Hey Guys,

I'll be bringing my touring to OCF Saturday morning on an open trailer. I have not trailered it before. Any tips? Seat cushions on/off?, tie down the hood?, etc
Thanks
John

John...
When I used a borrowed open trailer before finally getting my own enclosed, about the most I found needed was remove the floorboards as they like to take off flying. Never had any trouble with the seats on the touring, but the roadster did like to "dance" so I put it in the truck too.
Take the coil box key out! They love to work loose and take flight, as well as the lid. If your hood latches are tight, that shouldn't be a problem. Make sure your top boot is secure too, they grab a lot of wind inside them. That's all I can think of for now!

Top down of course, windshield folded, hood latched as normal, seat cushions removed, floorboards removed in the front at least. I prefer to tie down at the cross members and stop after the first few miles to re tighten the straps after they settle. Check them again if you make more stops. Don't forget the trailer maintenance. Tires at proper pressure, (50 psi)? Lug nuts re torqued, (100 ft lbs)? Hub bearings greased?

John, I trailer my 14 on an open trailer, too. Here's what I do: fold down the top part of the windshield, take the front and back seats out, remove the front floor mat and floorboards and, put the top down and wrap it with 3 or 4 bungee cords. I haven't had a problem yet. Hope this helps. See you at OCF!

For sure put the top down and a boot on it. If you don't have a boot, use something to wrap up the lowered top so it doesn't catch air. Fold the top half of the windshield back to horizontal. Remove floorboards and put them in your pickup, or put something on them to hold them in place, such as luggage. As Tim mentioned, if your hood clips are tight, that shouldn't be a problem. But you can run a bungee from one side to the other if it'll help you feel better. I've never had a seat cushion come loose, but they are easy enough to put in the back of your pickup if you're worried about them.

If the trailer has a foot-high "rail" around it, you can cinch the car securely up against it using chain and a boomer. Tie it using the frame or spring, not the axle. That's what I do, and it can't go anywhere that way. Then put a heavy nylon ratchet strap on the rear end to keep it from bouncing and shifting, and you're good to go. Keep your speed down to about 55.

If you don't have good mud flaps on your tow vehicle, I would wrap the wind shield with a few wraps of shrink wrap to ward off small rocks that might get thrown at it. I like to take the key out and turn off the gas as well.

when we opened trailered ours years ago I would put a sheet of ply wood up on the front of the trailer just high enough to protect the lights from rock chips.

Stupid question....If you remove the rear seat how do you tie down the boot?

John

Use bungees to hold down the top. If no boot, then wrap with small tarp, lots of bungees.

A folded only top will catch wind in the folds and it will parachute behind you . I know this fact

Here are two T's loaded OK for open trailer hauling.

Some folks like to carry the T backwards on the trailer. If you do this with a brass car, keep the radiator and lamps covered. The polished brass will blind any drivers following you at night.

I don't have that problem with my brass, it's not exactly shiney....ha

FL to WY no problems.

Wrapped top in heavy cardboard to support the accessory glass windows and then stretch wrapped entire top. Also placed a bag of sand-box sand on the floorboards. Didn't want to take out floorboards and have sand/crap blowing up into car. Worked like a charm and there was little chance of it being stolen.

Last picture is just to show how pretty it is out there...

John,

Please notice in Scott's photo of his T on the U-haul trailer that he did something extra to ensure the straps did not slide off the front wheels.

I use a set of regular tie-downs with our T when I use a U-haul trailer. My experience has been the straps over the front tires work great for modern (16 inch and newer -- i.e. regular looking tires) but they can easily slip off the front of the 30 x 3; 30 x 3 1/2 or even the 21 inch tires.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

Hap

you're absolutely right. The additional attachments are critical. I would stop every hour and found the straps to be slipping one way or another and need to be "tweeked".

Additionally, I found the rear straps loosening and the car squirming from side to side. Discovered air pressure in tires to be about 25 psi and once I inflated to 50psi, the car sat rock solid and all tiedowns stayed put. I think the low tire pressure was allowing the car to bounce it's tires and pound the tiedowns.

This was my experience with U-Haul wheel straps. Fortunately I used my own straps on the chassis and the car stayed put.