loading a trailer...drive on or winch on?
Discussion
New to a trailer, should I drive my car on or winch it on? Any advice from expereinced trailers welcome.
Also regarding tow bar weight, all the advice says a rear engine car should be reversed on and a front engined car should be facing forward but whenever I see a picture of a mid (mid rear I mean) engine car it is always facing forward.
Also regarding tow bar weight, all the advice says a rear engine car should be reversed on and a front engined car should be facing forward but whenever I see a picture of a mid (mid rear I mean) engine car it is always facing forward.
drive on's alot quicker, have the heaviest end of the car towards the front of the trailer, a loaded trailer should aways be slightly nose heavy.
Have a tow car as heavy duty as you can, the bigger, heavier & longer the wheelbase the easier it will tow, I dont like towing with a car thats right on the limit of its abilty
Have a tow car as heavy duty as you can, the bigger, heavier & longer the wheelbase the easier it will tow, I dont like towing with a car thats right on the limit of its abilty
Edited by andy rob on Thursday 5th February 17:33
I always winch mine on and off. takes longer but safer. It also means the first time you have to winch it on with a blown motor, you know exactly how to do it and the winch hasn't seized up !!!
G
As for loading... I find that depends on the trailer as well as the car... its easy to get too much weight over either the front or the back of the trailer... so experiment with what feels the most stable... and then mark it on the trailer...
On my big covered trailer 6 inches either way can make a huge difference
G
As for loading... I find that depends on the trailer as well as the car... its easy to get too much weight over either the front or the back of the trailer... so experiment with what feels the most stable... and then mark it on the trailer...
On my big covered trailer 6 inches either way can make a huge difference
Edited by Graham on Thursday 5th February 18:39
I drive it on/off or just push it (it's a Caterham) - the only time i've used the winch was to straighten it out after I bent the car :blush:
Re the going on forwards or backwards, you could always weigh the nose weight of the trailer with the car loaded each way (get a length of wood about the same height as your tow bar, put it in the towball and put it on scales). Look up the maximum weight your car's towbar can take and see if it makes any odds with the trailered car forwards or backwards.
Re the going on forwards or backwards, you could always weigh the nose weight of the trailer with the car loaded each way (get a length of wood about the same height as your tow bar, put it in the towball and put it on scales). Look up the maximum weight your car's towbar can take and see if it makes any odds with the trailered car forwards or backwards.
I have used several Brian James 4 wheel trailers and find that putting front engined cars on forwards means the balance is perfect (towing with Subaru Impreza WRX... not the most economic, but quick )
Always have driven on to the trailer for ease, though would recommend getting some bump stops for the front wheels so you can position the same place everytime (or just have some specific marker). I do use the winch as an extra security fixing... though not sure why as the 4 wheel straps work very well, probably just for my peace of mind.
Always have driven on to the trailer for ease, though would recommend getting some bump stops for the front wheels so you can position the same place everytime (or just have some specific marker). I do use the winch as an extra security fixing... though not sure why as the 4 wheel straps work very well, probably just for my peace of mind.
I winch it on backwards, the ramps are 12' long and 6" wide and I need to be able to see all four wheels to stop it falling off. Drive it off.
I've bought some shorter, wider ramps so hopefully I can reverse it on in future, however that wont please the neighbours at 6am on a bank holiday morning.
I've bought some shorter, wider ramps so hopefully I can reverse it on in future, however that wont please the neighbours at 6am on a bank holiday morning.
Most of the options have been covered, but in both cases it's really a question of suck it and see.
If you can drive on, drive on. But if it's a bit tight, the ramps are narrow, or your clutch is a bit sharp, you might feel better using the winch.
For balance/tow hitch weight, it's simply a case of finding a setup that works. The recommended tow hitch load will be defined, and you need to be at or close to it for safety & stability. Spend an afternoon trying options. You could stick a set of scales under the hitch (or jockey wheel will be pretty close). But you should learn what that weight actually feels like (for me, straight back and a hefty pull). Remember to allow for anything else you might mount on the trailer (e.g. toolkit), and as mentioned chock or at least mark a correct alignment.
If you can drive on, drive on. But if it's a bit tight, the ramps are narrow, or your clutch is a bit sharp, you might feel better using the winch.
For balance/tow hitch weight, it's simply a case of finding a setup that works. The recommended tow hitch load will be defined, and you need to be at or close to it for safety & stability. Spend an afternoon trying options. You could stick a set of scales under the hitch (or jockey wheel will be pretty close). But you should learn what that weight actually feels like (for me, straight back and a hefty pull). Remember to allow for anything else you might mount on the trailer (e.g. toolkit), and as mentioned chock or at least mark a correct alignment.
Always drive on personally.
The trailer should always be slightly nose heavy so that the weight is on the tow hitch, and not trying to lift the car.
Almost all 911 drivers reverse on to trailers to accomplish this, and I guess for mid engined cars, it'd depend exactly how "mid" your weight is, and how far forward the car can go.
The trailer should always be slightly nose heavy so that the weight is on the tow hitch, and not trying to lift the car.
Almost all 911 drivers reverse on to trailers to accomplish this, and I guess for mid engined cars, it'd depend exactly how "mid" your weight is, and how far forward the car can go.
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