Securing Jeep to a U-Haul car hauler

hear

hear

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I'm trying to figure out the best way to secure my jeep to the uhaul car hauler next week. I have 33's so I already know their tire straps won't work. The obvious answer is bigger tire straps, but given that the SOP for flatbed towing is to strap down over the axles, these tire straps feel way less secure. What makes sense to me (but this is why I'm asking) is to strap around the axles like you would on a normal flatbed trailer. The problem that I see is that their car hauler isn't a normal flatbed trailer. For one it's a bunch shorter. Second, it doesn't have rings where you would connect your straps to, so you might have to strap directly down to those crossmembers you can see in this picture.

Best video I found was this guy hauling his TJ on 35's. He used tire straps, but those don't feel nearly as secure as straps over the axles imho. Happy to hear any advice on this topic. I'm very green in this area.




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I just used ratchet straps around the cross braces of the trailer. I used 4 straps, which is probably overkill. I've towed it several times this way, with the longest trip being over 1200 miles, without any issues.
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I strap my jeep over the tires like uhaul would, I just use my own 3" straps and hook to the front next to the existing ratchet, then hook the other end to the tie down point just behind the front wheels. I disregard the chain on the back end of the trailer that uhaul provides and strap my rear axle to the cross member furthest back.

The jeep doesn't move.

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Plumber1 said:
Look at these, I have been using them for a few years great quality and lots of different options


https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/...t05U23OTg0SJ0jHCkcCBUV4fBsDC5AXhoCLnYQAvD_BwE

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Bleepinjeep is a fan of those. And that is exactly what I would do if I were on a flatbed trailer as you have pictured. I was soliciting opinions on what people do with the uhaul car hauler, which is very different.
 
tworley said:
I strap my jeep over the tires like uhaul would, I just use my own 3" straps and hook to the front next to the existing ratchet, then hook the other end to the tie down point just behind the front wheels. I disregard the chain on the back end of the trailer that uhaul provides and strap my rear axle to the cross member furthest back.

The jeep doesn't move.

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I second this way with the uhaul trailer. I can’t speak to flat bed, though.

By the way, @tworley do you have air bags, or stiffer springs? My truck sags horribly with the uhaul trailer.
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Ctdriver86 said:
do you have air bags, or stiffer springs? My truck sags horribly with the uhaul trailer.
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I have a stock '13 xlt, 4x4 and didn't have that much sag towing my LJ. I even had the Jeep loaded with household items and the truck bed filled with yard and garage supplies.
I can look today and see if there is a part # stamped on mine. I'm guessing the 4x4 package uses a heavier spring pack.
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Ctdriver86 said:
I second this way with the uhaul trailer. I can’t speak to flat bed, though.

By the way, @tworley do you have air bags, or stiffer springs? My truck sags horribly with the uhaul trailer.
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It does seem like with the jeep pulled all the way forward as Uhaul recommends, the trailer isn't exactly weight balanced. I wonder if that guidance is based on the assumption that the vehicle is going to have a much longer wheelbase than the TJ. If you're not using the wheel straps, then there is no reason you'd need the Jeep pulled all the way forward on the carrier. Then you could position the jeep for the optimal tongue weight, right?
 
Another for just your own strap and going over the tire. Use to do that when I would rent to trailer down to Rausch from CT. A couple straps on the back axle too. Didn't have any issues. You could also just do both for the front if you want the extra security.
 
Ctdriver86 said:
I second this way with the uhaul trailer. I can’t speak to flat bed, though.

By the way, @tworley do you have air bags, or stiffer springs? My truck sags horribly with the uhaul trailer. View attachment 557115
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I have air bags, airlift brand IIRC. Ideally though towing a flatbed, a wdh should be used so the front axle doesn't come unloaded during breaking. Good luck getting a wdh on a uhaul though...
 
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hear said:
It does seem like with the jeep pulled all the way forward as Uhaul recommends, the trailer isn't exactly weight balanced. I wonder if that guidance is based on the assumption that the vehicle is going to have a much longer wheelbase than the TJ. If you're not using the wheel straps, then there is no reason you'd need the Jeep pulled all the way forward on the carrier. Then you could position the jeep for the optimal tongue weight, right?
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It'd be interesting to see #s. It's definitely tongue heavy. Not a whole lot of room to work with though on a rental.
 
06lj said:
I have a stock '13 xlt, 4x4 and didn't have that much sag towing my LJ. I even had the Jeep loaded with household items and the truck bed filled with yard and garage supplies.
I can look today and see if there is a part # stamped on mine. I'm guessing the 4x4 package uses a heavier spring pack.
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This is interesting. I've got a 4x4 as well, just took off the silly stickers. I'd be curious to know if they used different springs on different trim levels. I'll look at mine when I get home and report.

@tworley, I've looked at the helper bags, but haven't pulled the trigger yet, with the minimal amount that i actually tow. good seeing other F150s towing their rigs, though.
 
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tworley said:
It'd be interesting to see #s. It's definitely tongue heavy. Not a whole lot of room to work with though on a rental.
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Maybe, but @RocknLJ has an LJ with some room to spare on the back. That gives my TJ an additional 10". I'm wondering if I could put the front tires just behind the bar that the tire straps mount to. If I'm strapping the axles (that is, not using the wheel strap method) then I should have some freedom of placement on the trailer. I'm probably violating the T's & C's by doing so of course.

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hear said:
It does seem like with the jeep pulled all the way forward as Uhaul recommends, the trailer isn't exactly weight balanced. I wonder if that guidance is based on the assumption that the vehicle is going to have a much longer wheelbase than the TJ. If you're not using the wheel straps, then there is no reason you'd need the Jeep pulled all the way forward on the carrier. Then you could position the jeep for the optimal tongue weight, right?
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When I posted pics of me towing my TJ on a Uhaul trailer, someone suggested I should have backed it on the trailer. That would have potentially shifted the weight back some.
 
deadbeat son said:
When I posted pics of me towing my TJ on a Uhaul trailer, someone suggested I should have backed it on the trailer. That would have potentially shifted the weight back some.
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I'm trying to decide how much of the Uhaul guidance is around eliminating the potential for user error vs optimal tiedown & weigh distribution strategy. I mean, me being a towing expert and all...
 
hear said:
I'm trying to decide how much of the Uhaul guidance is around eliminating the potential for user error vs optimal tiedown & weigh distribution strategy. I mean, me being a towing expert and all...
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In doing a bit more research, it appears the TJ has a pretty close F/R weight bias, so I don't know that backing it on would have made much of a difference in reality.
 
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