Strapping down a B body to trailer

andyf · Mar 13, 2019

ChargerST said:
Andy,
the tie down point looks nice but it is still a no go to tie down the car on a trailer (in a garage, yes). Never ever tie down a car on anything that is sprung - always on unsprung parts (tires, axles)! If tied down on a sprung part the hook/strap will put massive strain on the part and strap and can actually break/tear it when going over a bump! The suspension acts as a dampener/shock and the chassis must be allowed to move.

Depends on how long the trailer is. I don't have any problem using straps to the sprung part as long as the straps are mostly horizontal. If the straps are vertical (short trailer) then you can have a problem with the car bouncing off the straps. But if the trailer is long enough and the straps are horizontal then they just move up and down while holding the car in place. Or as others have pointed out, if you have expensive shocks on the car then the mfgs recommend using a vertical strap and sucking the car down against a suspension stop to keep the car from bouncing and wearing out the shocks. So the answer to the question (as usual) is it depends.

Shorthorse · Mar 13, 2019

andyf said:
Depends on how long the trailer is. I don't have any problem using straps to the sprung part as long as the straps are mostly horizontal. If the straps are vertical (short trailer) then you can have a problem with the car bouncing off the straps. But if the trailer is long enough and the straps are horizontal then they just move up and down while holding the car in place. Or as others have pointed out, if you have expensive shocks on the car then the mfgs recommend using a vertical strap and sucking the car down against a suspension stop to keep the car from bouncing and wearing out the shocks. So the answer to the question (as usual) is it depends.

Andy, I have read several posts on towing and its affect on shocks. They all seem to agree about excess wear and tear on shocks while towing. I don't know that much about shocks but I have always been puzzled by that. I can't get my mind around the idea that a shock is sensitive to movement while being towed yet we get out on the track and subject these same shocks to violent launches, wheel stands and sometimes hard braking. ???

andyf · Mar 13, 2019

Shorthorse said:
Andy, I have read several posts on towing and its affect on shocks. They all seem to agree about excess wear and tear on shocks while towing. I don't know that much about shocks but I have always been puzzled by that. I can't get my mind around the idea that a shock is sensitive to movement while being towed yet we get out on the track and subject these same shocks to violent launches, wheel stands and sometimes hard braking. ???

The people worried about shocks while towing are the drag race guys who have shocks that cost $1000 each. They don't want to wear them out towing the car 500 miles when the shocks are designed to work 1/4 mile at a time. Shocks on an average car don't care about towing. They are designed to last 100,000 miles so a 100 miles of bouncing up and down don't matter. But if you have super expensive shocks with special seals that are designed for limited use then you don't want to ruin them while towing to the race.

Shorthorse · Mar 19, 2019

andyf said:
The people worried about shocks while towing are the drag race guys who have shocks that cost $1000 each. They don't want to wear them out towing the car 500 miles when the shocks are designed to work 1/4 mile at a time. Shocks on an average car don't care about towing. They are designed to last 100,000 miles so a 100 miles of bouncing up and down don't matter. But if you have super expensive shocks with special seals that are designed for limited use then you don't want to ruin them while towing to the race.

I decided to go on Strange's website and ask their tech support. I received this reply,
"Every mile a shock travels loose is equal to 4 passes. So it is best to lock down the suspension when trailering."
Maybe they didn't want to get into a explanation about their construction or materials or the life expectancy of a high end shock. That wasn't a very technical answer unless you read into it that racing shocks just don't last very long.

andyf · Mar 20, 2019

Shorthorse said:
I decided to go on Strange's website and ask their tech support. I received this reply,
"Every mile a shock travels loose is equal to 4 passes. So it is best to lock down the suspension when trailering."
Maybe they didn't want to get into a explanation about their construction or materials or the life expectancy of a high end shock. That wasn't a very technical answer unless you read into it that racing shocks just don't last very long.

I think you figured it out!

koosh · May 6, 2019

Back again guys....getting ready to haul the RR from CT to OC Md......straps around front K members, crossed to the hooks.....straps around front of the diff, crossed to rear hooks......took for highway test drive, never moved....

PeteBell68 · May 6, 2019

69L48Z27 said:
In the front go around the lower control arms close to the wheel. Go straight to you tie downs.

In the rear go around the axle at the leaf spring. Cross straps to you tie down points.

Do not tie down by the body unles you can really tie the car down and load the suspension.

Go under the brake lines as an adder to this post .

1967coronet440 · May 6, 2019

We towed my coronet home the other night, rear axle we looped around the axle housing across the face of the cover on my s60 looped around the other axle tube then to the tie down on the trailer, front we looped around the k frame on both sides and to the tie downs, if it had a motor in it we would’ve went to the lower control arms, it was late and we were getting tired lol. Made the 7 mile trip just fine

Cornpatch MO · May 7, 2019

I like to cross the ratchet straps both front and back. Car can not move forward, backward, or side to side......................MO

koosh · May 7, 2019

Pete Bell68 said:
Go under the brake lines as an adder to this post .

I'm not anywhere near the rear brakelines....I dont trust it, especially with my luck....that's why used 2 axle straps around and on top of the diff....

koosh · May 7, 2019

Cornpatch MO said:
I like to cross the ratchet straps both front and back. Car can not move forward, backward, or side to side......................MO

Agreed....

69a100 · May 7, 2019

Take a lesson or two for the "C" body crowd!
https://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar-forum/threads/strapping-a-66-polara-to-a-trailer.47601/page-2

1968 Plymouth Fury I 2dr post Barn finds - $1 (San Antonio).001.jpg

Cranky · May 7, 2019

IF you are towing a race car, you need to pay attention to what the suspension is being subjected to while on the trailer if you do not tie it down to where the suspension is not seeing all the road crap. Like what has been mentioned above, the suspension will see a lot of unneeded abuse if the suspension is allowed to be moving up and down while in/on the trailer. If you're towing a junker, strap it down to give you the best possible ride on the trailer if you like but if you're hauling a race car.....you DO NOT want your suspension to be 'working' during the haul. If your race car shocks are warm when you get to your destination, you are wearing them out but even if they are not warm and the car's suspension is allowed to 'work' while towing, you're wearing it out. Smooth roads are better on it but rough roads will play havoc on it.....

Strapping down a B body to trailer

andyf

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Shorthorse

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andyf

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Shorthorse

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andyf

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koosh

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PeteBell68

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1967coronet440

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Cornpatch MO

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koosh

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koosh

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69a100

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Cranky

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