04ctd

I am borrowing a trailer soon, and it does not have straps, chains or D-rings for tie downs. I'll have access to the trailer forever.

where is the be$t (cheapest) place to buy them?

and what rating do I need for a car?
a regular car is ~3700 lbs or so.

will use D-rings for bike tie downs.

http://www.awdirect.com/awdirect/cat...kon=subsection

"These Auto Tie Down Straps are easy on your budget.
For use on trailers and carriers, the TYS-27, TYS-28A and TYS-28B tie down assemblies feature two inch wide straps and ratchets that let you adjust them to the length you need. All work especially well with the TYS-51 Axle Strap that is made from double-ply yellow nylon for extra strength and durability. Simply wrap around the axle and insert the snap hook or chain of the tie down assembly. "

Size: Adjusts from 25 1/2” to 6’L
Working Load Limit : 1,600 lbs.



Here's what I think I should order:
Low-Cost Tie Down Straps
Keep your cargo secure without spending a fortune with these Low-Cost Tie Down Straps

http://www.awdirect.com/awdirect/cat...ion&linkid=411
ET-27B Tie Down Strap with Double J-Hooks

$14.99

3,300 lb. WLL.

SjLingenfelter

I didnt read very much of your post but just saw the point where you said chains....Please do you self a favor and just buy straps. Chains are so dangerous. IMO

04ctd

it's a car trailer, and this is just the stuff to strap the car to the trailer.

I intend to chain the front of the car, and use the ratchet straps to draw tension and hold the rear of the car.

why would chains not be safe for that? I just need 2 two feet lenghts, with hooks on each end.

and 2 ratchet straps in rear.
I've got tons of bike tie down stuff, this just for cars. trailer belongs to son-in-law, he just got it, so he'll let me borrow, and i'll $$ for the stuff for us both.

jfpointer

If you have a Home Depot nearby, they have some heavier ratcheting straps than that for about the same money. I'm thinking they're rated at around 5,000-6,000 lbs working load. A little overkill in some things is a good idea in my book. Also, I don't check the Towing/RV forum all that often, but you might post in that one too if you haven't already.

SjLingenfelter

well if your not gonna be reliing on the chains then get em but i just have seen so many people either killed or have been seriously injured by them.

westcoaster

assuming your loading the front of the car to the front of the trailer, my personal opinion is to chain the back and rachet strap the front. you can always stop (crash) a heck of a lot faster than you can start. another thing to consider is tying the car in an X left rear of car to right rear of trailer. it will keep everything right where you parked it on the trailer. the heavy equipment guys seam to prefer this method. home depot is a good place to start looking for chain. I managed to get a 10' section of heavy 3/8 (not sure if it was grade 8 or not) They will cut it to your desired length.
there is another place here in canada called princess auto (google search) they have a mail order business. (i know they have grade 8 grab hooks)

04ctd

coaster...cool..you canuks seem to have all the answers. too cold to sit around and do anything but sit around and think, eh?

i'll hit HomeDepot tomorrow and have my stuff done.

the X seems like a good idea too.

any other ideas out there?

Patrick Campbell

Home Depot carries KEEPER brand 3333# RATED (10000# breaking) straps for $12 each. they are very nice. Use 4 of them and cross the rear and you will be good. Ratchet down the frame so the suspension compresses a bit.

I am also one of those "chains are dangerous" guys...

westcoaster

rollback tow trucks use chains, heavy equipment transporters use chains, construction cranes use chains (say that three times really fast)
I can understand a chain being dangerous when used with one vehicle to pull another out of a mud hole by "snaping" the chain. but as something used to tie a vehicle down, I'm just not seeing it.
I think chains are more versitile than tug straps, as you can set the grab hooks along the entire length of the chain. Attached is a pic of a "load binder" set that in the middle of your chain and use a length of pipe to pull the handle over and lock it (use a piece of wire to secure the handle)
after all this praise for chain the drawbacks are they are heavy and messy (rusty) where they make straps that will do the same job.
like everything in this world, you MUST use the properly rated tie down wether it be chain or strap. For your particular application I think either will work just fine.

Dan Brooks

I use chains to secure my Jeep to the trailer. I have the "T" and "J" hooks that fit into the factory holes in the frame, and use the chain binders that westcoaster shows in his reply. This holds the Jeep very securely and I've never had it move while towing. I cross the chains left to right in front, but can't in back due to the gas tank being in the way.

IMHO, chains are dangerous for recovery, but are a good choice for securing a vehicle to a trailer.

EDIT: If you can't find them locally, you can get the chain binders online from http://www.northerntool.com and a bunch of other places - do a Google search for "chain binders" and compare prices before ordering.

Outrider

Harbor Freight or Northern tools sell tow chains 15' with a J Hook on 1 side with a T Hook on the other with grap hook. This is what most tow rigs use including me. The J Hook is used on the axle tube,the T hook is used on the frame in the slots on the front and rear.The problem with wraping a chain around the axle is the brake line being broke or pinched.The frame slots are about 1.5" by 3" long.Look at a car tranporter they use the T slots.Yes the chains may be to long,so to shorten the chain use a 3 link chain with a grap hook on both ends.Yes chains in a recovery use can be very dangeros.For chaining down stuff I use chains.Also use pullstraps to hold up the loose ends of the chain to keep them off the ground.

greatwhite

If you are going to have them for a while, and cost is not your only consideration, have a gander at ratchet binders for the chains instead of beartraps. They cost a little more, but there is no pipe or snipe bar to remove your teeth or dent your skull. . And you can always get the tension you want, not 1/2 link tighter or looser than you want. Oh yes, and by all means cross them front and back. You could also buy T-hooks to put in hole in your frame and then just set the chain into them. Rick

Eskimo

we had a LONG discussion about this subject on a 4x4 board I'm on where guys frequently tow their rigs all over the country.. The general consensus was: Chain the rear axle in an X. strap the front. If the suspension is very soft, use a strap to the body to help control the sway.

Ratcheting chain binders are the ticket... but if ya don't wanna drop the cash on those, this is what I do...

I attach the chains semi-tight, start the vehicle, and pull it forward until the chains are tight. I then use the clutch to kill the engine (or parking brake if auto), which keeps the chains tight while I pull the front axle tight with ratchet straps. After it's all tight, I release and re-engage the clutch as a backup.

I have to use another set of straps on the roll cage to keep the body from flopping back and forth, but I tow a rockcrawling rig with very soft suspension.

Try this for a tie-down point... http://www.awdirect.com/awdirect/cat...ion&linkid=209

04ctd

Eskimo....won't I be able to draw tension with the ratchet straps, oh no, not if you X them, huh?

all, tks for the info...my intention with your guys advice is to get solid straps instead of chain (thinking rust) for the rear, X them,

and ratcheting straps for the front. should I get 4 ratchet straps? 2 to go straight nS pull car down, and 2 to X, and then loosen 2 straight straps?

westcoaster

This is tough to answer.... I some how get the uneasy feeling you may not get the principal behind what we are talking about here... (not a flame just prefacing a long winded reply)
exactly how to tie down your car is going to be tough to answer as there are many variables. If you try and cover all the bases and do a "perfect" job of securing the car I figure you would need 12 straps. two vertical to tie the car straight down to the trailer to keep it from hoping, two in an X to keep it from moving side to side. and two tied north south to keep it from moving front to back. repeat for the front axel.
no one can afford all those straps and roughly the same job can be done with just 4. however the trade off is, it will not be as secure and the straps will need to be stronger. imangine a 25 pound weight and a piece of clothes line. tie one end of the clothes line to the weight and lift. No problem, right? Now suspend the same piece of clothes line between two poles and hang the weight from the center. the pull on the clothes line is a lot more than 25 pounds. the same principal applies in tying down the car. (there for get the heaviest straps possible)
the closer to a 90* angle that force is applied in any one direction the more stress will be applied to the strap. example: tie one end of the strap to the drivers side axel. secure the other end by the passinger side tire (repeat for other side) while this is great for securing the car from moving side to side it will do basically nothing for keeping it moving front to back. there for you must move the anchor points on the trailer farther back. the closer you can get to a 45* angle, the better.
I guess another way of explaining this would be to imagine being in a square room abd tying a strap from the top left to the rear right, and top right to rear left.
sorry if this is old news to you, however I thought it better to try and explain than keep silent....