Hi:
I talked to a friend of mine, who was foreman of a trailer manufacturing
business and an instructor in our college in the metals department, about tying
down cars on trailers. He said that each case should be assessed on its own
depending on the relative difference between the weight of the trailer and the
weight of the vehicle on it, as well as the spring rate of each. When I asked
how to do this he replied: "Common sense and experience" - BIG HELP! He did say
that most failures of carried loads come about from the unexpected. In his
experience the biggest danger is from cars came off of trailers forwards.
People always tend to think of a car falling backwards off a trailer but the
most force applied to the tie-downs is foreword under braking or in the event
of a collision. He said sideways is second as people seldom tie a car down to
account for sliding into a curb or a ditch. His warning, though, is that by far
most loads are lost by failure of the trailer to remain attached to the tow
vehicle from people simply not doing up the hitch.
Godspeed
Jc
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