Best way to tie truck to trailer

So I'll be Renting a 20ft car hauler trailer. The way we did it when the 86 in sig broke down. We ran ratchet straps in a x pattern over front and rear axle it worked great with no movement.
Truck is a 85 F-250 4x4 EX cab.
I'll be towing with a 97 Chevy Suburban 2500.
Opinions Pics of how you did it?

Check in towing section here.

EDIT wrong forum,

How to tow your junk!?
On pirate 4x4 is where Its at, written by a pro.
I think was the title written some time ago might be a stickie.

a CHAIN on the front is the only way to do it, x'd out like you said,
and straps on the back.

I looked through all 11 pages didn't find that thread.
Do I need a car hauler or will a 18 ft pipe top double axle trailer work fine?

also will a 85 ex cab fit on a 18 ft trailer I'm thinking it will. ??

When I towed the Jetta home from Darrin's in Grand Rapids (to home ~300 miles) and my buddy who owns the trailer hauls his rock crawler jeep the same way. I used 4 of the large ratcheting straps (not ratchet straps) that are designed to tie to the frame tiedowns (either a hole in the frame, or on a unibody there are specific points formed into the unibody) to a tiedown point on the trailer (D-Rings in this case) and the winch that is on the front of the trailer. I center the load over the axles, tied down the back with the straps, pulled it snug with the winch, then tightened down the front. I drove about a mile or two, stopped and checked and re-tightened any loose straps, then headed for home. I always check the load at each stop, including all tiedowns. I even do this with my tractor on my small trailer. The main thin you want to keep in mind is, tie it down good enough that if you were to turn the trailer upside down, the load (the truck in your case) will stay sitting on the deck like it was on the ground..... If you are not sure that will happen, then you do not have it tied down good enough....... In securing a load to a truck or trailer, I ALWAYS go for overkill. When I have my 1,000lb IH Cub Cadet on my 4x8 trailer, I have 4 1,000lb straps to "each corner" of the tractor, and if there is a winch on the trailer (2 of our trailer have a winch, 1 doesn't) I have 2 axle straps around the front axle and connected to the winch, and 2 axle straps around the rear axles with a chain directly to the frame of the trailer......... (we got lazy in tying one down, and it started to slide off the trailer when it went over a set of railroad tracks. One tiedown point failed, and we did not have a backup on the front of the tractor)

These are the type of straps I am talking about:



Here are the axle straps:





One reason that I like the frame tiedows vs the tire tiedowns is the frame tiedowns help to control the bouncing of the load on the trailer. With the tire straps, you have the suspension of the trailer, and the truck. Both suspension try and absorb the shock to the unit. This can set up some funky movement between the two, which can be telegraphed back to the tow vehicle. I've had this on a U-haul with a smaller car, you can see it more than feel it with a large tow vehicle..... If you look at the "parking lots" running down the interstate, the frame is strapped to the hauler, and strapped down tight, to where it begins to compress the suspension..... I don't think I have seen a semi-based multi car hauler with tire straps......

As long as the axles are rated for the weight and there's structural steel under the floor to support the weight I would think you should be good. I have a 18 ft hauler but the last 2 ft is dovetail...had a full size Blazer on there that pretty much took up the whole thing.

I usually chain on the rear of the truck, straps on front. In a hard braking situation, chain is less likely to break. As for crossing straps, I used to, don't any more. Again if one does break, now you are pulling the load sideways. And I never tie to frame and up. Always hook to axles or suspension arms, no matter how tight you pull down on the body, you are not compressing the suspension. One good bump, suspension compresses, allowing the straps to loosen for a second. The strap could come off at this point.

Hope this works.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/110-general-tech/

Remember, the main thing is to secure the load properly......

snicklas said:

Remember, the main thing is to secure the load properly......

Click to expand...

I've always used bigass chains and chain binders (those red lever things) to hold down anything i have towed, front and back. Its overkill, but at least I know its never going to move!

Waystro said:

I looked through all 11 pages didn't find that thread.
Do I need a car hauler or will a 18 ft pipe top double axle trailer work fine?

also will a 85 ex cab fit on a 18 ft trailer I'm thinking it will. ??

Click to expand...

On pbb in the above link' its top stickie in towing hauling bottom of page.
Hope this helps.

Can30Diesel said:

I've always used bigass chains and chain binders (those red lever things) to hold down anything i have towed, front and back. Its overkill, but at least I know its never going to move!

Click to expand...

only bad part of using bigass chains is accidentally crushing those delicate brake lines.
I use towing specific forged J-hooks on the axles front and rear. I usually will use transport clusters on the oval holes in the frame and 2in ratchet straps to reduce body "bounce" if need be.
transporting cars are a whole other group of tiedowns.

Extended cab will be tight on an 18' trailer. You'll be using the whole thing just to get it on, so you won't be able the choose where you distribute the weight. May back it on as the rear axle may have less weight on it than the front.

Just make sure you have enough tounge weight.