Bars with handcranks upfront and nothing for the rear, unless I'm hauling 3 sleds (2 forward, and one backward). Only then will I strap the rear of them down. I have never had a problem by not tying the rears down. I see guys strap the rear bumpers down and wonder why.

 

I strap my rear bumper down just incase I had to slam on the brakes and the trailer did a fish tail............ If your sleds are not secured in the rear and they shift to one side you could find yourself in a huge mess trying to control your tow vehicle during the shift....

I would rather be safe then sorry.

 

Here in Ontario sleds not tied down both front and rear will cost you an "unsafe load" ticket if stopped by either the OPP or MTO greenies.
Don't know the fine amount but can't imagine its cheap.

Rick.

 

Never tie the rear of your sled down tight!! Best policy is to lift the front end up and let it settle naturally then crank the tie bars down enough for the carbides to bite into the deck, no tighter or you stress your deck out, and lift the rear up also and then use a tie down only till you've taken the play out of it. Springs take a set over time. Thats why it's not smart to cinch a motorcycle down tight, just enough so it can't bounce loose.
Caleb

 

Originally posted by BarrieMachZ@Jan 11 2003, 01:03 AM
I strap my rear bumper down just incase I had to slam on the brakes and the trailer did a fish tail............ If your sleds are not secured in the rear and they shift to one side you could find yourself in a huge mess trying to control your tow vehicle during the shift....

I would rather be safe then sorry.

Same here.

I use the bar on the front and a 2" tiedown strap on the rear. Don't want these things moving in the event of some emergency evasive driving :nervous:

 

I use the bars on the front and throw a tie-down across the back also.

 

Tie bar up front and I have always strapped the rear of my sleds down. I have seen quite a few sleds that have shifted around while trailering on bumpy roads. Some have even gone so far as to bump and do some cosmetic damage.

 

i strap the front, then use a tie dow across the skid or just abouve the track.

 

Use a bar in the front and a tie down in the rear. You don't have crank on the tie down, but do release it when your not driving to releave the load on the springs. I saw a four place hit some ice and when the tires did grab, all four sleds shifted. The trailer started swinging side to side and put the tow vehicle and the trailer in the ditch. When it was all over, three sled lay busted up on the road and the ditch. The forth stayed on the trailer but it looked like it did some front suspension damage. If the sleds had not shifted, the accident would not of happened.

 

All i do is use the bars across the ski's up front...that and the parking brake on and iv never had a problem.

 

I have an open tilt trailer with the bar for the ski's. last year, with the sled full of snow and snow on the trailer, I don't know how (it was tight) but the sled worked itself out of the bar and slid half way off the front of the trailer!
Luckily my friends were behind me to help lift it back up.

This year I welded D hooks on the front and back of the trailer. I use motorcycle tie downs and the sled bar, I hook them to the frame of the sleds, front and back. I no longer trust the ski bar.

 

Paul, I've seen something like that happen before...in this instance, there was ice/snow built up under the skis, and when it melted, it created enough slack for the crank to start spinning loose on its own.

Mr Z, you may want to read your manual...something (poor memory) tells me we're not supposed to really use that brake as a parking brake, but more like an emergency brake to keep the track from spinning during maintenance while the motor is running. I used to do that too 'til I read that somewhere, and I'm sure it was in my manual.

I guess if you have a lot of sleds on the trailer I could see putting some straps on the rear (definately like Sled Dogg said though, not tight), but I've never had a problem with this.

 

All we do is use a heavy ratchet strap on the skis, just weave it around the spindles. Nothing on the back except for the last sled gets the back tied down. We have never lost anything and have hauled them thousands of miles...

 

Has anyone ever used a sno-clamp that the ski goes into and closes on top of the ski? I dont know if its worth the money or what. they look cool but they only recomend using one per sled that means the other ski is just sitting there. I use a tie bar on the front skis and a strap on the back. I understand alot of you guys only use the front tie bar and nothing in the back and had never had one problem but dont you think your good luck will run out. All it takes is one situation on the expressway and its all over and how long would it of taken you to put a stap on the back,,,,,,,,,2 minutes if that. I would rather be safe then sorry and why take a chance on hurting yourself or sleds and loose valuable riding time. just my .02 cents

 

We use the bar at the front, a web strap from a D-ring in the center of the bed to the front spindle and a 2" web strap at the rear. We compress the suspension slightly. Just let it up if you are parking overnight and tie a marker to your steering wheel on the truck as a reminder to tighten them down before heading out again.

I heard last year of 2 different instances of sleds dropping off while not fully secured.

1 when swerving to avoid something the sled slid over the side of an open and bent the bars on the front. It landed on the pavement and proceeded to cartwheel. The sled was a total loss. It only had the ski bar on the front.

The other was an enclosed that the sleds were inside with just the brakes on. The trailer jack knifed on ice and the sleds popped the rear door open and fell off. Minor cosmetic damage as they landed in the ditch but very lucky. On the freeway that could of been a fatality.

Please tie them down if not for your sleds safety then for the people following you. It only takes 5 minutes start to finish for us to secure everything.

Remember when towing, properly securing your load is the law and carries a fine if caught.

 

Not to get too far of topic here, but what about enclosed trailers? My buddy's did not come with any means of tie downs in the floor. The rep from trailer company, and a few other sledders, have said that they don't tie the sleds down AT ALL inside the trailer. This seems extremely "stupid" to me, but this is my first experience with an enclosed trailer. Is this normal? The people that have said this, said that the heavier trailer doesn't bounce around as much as an open trailer, but it still doesn't seem right to me. This one is an inline trailer, but I still want to secure the sleds somehow. Just curious if anyone else does NOT tie thier sleds down at all in an enclosed trailer.

 

I know what you mean Jim. I thought the same thing inside a friends trailer. Toie downs are mandatory with me. Any trailer can swereve around or roll over. Sure it'll suck if a trailer ends up on it's side or roof, but what do you thihk hapens to those sleds when this happens? Guys never think about, as if it can't happen to them.
Caleb

 

Our sleds so far, have never stayed on the trailer overnight. We use the Bars on the skis, and have recessed D rings in the rear for a tie down strap. We compress the rear suspetion about 2 inches, and set the parking brakes. If we do leave them on the trailer overnight at some point, I think it would be wise to release the tention on the rear springs.

I think that not tieing down the rear of the sled is just asking for trouble, and enclosed or not, sleds need to be secured, both front and back. Nothing is worse when towing than to have your load shift.

 

DO NOT COMPRESS the rear at all Troll. Just put the strap on and make it snugg. Guys have no idea how much spring set happens in steel springs. And never set the parking brake!!!!!! it's a disaster waiting to happen. That hydrolic force continuasly on the caliper piston seal isn't good on the seal. And it can also freeze up like that. And yyou can laugh but many , and I doo mean many guys forget the P-brake is set and toast a belt in a split second. or if some one else go to unload your sled, etc. Why a $5,000 trailer doesn't come with tie downs is beyond me.
Caleb

 

Ski bar across the ski's and we installed D-rings at the rear.
Better safe than sorry.

FishHog