loading a trailer...drive on or winch on?

[eastlmark]

New to a trailer, should I drive my car on or winch it on? Any advice from expereinced trailers welcome.
Also regarding tow bar weight, all the advice says a rear engine car should be reversed on and a front engined car should be facing forward but whenever I see a picture of a mid (mid rear I mean) engine car it is always facing forward.

[andy rob]

drive on's alot quicker, have the heaviest end of the car towards the front of the trailer, a loaded trailer should aways be slightly nose heavy.
Have a tow car as heavy duty as you can, the bigger, heavier & longer the wheelbase the easier it will tow, I dont like towing with a car thats right on the limit of its abilty

Edited by andy rob on Thursday 5th February 17:33

[Graham]

I always winch mine on and off. takes longer but safer. It also means the first time you have to winch it on with a blown motor, you know exactly how to do it and the winch hasn't seized up !!!

G


As for loading... I find that depends on the trailer as well as the car... its easy to get too much weight over either the front or the back of the trailer... so experiment with what feels the most stable... and then mark it on the trailer...


On my big covered trailer 6 inches either way can make a huge difference

Edited by Graham on Thursday 5th February 18:39

[Hybrids]

I drive on, ease & speed really.
I used to reverse on, but with the fuel and wheels it made the nose too heavy, I now drive on forward and it balances out well.
The weight of the engine/trans sits just rear of the second axle, so not exactly hanging off the back of the trailer.

[dreamer75]

I drive it on/off or just push it (it's a Caterham) - the only time i've used the winch was to straighten it out after I bent the car :blush:

Re the going on forwards or backwards, you could always weigh the nose weight of the trailer with the car loaded each way (get a length of wood about the same height as your tow bar, put it in the towball and put it on scales). Look up the maximum weight your car's towbar can take and see if it makes any odds with the trailered car forwards or backwards.

[RacingPete]

I have used several Brian James 4 wheel trailers and find that putting front engined cars on forwards means the balance is perfect (towing with Subaru Impreza WRX... not the most economic, but quick )

Always have driven on to the trailer for ease, though would recommend getting some bump stops for the front wheels so you can position the same place everytime (or just have some specific marker). I do use the winch as an extra security fixing... though not sure why as the 4 wheel straps work very well, probably just for my peace of mind.

[jellison]

You obviously just drive it one (if connected to the tow vehicle), winch is for when you crash it or have to move it about when having work done and not able to move under own power.

[onomatopoeia]

I winch it on backwards, the ramps are 12' long and 6" wide and I need to be able to see all four wheels to stop it falling off. Drive it off.

I've bought some shorter, wider ramps so hopefully I can reverse it on in future, however that wont please the neighbours at 6am on a bank holiday morning.

[HiRich]

Most of the options have been covered, but in both cases it's really a question of suck it and see.

If you can drive on, drive on. But if it's a bit tight, the ramps are narrow, or your clutch is a bit sharp, you might feel better using the winch.

For balance/tow hitch weight, it's simply a case of finding a setup that works. The recommended tow hitch load will be defined, and you need to be at or close to it for safety & stability. Spend an afternoon trying options. You could stick a set of scales under the hitch (or jockey wheel will be pretty close). But you should learn what that weight actually feels like (for me, straight back and a hefty pull). Remember to allow for anything else you might mount on the trailer (e.g. toolkit), and as mentioned chock or at least mark a correct alignment.

[skeggysteve]

RacingPete said:

........

Always have driven on to the trailer for ease, though would recommend getting some bump stops for the front wheels ......

Some of us have seen you drive the car onto a trailer
Definitely quicker than a winch

[rallycross]

only use the winch if youve blown it up, otherwise its very easy and you soon get used to driving on / off without thinking about it

[jagracer]

I always drive mine on and roll it off. I roll it off and start it when it's on the ground mainly because it's a tilt bed and I'm always a bit wary of lack of oil pressure with the car at a steep angle and a cold engine.

[eastlmark]

Cheers everyone and thanks for the advice.
Looks like reversing the car on by its own steam then, could be a bit nerve wracking for the first few times but I guess Ill get used to it. No tow eye at the rear of my car so maybe the winch option is out anyway.

[Hybrids]

eastlmark said:

No tow eye at the rear of my car

Where is your recovery point ?

[Fane]

Hybrids said:

eastlmark said:

No tow eye at the rear of my car

Where is your recovery point ?

And I always make sure that the car is secured by using the winch. Straps at the back, winch at the front. Umm, doesn't everyone?

[eastlmark]

Hybrids said:

eastlmark said:

No tow eye at the rear of my car

Where is your recovery point ?

Like most road cars, there is no tow eye hole or thread for one at the rear.

[mat205125]

Always drive on personally.

The trailer should always be slightly nose heavy so that the weight is on the tow hitch, and not trying to lift the car.

Almost all 911 drivers reverse on to trailers to accomplish this, and I guess for mid engined cars, it'd depend exactly how "mid" your weight is, and how far forward the car can go.

[jellison]

Why would you reverse a car onto a trailer!?

[andy97]

The first time I drove my car on to the trailer I couldn't get out as the door was next to the trailer wheel & wouldn't open far enough. I had to climb out through the rear hatch back & it was a bit difficult to thread myself through the roll cage! Easier to winch on now.

[teamHOLDENracing]

I always push or winch the car onto trailer or truck, simply because firing up a cold engine just to load it puts it through an unnecessary heat cycle. Even if its already warm driving it on wears the clutch, which is a viscious little 5.5" thing and a bit like a switch.