Chaining vehicles

Again - I hear ya BH - like I said, I was a flat bedder once before, and all I had, like most bedders of the day, was a hardwood deck and side rub rails. That said, I hauled stuff for a national equipment rental outfit and sometimes it was a vehicle, so I had baskets and lasso's for that purpose. Yes, to each their own - ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

GLOVIS North America (That's the logistics arm for Hyundai and KIA) had made VERY public that if they ever catch a carrier improperly strapping their product (thru the wheels etc etc) or using anything other then a tread strap, then that carrier AND the driver will face severe sanctions. To prove it, they're doing random load audits at various rail heads.

 

Yeah Bro - I can supply a list of old chainers that have gone the way of the web. Sucks really. My opinion. Looks like Nissan and Mazda are close to follow the strap parade.

 

First I am new to car hauling, only a few months into it (1month with trainer + 2 months solo) so don't beat me up to bad ... I am asking more than telling. I have an old chain truck and have found that the portable over the wheel straps are easier and faster than the chains on most vehicles, I have been hauling GM, VW and Honda for the past couple months.

I accually watched a wedge guy tie an in-op down with baskets, jack his trailer around and procede to "place" his loaded car on the ground beside his truck. Parking brake didn't work and the car rolled out from under the straps. Not a great day for him.

I also noticed that alot of wedge guys at the rail head are using lasso straps on GMs and hondas, don't know if it's right or wrong but they are doing it and nobody has sent out a nasty letter reminding us all not to. I know my trainer used to shake his head about it alot.

 

Don't worry, we'll be nice. With GM and VW you have to use straps anyways .... well I think you can still chain full size GM trucks and vans ........ anyway, you're right .... with a chain truck loose over tire straps, or ratchet straps are very easy.

SL

 

LBZ, I didn't read this close enough the first time! J hooks are the biggest cause of unibody damage, even in the tie-down slots! They put too much force in one place. Use the R where you can, the T next, and the J as a last resort. I can actually secure a newer Malibu with R hooks even though it has no reinforced slots, and not do damage, using R hooks. Yes, you have to make sure the hook is properly lined up, and no I don't get carried away; but it can be done. I'll use a J on a metal suspension arm, or over a coil in a pinch, and of course in the Subaru style hoops, but only if I have no other choice. (And usually only on the big loads where I need them chained instead of strapped for height reasons.)

These "Look how fast I can load" guys that just throw a J in the first spot they see aren't even carhaulers in my book; they're little more than chain hangers. And they damage a lot of cars; just because it's hidden doesn't mean it's not damage.

The reason the manufacturers don't want lasso or baskets is the torque they put on the suspension of the car. Especially when it bounces, there are forces transferred into the car that it's just not designed to handle. It's a similar situation with the move to straps from chains. The unibodys where designed to take the forces of the chains pulling at all 4 points, but when you switch to two or three chains, you have introduced unbalanced forces that were causing damage. GM apparently traced a rash of alignment problems with a certain car model to the fact that the frame had been tweaked to a parallelogram, which weakened it to the point that it was no longer a rigid structure, and would move in and out of square from braking/suspension loads. They traced that to the interplant transfers and found cars being two-chained and hydraulically tightened. Coupled with the desire to clean up the underbody for aerodynamic reasons, it was just a matter of time til chaining went bye-bye.

 

any one have pictures how to use strap down a car over the wheel

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=strap+car+hauler

 

I am not an auto hauler , i pull a reefer now , pulled a "curtain sider" previously..The term lasso is a single strap that has a ring on it to wrap around a wheel and relies on proper placement over or through the rim to hold.. A "basket is a strap that goes over the tire top and is often held front and rear but to the outside . ? I would think that over the tire and to the deck would be best , if the vehicle was a van or pickup tire straps and another frame to deck strap or chain to restrict bounce would be best ?? Did i get the idea ? Just curious is all....

 

how many straps do u need for one vehicle?