Strap/chain attachments on trailer

I've come close to getting some of those "J" hooks that the tow drivers use and attaching them to the end of a strap. Seems like it would make things much easier.
 
I've got some T/J hook combos, axle straps, chains, ratchet straps, and binders. I hate strapping something down by the frame though. Something usually comes loose if you don't compress the hell out of the suspension. I always go to the axles if possible.
 
Ron said:
Put them on the axle instead.
You want to strap the base not the suspended member .
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Not muddying a thread with this age-old argument. I do not want my tall rig swaying or bobbing on the trailer. I have towed it tens of thousands of miles in all conditions including emergency maneuvers with not a single issue and some of that time was with a 1500 Chevy that was nearly maxed on GCWR. It works flawlessly and the tie down locations are all positioned to locate and secure the load on the trailer so it does not move at all.
 
OnlyOneDR said:
Not muddying a thread with this age-old argument. I do not want my tall rig swaying or bobbing on the trailer. I have towed it tens of thousands of miles in all conditions including emergency maneuvers with not a single issue and some of that time was with a 1500 Chevy that was nearly maxed on GCWR. It works flawlessly and the tie down locations are all positioned to locate and secure the load on the trailer so it does not move at all.
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Sorry wasn't intending to derail the thread.
In short securing a vehicle to the trailer by the frame is wrong. That's not a debatable position in my mind. If sway is an issue you can suck the frame down to the axles separately. But you do not want stored energy directly fighting your securing members.
You are using a force multiplier against your straps/chains.

Its not a matter of question of the tow vehicle in application its the force applied to the binder when you hit a bump or, God forbid, come to an abrupt stop in a crash.

What's that saying that gets fed to Fuller around here, just because it hasnt failed yet doesnt make it right,
 
Ron said:
Sorry wasn't intending to derail the thread.
In short securing a vehicle to the trailer by the frame is wrong. That's not a debatable position in my mind. If sway is an issue you can suck the frame down to the axles separately. But you do not want stored energy directly fighting your securing members.
You are using a force multiplier against your straps/chains.

Its not a matter of question of the tow vehicle in application its the force applied to the binder when you hit a bump or, God forbid, come to an abrupt stop in a crash.

What's that saying that gets fed to Fuller around here, just because it hasnt failed yet doesnt make it right,
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I’m not saying you are wrong, im just sharing my personal experience.

The first is my dads cab truck that is for sale one here.

We started with strapping the axles only. I noticed once we got to wytheville area, I had trouble keeping the trailer in the lane once we got to the twisty hilly roads on the way to WV/KY. Highway is fine. 2 lane was terrible.

Pulled out two macs straps, and ran from rear bumper on truck to trailer.

Instantly the trailer sway was gone. The rear of that truck has decent suspension travel, and when the cab truck would sway on the trailer, it would “push” the trailer around in the lane.

Strapped it down, problem gone. Towed it that way ever since. That’s on a 14k equip trailer.

My jeep on my 7k trailer does the same.

The front leafs are close to the bumps at ride height. I strap the front down to the bumps, chassis to trailer.

On the rear I have two straps from rear axle to trailer to pull rear ward, and two straps from rear bumper to trailer pulling down.

Doesn’t bounce, or pop straps, doesn’t sway. No clue how many miles I’ve logged with these and no buses full of nuns and babies haven been harmed yet.

For me, it’s far safer and easier to tow to have the load controlled and not push the trailer side to side when the rig cog moves around vs only strapping the axles.

Both trailers are loaded less than their max capacity, and are in good shape.

Neither rigs are easy to strap chassis to axle and have the direction of pull inline with the force. Both require the chassis to be secured to trailer.
 
I understand why you do what you do, but - again not to argue but to explain my position a bit.
The straps in your scenario are serving two distinct but different purposes.

1) The one you are focused on which is sway control
2) Bonding the towed vehicle to the trailer.

Now up front I totally agree that a swaying vehicle makes for an unsafe tow and is far more likely to cause a crash and for that reason body sway MUST be controlled.

However in regards to #2 above it simply can not be argued that strapping the frame or body to the trailer is preferrable to strapping the unsprung member.

@Mac5005 I've learned enough from you by reading your suspension threads to know I dont need to explain suspension nor physics basics. But for the purpose of explaining my position Im going to anyway.

In either scenario the straps must overcome the kinetic energy of the change of the combined vehicle. I/E when you decelerate from 60-0 that heavy object in motion exerts force onto the straps. That really isnt changed in either method.
What is changed however is that by binding the suspension you are adding a shit ton (very technical value) of potential energy to the equation. Again you know ho to calculte spring rates and rates of force I dont need to spell that out to YOU but for the benefit of others reading this...if you had a 1,000 lb per inch spring compressed 10 inches, in an unload scenario you would generator 10,000 lbs of force against the strap IN ADDITION TO all the kinetic force resulting in the stop/swerve/accelerate action.

This really isnt a question of the rating of your trailer, its a question of the rating of your strap, its hooks, and their attachment points.

If I were in your scenario I would strap the axles or tires to the trailer AND strap the body down the way you do currently. The goal is to form one common "super member" of the load and the trailer.

And all of this doesnt even address the possibility of suspension member failure and loss of taught on the strap/chain. (Which can be just as big of an issue on an axle strap if a tire goes flat)

Snarky comment about nuns and babies aside, it is totally irrelevant how many miles you have towed this way without incident to date. I have a friend that owns a grading business and he tows two upper mid sized skid steers all over the Carolinas (T300 bobcats ~10k each)...has over 100k miles on his trailer and has NEVER strapped either of them down at all. No chain, no straps nothing. By your logic and his experience the safest way would be to not strap anything down.
 
4 straps on each corner to the axle. Straight if possible.

If you have sway issues, add a strap on each side from rock slider to trailer.

That's how I do it and feel very confident in the setup. I have seen straps pop off from being on the frame only.
 
I bought a steel deck trailer so I could weld the jackstands down directly. No issues since. F all yall.
 
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