I have a few truck hauling questions.

[JRuel]

Hi there. TONS of great info here. I've pulled lots of trailers before, but never really hauled a truck on a trailer before. Monday morning, i'm driving about five hours to go pick up a new truck. I'm renting a 20ft equipment trailer, and will be pulling it with my '05 3500 SRW Cummins. The truck I am buying is an '89 Chevy S10 4x4 with a 350 V8. It's not that heavy, but i'm concerned anyway.



What is the best way of tying it down to the trailer? I'm wanting to use 2" heavy duty ratchet straps, because I don't have any use for chains and boomers after I haul this truck, so if I buy chains, they'll be a waste iof money. Am I safe to use good quality ratchet straps? Where and how is the best place to tie this truck down to the deck?



Also, I know I definitely should have a brake controller, but i'll be in a hurry to leave. Are they all a plug in type for the new trucks, or do they require wiring? What is a good value controller for a guy like me that really doesn't tow that often?



Is there anything i'm missing? Do I need to bring anything else besides straps, and maybe some lumber to secure the wheels? I'd like this to be as safe and painless as possible, because I built this truck in high school, and sold it. Now that i'm getting it back, I REALLY don't want to lose it on the highway.



Thanks guys! I really appreciate any insight here.

 

[Grunt]

Might rent a car hauler trailer from U-Haul... they are equipped with surge brakes so no controller needed. Also comes with everything needed to tie the pickup down securely

 

[P Pacatang]

Yes I think the best way is to get a trailer made to tow a vehicle. It has all the right stuff to do the job.

 

[YFZBOB]

If possible, try to tie down the vehicle by it's axle housing. Run the straps from the right-side of the axle to the left-side of the trailer. Straps from the Left-side Axle to the right-side of the trailer. Should look like an X. Be sure to balance the weight. No more than 10% of the weight on the hitch.



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[JRuel]

Thanks, guys. The truck has IFS in the front. How do I strap it down? Do I go right to the frame, or is there a better way?

 

[rperker]

I have been hauling cars, pickup's, farm tractors for many years. My method for tie down is to use a 2" strap hooked to the rear of trailor wrap around the rear axle (take care not to squish break lines ect. and soften any sharp edges) and ratchet to the front of trailor. By using this method you stop all forward backward movement and also any side to side movement, this also allows the vehicles suspension to take up the bumps. Buy good ratchet straps, (I usually use only one)and soften (pad) any sharp edges the strap goes over. You will do fine. happy haulin.

 

[YFZBOB]

Thanks, guys. The truck has IFS in the front. How do I strap it down? Do I go right to the frame, or is there a better way?

To the frame. As long as you can compress the suspension enough so that it won't bounce,this will add additional stress/shock to the straps. Rule of Thumb, straps no more than a 45° angle. Pull over about 25 miles and check your load. You'll have fun pulling a trailer with a vehicle. Check Tire Pressure on rented equipment.

Here's a couple of ways you can tie down a vehicle.

Option #1. If you have the trailer length available.

Option #2. If there's no trailer lenght available.



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[JRuel]

Wow! thanks for the diagram! The only thing I was concerened about was the front end. I'll give it a try, and see how it works. Thanks

 

[cojhl2]

For a small vehicle like that S10 and your capable tow rig I would go to U-Haul and get Tow dolly. Disconnet the drive shaft on the S10 and head for home!!



Prob wont cost much if you rent it from your Point of Origin and deadhead with it to the S10. Wont know its behind that dodge!

 

[JRuel]

For a small vehicle like that S10 and your capable tow rig I would go to U-Haul and get Tow dolly. Disconnet the drive shaft on the S10 and head for home!!



Prob wont cost much if you rent it from your Point of Origin and deadhead with it to the S10. Wont know its behind that dodge!

I thought of that, but this truck has wide tires, and likely will not fit into the dolly. Plus, they're a real night mare to tow with. I've worked at a U-Haul rental outfit, and the maintenance on these things is not the greatest.

 

[BStoecker]

Those tow dollies should be illegal.

 

[cojhl2]

Why do you say that BStoeker,, I had 4 kids in college at the same time all with old vehicles. Heck I've pulled them ( vehicles) from all over IA home to fixem!



Also I blew an engine in my Isuzu diesel (caused by a blown hose and I wasnt watching) in Battle Mountain NV and Tow Dollied it home to IA absolutely no prob. .



I dunno,, they seem to work just fine to me!!

 

[Joe G.]

I towed a small car (a little bigger than an S10) from Sacramento to Roseburg last fall. The tow dolly worked great. The car was down out of the wind so it towed like it was not even back there. No sway on turns. The U-Haul dolly I rented was in good shape. If it was not I would have gone to another U-Haul store to get one.

 

[BStoecker]

I'm friends with the owner of a towing company. According to his years of pulling people out of ditches and cleaning up accidents, tow dollies are way more likely to be involved in an accident than flat-towing or trailers. They are almost always hooked up wrong, in poor repair, etc... The majority of people that use them have never towed before, or have no clue how to do it safely/properly. They can be used safely and will do the job, but are just more prone to problems than a trailer.

 

[nps]

I'm friends with the owner of a towing company. According to his years of pulling people out of ditches and cleaning up accidents, tow dollies are way more likely to be involved in an accident than flat-towing or trailers. They are almost always hooked up wrong, in poor repair, etc... The majority of people that use them have never towed before, or have no clue how to do it safely/properly. They can be used safely and will do the job, but are just more prone to problems than a trailer.

If you are saying there are many more inexperienced drivers using dollys than trailers, thus dollys seem to exhibit more problems, then I'd agree. However the maintenance (or lack thereof) between U-haul's dollys and trailers is about the same. Since the dollys are cheaper to rent, most will use them first if the towed vehicle fits on it.

 

[cojhl2]

I am surprised that Dollies are more prone to accidents than trailers with inexperienced drivers. One would think the opposite would be the case. Why you ask do I think that.



The tow dolly is constructed so that there can be no overbalance, no overweight on the towing vehicle, and becasue of the stiffness (if a 5th wheel does exist and many uhaul ones dont have it) of the 5th wheel the dolly tends to stay behind the tow vehicle.



Inexperienced people with trailers are a danger I think. They dont know how to hookem, loadem, or driveem. .



any way facts are facts and if they are in more accidents that cant be argued I guess.

 

[nps]

any way facts are facts and if they are in more accidents that cant be argued I guess.

I don't have any stats - just an obervation. More dollys are on the road because they are cheaper - hence the power of numbers - there's more of them out there to get into accidents.

 

[Joe G.]

You have to use a little bit of sense when towing anyway. A lot of people don't have a clue. I think a tow dolly is less intimidating to those kind of people. If you take a turn too fast and have to stop quick it could get real interesting with a tow dolly.

 

[JRuel]

I like to do things properly, and safely. Not to mention, I wanted to see how my CTD would tow the weight. The trailer was a 20 foot heavy duty equipment trailer. It worked fine. I stayed away from a dolly as well because of the rougher roads, and long distances I had to cover. Plus, I didn't sleep after working the night before, so I was tired. I didn't want the hassle of a dolly. Everything worked REALLY well.

Thank you very much to all that offered help. I appreciate it.