Trailoring a 1960 Cadillac properly

[Ken Perry]

The hole is plenty strong,USE it, the cross member is very strong in that area!If you go around the cross member you can damage the oil pan, front pully or someting else!I have found all sorts of damage from people hooking up,or jacking up these cars wrong! With what people have said here,and your own common sense,you should be fine! The car looks like a good score!  Ken Perry

[Classic]

No one has mentioned it yet, but once the car is on the trailer, most people use ratchet straps at all 4 corners of the vehicle to secure the vehicle to the trailer.  Got mine from Macs Custom Tiedowns:  http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/product/76/PackageDeals. 

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Okay, I will come in again, and now on tying down once it is on the trailer.

ONLY tie the vehicle to the trailer by the front crossmember, and the rear end, as in the differential.

These parts are the ones that are going to move around the least, and therefore the lashings, whatever you use, will remain tight.

Tying to the chassis is the worst thing that you can do, especially at the rear, because the body will move up and down as the suspension works as the trailer goes over bumps in the road.

The front Crossmember will not move as much as the diff, but it will move up and down, so if you can, ensure the front ties are as close to horizontal as you can get them the.

Plus, having a good towing vehicle makes all the difference.

Bruce.

[76eldo]

When I moved the 61, I was looking under the car to see the best way to tie it down using ratchet straps and the hold down rings on the trailer.

In the front, I threw the strap over the lower control arm and hooked it back into the trailer hold down, so I had both hooks in the ring on the trailer and the ratchet on the strap pulled it down.  I did this on both sides and just made it pull a little.

In the back, there were holes in the side of the frame, behind each wheel on the outside of the frame.  I put one hook in the hole and the other hook in the trailer ring, and pulled down the back tight on each side, went back to the front and got a few clicks on each side, and it was tightly held down.

I drove a few miles and checked the straps again and could not get even one click on any of them.  I checked it at each stop for fuel.  I always check the pins on the hitch too and make sure that the pins all have the locking clips on there too.

Every situation is different.  I do see a lot of guys using a web type strap that goes around the outside of the tire or through the rim and tie down to the sides of the trailer.  I am planning to add some side hold down's to be able to do this as well, less greasy and quicker to do.

Brian

[Classic]

I tie down my cars like Bruce said, but I notice that the car carriers that deliver new cars to dealers seem to hook on to the body/frame above the car's suspension.  They look to be tied down tightly.  I wonder why?

[gary griffin]

Lots of good advice here, but if you have not towed a trailer with a heavy load much another thing to check it tongue weight.  To make sure you have positive tongue  weight measure from the hitch to the ground and then again with just the trailer on the towing vehicle and then after you load the vehicle as you finally position the vehicle.  There will be a small difference between the first and second measurement and a greater difference between the second and third measurement. Not real accurate but you should be able to verify your hitch weight is positive this way. After you use the trailer a few times it will be much easier and you will be making marks to verify your location that you feel the best with.  If you have not done this before I suggest some experimenting Sunday morning where there s no traffic.  It can be easy for the trailer to start driving the car and practice will help prevent this.

[harry s]

Gene, The main reason the car hauler tie to the frame is to limit movement as they are in tight quarters. Also most cars have a slot in the frame and there are specialized hooks that fit the slots.  Harry

[INTMD8]

I tie down my cars like Bruce said, but I notice that the car carriers that deliver new cars to dealers seem to hook on to the body/frame above the car's suspension.  They look to be tied down tightly.  I wonder why?

When I worked at Lexus the new cars were delivered with blocks in the suspension to limit compression which are removed during the pre-delivery inspection.

I think for reasons previously mentioned, it's best to attach to unsprung components. In the front, the closest to that would be a strap around the outermost part of the lower control arm if you can't attach to the wheel/tire directly.

[60eldo]

      Can I get away with a 80 IN wide trailor?  inside fender to fender

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The car is 80.3 Inches wide at its' widest point, but if your trailer has very low sides, then it will fit, so long as the trailer fenders are below the sills.

Bruce.

[60eldo]

         Great, cause I think its 70 in  from out side tire to tire, should fit

[Dan LeBlanc]

Sounds like your trailer is the 18' version of mine (mine is 21', 12,000lbs). 

The 61 fits perfectly in the width with a bit of room to spare and it is 79 1/2" wide.

I think you'll be ok.

[gary griffin]

If the sides are a little too high to open the door just put a plank or two under the tires on that side just before you get to final towing position. Works every time, just can look a little funny.