Jerry Feather

Mine. 16.5 foot Haulmark pulled by my 07 F250 6.0 Diesel.

The Deputy

Jerry,

Does the 16 footer do the job...or would you have been better with a 20?

Just asking, 16 is what I've been looking at...but the guy at work says I should go with a 20. He has a 20 and 26 for his race cars. Me, I'm just looking to haul my car to shows and for winter storage, so, no tool boxes will be mounted inside. Does the sixteen offer enough room for strapping down?

Thank you,

Brian.

XS29L9B

As a note, the SILVER U-Haul trailers have significantly longer ramps than the ORANGE U-Haul trailers. I got an Orange one once and it was tough to load a low car without dragging. The silver ones have ramps a foot longer, which helps the approach angle/incline.

Jerry Feather

Yes, Brian, the 16 is long enough and wide enough to strap down although it is kind of cramped. I am thinking about putting a small door low on the left front to be able to get to the straps for the left front wheel better, but sometimes i just leave them off and do only the other three which are pretty easy. I put some tie down rings in the floor that are bolted through to the frame for my tie downs. I have room to carry my floor jack and other stuff behind the car when I pull the car all the way to the front. I had to build some loading ramps since the rear door is not a ramp as with others. I made them long enough so they reach the front wheels of the 928 before they hit the spoilers. They work great, but I am thinking about rebuilding the doors into a folding ramp.

On the other hand the 16 is too short for just about any other larger size passenger car. If I were buying it new I would go with a 20. Also it is a bit tall and I am thinking about lowering the roof about 16 inches to cut down the drag. I think I might improve my gas mileage by 3 or 4 miles with it lowered. I'll probably do the rear door/ramp when I do; and also the little door on the left front. The only disadvantage to lowering the roof will be that I probably wont be able to stand up in it.

I also mounted a Harbor Freight winch to the floor/ frame in the front that I pull my cars in with and power it with a 12 volt power pack. Works great.

The Deputy

Yes, you have to be creative with a few blocks of wood to make things go easily. Especially, if your car has a chin spoiler. I had to actually lift the front of my black car while my wife drove it forward...to get the spoiler over the front lip of the trailer. Luckily, back then she still loved me a lot...so all went well...now...after adding another 928 to the mix...I use blocks of wood for loading purposes...lol.

Another trick for getting them up the ramps safely. While the trailer is mounted to the ball of your tow vehicle, lift the trailer tougne by using the screw jack. This will help level out the trailer some and decrease the approach angle. You will still need a couple pieces of wood, located just in front of the wheel strap hold down bars, to get the nose of the car over the front lip.

EDIT: Thank you, Jerry.

Brian.

XS29L9B

I've backed to the curb, and loaded from the front yard. The ramps were then almost flat to the trailer.
I've also placed a few 2x12s under the rear tires of the truck to "lift" the rear of the truck, and making the trailer have more of a rake.

Of course, Race Ramps makes trailer mates, which are better than either of those methods.

The U Haul is a tank of a trailer, and silver ones are newer equipment, with the longer ramps. It's what I ask for, at the time of reservation.

GlenL

on the topic of tying it down...

Get a pair of Carl's (928 motorsports) rear tie-downs. Those double as swaybar adjusters. I think I see a pair on Tony's car in post #2. Then tie the fronts down by the wheels.

Going in, my lowered S clears the ramp. Some guys back the cars in. Go slow.

Jerry Feather

Tony's car in post number 2, on his Featherlite trailer (no relation).

GlenL

Fixed it.. Do you have a car that color?

Jerry Feather

No, Glen, I don't. The closest I have is my 79 that is kind of UPS brown with the cork interior. I don't think I have a picture handy.

XS29L9B

For Strapping Down your 928, does it have factory points, or?

On other cars, I have used the factory eye/points. Or, whenever possible w/ E-Track, I use soft ties over the tire.

GlenL

You'll get 100 opinions on this; but it's not simple. There aren't good spots on the suspension to tie it down. At least not without pulling on bendable parts in the rear or contacting the chin spoiler in front.

Good practice it to tie it down at points that are "unsprung." That way it's not loosening as the car bounces. I use the wheels in front and the brackets from Carl in the rear. Without the brackets, I'd use the wheels.

77tony

Get yourself two pair of these::http://powertye.com/store/index.php?...&product_id=46 and one pair of these
http://powertye.com/store/index.php?...oduct_id=25for to assist tying down the rear. T

jcorenman

Glenn is correct, it is not simple. What we used for our GTS are the chassis jacking points in the rear, and the factory skid-plates at the front of the LCA in the front. Not ideal, but our tie-downs are near the ends of the 20' trailer so the straps are pretty horizontal, and long enough to have some give.

We cross the rear straps and hook them into the hole in the rear jack point, and use a short piece of rubber hose as a safety to make sure it can't bounce out. Those straps wind up about 6' long and clear everything under the car. The front straps hook into the back of the protection plate and go about 4' straight forward, again clear of everything. It is quick and simple and seems quite secure.

I didn't want to put straps through the wheels, they are nicely finished. Tie-down fittings on the rear LCA would be perfect but we don't have them (and the GTS is stock). Straps around the tires only work with tie-downs in the right place. An E-track under the tires would be perfect but needs to be recessed into the decking, otherwise the tire is sitting on a skinny piece of metal.

Not simple

GlenL

These protect the wheels and work with the tie-downs:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mtd-123740

And then, sometimes, the valve stem on the wheel lines up with where the strap should go. Argh.