I am having a professional towing company towing the T in an open flatbed trailer that hauls two cars. Any suggestions. The car is a convertible doesn't have a top at the moment. Also, any tips on where to mount straps etc.
Thanks!
Ryan
Do not strap the front axle forward and the rear back, do it the other way, as you can pull the wishbone out of its socket.
Best
Gus
Ryan - When you meet a semi going the other way at highway speeds, the seats will sometimes "rise" right out of the car. Floorboards and mats can also do the same thing. On an open trailer I tie things down good, or remove them.
Watch your floorboards and seat cushions.
Joe and I must have been typing at the same time.
For those who open tow sedans, which direction do you put the car on the trailer?
Doug, for short trips i put the cars on facing forward,on long trips i put them on backward and wrap the upper area with stretch wrap to protect from bugs, rocks ,rain etc it also helps keep the doors closed, i have a 26 coupe and a 24 Fordor.
Rick
Thanks guys! Good advice as usual from forum!
Doug - When I used to tow my '27 Fordor on an open trailer, I would put it backwards on the trailer. It balances very well, it's easier to clean bugs off the back end than the front, and you don't have to worry about the wind catching the visor and possibly blowing it off.
Concerning open car when on an open trailer, I remove the bottom seat cushion, floor boards, and anything else that might be shaken out or blow away.
Keith
Good that the windsheild is gone. Highway speed will distroy the winshield so keep it off.
The hood will also fly away, so, you might want to fold it carefully in a blanket and carry it in your trunk or back seat of a separate vehicle.
When I towed my '26 Model T coupe, 1,300 miles from York, Main to Bartow, Florida on an open U-Haul car hauling trailer, I wrapped the entire car using a 100' roll of clear 6 mil visqueen (plastic sheeting) that comes in a 3' wide roll but when unrolled opens into a 20' wide piece. After wrapping it in several layers of visqueen I wrapped it in many wrappings of 2" wide duct tape around and around the cab, over the top and under the car using 2 entire rolls of duct tape. The visqueen protected the finish from road gravel and it lasted all the way to Florida at speeds in excess of 70 mph. Jim Patrick.
These are all sensible reasons for trailering a car backwards, easier to clean etc. However this puts the weight of the engine over, or behind the trailer axles. You need 10% to 20% more weight on the trailer hitch for proper towing. Too little (or too much) weight will make for a bad experience.
When tying a car or piece of equipment down, the straps or chains are usually secured to the frame thereby compressing the springs / tires a little. Most guys don't seem to do this on a "T", they prefer to tie the axles down. I have done it both ways myself.
My current enclosed trailer has barn doors on the back and the opening is only about two inches wider than a Ts fenders so there is not a lot of room for error when loading. I have bolted guide rails to the floor between the tires which keep the car centered and will not let me get "off course." I have bolted chocks to the floor at the front to stop against, and also have some chocks to put behind the rear wheels which I can pin to the guide rails. Now when I tie to the axles, I am pulling the tires against the chocks and not putting a lot of strain on the wishbone ball. The guides keep the car from bouncing sideways and the chocks and straps hold it fore and aft.
By the way, has anyone ever actually pulled a ball from it's socket? You would need some strong straps and a very long lever to put that much pull on a tie down! If your ball is that worn and your socket that loose, you should not be driving that car! Think about it, The wishbone socket almost fully encloses the ball. Compare that to how little of your trailer hitch actually surrounds the tow ball, and it manages to stay attached. Also the balls on your pitman arm and tie rod take some pretty nasty hits on bumps, potholes, and train tracks and stay in their sockets.
As Jeff said, towing a car backwards on a trailer puts the engine weight on the back of the trailer, possibly leaving not enough trailer tongue weight. I only did this with my '27 Fordor sedan which is very heavy on the back end of the car and with a trailer long enough so that I could position the car on the trailer and still have the necessary tongue weight.
Keith
Tie the hood on or you will lose it.
65 MPH will also tear the top loose near the door posts.
The top braces will also come loose and flap or tear material, if extra bungee cords are not tied around them.
I wouldn't worry too much about the weight of the engine being to the rear.
You may be surprised how well-balanced a T really is... I know I was when I put mine on the racecar scales.
how balanced your T is, has really not a lot to do with the weight on your trailer, more of it depends on lenght of trailer, single or tandam axle, placement of car on trailer vs axles on trailer.
My point was, assuming the car is parked in the same location, the balance of the trailer won't be effected much whether the car is loaded forward or backward.
I just had a 23 coupe transported on an open trailer - the guy musta been haulin his butt - arrived with the top half ripped off...of course, no recourse with the non-professional shipper - he unloaded and ran (the money I saved will = a new roof). Oh well - how does one go about replacing a top? Big job or not?
Jeff,
You asked, "has anyone ever actually pulled a ball from it's socket?" Yes, I have seen that, it was actually on a national TV show where they were loading a T and tying it down in an airplane. They tied to the front axle and pulled tight like they would any "normal" car and it did not work.
Jim
I have always tied ours down pulling forward on the front and rearward on the rear. Could one pull the wishbone ball out of its socket? Sure! Am I going to pull mine out? No. I have enough sense to know when to stop cranking on my tie downs. Tying down a car doesn't need to be an exercise in testing the tensile strength of your tie downs.
Ryan, Andrew seems to think you have no windshield. You did not say that. If you have a windshield I suggest you open it whilst towing.
I have seen some people tarp a car for towing to avoid rain drops, bugs and bird ____. The nice thing about tarping a car is that there is less paint on the car to sand when you repaint it due to the bone-head tarping!
IMHO TH
Terry,
Opps, I made a error and thought he said windshield and not top.
Your right. Thanks.
I've done it this way for over 10,000 miles with no problems. Two straps front axle forward, two rear axle backward, one long strap front axle to rear hold down and another long one rear axle to front hold down. Total of 6 10,000 lb. straps with NLT 10% of load on the front. BTW, I made the bra out of heavy naugahyde. My T is a driver and not a shower so I can get by with a bit more, like the shield on the hood.