Calspeed,
What you need to load your car on the trailer is a wench. Have your wife
drive it on and then you can blame her if she drives off the front or the
sides. Also, if you have a small wheel chock fastened to the floor, you
will be able to position the car in the exact same spot every time you load.
With a single axle trailer, tongue weight varies a lot with the car
position, and tongue weight affects straight-line towing "sway". A foot
long 2X4 is enough chock to catch one wheel. The hitch ball is more than
strong enough to hold the trailer while you drive onto it. If you don't want
to permanently fasten a chock to your trailer, paint a line on the floor
where you want the front wheel to go. Test drive at speed to see if the
trailer sways, then reposition the car. A reasonable tongue weight is
around 200 pounds. Use 3/8" chains front and back to hold the car to the
trailer in case of emergency. You can keep the car from moving around with
straps and winch cables, but they come loose. Don't use the sway bar mount
to fasten down the car. You will rip off your mount. I use the spring
mounts in back and the a-arms and frame in front. Probably you're already
at Shasta and you'll read this when you've returned, so all this advice will
be for next time out.
Leisure Suit Terry
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