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trailer queens, I need to see some tie downs

78Suburban

78Suburban

1/2 ton status
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I just measured our trailer, and its gonna be big enough to fit my burb on. The trailer is 80" wide, and after I put my tsl's on the burb, it will be around 77" wide. The burb is BONE STOCK and has stock bumpers. I want to use the trailer to go 80 miles to the mud bog, so I won't be walking home when I break something. So how in the world do you secure a 7000 lb truck to a trailer? What do you use and where on the truck is it secured to? Pics would be AWSOME.
thanks,
James :bow: :bow: :bow:
 
I don't have pics but I run Xs from each corner of the trailer to the opposing corner of the rig on the trailer. You don't need tie downs on the rig because you buy the ratchet straps that go around the axle. Secure the axles down and let the rigs suspension absorb the bounces.
Some people do it the other way and you can argue what is better until your blue in the face. I have always had luck with the axle straps and that is how the factories tie down to ship to the dealorships.
 
crossed starps as stated above, but I do it to the frame. my springs are too soft to let it bounce. i also use a chain binder (aka a tooth buster,LOL) to tie off the axels, I'm paranoid for safety when towing, I'd rather throw an extra tie off on there.
 
Thus the argument. His soft springs allow his suspension to compress when he goes over large bumps and the chance is their for the strap to move or come loose not to mention the repetative loading and unloading of the tension on the strap. You can suck up as much suspenion as you can but it will always have more unless you put it to the bumpstops.

I have seen it done both ways many times and provided you use good straps and common sense they both work fine. I won't be arguing it anymore as I don't think either is wrong persay.
 
I use these Ratchet straps and axle straps Rjays

They are so nice because their so light compaired to chains.

and I tie to the axles only.
 
before this gets out of hand like most " but i do it this way..."


the bottom line is (and I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong) tie it down til you feel it's save however that may be.
 
This probably isn't too helpful, but when I bought my K5, I had it flatbedded home (not licensed, so I just decided to pay the $55 for the tow). Better to just not get pulled over with no plates, even if it'd be legal for 30 days after purchase with the title and bill of sale.

Anyway, the driver got his way-huge rollback transport (for towing straight trucks, it looked like) to the pickup site, backed into the lot, got out of the cab looking worried, and asked if the Blazer ran ("sure does, like a top" I grinned). He looked extrememly relieved, probably because it would have needed some sweaty up a slight grade pushing if it was just a roller).

He rolled back and tilted the bed while I started it up and drove the K5 from its parking spot to to the hookup area. He looked under the front end and said "oh, that's nice!" because there were 2 hefty frame-mounted tow hooks (factory, RPO V76) for his big bed winch cable to yank on.

He winched the K5 up the inclined bed, leveled the bed out, went to the back and hooked two bigass chains to the frame rails (existing holes from factory transport hooks I'm guessing), cinched down the winch to put a heavy load on my leaf springs & squat the K5 down, and off we went. Reversed the process at the destination, paid the man, and that was that. Very quick, very secure and stable.

Well, that was kind of wordy and rambling, but those 4 attachment points gave great service.:waytogo:
 
Another vote for M&R. Been running them to tie down my junk for over a year with no issues.

I use both of these straps

http://www.mrproducts.com/comborataxle.htm

http://www.mrproducts.com/combotiebacks.htm



Makes loading it a breeze. I can be loaded and gone in about 5 minutes.


superlift3qj.jpg
 
How did you get it down to 77"? A stock 1/2 ton 4wd truck on stock 15x8 rallys with stock 31x10.50r15 rubber measures 79" to the outside of the sidewall.

Anyway, I use 4 pieces of 3/8" Grade 70 transport chain to each towhook on the rig. I put blocks of wood between the axle and frame. I squish it down using 4 3/8" G70 (1/2" G43) binders. It makes it "one with the trailer" and it never gets loose or flops around. It makes it really nice to tow when your load isn't moving independently of the trailer.
 
CyberSniper said:
How did you get it down to 77"? A stock 1/2 ton 4wd truck on stock 15x8 rallys with stock 31x10.50r15 rubber measures 79" to the outside of the sidewall.
Click to expand...
I guess its possible I miss measured. I haven't mounted my 33x12.50's on there yet, but there are some 9.50 street tires on there now, and it measured like 74" or a little less. I'm gonna use the stock 16.5x6.75 wheels which have a good bit of back spacing. I was estimating it would be around 77" wide after I mount my new tires on the narrow wheels. Maybe it will be 79".. Just so its wide enough to drive up on the trailer (wich has rails, so I can't hang off the side).. I guess I'll have to measure it again. or better yet, measure after I mount my tires on there, which should be soon.
thanks,
James
 
I use 4 straps for most trips, and long (fast) interstate trips get an extra safety chain from the front of the truck to the rear of the trailer (hooked to a cross member that nothing else hooks to).

2 in the back around the diff snout (over the tubes on both sides) and to the rear trailer cross member, kicked out about 15* to each side. Then in front, I run them about 45* off each side and crossed to the opposite side. Since there is very little pull from acceleration to push it off the back (even with my chipped DMax) so they handle side loads. In the back, I'm mostly worried about panic stops and hitting something, with a minimal side to side control (hence the 15* angle on each side).

Nothing at all on the frame and I've never noticed a problem with the chassis moving, and you won't get much softer than my springs.

And for all the "as long as your comfortable" people, that makes no sense to me. It's safe or it's not, and personal comfort has nothing to do with it. I've seen people with setups that were clearly deficient even for moving something just down the street, and they were quite "comfortable" with it on the interstate at 65+.

So, the body moving is just not a big deal as far as I can see. As far as I'm concerned, the axles MUST be tired down on these trucks specifically because of the suspension. Then, if you want to tie the body down because you feel it will somehow cause a problem, help yourself. But as others have said, for those who tie only the frame down, you are just asking to get someone killed if you don't also collapse it into the bump stops. And that's just not reasonable in most cases for these trucks given the lifts, suspension travel, and often very stiff springs. Heck, I've seen LOTS of trailer queens that don't even HAVE functional bump stops, much less something that can keep the suspension from moving when the chassis is tied down. And if it can move, it WILL move, and at best it will hammer everything from the trailer up to your truck on every hard bump, at the worst, it will break something loose, probably at the worst possible time (since that is likely when the peak loads will be delivered).
 
I think its important to stop and recheck the straps after driving about 10 - 15 miles to make sure everything is still secure. Better safe than sorry. I almost lost my riding mower because a strap had shifted.
 
I didn't bother to read most of the thread so forgive me if it's repetitive.

I loop short straps around the axles outside of the springs, attach them to longer ratchet straps and run them in an X pattern. I use the ones BadDog posted up a few years ago.

It's worked quite well so far. My tires hang off the edges of the trailer but there's so much surface area that the boggers hanging off of the edge have more surface area on the trailer than the stock tires do while sitting completely on the deck.
 
Guys, I think I've learned a little something about strapping down your rig....:mad: :o I was always a believer in compressing the suspension, and pulling down from the frame. Never had any problems with it in the past....ever....until one fateful night. I won't use straps again, I am getting some chains and binders. And I will pull tension on the axles, not the frame. I know this'll create a 'leaning' issue with my load in turns, so I might have to rig up something that allows me to run a chain vertically on each side to prevent, or limit, sway.
 
I use one 3/8 chain with a binder on each axle for the main secure points. I have pulled my junk thousands of miles this way and do parts trucks the same way. For my trail rig, to keep the body from bouncing, I use the winch to pull the front down and a come-along to pull the rear end down. Works just fine.
 
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