I updated my trailer with some additional recessed D-ring anchors. I cut through the extruded aluminum floor with a 4 1/2 inch hole saw and through a 1/4 inch thick 5083 aluminum plate that was clamped under the flooring. The plates span two I-beam crossmembers, so this should hold up well.
rebooting an old thread... my radical was delivered today (oh boy what a glorious feeling!).
Could anyone possibly take a nice pic side on showing how you tie the straps to secure the car?
I have a pair of AT0008 radical tie-downs for the rear wheels.
I've never towed a car before, let alone a radical - so working through the safest and most effective way to strap it to the trailer.
It looks like i need 2 straps per wheel, when using the tie-downs?
What length of ratchet strap would you recommend for such a setup please?
As for the fronts, i was just going to use the normal wheel straps and secure down to just stop any bouncing. Again if anyone uses this method on here and could take a clear pic side on of how it looks, that would be much appreciated!
thank you!
I dont have photos of mine, but do the following. Like Charlie, I use the Radical insert wheel tie-downs, use two straps on each of the rear wheels, strapping forward & rear. I use a winch to pull my car up into trailer so I just leave cable attached to front tow hook. Then, just in case of emergency, I use one strap forward on front wheels, with obvious slack, no load on front wheels.
I know of two dealer race teams that do not strap front wheels at all in their transports due to concerns of messing up alignment.
In my experience:
- You don't have to ratchet down crazy tight
- If you over tighten the strap, it could bend a rod end or upright. I would much rather have my car roll back and forth a couple of inches than bend something.
- You *do* need to ensure your tie-down ratchet does not loosen. Best way is to use a wide (2 inch) strap, good ratchet, and load it with several turns. If you only have one turn on the ratchet, it will loosen as you drive. Wide strap tends to remain tight on the ratchet compared to narrow straps, in my experience.
- If you use the tie down pins that fit into the hub, you must prevent these from coming out. The long bolt with nut, if situated with the nut on top, and the nut comes loose (happened to me), could cause the pin to fall out which is the same as not tying down that wheel.
- I don't like the nut and long bolt because eventually I will misplace a nut.
- You can go through the wheels instead of using the wheel pins; if you do, don't over tighten. I use through the wheel method to haul my open wheel car and I allow it to roll back and forth an inch or two.
- For new car and/or trailer, stop frequently to check whether the the straps are loosening. Once you have full confidence, check your trailer at every fuel stop.
Agreed: you don't need crazy tight, just enough to keep the straps from loosening.
I don't strap my front wheels either. Just two on the back on each side using the standard tie-downs.
@davidf I like those "clothes pins" above. Got a link or location to find a set?
Various places sell these including Amazon. I cannot remember where I purchased mine, but these are all the same as long as the size is the same.
The OEM part number I think is 25-07. Specs are:
- 0.148 inch rod
- 3 3/4 inch useable length
- 5 3/4 inch overall
If you buy more than you need and share the cost with a few friends, probably better deal.
Guys, I have an open trailer and have used lasso straps around the wheels to tow my other cars but it looks like I'm going to need to buy 6 additional straps based on feedback above. two for the fronts (not very tight) and four for the rear (one going to the front D-ring and one to the rear D-ring on each side). Is my rough photoshop mockup correct?
Also, it looks like I'm going to need to put the front wheels on 2" blocks for the front splitter to clear my winch mount which is about 3" high. Just want to make sure I have this correct since I've never towed one of these.
@darrahc - G'day Clark, That looks ok to me. You might want to get the front of the car as far forward as possible to make sure the centre of gravity for the car is close to the trailer's axle centerline. Having said that, yours looks similar to mine and it tows great. Just check that you have enough weight on your tow hitch before travelling for the first time.
I don't bother with strapping the front down at all anymore - it never moves if the rear is done correctly.
When I did, I used to tie the front down vertically (run the strap vertically down from the insert that you put inside the centre of the wheel hub, then ran it through a 'turning hook' that locates in the perforations in my trailer floor then forward or back to attach the other end wherever it fitted best.) My logic for doing this was that it still provided some restraint for the front of the car (mainly from moving sideways) while not 'pulling' on the front hubs and potentially disturbing my wheel alignment.
Hi @darrahc, your overall set up looks good but as Rod mentioned you will have to adjust the location a bit. The center of gravity for these cars is just behind the roll bar. When trailering you will want to have a bit of tongue weight so typically you want the engine of the car to sit just in front of the center of the two wheels on the trailer. If your trailer isn't long enough you can load the car backwards.
Regarding how you plan to strap the car down. Yes this is how you want to have the straps, but if possible it would be better to add tie down rings closer to the tires. It is preferred to keep the die down straps as short as is reasonably possible. Don't go crazy with making them super short because you do want some triangulation in the straps, but it is better to have them on the shorter side.
I don't strap down the fronts either. Just the rear, similar to the photoshopped photo above.
Now then: you need an enclosed trailer. 20 feet is plenty, and then you can put some cabinets in the front of the trailer and fill them with tools, a nitrogen bottle, extra wheels and tires, etc. With all that tongue weight, you can put the car wherever you like. 🙂
Hello-
Anyone have a recommendation on a good brand of tie down ratchet straps? So many out there.
I will be using the hub tie down locations. Thanks!
