Trailer Tie Downs

[Don Giovanoni]

I am getting ready for my trip to the left coast (Carmel, Big Bear, etc.). I have done this twice with the SR but this is the first with the newly completed Siggy. Tying down the front of the Manx is pretty easy, use the ratcheting straps on the front beam. The back, however is trickier as there is nothing substancial to hook on the car (no rear cage, using the old style skid plate/bumper combo). My initial solution is using 2 links of a chain on the bottom rear shock bolt, the bolt going through one loop, the other loop loose where the tie down will connect. I am nervious about the integrety of the IRS lower rear shock mount. Will using the shock mount bend/break? Opinions? How do you tie down the rear of your buggy on a trailer (driving the buggy or flat towing over 5k miles is out of the question)? Thanks,

[Gene-C]

I have a roll bar system mounted on top of the rear shock tower and I anchor my rear tie downs around the vertical bar, no trouble yet. :2cents: Jimbo

[newmanx59]

I use this exact tie down and loop it up and over the rear torsion housing http://www.deist.com/item.asp?item_id=412142010111798 On the other end I use an "axle strap" to wrap around the trailer frame Axle Strap: http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/ProdI ... SA-100.jpg Here is my buggy tied down on my trailer. In the pic I just wrapped the straps around the axle tube. I have towed it 300 miles each way like this at least 5 times with no problems whatsoever. It takes less then 10 minutes to tie it down this way.

[Don Giovanoni]

:driving: All of your ideas are great. I never thought about using the rear torsion housing but it looks like using it or the axle housings work well on a swing axle. On an IRS like mine it looks like the trailing arms would be in the way and the CV boots wouldn't care for using the axles. Wrapping the chain around the horns behind the rear trans mount will make me remove the skid pan/bumper, but I think I will give it a try. BTW Manxter10, we are not planning on stopping in Mesa this trip as we are going to Carmel and try the Manx on US1 the week before Big Bear. We have never been up there and want to take in Big Sur, Hurst castle, etc. Hope to see you at Big Bear - planning on arriving there Thursday evening. Thanks again!

[Lee]

"I do not trust the shock mounts for anything other than a shock. I do not believe that they are designed for the side pull exerted by a tiedown strap/chain." I towed my IRS rail buggy on a flat bed trailer for 4 years using the lower shock mounts as tie down points. Now that you put it that way, it probably wasn't a very good idea! The one thing that might have saved me is the fact I put blocks in at the outer edge of each rear tire. That way, the buggy couldn't move side to side at all. The blocks ended up there as the result of yet another adventure. In the early days, I still hadn't mastered securing the buggy to the trailer. We always had over 6 miles of dirt roads to travel with the trailer to get to where we camped. I am not one of those campground types! On one trip, the buggy shifted, and one of the rear tires was allowed to come into contact with one of the trailer's tires (the trailer had no fenders). The trailer tire ate right into the buggy's tire, destroying it. The worst part is it was a BRAND NEW, never seen dirt Mickey Thompson Baja Radial! The blocks went in before the next trip. And yes, I had a spare, so we were still able to have a good trip! Moral of the story: Tie the buggy down good!

[newmanx59]

Don, What kind of wheels are you running? I have seen quite a few road race cars tied down with an axle strap thru each of the wheels. I questioned a guy at Gingerman Raceway in Michigan after he towed in from SoCal with all four corners tied down thru the wheels. He stated the car hasn't moved a bit and he has been towing that way for years without any problems.