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Trailering my 84 diesel...

mrschaeferpants said:
Be careful and do some research. Tire size and straps may not be the only problem. I don't know what you're towing with, but a lot of U-hauls you're hauling anything other than a smart car with their trailers, won't let you haul things, and say if you have anything less than a 1 ton it can't be hauled :haha: Think it's a liability thing.

Also keep in mind, I'm ASSUMING by the pic, it doesn't have a trailer brake, I know that's a generic picture, but I've personally never seen a nice quality trailer at u-haul or any of those places with nice tandem axle trailers with electronic braking. Blazers are heavy man, be careful, you said you're going far.
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We are using a 20' U-haul truck to haul this trailer. Someone else is driving the truck. My mom set this whole thing up.. if I had my way we wouldn't be going but I'm not in a position where I have say unfortunately. It's a long long story though...

supposedly the guy knows what he is doing but I sure don't have faith..

Here's another shot of it..

http://www.uhaul.com/reservations/images/Equipment/Towing/AutoTransportLarge.png

Another

http://www.speakeasy.org/~thefains/img/roverPics/sm_brokeOnTrailer.jpg

Look at this one.. haha

http://www.fullsizebronco.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1594&d=1144631726
 
He had some good info in that video... but um, they make these things called ramps, all car haulers usually come with them, dovetail or not :haha: Ive never loaded a truck on a trailer w/o a ramp.

I saw those pics of the u-haul. Guess the few times I've been those places just never had nicer trailers. That last pic with the bronco... too big for that trailer. Shouldn't stick your front end over the platform.

I think I remember your situation now, you have another thread, asked about fixing it up possibly so it could be driven?

That 20ft box truck is plenty big. I just remember a time when I was going to use a 14 or 16 foot box truck, they told me the Blazer was too big :rolleyes: I was like whatever... maybe they were just being douche waffles :dunno:

A couple things in the video I don't agree with, some are just opinions/preferences, but overall a lot of good info.
 
Yeah that was me in the other thread... we are moving to a small house with a garage from an apartment so I will be able to work on it more if I can get some money.

I was thinking the same about that truck hanging off the front.. is it better to have it hanging off he front or the back.. Not sure..

I was laughing when he drove it up onto the trailer without a ramp.. haha That was a shock. haha
 
ZombieBlazer said:
I was thinking the same about that trick hanging off the front.. is it better to have it hanging off he front or the back.. Not sure..
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Neither really. If it's hanging off the front, depending on how much, you jack knife backing it up or something and the rear of the tow vehicle could smash into the towed vehicle. But in situations like that, judging by the pictures of the trailer you'll be using, and that bronco is pretty much the same size of the Blazer, just position it to keep the weight in the right place for the trailer, if it hangs front or rear, you'll just have to deal with it. Kind of a no win, but I'd rather position it for what's safest while towing.
 
I use this style of strap.

10CAS_300.jpg


The loop end is designed to go around the axle and the other connects to the trailer. That style of snap hook is very common for car hauler tie down straps, but you do need something like a d-ring on the trailer or it's a moot point. They are rated at 10,000 lbs. each, and I use four (one at each corner).

I prefer attaching to the axles on my Blazer. The suspension is stiff enough to not sway very much....think about it, the truck is not going to sway anymore sitting on a trailer then it would if you were driving it down the road. The body does lean and bounce a small amount but I've hauled mine for 10 years without issues. Of course if you had some sort of flexy rockbuggy it might be a different story.

The problem with attaching to the frame is that when the body does sway and bounce with the suspension the chains or straps will slack and then suddenly get jerked tight again. Of course you can get away with this by strapping the truck down so tight it compresses the suspension (pretty common to see the big rig car haulers with a load of new cars with the suspension fully compressed down). These speciality trailers have big chain ratches right under the cars to allow them to do it, but this is very hard to do on a typical car hauler.

Chains and binders can work but just more cumbersome to work with. Also not really a fan of only having one chain on the front and one at the back. If one binder or chain come loose the load can shift and cause issues, as compared to having four connection points you would pretty much have to lose two on one end to cause issues.
 
Haha Eff those heavy ramps... nothing wrong with driving onto your trailer. All in the name of shaving weight : ) my ramps are about 50lbs. a piece, constantly bound up in the c channel they slide into. Use them when you need to, leave em behind when you don't :thumbup:
 
Great info 6.2... I wish I could find some straps that nice. I have been looking all over and I don't have time to order something.
 
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My .02

when securing a "normal vehicle" suspension travel isn't a big issue for short distances, that is why most tow trucks use flatbeds now and a winch and a couple binders...

after traveling thousands of miles with my Blazer, I feel the best way is to secure the axles to the trailer and the pull the frame down partially by blocking the suspension between the axle and frame to limit suspension travel. With the amount of travel that some of these rigs have they could contribute to an out of control sway issue.

I prefer these straps....http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/product/111/TieDowns

These ones are actually tested for breaking strength, unlike the China stuff.
 
mr250twostroke said:
Haha Eff those heavy ramps... nothing wrong with driving onto your trailer. All in the name of shaving weight : ) my ramps are about 50lbs. a piece, constantly bound up in the c channel they slide into. Use them when you need to, leave em behind when you don't :thumbup:
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:haha: no doubt about that. They wouldn't be bound up if you used them more often ::D

Maybe I tend to use the ramps 100% cause 99% of the time it's only getting trailered cause it's broke :whistle: and is getting winched or come a longed up.
 
Every u haul trailer is equipped with hydraulic brakes that actuate from the hitch when ever the trailer is pushing against the truck. I know that when I hauled my town car on one they had 3 different size trailers so there might be a 10k available. If everything was setup online they would most likely have the right trailer for your blazer.
You might try airing down the tires on the front to fit the tire straps on that way. I would still use straps or chains even if the tire straps went on just for safety just be sure to check everything whenever you stop for anything ( fuel food toilet).
 
There is nothing wrong with not using the ramps.

There is nothing wrong with wrapping a ratchet strap around an axle, I do it all the time.

I always strap down the axle. The suspension can unload and loosen your straps too easily.

I have used chains, chains and binders, ratchet straps, and come-alongs. They all work.

Martin
 
Thanks big reaper and 82355. Great information!

You brought up an interesting point 82355... could I also use a come along I will use to get the truck on the trailer as an additional way of holding things down? Maybe I could pull down the frame wit the come along with the chain binders holding the axles down?
 
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Eh, using a come a long as a tie down... People do it all the time, I'm sure it works all the time. But here's how I look at it, do you use a screwdriver as a prybar? Sure, we all do. Are you supposed to use a screwdriver as a prybar...

I personally don't do this, this is what I have straps for. Not saying you can't or shouldn't. I don't.

Have you seen the cable ratcheting tie downs you can install on your trailer? They are basically come a longs, shaped different and with no pulley.
 
mrschaeferpants said:
Eh, using a come a long as a tie down... People do it all the time, I'm sure it works all the time. But here's how I look at it, do you use a screwdriver as a prybar? Sure, we all do. Are you supposed to use a screwdriver as a prybar...

I personally don't do this, this is what I have straps for. Not saying you can't or shouldn't. I don't.

Have you seen the cable ratcheting tie downs you can install on your trailer? They are basically come a longs, shaped different and with no pulley.
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Cables as opposed to straps? I don't think I have seen those.

I figured having the come-a-long as additonal support couldn't hurt too much but sometimes if you over complicate things you create more problems.
 
ZombieBlazer said:
Cables as opposed to straps? I don't think I have seen those.

I figured having the come-a-long as additonal support couldn't hurt too much but sometimes if you over complicate things you create more problems.
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Yeah you can get them and mount them to your trailer. Some ratchet, some are reels you spin that have a ratchet and gear to hold it. Not sure if they're meant to hold vehicles or not, but I've seen some big ones.

Extra stuff is never gunna hurt, if you want to leave a come a long on it in addition to your straps/chains, go for it.
 
ZombieBlazer said:
Great info 6.2... I wish I could find some straps that nice. I have been looking all over and I don't have time to order something.
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My local (small) trailer shop had this style straps sitting on the shelf including different colors, and different styles of straps. I've been to a couple of others over the years that were the same. You say you don't have time to order them but it would probably only take a day or two to get some shipped in. I know Jeg's has a large selection of straps and does same day shipping.
 
6.2Blazer said:
My local (small) trailer shop had this style straps sitting on the shelf including different colors, and different styles of straps. I've been to a couple of others over the years that were the same. You say you don't have time to order them but it would probably only take a day or two to get some shipped in. I know Jeg's has a large selection of straps and does same day shipping.
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Thanks 6.2Blazer. We ended up just buying the chain and binders. We have so much stuff going on we just had to get something so we don't have to hassle with it more.

I ended up getting some long chains for each wheel because I didn't want to come up short but I am a little worried about having all that slack chain. I would rather not have to cut them. Maybe I can use some wire to wrap it up.
 
You use the excess chain to wrap around the binder, so the binder doesn't come undone.

Martin
 
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