How the hell would you secure a 4 wheeler in a van?

[Duck]

My Ranger.

I want to secure it in reefers that have absolutely no attachment points for straps or chains at all.

Can't I just clamp the brake pedal down somehow & shove an old tire between the front bumper & the front wall & just keep my foot out of it when accelerating? I'll put LED tail/brake lights on it so I don't have to worry about the brake lights running down the battery.

Maybe I can make my own load locks out of jack post (about 1000 times stronger than a load lock) laid down at the very bottom just to have something to attach wheel straps to? Some kind of H-shaped thing that will remain tight even if it slips a little.



As for the ramps for loading it into the trailer, and the unique towbar for towing it with a bobtail's 5th wheel, .. I've posted that question on an engineering forum. It's a materials strength vs. weight thing. Ramps will have to be about 25-30 feet long & be able to disassemble and fit in the bed of the pickup. Tow bar will need to be uniquely strong due to the arch shape it'll need to reach over the tail of a bobtail frame & attach to the Ranger's bumper. That shape will make it weak in a hard braking situation.

It's for my one-man abandoned truck recovery service. I chose the Ranger because I don't need to remove plastic crap to get to it's bumper bolts for the towbar and because it's skinny enough to fit in a van trailer. If I can't get the door open I can climb out the sliding rear window.

 

[Mr Roper]

My Ranger.

I want to secure it in reefers that have absolutely no attachment points for straps or chains at all.

Can't I just clamp the brake pedal down somehow & shove an old tire between the front bumper & the front wall & just keep my foot out of it when accelerating? I'll put LED tail/brake lights on it so I don't have to worry about the brake lights running down the battery.

Maybe I can make my own load locks out of jack post (about 1000 times stronger than a load lock) laid down at the very bottom just to have something to attach wheel straps to? Some kind of H-shaped thing that will remain tight even if it slips a little.



As for the ramps for loading it into the trailer, and the unique towbar for towing it with a bobtail's 5th wheel, .. I've posted that question on an engineering forum. It's a materials strength vs. weight thing. Ramps will have to be about 25-30 feet long & be able to disassemble and fit in the bed of the pickup. Tow bar will need to be uniquely strong due to the arch shape it'll need to reach over the tail of a bobtail frame & attach to the Ranger's bumper. That shape will make it weak in a hard braking situation.

It's for my one-man abandoned truck recovery service. I chose the Ranger because I don't need to remove plastic crap to get to it's bumper bolts for the towbar and because it's skinny enough to fit in a van trailer. If I can't get the door open I can climb out the sliding rear window.

Ok what you said.

 

[Duck]

I'm just wondering if anyone's ever done it.

A bunch of year ago when they bought the Virginia terminal, they sent a store mannequin mana's boy type from Iowa to go live in Virginia & be the terminal manager. They hauled all of his stuff from Iowa to Virginia in a reefer, including his car, which was hauled on the tail.

The boss explained to me how he secured it. It sounded completely stupid to me. He was talking about simply setting the parking brake & making some flimsy chocks out of 2x4's. But to keep the car from sliding forward & crushing all of his furniture & stuff, he simply kept a huge following distance & braked like he had the biggest ass-hole state CDL examiner riding shotgun. It made it ok but IMO it was a stupid way to haul a car.

Racer X 69 hauled a couple of man-lift things in a van once, and described how he secured them with straps. But that trailer had those rails down the sides that straps can be hooked to. This company's reefers don't have those rails.

 

[Injun]

VW's trailers don't have E-tracks in them?

 

[Mike]

DUCK tape the tires to the floor

You gotta contain the side to side bouncing.

Hillbilly!

 

[krelithous]

DUCK tape the tires to the floor

You gotta contain the side to side bouncing.

Hillbilly!

gotta make sure its double sided tape as well so it won't go flying and hit him in the head if he has to break

 

[Duck]

VW's trailers don't have E-tracks in them?

They had about 50 trailers with them but only because they bought 'em off the dealers lot or something. They don't spec them.

I don't even bother with load locks at all when hauling regular freight. I just don't drive like a jackass & stuff doesn't fall down.

If I have two 2000 lb pallets in the nose & slam on the brakes, nothing happens because all 4000 lbs is pretty evenly distributed on the front wall. I don't know about 4000 lbs being applied to a narrow section that's 6 feet wide & only about 6" tall though. Maybe I'll just stand a sheet of 3/4" plywood against the nose of the trailer & pull the Ranger forward til it spins it's tires & then stop & lock the brake pedal down somehow.

It ain't gonna slide backwards or side to side because I don't drive like a jackass, and it's already as far forward as it'll go so that oughta be enough.

 

[Rigjockey]

I used to haul forklifts and cars in containers in vans and containers. We would nail a wedge block to the floor under the wheels.
Clearly this is not an option on a reefer.
I had and idea with rubber wheel chocks and tension bars. I got it half typed out and realized that it won't work.

 

[Injun]

I used to haul forklifts and cars in containers in vans and containers. We would nail a wedge block to the floor under the wheels.
Clearly this is not an option on a reefer.
I had and idea with rubber wheel chocks and tension bars. I got it half typed out and realized that it won't work.

Actually, it just might. Chock a front wheel and load-lock the chock, then chock the opposite rear wheel and load-lock that chock as well. It really doesn't take much to prevent movement from starting. It's stopping something that's already in motion that's a PITA.

Good thinking.

All the Duckster has to do is make sure everything is snugged together and set the parking brake..or leave it in gear..or both.

 

[Rigjockey]

Actually, it just might. Chock a front wheel and load-lock the chock, then chock the opposite rear wheel and load-lock that chock as well. It really doesn't take much to prevent movement from starting. It's stopping something that's already in motion that's a PITA.

Good thinking.

All the Duckster has to do is make sure everything is snugged together and set the parking brake..or leave it in gear..or both.

Nice. I like the way you think. That is what I was thinking. But, I figured on an aluminum floor the weight of the car would make the wheel chock break traction and slide. The load bars where only to keep the chocks in place from bouncing around and moving.
We will have to let @Duck do the calculus on it. lol

 

[Injun]

We will have to let @Duck do the calculus on it. lol

As long as it doesn't entail counting higher than six. Ducks have no fingers and only three toes on each foot:

 

[Duck]

Actually, it just might. Chock a front wheel and load-lock the chock, then chock the opposite rear wheel and load-lock that chock as well. It really doesn't take much to prevent movement from starting. It's stopping something that's already in motion that's a PITA.

Good thinking.

All the Duckster has to do is make sure everything is snugged together and set the parking brake..or leave it in gear..or both.

That load lock + chock thing might work.

But I just had an idea.


The ramps will need to be able to be broken down into lengths I can carry & load into the trucks by myself. So how about I just park the ranger on two ramp sections, with the front ends of those ramp sections touching the front edge of the trailer at the floor, and chain the ranger to the ramp sections?

I'm pretty sure the trailers have a rub rail on the bottom 12" of the trailer walls, just not sure about the front.

 

[Duck]

As long as it doesn't entail counting higher than six. Ducks have no fingers and only three toes on each foot:

Wrong.

I can count to 7.

 

[krelithous]

you can only count to 7

 

[Duck]

View attachment 28628 you can only count to 7

 

[Mike]

Just remember, freight on pallets or on the floor isn't spring loaded. Your pickup is. Regardless how you drive, situations could send the pickup bouncing.

 

[texan168]

Unless it is physically strapped down it will slide especially on a metal deck as well as bounce all over. With no attachment points maybe place load lock near floor and tire strap to those..being near the floor you may be able to get em tight enough to hold.

 

[Southern Fried]

Just a thought here. Years back when I had my lil Canadian company, I had a woman call about having a car shipped from Moncton NB to Los Angeles Calif. Long ridiculous story about why she wanted it shipped.

Out of curiosity, I later asked the guys at Allied movers how they'd do it.
The answer was a No-Go with a moving van because it would require Hazmat due to the gas tank, etc. and their trailers are not vented. They suggested by rail or a car hauler.

 

[Rigjockey]

Just a thought here. Years back when I had my lil Canadian company, I had a woman call about having a car shipped from Moncton NB to Los Angeles Calif. Long ridiculous story about why she wanted it shipped.

Out of curiosity, I later asked the guys at Allied movers how they'd do it.
The answer was a No-Go with a moving van because it would require Hazmat due to the gas tank, etc. and their trailers are not vented. They suggested by rail or a car hauler.

That is an issue. When I hauled stolen cars in a can the rail always asked if the batteries where disconnected and the fuel tank was empty. Sure! I don't really give a shit, I just need to get this can off.

 

[Duck]

Full tank on the Ranger. Pressurized gas cap. It'll be fine.

Empty tanks are more dangerous because there's more room for vapors. It's the vapors that are explosive.