Getting a car with headers onto a UHaul trailer

[69bronzeT5]

My Duster has headers....which means limited ground clearance. Any tips on how to get it loaded and unloaded without damaging the headers? I'm thinking slow and steady with a come-a-long?

[Ghoste]

We had a stock car once with a crappy trailer that gave us issues loading and where we had trouble obviously was after the front wheels hit the trailer floor.  What we use to do was add a couple of 2X10 planks ahead of the rear wheels and going onto the ramp.  We wouldn't add them though until the front was about halfway up the ramp.  Crude but we were penniless kids.

[FLG]

We had a stock car once with a crappy trailer that gave us issues loading and where we had trouble obviously was after the front wheels hit the trailer floor.  What we use to do was add a couple of 2X10 planks ahead of the rear wheels and going onto the ramp.  We wouldn't add them though until the front was about halfway up the ramp.  Crude but we were penniless kids.

Done the same here 

[C_stripes]

Back the trailer up to a curb and drive the duster across the lawn and up. It will raise the ram a good 6''. Once you get to putting it on the trailer, common sence should kick in and you'll figure it out. Getting it off takes more patience though.

[69bronzeT5]

Back the trailer up to a curb and drive the duster across the lawn and up. It will raise the ram a good 6''. Once you get to putting it on the trailer, common sence should kick in and you'll figure it out. Getting it off takes more patience though.

Getting it on is gonna be a problem...there are no curbs near my grandparents.

[Big_John]

You may not have a problem with the U-Haul trailer.  The rear crossmember is where you will catch the headers and as you can see from this pic, that crossmember is lower then a lot of trailers.



If it does hit, there's a couple things you can do. The headers are going to be closest as the front tires come off the ramps and on to the trailer, so you want to make the change in angle from the ramps to the trailer as small as possible. The curb idea is good, but since you dont have that, you can raise the end of the ramps with blocks of wood. You can also raise the front of the trailer a bit (keep it hooked to the truck!) by using the trailer jack.

BTW, the pic is to document the existing damage to a POS trailer I rented a few years ago. I put a lowered C4 Corvette on it with no issues.

[r_biccum]

You could also let the air out of the uhaul tires, load the car, then air them back up...

[69bronzeT5]

You could also let the air out of the uhaul tires, load the car, then air them back up...

Good idea. I'll be sure to try that too. 

[dstryr]

You might get the right angle if you put a floor jack under the hitch and raise the front of the trailer which will level out the angle of the ramps onto the trailer a little bit.  Take the jack with you for the unload.

[doctorpimp]

A hammer and chisel, blow-torch and plasma cutter... LOL

The blocks to raise the car a bit, once it comes to the point where the headers will catch is cheap and effective!!  K.I.S.S.
You could also raise the front end and crank up the Torsion Bars a couple of inches... 

Just try bringing the car on the ramp before you get too worried about the headers.  Go from the point where it looks dicey. 
The come-along is a good idea.

I'm thinking a stock Duster with 318 and headers shouldn't be a major problem.  I put a lowered 88 Monte Carlo SS with 305 and headers on a U Haul trailer without issues.

[chargerkid01]

all great ideas do you have a hillside you could back into it works the same as a curb.

[Ghoste]

Yeah Cody, don't you live in the mountains, surely there must be the odd bump in the landscape or giant boulder around there you can take advantage of?

[69bronzeT5]

Yeah Cody, don't you live in the mountains, surely there must be the odd bump in the landscape or giant boulder around there you can take advantage of?

No, I don't live in the mountains The car is in Vancouver...no hills near. However, taking it off the trailer at my house will be easier because the driveway is a slight slope.

[Ghoste]

I think if you saw where I live you'd quickly come to consider Vancouver as mountains.

[69bronzeT5]

I think if you saw where I live you'd quickly come to consider Vancouver as mountains.

Completely flat where you live?

[Ghoste]

Like a five years olds chest.

[69bronzeT5]

Like a five years olds chest.

[Ghoste]

Not too bad for that at all with Lake Erie to the south and Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron to the west and north the weather is somewhat eased.  Lots of humidity, the occasional minor tornado, mild winters (relatively); Ohio and Michigan and the rest of Ontario take the brunt of the bad weather for us.

[WingCharger]

all great ideas do you have a hillside you could back into it works the same as a curb.

We do that all the time with farm equipment.

[chargerkid01]

We do it with farm equipment, derby cars, parts cars, my charger if it goes anywhere, and even quads.

[dodgecharger-fan]

Not too bad for that at all with Lake Erie to the south and Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron to the west and north the weather is somewhat eased.  Lots of humidity, the occasional minor tornado, mild winters (relatively); Ohio and Michigan and the rest of Ontario take the brunt of the bad weather for us.

Deep in the heart of SWO, then, are ya?

That's my territory for work.

[Troy]

Cody, I had the same issue with U-haul trailers and one of my cars that, for whatever reason, had wee little tires. I've found that the headers don't tend to hang when loading but unloading they'll get wedged. Use the trailer jack to raise the tongue as high as you can. Or, take some 2x4s made into little ramps with you and drive the rear tires of the tow vehicle on to them for the same effect. U-haul trailers have short ramps so you could also use 2x6s to extend them (either half way or most of the way up the trailer ramp). Stick a couple of your 2x4 pieces under there as braces to keep the boards from flexing. Also, an obvious one, make sure the car's tires are full of air.

Troy

[mopar_nut_440_6]

We had a stock car once with a crappy trailer that gave us issues loading and where we had trouble obviously was after the front wheels hit the trailer floor.  What we use to do was add a couple of 2X10 planks ahead of the rear wheels and going onto the ramp.  We wouldn't add them though until the front was about halfway up the ramp.  Crude but we were penniless kids.

I am still penniless! Traded my pennies for rusty sheet metal and beat up knuckles!! 

[Ghoste]

I married a Penny but that's about the only one I have even as yet.  She'd probably say that I'm still a kid too (and she wouldn't mean it as a compliment  )