[17CamaroZL1]

Originally Posted by cwebster

Thanks for the reference image. I don't see anything under there that looks like a tie-down either. So you're saying you've seen others use heavy duty web straps run through the wheels? I suppose that's an option, so long as there's even pressure on all of them.

The 8.5x24 trailer I've physically looked at seemed to have the D-Rings inside the footprint of the car. I might need to go back and have another look. This would be quite a hassle to thread the strap through the wheel, then back around to the same D-Ring under the car. Then maneuver myself to cinch it down.

After some searching it seems that axle straps are also an option. Straps seem to be what most people are using so I'll just have to figure out the best place to put them.

Having spent most of my military career in Marine Aviation, I'm used to seeing tie-down rings, clevises, and hooks as an integral part of the aircraft and ground vehicles. Even my Chevy Colorado has to heavy duty tie-down rings attached to the front of the frame. Haven't really looked to see if there's a matching pair in back. I sure don't want to be welding any extra parts to my new car, though.

--Cal

Tire straps actually wrap across the top and part of the sides of the tires and then you strap them down in front of and behind each tire. Work great if you have d-rings or some tie down points in the right spots.

[OldJedi]

Originally Posted by cwebster

Woah! That's more like a showroom on wheels! Awesome! Is that your car inside? Sweet!

--Cal

The car is mine, thanks. Becky from Rodgers Chevrolet delivered it to my house. It is their trailer and they brought the car down from Michigan to South Florida. It was very impressive.

[cwebster]

Originally Posted by 17CamaroZL1

Tire straps actually wrap across the top and part of the sides of the tires and then you strap them down in front of and behind each tire. Work great if you have d-rings or some tie down points in the right spots.

I saw those when I was Googling but I'm not sure they'll work for me unless I can get more D-Rings installed. Naturally, they'd have to bolt through structural crossmembers in the frame to be effective.

[cwebster]

Originally Posted by OldJedi

The car is mine, thanks. Becky from Rodgers Chevrolet delivered it to my house. It is their trailer and they brought the car down from Michigan to South Florida. It was very impressive.

How cool is that! I didn't know she did long distance sales like that. How much extra did it cost to get it to you?

[OldJedi]

Originally Posted by cwebster

How cool is that! I didn't know she did long distance sales like that. How much extra did it cost to get it to you?

Becky can ship your car anywhere including Hawaii. I'm not sure because she worked it into the price of the car and it was still the best price I could get on the car, bar none! You just cannot find a better, nicer or more knowledgeable person anywhere.

[ChicagoTommy]

Originally Posted by cwebster

Are private car haulers required to pull into weigh stations on the Interstate highways?

Depends on what state you're driving in. Typically a B plate truck with a small enclosed won't have to weigh in. It's up to you to learn the laws of the land in which you travel. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse, and fines can be LARGE! If you move up to a 3/4 ton, that would be a C plate in my state of Illinois. Our trailer dealer gave my gf a C trailer plate as well, which a small open featherlite should not have needed. So in that situation, with the C trailer plate and a C truck plate, I needed twice annual inspections, log books, and weighing in at stations. So clearly, there is a lot to learn! Search around on yellowbullet.com. I know they have a lot of trailer information.

As far as the question about your truck... I would find a clean 3/4 ton early 2000's Suburban with the 6.0L engine. I'd not at all be comfortable pulling an enclosed with a half ton. As some other guys said, upgrade the brakes! Brakes are super important! I remember how much I hated pulling the open featherlite that weighed 1200lbs, and my 2700lb 4th gen Camaro with my 08 Silverado 1500. You're talking about pulling double that load. Geez.

[17CamaroZL1]

Originally Posted by ChicagoTommy

I remember how much I hated pulling the open featherlite that weighed 1200lbs, and my 2700lb 4th gen Camaro with my 08 Silverado 1500.

Wow!! How'd you remove 700 lbs from your Camaro?!!

[ChicagoTommy]

Originally Posted by 17CamaroZL1

Wow!! How'd you remove 700 lbs from your Camaro?!!

Start off with the motto that ounces equal pounds. I went through the car with a spot weld ripper bit and removed unused chassis brackets for the passenger and rear seats. I cut, and trimmed, and replaced as much as I could with lighter parts. Hell, I even found aluminum rear lower control arms to shave weight there. This car was basically a shell with a drivetrain. I had to replace the shocks and springs with coil overs due to the car sitting so high with less weight on the suspension.

[17CamaroZL1]

Originally Posted by ChicagoTommy

Start off with the motto that ounces equal pounds. I went through the car with a spot weld ripper bit and removed unused chassis brackets for the passenger and rear seats. I cut, and trimmed, and replaced as much as I could with lighter parts. Hell, I even found aluminum rear lower control arms to shave weight there. This car was basically a shell with a drivetrain. I had to replace the shocks and springs with coil overs due to the car sitting so high with less weight on the suspension.

Lol!! That's awesome!! So I'm guessing it was a road course car then. Probably quick on a drag strip too though.

[cwebster]

Originally Posted by ChicagoTommy

Depends on what state you're driving in. Typically a B plate truck with a small enclosed won't have to weigh in. It's up to you to learn the laws of the land in which you travel. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse, and fines can be LARGE! If you move up to a 3/4 ton, that would be a C plate in my state of Illinois. Our trailer dealer gave my gf a C trailer plate as well, which a small open featherlite should not have needed. So in that situation, with the C trailer plate and a C truck plate, I needed twice annual inspections, log books, and weighing in at stations. So clearly, there is a lot to learn! Search around on yellowbullet.com. I know they have a lot of trailer information.

Thank you for the information. Couldn't find any search tools on yellowbullet.com. I'm looking on NCDOT now... I'll be checking for NC, SC, and VA at first since I live in NC and closest road tracks are VIR and CMP.

Originally Posted by ChicagoTommy

As far as the question about your truck... I would find a clean 3/4 ton early 2000's Suburban with the 6.0L engine. I'd not at all be comfortable pulling an enclosed with a half ton. As some other guys said, upgrade the brakes! Brakes are super important! I remember how much I hated pulling the open featherlite that weighed 1200lbs, and my 2700lb 4th gen Camaro with my 08 Silverado 1500. You're talking about pulling double that load. Geez.

You probably meant 3700 lbs on your Camaro unless you stripped everything out of it for racing. Still, 5000 lb pull is a lot lighter than what I'll be pulling - est. 8000 lbs. Did your Silverado labor? Was it unstable - swaying? Hard to stop? Exactly what did you hate about pulling your load? I'm leaning toward moving up to a 3/4 but I may have to use the 1/2 ton before I move up.

[Z06Joe]

I didn't read each post so I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but did anyone mention the use of a weight distribution hitch? I use to have a 24 foot enclosed trailer and pulled it just fine with my 1500 Silverado. I found that distribution hitch to make a huge difference with not only balancing my load and taking some of the weight off of the hitch, but it also helped with stability when towing. If you haven't already looked into this, I suggest you get one.

In addition I would use ratcheting tie downs with axle straps.

Here are the links to everything I mentioned:

Weight Distribution Hitch: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

Tie Downs: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g7974/overview/

Axle Straps: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g7966/overview/

[snackbar64]

Originally Posted by ChicagoTommy

Depends on what state you're driving in. Typically a B plate truck with a small enclosed won't have to weigh in. It's up to you to learn the laws of the land in which you travel. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse, and fines can be LARGE! If you move up to a 3/4 ton, that would be a C plate in my state of Illinois. Our trailer dealer gave my gf a C trailer plate as well, which a small open featherlite should not have needed. So in that situation, with the C trailer plate and a C truck plate, I needed twice annual inspections, log books, and weighing in at stations. So clearly, there is a lot to learn! Search around on yellowbullet.com. I know they have a lot of trailer information.

As far as the question about your truck... I would find a clean 3/4 ton early 2000's Suburban with the 6.0L engine. I'd not at all be comfortable pulling an enclosed with a half ton. As some other guys said, upgrade the brakes! Brakes are super important! I remember how much I hated pulling the open featherlite that weighed 1200lbs, and my 2700lb 4th gen Camaro with my 08 Silverado 1500. You're talking about pulling double that load. Geez.

Today's 1500s trucks pull nearly what a 2500 did in the early 2000s. It pulls around my 10,000 pound loaded down enclosed trailer very well. These trucks have come a looooong way. I would save the hassle of having to buy diesel fuel any day of the week.

There is a guy who delivers cars around the country using an F150. That Camaro salesman in Kentucky uses him all the time for delivering new ZL1s

[avalonandl]

Webster- go with the heaviest duty trailer axles you can. I have serious doubts the truck will haul/stop that trailer. You also want cross tie straps to keep the vehicle moving sideaways. You also want ESCAPE door on drivers side. I have hauled alot. Your biggest issue is the the person who pulls out in front of you without warning. it WILL happen. I towed my 31 Offshore cat all over....and horses also.

You want brakes on ALL axles, good luck....

[OminouSS]

Originally Posted by cwebster

Are you saying that the 10,400 MGVW might be insufficient to safely carry the 3600 lb trailer, the 3800 lb ZL1, and a couple hundred lbs of tools and such? Maybe you're looking ahead to the potential pro-mod dragster I might get when I tire of the ZL1. I'm pretty sure that whatever I'm taking to the race track will be under 5K lbs. I love road racing and the only other racer I could see myself in would be a lighter, open-wheel formula car. In fact, I'm going back to Bondurant Racing School for that very thing - fly around the track in their formula racers.

Why do you favor torsion over spring axles? I've read descriptions of both but I don't see a huge benefit for my use.

Thanks for sharing your viewpoint.

--Cal

I get where you're coming from. My race hauler is not for everyone. It is very dual purpose for me as it is home to both of my hobbies and allows a very comfortable place to shack up in for the night if necessary.

As for the axles, there are several benefits to torsions to include safety and ride quality. Having an axle secured to the trailer direct is an important part of the evolution of trailering. Side-load handling (wind, uneven roads, etc.) is much improved and I would consider it a must-have if I am towing with a lighter truck. Nobody likes to fight a trailer swapping side to side with your prized possession strapped in. I think Dexter has some informational videos that explain it better than I could.

As far as capacity, I have just learned through 20 years of towing experience that a few hundred spent up front makes life easier down the road when your occasional hobby turns into a passionate addiction. The things we find to weigh things down...

I'm sure you'll do fine either way. Sometimes you just have to get started somewhere. Thank you very much for your service. You are appreciated.