Cal Club Autocross Forums

Looking for a local shop or truck trailer type store that has a wide variety of heavy duty car tie downs (ratchet type), LA, Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale areas.
I know I can order these online but I want to buy them somewhere local so I can return stuff if its the wrong size or whatever.
I can only secure the car by its wheels.
Harbor Freights are too light weight.
thanks

Sebastian: can you give me the name of the tie downs you have? I forgot.
thanks Mike S for the scale.

http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good stuff.

nice
thanks
I like the looks of those 36" axle straps. They should work good wrapping around the wheels as well.

Anywhere local sell this stuff?

Go with Mac's. You'll have them in a few days. I suggest getting two different colors if the fronts and rears are different lengths.

Edited to add: install the swivel D-rings before you order the tiedowns. You'll need different connectors.

Mike

would I be ok just bolting those recessed D rings down instead of having them welded?
Im tired of paying $115 and hour for welding

I think mine have a backing plate that they fasten to with bolts, but I'm not sure. It seems like that should do the trick and doesn't involve welding.

Interesting. Mac's also sells D-rings and the backing plates. They look like they bolt in. Perhaps a call to them could help clarify it for you.

Mike

Chad Stubblefield wrote:would I be ok just bolting those recessed D rings down instead of having them welded?
Im tired of paying $115 and hour for welding

Where the hell are you getting it done it should be about 65.00 - 75.oo and hour and no you should not bolt them in.

well Heacock Trailers in Glendale $65- $115
but when the boss isnt around the dudes give me a deal.

Chad Stubblefield wrote:well Heacock Trailers in Glendale $65- $115
but when the boss isnt around the dudes give me a deal.

Grease that wheel.

Bring cold beer, in a throw away Styrofoam cooler,dont let the boss see you, tell the weldor you have it , but don't give it to him till he is done, don't let the boss see you .


You will get the same reaction as My Avatar.

You can also find tie downs at California Car Cover.
They have a website and are located up in Chatsworth. I think Ekstrand knows a bunch of business people up there (XXX).

make sure that you bolt thru the frame rails. I have seen some tiedown plates screwed to wood.
For things like this it may be better to bolt than weld.

Definitly bolt them down!

when they break... you just unbolt and bolt on a new one.

thanks everyone
Basically what Seb suggested, I ended buying from Mac's Custom Tie Downs
got 2 axle straps with sleeves to wrap around rear wheels and ratchet those down with 2"x6' twisted hook straps (10k lbs). I guess I will cross those over to the opposing side D ring.
Cant tie down the Right front wheel because the spare wheel is in the way. So 3 wheels will be tied down, hope thats ok.

What is the best way to cut a nice 4 inch round hole in sheet metal using a drill?

Move the spare tire!!!

Steve Ekstrand wrote:Move the spare tire!!!

ugh, its welded to the side of the trailer.
I dont think the car is going anywhere with 3 wheels secured do you?
the car is so low that any other way besides straight down is impossible.

now how about drilling a 4.5" hole in sheet metal?

Chad Stubblefield wrote:thanks everyone
Basically what Seb suggested, I ended buying from Mac's Custom Tie Downs
got 2 axle straps with sleeves to wrap around rear wheels and ratchet those down with 2"x6' twisted hook straps (10k lbs). I guess I will cross those over to the opposing side D ring.
Cant tie down the Right front wheel because the spare wheel is in the way. So 3 wheels will be tied down, hope thats ok.

What is the best way to cut a nice 4 inch round hole in sheet metal using a drill?

You sure you're going to be able to cross over in the back, if it's an extreme angle I wouldn't bother. On the Lotus, I don't cross over in my trailer, it's not really practical. Crossing-over is better if you put your trailer on its side, but the alignment is more likely to move, you decide...

Agree with moving the spare... Depending on the angle, using 3 can rotate the car over the course of the tow (It's happened to me before). In the front you're probably not going to be able to wrap the axle straps around the wheel outters unless you have enough room and also install some brackets to keep the straps no more than an inch or two off the trailer floor. Also, once you get to 16" wheels and below, running straps with metal d-rings through the wheels can be difficult but you should be fine with your TE's.

In the rear you may not be able to use Mac's pads if you wrap around the outters (I can't on some of my wheels), clearance between the brake rotor and wheel outter is tight (you should be fine with the TE's). I actually tie down front and rear through the spokes...

Circular drill bit in reverse...

I was thinking because of my dove tail that the D rings would be sitting lower than the wheels and crossing over should work, but not if it throws the rear out of alignment.
So I might just go straight back.

I need to consider ways to tie down 16 inch wheels since I might be moving towards ASP in the near future.

Both front wheels can be tied down if I just pull the car forward more. This would put about 500 lbs on the tongue, +-%15 of total weight. Most of the weight will still be over both trailer axles.

let me know of any other possibilities

thanks Jason

What Im planning on doing with the rears:

Maybe I should try these:

You need 4 tie downs at a minimum.
If one fails you need a back up.
When towing long distances I also use a safety chain on front and back.
I don't tighten it but pull most of the slack out. that way the straps have a little give, but if they fail the chain will hold.
Check to make sure that small deflections in the chain won't hit anything on the car. Either tighten the chain or use a tough bungee to damp movement.

I dont like tie downs on the suspension parts. attach to the body if at all possible.
I used a 4 in hole saw to drill mine. hint... get a new one.