Securing a Pick Up truck to a flatbed trailer...?

Tire lassos. Or you can us 2 inch straps and 4 point it by connecting to the a-arms.

If you have to use chains, and ratchet binders go easy on the tightening. Around the rear axle or receiver hitch will be okay. Be sure to double check for dents and stuff like hail damage before you move that load. Take lots of pics and CYA. Sometimes people will try to get you for insurance money.

 

Biggest issue with chaining to rear axles is brake lines. They always seem to be in the wrong place.

 

Anything with airinflated tires will not stay tight.
Now I'm going to wait for all the replys to say, oh yes they will if you know what your doing. Lol

 

Well,....

Personal vehicles are an area of specialty for me. And yes,.. there are many ways to secure a vehicle. Either by the tires/wheels, axles/suspension or to the frame itself.

The easiest/quickest and safest is to use wheel straps. When not available I will us the straps and tire lasso vehicles up to 3/4 ton p/u trucks. Anything larger and I just use chains,.. using my best judgement on a per vehicle basis as to using the axles/suspension or the frame.

Using the tire lasso method (When done correctly) is really not much different then using wheel straps designed for that specific purpose. Just as safe and have never had them come loose. Now if your just lassoing 2 wheels,.. well that might be a bit stressful with all the bouncing the vehicle will do. 4 points of securement is the proper way. I know guys who cheat and never have problems. I prefer not to risk it as my luck is usually governed by Mr Murphy.

Hurst

 

In your situation I would just use two 5/16 chains. One in front and one in the rear. Treat it similar to how you would do a piece of equipment.

The suspension is one of the strongest and most secure parts of a vehicle to secure to.

On the rear you can run the chain either at the end of each leaf spring before the shackle or around the axle itself. The brake line will have an area where it routes away from the axle. This is where I route the chain around the axle. Secure each end to the bed (Chain ties) or sides. Hook the binder to the chain connecting to the bed, then grab the section of chain looping around the axles and connect that end to the other end of the binder. What your trying to do is secure the chain so its effectively 2 separate chains. If one side breaks or comes loose, it will not effect the other. Careful when tightening the chain, that it does not slide into where the brake lines are. You may have to criss cross the chain in order to prevent this. Use your best judgement. If you elect to use the leaf spring, understand that this part of the suspension is going to move and bounce with the body when your going down the road. So the idea when securing it there is to bind it down and minimize the amount of suspension travel.

How you secure to the front will depend on how the front suspension is set up. 2x4, 4x4? Coil springs, torsion bars or leaf springs? Solid axle or independent? Use your best judgement here, does the truck have tow hooks? Do they look solid and not rusting or metal fatigue? Can you attach the chains there with out damaging the body? If so, bind it down to minimize suspension travel and the bouncing. Last thing you want/need is for the chain to slack up and come loose. This is why I prefer to attach to an axle or the suspension like control arm that does not travel, or travels in a way that will not effect the securement. This prevents any kind of slack from happening.

Hope that helps.

Hurst

 

I have 12 wheel straps that have the same kind of hook on the ends as most 2" ratchet straps that you would hook to your stake pockets or like your regular 4" straps. I have used them on everything from lawn mowers/ATV's/golf carts to F550 trucks in size. They have a 5600 LB WLL rating. Each has 2 ratchets to tighten down on the tires. If your step deck and do enough vehicles and trailers, they definitely come in handy and make quick work of securing 2 - 3 vehicles. I get anywhere from 5 - 10 loads a yr where I need them. Some places require them and will not allow straps or chains to be used.

They came 2 in a pack and IIRC they were something like $35 or $45 for two. I got mine when doing a load of Sprinter Vans down in Larado Tex. The shipper would not allow straps or chains,.. so I either had to pony up or cancel the load. I was angry at first, but now that I have them I think it was a good purchase.

Hurst