Jolly Green Monster 2

Good point about the cars suspension but as the straps will losen as the car suspension drops I guess the suspension will still absorb the bumps.,.. and in which case if the straps losen they are doing nothing when the car hits a bump..

I shall see what straps I get with the trailer and see where I go from there.. I cannot see it hurting to tie everything down..

When I move things in my open top trailer most people think I am transporting rope!

JGM

tinvek

Quote

"is it a breaking trailer by the way??"

any pun intended ?

banshi

JGM
I'm no expert as the first time I used a trailer was a couple of weeks ago for the charity banger race I organised.

I hauled everything from a Nova to a Carlton on motorways, in rush hour traffic and through those torrential downpours.

(Had a feeling I shouldn't be using the outside lane & hunting the repmobiles though )

The cars were strapped off the rear towing eye, winch on tension through the front and as they were bangers a transverse strap through the windows. That was ratcheted till the suspension was pulled down about 4".

So they were about as solid as a load of timber and I had no problem whatsoever. Well except trying a three point turn for the first time in our cul de sac and getting a bit of a wiggle on at about 85. Declined the accelerate out of it solution there

Everyone says a longer wheelbase makes em more manouverable/stable. I borrowed a trailer converted from an old caravan chassis so as you've a purpose build transporter and have towed before I'm sure it will be a breeze.

Jolly Green Monster 2

banshi,

Cheers... nice to hear something positive as everyone in the office thinks I am mad and are already saying I won't be in on Monday...

I think I shall decline the strap through the windows...

Good idea using the winch to tensoin the strap.. cheers.. I was thinking I have rope I can tie the towing eyes with but it is not going to be that tight.. but it will if I use the winch

Thanks

JGM

Marc W

JGM

It'll be a piece of cake - the Corsa is not a heavy load. 2 straps, one pulling each way, would be enough but 4 straps is ideal.

Check they're still tightened ok after 10 minutes.

The first 5 minutes driving will be stressful and you'll be checking your rear view mirror every half a second but after 10 minutes you'll be wondering why you'd got so worked up about it.

Just leave plenty of room in front to slow down in and be prepared for people cutting you up and wanting to overtake you asap but just let them get on with it.....

Marc

Jolly Green Monster 2

Cheers Marc..

I know what you mean about checking the mirror, when towing my other trailers I still glance in the mirrors to check it is still there etc..

The Corsa is about 880kgs I think.. I believe that is kerb weight.. not as if it is going to have fuel in it.. usual empty tank when you pick a car up from a garage.

Anyone want a ride from Derby to Kent this afternoon? I have 9 seats free...

JGM

banshi

All the way to Kent for a Corsa......you ARE mad

Don't worry about trailering the car, just the embarassment of what's on it

Jolly Green Monster 2

Errmmm... not quite.. live in Kent and work in Derbyshire..

Long story but basically no work in Kent... not for good money anyway.. so travel home to Kent every weekend..

Wife wrote off her Corsa that she has had for 4years which has been a perfect car for the job.. and hasn't let us down..

So she decides she would like another Corsa, after looking at Polo's, Fiesta's, etc.. for the little money we are spending the Corsa seems the best car... with the 1.4 16v engine again..

Could I find a decent car in Kent? could I heck.. spend two weeks looking.. look in Derbyshire and find a nice one.. and manage to negociate a nice price.. only the cambelt needs changing ASAP.. so it has turned out easier to tow it than risk driving it and insuring it in my name and taxing it etc.. and then getting back up here to get to my car etc ... etc ...
Then the wife says "Not sure if I want a Metalic Purple one"..

Tough t*tty love I am bringing it home Friday.. like it or lump it.. either that or you can continue driving you Mum's diesel metro...

<silence>

Okay I'll have the purple one..

JGM

Jolly Green Monster 2

What was I thinking.... the mods with 3k on the Scoob could have been amazing!!

JGM

dsmith

Where did you get the Trailer from in the end ?

Only time I've towed with a trailer, a freind bought bothe trailer and Colorado over. They decided it was best i drov so that Colorad, Trailer and Load were all on my insurance. They followed in my car

Colorado is fecking big (compared to what I'm used to) and an auto. coupled with trailer (with my MG on) I was already more than a little nervous. 200 yards down the road I realised Friend has also left 2yr old daughter in the chjild seat.

I've never driven so carefully !

Deano

CrisPDuk

Whatever you do, be careful of the wagon ruts on the inside lanes of the motorways, I had a major **** tightener on the M56 a couple of years ago when the trailer, with a MkII Escort on it, started hopping from one rut to the other at about 50mph, it can start without warning and rapidly become out of control.
It took me all three lanes and nearly a mile to bring it back under control and to a standstill on the hard shoulder.As DanB says the best way to bring it back in line is to accelerate, which, when your doing 50 already with over a ton swinging behind you like a pendulum takes some doing I can tell you
When I finally stopped, I looked in the door mirror and saw a whole wave of traffic built up behind waiting for me to have the off
In the traffic was a copper, who had already notified his controllers that an accident was taking place He told me he was amazed that I actually caught it. He very kindly escorted me the 5 miles or so to the next services, where we both checked that the trailer & cars were still secure. It took a bl00dy long time for me to calm down before I could continue the journey. To this day that is my most terrifying moment in a car, which when you've been in the passenger seat of a rally car during a 70+mph roll is saying something

cookiemonster

hello

i trailer my 205 all round the UK - its a track day only car, so the trailer is its only way of getting around. I can easily cruise at 80 (usual disclaimers apply) in comfort with an Audi A4 towing.

So:

You (rightly) want the engine towards the front, but the goal is to balance the trailer - dont just drive the car forward as far as it will go, otherwise the trailer will push down on the tow car and your front wheels will be in the air...

Tieing - I always use four looped rachet straps, one round each wheel. In the absence of looped rachet straps, I'd still tie the wheels down, rather than the cars bodywork.

Dont worry about speed - you wont get done for 70 with a trailer, but you dont want to be caught in the outside lane.

Reversing is actually very straight forward once you get used to it, but try and avoid it if you can - especially with a car on the trailer as you have very restricted vision.

On the motorway the nightmare is moron's in performance cars (i'm not going to mention makes, but I find the worst offenders drive blue japansese rally reps or german saloons) who come past you at 100, into the inside lane and stand on the brakes...

I usually stop after 10 miles and just check everything is fixed up - then i'll be quite happy to stick another couple of hundred on it.

Finally - security. Trailers are so easy to steal. If you park in a service station, stick a lock on otherwise it may not be there when you get back....

Jolly Green Monster 2

Cheers everyone.. picked the trailer up from 'Gordon Love Trailers' in Birmingham who were superb so if anyone wants there number let me know and I'll find it and post it etc..

The trailer was flipping huge... with four wheels and four wheel brakes.. it was the largest car trailer I have seen and could habe taken a Landrover etc easily.. which was perfect as it ment it was hardly using its full capacity putting a Corsa on it..

The whole section the car goes on tips up with a hydrolic pump so the car can be driven on.. which I did and then pushed the car backwards and forwards until I was happy with the weight on the rear on the car.. not too little and not too much, I then pushed the car back 6inch and roped both sides of the rear axle to the trailer and winched the car back forwards the 6inches and then straped both front wheels down with the winch style straps they provided with the trailer..

I then set off and it started to rain, and down pour but it was fine.. damn wide.. I recon 6inch thinned than an articulated lorry I was sat behind in traffic.. gave me lots of useful room when I wanted to change lanes.. everyone seemed to get out of the way when they saw me coming with a trailer about 1 and three quarter longer than the pulling car with another car on it..

It sat nicely at 70mph.. and I was in no rush.. so sat at that..

No drama and no real wriggles.. the occasional pull on the back across lorry ruts but nothing to worry about.. very impressed with how the Scooby towed it seeing as this is the biggest and most heaviest I have stuff on the back of it so far.

Thanks

JGM

Jolly Green Monster 2

I didn't have a trouble with it when empty.. towed it 200miles back up here this morning empty and it sat there at 80mph (on my private road stretch) without jumping..

Reversing like you say we pretty easy as it doesn't react so easily being long and with four wheels so you can reverse it straight and then it only turned when you give it input.. unlike my other two trailers whcih only have two wheels which have a mind of there own when you go backwards sometimes in comparison.

Cost was 30 for first day and 20 there after and Sunday was free as they are not open.. + VAT... which for the trailer I got I was more than happy.. still rather borrow a mate for free though!



JGM