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What is your tie down technique ??

Chickntrk said:
I guess it depends how flexy the suspension is but if you drive it thousands of miles the suspension bounces on bumps, if you trailer it thousands of miles the suspension bounces on bumps….don’t the shocks do the same amount of work either way?
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sweetk30 said:
Its no different than driving it down the road . . And prob less as some will be absorbed by the trailer suspension and tires .
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The shocks are designed to control unsprung weight, axle & tires, this is much less weight then the body bouncing rocking and bouncing away on them. Now I have no proof that is worse then normal driving, but shocks are a wear item why would want them bouncing around when they aren't needed ?
 
While I know this sweet Impala made it home safe and sound, I would be worried about the stake bracket slicing the straptie down.jpg
 
Wes Harden said:
The shocks are designed to control unsprung weight, axle & tires, this is much less weight then the body bouncing rocking and bouncing away on them. Now I have no proof that is worse then normal driving, but shocks are a wear item why would want them bouncing around when they aren't needed ?
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Keep in mind, I am a mechanical engineer in addition to the son of a truck driving farmer that taught me a lot about securing a load on a flatbed for many applications.

On the engineering side, consider the forces are equal and opposite in a suspension system. The forces holding a car to the road are the same as the road pushing up on the car. The springs and shocks on a car see far worse loads driving on the road hitting pot holes than being strapped to a trailer with its suspension taking the first hit. The trailer will absorb some of the load first and only transmit a fraction of it to the load.

There are two things you are doing strapping down a frame or body to compress the suspension. First you are adding preload to the springs. This is abnormal loading for the suspension to start with and every bump adds force to those loads. For most vehicles, this will still be well within load ratings unless you get into race cars that are designed with low fatigue life so it really isn't a concern most of the time.

Second, compressing the suspension will require more tension load in your strap than securing the tires alone (remember the loads are equal and opposite) , preload in the suspension is equal to tension in the strap multiplied by the geometry angles of the strap to the load. Then you add additional loads with each bump. Here is your risk of failure. The straps and ratchets are going to be loaded much closer to design limits in this manner. You run higher risk of failure and losing control of the load.

As far as the strap through the stake pocket, those edges are rounded and smooth and i recheck them before securing the strap. Looping the hook down through the pocket and hooking to the top prevents the strap from falling off if the load shifts a small amount losing some tension. Swivel D-rings that automatically stay in line with the straps would be better for loading on the strap, but they would not prevent the strap from disengaging.
 
I use four straps. Axle straps around the front axle, in between the shock mount and the caliper, going straight to the forwardmost stake pocket on my trailer. Rear is pretty much the same, around the tube, one strap on each corner.

I've put thousands of miles on my trailer with this setup and found this works best for me. I use Mac's straps with their chains and axle straps. I tried crossing them and found they would loosen up. Nary an issue with them straight and tight.
 
Wes Harden said:
The shocks are designed to control unsprung weight, axle & tires, this is much less weight then the body bouncing rocking and bouncing away on them. Now I have no proof that is worse then normal driving, but shocks are a wear item why would want them bouncing around when they aren't needed ?
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Cause as said there is no way to strap down the body and stop movement 100% and keep straps and chains from going slack on bumps and banging them apart and also stressing the frame were you tie it down at .

There is many reasons semi truck car haulers no longer tie to the frame . . Seen new vehicles with bent frames by the time they get to the dealer .
 
sweetk30 said:
Cause as said there is no way to strap down the body and stop movement 100% and keep straps and chains from going slack on bumps and banging them apart and also stressing the frame were you tie it down at .

There is many reasons semi truck car haulers no longer tie to the frame . . Seen new vehicles with bent frames by the time they get to the dealer .
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That is why I use blocks almost the hight of the frame, once I cinch down the strap, no movement, no shock load.
It's just hard to get the right height so you are not compressing the springs more than 1"
 
swettysblazer said:
I use four straps. Axle straps around the front axle, in between the shock mount and the caliper, going straight to the forwardmost stake pocket on my trailer. Rear is pretty much the same, around the tube, one strap on each corner.

I've put thousands of miles on my trailer with this setup and found this works best for me. I use Mac's straps with their chains and axle straps. I tried crossing them and found they would loosen up. Nary an issue with them straight and tight.
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Same method except all straps, no chains, and I cross the rears, and do tighten them at the first stop and then no further issues. Erickson straps from tractor supply with clips on the hooks. I secure the tails with “gear ties”, didn’t see anyone mention them yet.

Gear Tie

Twist it, Tie it, Reuse it - Gear Ties! Gear Tie Reusable Rubber Twist Ties have a tough rubber shell that provides excellent grip and a strong wire inside that holds its shape, meaning no job is too big or too small for a Gear Tie to tackle.
niteize.com niteize.com
 
bigjimmy82 said:
Same method except all straps, no chains, and I cross the rears, and do tighten them at the first stop and then no further issues. Erickson straps from tractor supply with clips on the hooks. I secure the tails with “gear ties”, didn’t see anyone mention them yet.

Gear Tie

Twist it, Tie it, Reuse it - Gear Ties! Gear Tie Reusable Rubber Twist Ties have a tough rubber shell that provides excellent grip and a strong wire inside that holds its shape, meaning no job is too big or too small for a Gear Tie to tackle.
niteize.com niteize.com
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My wife got some of these, she uses them in the garden
 
If it is something I towed a lot, I cut the straps and had a bag marked for that vehicle. On the Jimmy, I started the axles and cross strapped the rears. Staps went full front and fullback on the trailer.

Funny story. My first trip to Moab, a guy pulled up next to me and said my truck was loose. He followed me around a 270* freeway transition. It even had body roll on the trailer.

He had a thrashed looking blue k5.

Good friend now.
 
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