Help with getting a car on a trailer (More difficult then it sounds)?
I recently purchased another car to restore, a 1962 Ford Fairlane, for $200. Its in great shape, however, the brakes have locked up and none of the wheels turn, other then that I would drive it the 300km to my home. However, I can't drive out there continually to work on it until it is road worthy, and because snow is coming I planned on hauling it home on a trailer. The problem lies in getting the car on the trailer. We tried winching it up the ramps onto the Low-boy trailer, however, because the wheels don't turn, it pulled the trailer and my friends 1 ton truck around. So my question is;
How can I get the car onto the trailer, which are both on a level surface (The trailer is about a foot off the ground) using a winch? It does have to be readily and cheaply available fix, but anything will do (Jacks, winches, anything! If you can think of a way to get it on there with dog sh1t then I will use dog sh1t!)
I need a good, solid, well though out/engineered plan preferably by the end of the week! And I thank everyone ahead of time for anything you may post, because it may not be the solution, but it may pave the road to a solution!
***I have included a very detailed sketch of the situation, done by a professional artist, and the scene is very accurate to the circumstances. Level ground, accurate representation of the type of trailer I am using and the car I intend to put on the trailer.***
How can I get the car onto the trailer, which are both on a level surface (The trailer is about a foot off the ground) using a winch? It does have to be readily and cheaply available fix, but anything will do (Jacks, winches, anything! If you can think of a way to get it on there with dog sh1t then I will use dog sh1t!)
I need a good, solid, well though out/engineered plan preferably by the end of the week! And I thank everyone ahead of time for anything you may post, because it may not be the solution, but it may pave the road to a solution!
***I have included a very detailed sketch of the situation, done by a professional artist, and the scene is very accurate to the circumstances. Level ground, accurate representation of the type of trailer I am using and the car I intend to put on the trailer.***
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Then remove the dollies with the jack before driving off. When you get home, use the dollies to get the car off the trailer and get it where you need to be.
* Four sided frame. Wheel fits in center hole. 4 HD casters bolted underneath (casters come in varying weight capacities up to 1000's of lbs of load each).
Thank you for the help, as well as everyone else, I am sure some of these suggestions would have worked, and I appreciate all the input!
you could also just jack the front end of the car up, then block it underneath it and back the trailer up to it. sit the wheels on casters or even cheap skateboard trucks and then jack the rear up. there are a lot of ways without damaging the car. I used to move junk cars as a living... so mine didnt always stay pretty... but these methods have worked in the past. and car dollies are for the front wheels... if all four tires are locked up then that does no good
I think you mean "chock the wheels" otherwise you're just doodling on the rubber like a policeman.
I you could get a set of old tires, that are reasonably bigger than the ones of the car...
Cut one wall (i mean the side of the tire) off each tire leaving just a small edge. The cutting is probably a hassle, You decide if that's worth it.
Lift each wheel and slip them on wheels. Pour in some soapy water or vegetable oil. And the car should be easily pushable as the outer tires roll on the outside and slip on the inside.
You might get away removing just two of them for the time of the roadtrip depending on the width of the tire as they face opposite sides and one side outer tire always stops opposing wheel from slipping out of its outer tire - car can't slip sideways.
A big tractor can lift the whole car in one shot, a crane to lift can do it in two minutes but if where you are they are like they are around here it will run you about $600.oo
Joe
There are some good ideas here and you seem to have some good ones yourself, so please take some pics as you go and show us how you did it.
Several of the slippery methods might work, if your winch is strong enough and you can get the car off again.
Least useful - roll the car over on it's side then move the trailer into place then roll the car back on it's wheels. You may have to shove it around to center it on the trailer.
Drum-brakes need paling with a mallet, that might do you.
Otherwise, bring some sheets of metal or tough plastic, push them up to the tyres and spray them with soapy-water. If you get a push from behind too it may be possibly to slide it on the sheets.
L
I am gonna dig a little notch on each side of the car for the ramps, to reduce the lip to get up on them. I would like to put a small piece of plywood at the bottom of each one to help get my plan in motion. I am going to get a few of the round barbed wire fence posts to use as rollers. As the car rolls up and they fall out the back, I put them up front again. To reduce the number of posts I need and for safety reason, once it's just over the top of the ramp, I am going to stop replacing the rollers and let the front wheels drop down onto those plastic food trays you get at fast food restaurants (this is also a high school trick for doing donuts...). This way I can use the rollers for the back wheels as well, this makes it so the car shouldn't move forward/backward uncontrollably like it could on rollers. It's fairly level, like I said, but once it's on the trailer, I don't want it rolling forward and injuring someone. After I have the back wheels up and it's in position, just anchor it a bit, jack it up to remove plastic trays or any rollers and the strap it down for transportation.
L
Anyhow, I am off to McDonalds for a hamburger and 4 plastic trays...
You will need to clean the wheels after but that's a minor thing.
Alternatively remove wheels and hubs and remove brakes. Now not locked on!
My Father, a steam engineer all his life, put huge trains back on the rails by jacking them up and putting wood blocks under the wheels - When high enough above the rails they were jacked / winched across over planks until over the rails when the process of jacking and removing the packing planks began.
Old fashioned, slow but tried and tested over the years.
Jack up one side of the plank, and chock it up, then jack up the other side.
...repeat.
I think I have an idea that will work wonders. I am gonna dig a little notch on each side of the car for the ramps, to reduce the lip to get up on them. I would like to put a small piece of plywood at the bottom of each one to help get my plan in motion. I am going to get a few of the round barbed wire fence posts to use as rollers. As the car rolls up and they fall out the back, I put them up front again. To reduce the number of posts I need and for safety reason, once it's just over the top of the ramp, I am going to stop replacing the rollers and let the front wheels drop down onto those plastic food trays you get at fast food restaurants (this is also a high school trick for doing donuts...). This way I can use the rollers for the back wheels as well, this makes it so the car shouldn't move forward/backward uncontrollably like it could on rollers. It's fairly level, like I said, but once it's on the trailer, I don't want it rolling forward and injuring someone. After I have the back wheels up and it's in position, just anchor it a bit, jack it up to remove plastic trays or any rollers and the strap it down for transportation.
A