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Picking up a new to me 28' trailer this weekend, and it currently only comes with 4 D-Rings installed. In looking at options for installing additional anchor points I was looking at E-Track and trying to determine if that is a better install option. For those of you that secure your cars with E-Track on the floors, would you mind answering a couple of questions for me?
Vertical or horizontal E-Track for the floor?
Installed so the tires are directly on top of it?
What kind of straps and equipment are you using? Looking at Truck-N-Tow all I find are straps for vertical E-Track. edit: Found these, will make things much easier (anybody already using these? Thoughts?): http://www.uscargocontrol.com/Towing...-Cleats-4-Pack
Is E-Track preferable to the D-Rings? It looks like with the right set up it makes it a bit easier to secure the car.
If you did the install of E-Track yourself, any recommendations?
Any pictures you can share of your car strapped with E-Track?
L track strips can be retrofitted to an existing trailer by using the surface mount version. You can run a track down each side so that it goes under your tires, and as long as you through bolt it to the
trailer frame and use the proper fittings, it will have the same 5000 lb weight limit as the D rings. Here is a picture of the surface mount style on the wall and the recess style on the deck:
I use L track and wheel nets and the combination does a good job.. The L track allows me to move my car back and forth to optimize my hitch weight.
Here's a picture of the wheel net over L track:
To keep the 5000 lb rating you will need to use the double studded fittings for the idler fitting and the two tie down rings.
Thanks! Certainly not opposed to D-Rings as that's what I used in my last trailer. Since it was only 20' the rings were close enough that I didn't have long runs of strap. This new trailer has only 4 rings, and while I haven't measured, feels like they are a world apart. I'll be getting additional rings added, and since I was going to be having the work done anyways, thought e-track may be more practical.
That L-Track looks pretty cool! Thanks for the pics and additional idea
The new (to me trailer) on its way back home to Denver from Rapid City:
Pretty much the same along with a few other "brand" names.
This new trailer has only 4 rings, and while I haven't measured, feels like they are a world apart.
I bet they are with 28' of floor space.
As I'm sure you already know, the goal is to get 10-15% of the trailer weight on the hitch. This is a lot easier to do if you can move your car for and aft to facilitate that. If you only transport the same car and the same pit gear located in the same place in the trailer every time, you can get by with another set of D rings installed closer to the car. I have a 26' trailer and I went with the L track so I would have some flexibility if/when I needed it.
Nice combo you have there. Looks like you are close to 60' overall. How's that Haulmark tow?
It towed surprisingly well... MPG dropped from 8.31 to 8.29 Granted, the trailer was empty minus cabinets, shelves, and winch, but still was hardly noticeable. No wandering, no drag, and just long enough that I could pick up the rearmost marker lights in my mirrors. I think it will be just over 70' in total length.
I would never tie my car down with L track. Seriously, load rating is at the point of failure is my guess. Strongest at the point where it attaches to the trailer frame. Maybe. Continuously welded to frame maybe, but that is not likely to happen. My guess is first time you jack up on the brakes **** happens. I have pieces of the stuff, can bend it over your knee. Truck jacks up, car stresses L track. L track yields a fair amount but holds. Yields enough so that your car is now surging back and forth on loose straps putting more stress on it, maybe even wheel strap falls off.
Like anything else, the track is only as good as the installation. As I specified in an earlier post. the track had to be through bolted to the frame (just like the D rings), in order to earn that 5000 lb weight rating.
I didn't arrive at this combination by accident. I did a lot of research and found out exactly what the breaking limits as well as the working load limits were before getting the work done. I ended up specifying four
5' lengths (one for each wheel), of US Cargo Airline track which is made of 6351 T6 Aluminum. This is the heavy duty version and has a breaking limit of 5000 lbs and working load limit of 3000 lbs when used with
double studded fittings. The five foot lengths gives me the flexibility to position the car fore and aft as needed for weight distribution and having four individual lengths provides redundancy in case of failure. With that
said, I now have a working load limit of 3000 lbs per corner or 12,000 lbs of working load restraint and 20,000 lbs of ultimate restraint on a 2500 lb car - just a bit of overkill
There are cheap variants of L track that you could probably bend over your knee and if installed half ***, would probably fail with little provocation. But that's not the case with what I'm using or recommending.
Like anything else, the track is only as good as the installation. As I specified in an earlier post. the track had to be through bolted to the frame (just like the D rings), in order to earn that 5000 lb weight rating.
I didn't arrive at this combination by accident. I did a lot of research and found out exactly what the breaking limits as well as the working load limits were before getting the work done. I ended up specifying four
5' lengths (one for each wheel), of US Cargo Airline track which is made of 6351 T6 Aluminum. This is the heavy duty version and has a breaking limit of 5000 lbs and working load limit of 3000 lbs when used with
double studded fittings. The five foot lengths gives me the flexibility to position the car fore and aft as needed for weight distribution and having four individual lengths provides redundancy in case of failure. With that
said, I now have a working load limit of 3000 lbs per corner or 12,000 lbs of working load restraint and 20,000 lbs of ultimate restraint on a 2500 lb car - just a bit of overkill
There are cheap variants of L track that you could probably bend over your knee and if installed half ***, would probably fail with little provocation. But that's not the case with what I'm using or recommending.
Well done!!
I have some L track on my trailer walls, removed the strips on the floor. I secure my cars only by the front tires in a custom made cradle I designed and fabricated. 2" strap over the tires. It is adjustable fore and aft and uses a bolt on cargo strap winch that I tighten by standing on a breaker bar. Biggest difference on my system is that the straps pull down on front AND back of the tire at the same time. The car does not move forward or backward like the single strap pull does. 5 min to tie or un tie max. I have 2) 1 inch straps let and right in the rear. Floor D ring to tow eye. They are always loose when I arrive as the bouncing of the car pulls them a bit. I did do an 8 hour trip this summer and forgot to tie the rear. No big deal.
That cradle device sounds interesting. Any pictures available? I'd
like to see what you did, I'm always looking for new and improved
alternatives, especially an alternative that gets you in or out of the
trailer in 5 minutes.
That cradle device sounds interesting. Any pictures available? I'd
like to see what you did, I'm always looking for new and improved
alternatives, especially an alternative that gets you in or out of the
trailer in 5 minutes.
Do not have pics yet, trailer is in storage until spring. But have been using this method since 2008, 30+ events a year.
I'm using the trailer's factory D-rings at the rear, since they're sure to be strongest and tie-down is simplest that way. I have E-Track set up at the front as shown here, though I have not yet towed with it in this configuration. This is way easier than fishing axle straps through the front wheels, and likely less damaging to my alignment.
The E-Track idlers are the key to making this simple, since they let you put the ratchet somewhere that it's easy to reach.
10-28-2016, 02:22 PM
E-Track vs. D-Rings
Granted, the trailer was empty minus cabinets, shelves, and winch, but still was hardly noticeable. No wandering, no drag, and just long enough that I could pick up the rearmost marker lights in my mirrors. I think it will be just over 70' in total length.
