How do you protect car when flatbed trailering?
I will be getting a FF2000 and am planning to trailer it on an open flatbed (at least initially; tow vehicle is currently a Honda Ridgeline). Are there recommended ways to protect it from rain during trailering (is this necessary?), and to enhance security when overnight parking at motels?
Thanks in advance for sharing any experiences.
-Richard
How do you protect car when flatbed trailering
Chain the car to the trailer
Keep in mind that we open trailer po' boys have different issues than the enclosed trailer "kings". I would agree that no one will want to steal our trailer just for the trailer as they would a nice enclosed trailer good for hauling their particular toys. And for the few who want your racecar, the easiest way to steal the car is to steal the whole trailer, for obvious reasons. And you can think up 100 different ways to combat that.
However, to protect against the pranksters/joyriders :skull: who might want to roll the car off the trailer for some late nite fun, I chain my car to the trailer if it will be so exposed for any length of time. The heavy duty chain goes thru the floor and around a joist. I put it under the right rear in a location that I can reach in to loop the chain over the frame and lock it. I picked a location that I can reach in to lock with some difficulty, but which would be very difficult to get a cutting device into. Chances are the pranksters wouldn't see the chain (wrapped in pipe insulation) until the car didn't move very far anyway.
wheels vs. chassis tie down
Thanks again for the tips. On the subject of strapping down the car, I've never understood why it should be better for the shocks to tie down by the wheels versus by the chassis. Seems there would be less wear if you limit chassis movement (in this situation only rebound beyond the static position; compression should not be limited), while by the wheels the car would be bouncing around much more with the undamped trailer. Just seems counter-intuitive.
Tie down by wheels or by chassis
Think of it as if you were thinking of a car without springs/shocks. The stress has to go somewhere, so it rattles the chassis and shakes the **** out of it if you tie the chassis, because the suspension can't work (especially on an open, unsprung trailer). I tie the wheels down and let the car's suspension do its thing. If the trailer has springs, it's not as important, but it still helps absorb the loads to tie the car by the wheels, and not snug it down tight on the chassis.
Larry Oliver
International Racing Products
protecting the car on the trailer
I towed down to Savannah last december, with my open trailer and my Lola. I have some thoughts to share. if you want to read them...
A loose cover or tarp flapping in the wind does more damage to stuff than you would imagine. Bungee cord the crap out of it, duct tape doesn't work, or leave the car bare.
A formula car covered in a tarp, covered in 3" of snow, looks really very festive at 6 AM when you look out the window of the motel. Glistening in the moon light, etc...
It's impossible to keep anything that can rust from rusting if you trailer through 1,000 miles of snow and salt covered roads on your way to that race in the sunny south. I finally admitted defeat on getting my calipers to look good again and they are out getting replated.
Even all of the brand new gold cad plated bolts that I assembled the car with are now terminally dirty and corroded. many of the brand new rod ends now look like original 1977 issue.
I use straps over the tires, check them often, but they are never lose.
The best way to steal a car that's on a trailer appears to be to steal whatever the trailer is hooked up to first, then deal with the trailer and the car at the thieves leisure. So i don't worry about it except for parking where I can look at the truck and trailer from my window.
I won't do it again, but I will use the open trailer for getting to nearby events in the summer time as a last resort. Mind you, some of the best times I ever had in racing were towing a car (a mini, as it happens) on an open trailer, behind a VW Jetta, a Dodge Acclaim, a Jeep YJ, all over the place. Had a great time, cheap and absolutely cheerful!
Brian