Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

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danungar
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Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by danungar » Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:47 pm

ADVICE WANTED

I'm planning to tow my '22 Center Door from its current storage unit in central NJ to my house in Virginia. Under normal conditions, the drive is roughly 200 miles of mostly I-95. I'm fairly experienced with hauling trailers and driving very large vehicles, but have never towed anything as delicate as a Model T before. I don't have a trailer (or a place to store one) so I'll be renting an open car carrier from U-Haul.

Can those with experience hauling such a car (as I'm sure you're aware, the center door sedan has a very high cab, and a very non-aerodynamic windshield) offer any advice? Should I be careful not to go above a certain speed? I've gotten the car up to 40 before, so I figure towing it 50-55 MPH in the right lane of the interstate shouldn't cause too much additional stress to the cab. The car is in solid shape, just 99 years old.

Additionally, is there a "right" way to secure it to the trailer that won't risk damage to the wooden wheels?

Thanks!


Chris Barker
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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Chris Barker » Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:55 pm

I have a '26 Coupe. I'm sure the aerodynamics would be better if it faced backwards, but I'm afraid the doors might come open (hinges at the front). If your Centredoor has rear hinges, you might consider facing aft. Otherwise face forward.
I always tie down the outer ends front and rear axles with straps that go around each axle, and run fore and aft and down to the trailer. I never touch the wheels.
For extra security, because it's there, I run the winch cable under a cross member and back and up to the front axle.
I usually tow at 60, but have touched 70. No problems. I would tie down the bonnet (hood?) by its lifting handles.


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by rickd » Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:59 pm

My fwiw opinion; 22 Centre door, rare and hard to come by. You live in a pretty populated part of the country, any chance of finding an enclosed trailer to rent, or an enclosed carrier that would transport your car for you? Sounds like a one time relocation of the car, why chance it.

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danungar
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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by danungar » Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:10 pm

rickd wrote:
Tue Jan 12, 2021 4:59 pm
My fwiw opinion; 22 Centre door, rare and hard to come by. You live in a pretty populated part of the country, any chance of finding an enclosed trailer to rent, or an enclosed carrier that would transport your car for you? Sounds like a one time relocation of the car, why chance it.
So after doing some price shopping it seems like getting an enclosed carrier is only going to be aprox. $200 more than renting the trailer and truck, so that's looking like a pretty appealing option right now. Can anyone recommend carriers that do this for Model T's on the reg? I'm trying to picture whatever transport driver trying to operate the thing!


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by John kuehn » Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:25 pm

There are people that haul antique cars but you find find a regular car hauler in your carrier that would do it in your area. Make sure you check that it’s tied down good and since it has a fabric top I would have the carrier use 2 straps across the top to keep the top from blowing off besides tying the car down from the axles. Don’t tie down the top really tight but a good snug feel would do. Some will have other ideas on how to tie a closed T down I’m sure.

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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by TRDxB2 » Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:39 pm

There were several discussions about towing this last year
Here is one bit of advice from one of them https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... ng#p114690
We towed a 1920 Center door sedan on a YouHaul trailer. Pulled very nicely with no problems. You most likely will have to work on the "tie-downs" as the ones on the trailer are for standard modern tires and not T tires. We have since purchased a trailer to haul our Ts. We are planning on finding a longer one so the Ts do not have over the back end so much. Ours is a 12' bed, which works well but the TT is just short of the maximum legal rear overhang. We're looking for a 16' for less overhang and more flexibility in positioning the T on the trailer for the best tongue weight.
Good Luck,
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Another good one https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php? ... ng#p111460
tow.jpg
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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by 2nighthawks » Tue Jan 12, 2021 5:45 pm

FWIW,....whenever towing any type car hauler trailer, I think it's very advisable to have a set of modern nylon ratchet straps with you, especially if it's a one-time/first-time car hauling job. The reason I mention "a set" of ratchet straps is because you can almost always pick up a blister pack set of four, 400 lb capacity ratchet straps at Harbor Freight Tools, and they usually cost $6.99, altho' I did notice recently one HF sale flyer lists them for $7.99. That's still less than two bucks each, and they're a great thing to have with you when towing. If something comes loose, or something needs just a bit of added support, for instance like someone on this thread mentioned a couple straps across the soft top, those ratchet straps are "just the thing". No matter how carefully you tie down a car being towed, you never know when something can come loose enroute that you didn't otherwise plan for. Again, for what it's worth,.....harold

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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by RajoRacer » Tue Jan 12, 2021 6:03 pm

I towed our '19 Centerdoor from Washington to Montana for the National Tour there in 2010 - open deck at 65 - 70 mph - piece of cake !
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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by jiminbartow » Tue Jan 12, 2021 6:51 pm

In 2001, hauled my 1926 coupe 1,400 miles from York, Maine to Central Florida on an open U-Haul trailer without incident. I hauled it facing frontwards. Of course you will need to tie down the car onto the trailer and remove anything that might blow off or out, such as the hood, the floor board and the seats, all of which can be hauled in the back seat or bed of your hauling vehicle. Unless you can adequately secure the removeable parts inside your Centerdoor T.

For such a long trip, I took the extra precaution of wrapping my T in several layers of 6 mil visqueen (sheet plastic) from a 20’ x 100’ roll and wrapped the visqueen covered T like a mummy over, under and around using 2 full rolls of duct tape. This was useful in keeping the visqueen from blowing away and the visqueen protected the T from wind, kicked up rocks, road debris and rain.

The U-haul trailer drove very well and though I drove it the recommended 45 mph for the first few miles, it wasn’t long before was keeping up with traffic going 70 mph on the interstate. As a matter of fact, it handled so well, it was easy to forget it was back there.

When you tie it down you will need to use four extra tie downs (web type ratchet tie downs at each wheel and crossing eachother) in addition to the wheel net type tie downs supplied by U-Haul but be careful when you tie it down. If you get it too tight, you can damage the front axle and rear differential. Best to attach tie downs to the leaf springs. And when you load it onto the trailer, it is safest to clamp an electric winch to the front of the trailer and winch the T onto the trailer. If you try and drive it on, you may end up driving it up onto the trailer, over the front rail and into the back of your hauling vehicle. To get the T going fast enough to get up the ramp, requires that, once on the trailer you bring it to a short, sudden stop and immediate stop, which the T is not good at doing. Make sure you have several wooden blocks the stack under the rear of the trailer so the rear of the trailer does not tilt down when you load the T on. Good luck. Jim Patrick

PS. Photos courtesy of onLine search

FABAEE73-8B44-4704-BEA0-D7D4EC410724.jpeg
396D63CB-C600-4BA2-9949-615715102274.jpeg

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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by RajoRacer » Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:08 pm

The Runabout photo above from the rear belonged to a friend of mine - I did a full chassis restoration on it years ago and THAT is the proper way to tie down in the rear ! I cross the front straps at the perches.


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Sarikatime » Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:44 pm

I towed my 18 centerdoor a little over 400 miles in 2014 when I moved. I put it on the trailer nose first but after the first rest stop I turned it around, facing backwards, since the floorboards flew up and created a huge pressure inside the cab. Make sure your hood is secured well but if not just put it in the back seat. I also towed the 12 towncar to and from Ray Wells in San Diego area, about 400 miles each way in the same way without any problems with the car. I did do something silly on the way back from San Diego with the towncar though, I put the car cover on the car and used a full roll of plastic wrap to keep it from flapping and two straps across the top to keep it from flopping. Well, the plastic moved all over the place on the freeway immediately and the constant stop to readjust every five miles did not make me happy. After a 100 miles the plastic was shredded and so was my expensive car over and by the time I got home it looked like I was dragging home a homeless camp. Best of luck with the tow, keep an eye on your rig behind you, and check your tie downs at each pe pee break. Just my experience. Frank


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Norman Kling » Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:36 pm

If you use a closed trailer, which would be be better on the car, be sure to measure the height and try to find one tall enough to fit the car. On an open trailer, most likely best to put the car on facing backward. I like the idea of tying the top down. I also find that placing something heavy on the floor boards can keep them in place if they are not screwed down. I find just something such as a gallon of water is enough to do the job. if you tie down the top, you can open the windows just enough to get a strap through and if you can run it through the doors, it would hold them closed. For the straps under the car, I like to attach the front right where the spring and axle are attached or to the frame if it is accessable. This will keep you from pulling out the wishbone out of the socket. You can cross the straps or run toward the corners of the trailer. For the back wheels, I recommend attaching to the axle as close to the end as possible so the pull will be on both the spring and the radius rod. Do not attach near the differential because it is likely to bend the housings if you pull tight.I run the straps back to the corners of the trailer on the same side. You can also remove the hood and place inside.
Norm


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Dellpound » Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:04 pm

Do not go cheap on the tie downs. The stress on those straps during a sudden stop is great. Invest in a set designed for vehicles.


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by 2nighthawks » Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:34 pm

A suggestion to add a bit to what "Dellpound" just posted, I think an online company by the name of "trailer.com" would be a good place to make a wise selection of high quality tie-downs. They might cost you $40 or $50 each, but high quality for sure! I purchased a set of four ratcheting wheel basket type tie-downs to match the E-tracks that I installed in my enclosed trailer, and I am very satisfied with them, and etrailer.com has many, many different types of ratcheting straps and fittings to choose from. I also bought the sections of E-track from them and several types of E-track fittings that I used in conjunction with the E-track. Nice people, very helpful with technical advice on the phone too if you call them. Also, just to be clear, the inexpensive Harbor Freight 400 lb. capacity ratcheting straps I mentioned earlier in this thread were just a suggestion as something to have handy in your tow vehicle to use in place of bungee cords or duct tape and such, as a "quick fix" if something comes loose or something while traveling, but as Dell Pound mentioned, you cannot go cheap on your actual tie-down straps & fittings,....again,.....FWIW,.....harold


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by 2nighthawks » Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:38 pm

.....oops! My first mention of the company name in my post above was incorrect. It's "etrailer.com". Sorry....dang "autocorrect" just did it again! Automatically omitted the "e" from etrailer.com!

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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:01 pm

IMG_2848 copy.JPG
I rented a U-haul to bring this car home from the Phoenix area. It was fine except for the "wheel baskets", which would not stay on. Fortunately I had my own straps to keep the car in place. Caution: don't strap in the center of the axles, and don't pull forward on the front axle. I maintained a speed limit of 55 mph, as the Suburban is a voracious gas hog.
IMG_2852.JPG
Every time I stopped, these were off.
The inevitable often happens.
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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by jiminbartow » Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:01 am

Make sure your tires are full of air so they are tight and not able to bounce up and down (mostly down) so that the wheel tie downs can work loose when the wheel straps loosen on the downstroke. The wheel tie downs will stay on as long as the tires are tight and centered in the wheel throughs and thus centered on the wheel tie downs and the tie downs very tight, but they should not be used alone.

While I did not have a problem with excessive pressure inside my cab due to the fact my coupe was wrapped with so much visqueen over under and around and secured by two entire rolls of duct tape, I can understand the concern over pressure caused by the wind entering the car, through the floor, which at highway speed, could be enough to rip off the fabric top and damage the interior. Due to using so much duct tape on mine, the visqueen stayed put the entire 1,400 mile trip, providing excellent protection to my T so, don’t skimp on the wrapping, or as some suggest, rent a closed trailer. Jim Patrick


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by DickC » Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:18 am

My 2 cents--Steve Jeff was not pleased with the "wheel baskets" and I have gone to that type of hold down last year. The reason is the wheel basket secures the wheel tight to the trailer and does not pull the axle toward the front. Look at the T front axle and notice that the axle is held from pulling out by a ball that is about an inch in diameter and attached to the oil pan. By the way, in many cases the ball is loose from wear in the first place. Also, in many cases a person will attach the straps to the frame and avoid the issue above. This type of hold down does not allow the car to move up and down as it wants to do. This can cause the straps to loosen. The best wheel baskets attach front and rear of the wheel. I haul T's and a heavy Marmon using the basket type of hold down. Dick C.


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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Allan » Wed Jan 13, 2021 6:58 am

I can understand the recommendation not to tie to the front axle on a flatbed trailer. However, my trailer has a fixed bar across the front, up to which I drive my T. Then a pair of short tiedowns, outboard of the spring perches pull down on the axle at 45 degrees to hold the front wheels hard against the bar. In this situation there is no strain on either the axle or the wishbone. The bed is only 12' long and two short tiedowns around the rear axle backing plate castings tie the back axle down. This allows the car to move on its suspension, and there is no tension/relaxing in the tiedowns on any uneven terrain.

These short straps tie the car DOWN. Long straps used on the front axle to tie the car to the rear, and vice versa, will stop the car moving forward and aft, but the shallow angle will allow it to hop around.

Others obviously do it differently, and it may work well, until it doesn't.

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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by George House » Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:21 am

Close up all 6 side windows and remove flowers from the bud vases. Either remove the ignition key or turn it to MAG.
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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Rich in Colorado » Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:04 am

I also have a '22 Center door that I tow with an open flatbed. I use two electrical PVC conduit cut to fit and run them though the hood latches. It keeps the latches from turning, holding onto the hood. They fit snug and cannot slip out.

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Re: Advice for towing '22 Center Door long distance

Post by Allan » Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:41 pm

That's a neat idea Richard! I'll add that to my 'tow pack' of headlight, radiator and windscreen protectors, all made from Corflute panels and attached with cable ties.

Allan from down under.

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