Trailer - tie down anchors

[ab]

Researching for a tie down anchor for a trailer.  Looking for suggestions.

Looking for something reliable.  Trust me, I am currently repairing my bike after a trailer accident that f'd it.

bit pricey but looking to see if anyone used this
http://www.blackandgray.com/tiedown3.php

[MikeZ]

They look nice but you are right. They are pricey.
Your local hardware store like Lowes, Home Depot should have something a lot cheaper though.  Just make sure the tie downs are very secure.  Bolt all the way through the floor if possible and use larger washers under the nuts on the bottom to help act like a backing plate so the bolts don't pull through.

McMaster Carr has a few also:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#tie-down-anchors/=g6890k

http://www.mcmaster.com/#tie-down-anchors/=g689g3

[dennisd]

In addition to good tie downs, a wheel chock really makes the bike ride safer.

There are different kinds on the market.  Here is an example of some Harbor Freight carries:

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=wheel+chock

I like the type that you roll the bike into and it "grabs" the front tire.  You can roll the bike into it and it will stand there for you.

http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-stand-wheel-chock-97841.html

I made my own very similar to the one above but I used heavier material.

[muskrat]

go to tractor supply, they have tons of stuff and much cheaper.

[zooom]

In addition to good tie downs, a wheel chock really makes the bike ride safer. I like the type that you roll the bike into and it "grabs" the front tire.  You can roll the bike into it and it will stand there for you.

+1 and I am a huge fan of the Baxley Sport Chock for this as discussed in another thread of yours in regards to this...

anyways...on my old trailer, I went to Home Depot and bought some 5/8ths ring eye bolts with washers and nuts and drilled through the flooring and stacked a bolt and a washer on each side of the floor and no problems whatsoever!

[Slide Panda]

If you want to go big - get the pitbull trailer restraints. As zoom can attest to they are sturdy enough to hold bikes in the event a trailer flips.

[zooom]

If you want to go big - get the pitbull trailer restraints. As zoom can attest to they are sturdy enough to hold bikes in the event a trailer flips.

GOD do I wish I could find those pics....

[Slide Panda]

Hit up Henry He must have them

[Triple J]

If you don't want to drop the $$ on the Pitbull trailer restraint, which is the hands down best solution...

...then just get some etrack. Decent price, very reliable, and also flexible for mounting locations. Combine that with a Baxley chock and you'll have an excellent system that is easy to unload and load your bike.

[fastwin]

I've been using a bolt on wheel chock and four Ancra tie down straps for about 125 years! It's on a standard 6'x10' flatbed, wood floored, single axle utility trailer. The trailer has welded on metal loops along the outside edge of the floor frame for you to hook your tie downs on to. The only thing I have added in all these years is a Canyon Dancer handlebar tie down accessory. It's worked really well. Before that I used 12" long accessory tie down loops wrapped around the handlebars or maybe the lower triple clamp depending on the bike being hauled. I'd snap my Ancra straps onto the tie down loops.

I think the key to success is a keep it simple stupid mode of tie down. Using four straps (one on each corner of the bike) and pulling it forward into the chock has worked 100% of the time. I think I could flip my trailer and the bike would still be attached. I really think some folks try to over think and over spend the whole tie down concept. Then again, I grew up in a family that owns a flatbed trucking company that is into it's third generation of ownership. We were strapping stuff down before we were in 1st grade.

PS  100 extra points for the Baxley sport chock mention! I have two and the kits to bolt them to my trailer but have never done so. It's called laziness...

[ab]

Thanks for the information here.

Can you guys post pictures with some details of your trailer setup?  You are talking to a retard person that has no mechanical clue   

In order to use a tailer restraint or a good strap, I need to make sure the anchors are done properly.  I have access to some friends that will weld to trailer and brace my affectionately named trailer -  "Ducati killer trailer".

On top of that, per some DMF suggestion, I am getting ratchet straps - (this product looks interesting but bit pricey - http://www.kyaracing.com.au/index.htm )

[SDkid]

I wish I had taken pictures of my drive to CA from CO and back with my bike trailered.  I rigged a similar strap system as the KYARacing straps with normal ratchet straps.  What I did was loop the strap over the top of the wheel, around the tire/rim, then over and down to the opposite side.  I modified the strap so I could use a ratchet on each side, and it's a $7 replacement for whatever they charge for theirs.  Add another in the front with a wheel chock and I could do pretty much whatever I wanted and it stayed completely still.  Biggest plus to using something like the pit-bull stand or the KYARacing straps (as shown in their video) is the bike suspension takes a lot of the stress off the tie-downs and trailer.  5/8" eye bolts from home depot with washers and nuts should do the job just fine if you mount them to the frame of the trailer, save your money on the expensive loops that do the same thing.

[JustDucky]

I recently installed a set of these (http://motocinch.com/) in my toyhauler. I haven't used them on a streetbike yet but they are fantastic for the dirtbikes. The bike is very stable and I don't have a wheel chock taking up space in the garage portion of the trailer. Nor do I have tie downs angled out and away from the bike further making it more difficult to get around, especially with multiple bikes in the trailer. It also an easy one person tie down job. I bought a piece of e track to span the width of the trailer allowing nearly infinite adjustment of side to side spacing and located the track for and aft at a distance that would allow multiple bikes/types of bikes to be staggered facing front and back. We bouce down quite a few dirt roads and through cow pastures to our harescramble races and I have been very happy with the security these tie downs provide. The end of my left handle bar is typically about 2 inches from the trailer wall and there is no evidence of any contact having ever been made. Lastly if you go with this recommendation don't buy the extra track from motcinch. It can be found for less than half their price nearly anywhere online.

FWIW until I tried this product I used simple non-ratchet ancra straps. I found ratcheting straps somewhat cumbersome and overkill. Of course, I also have generally only used just 2 straps - either from soft ties around the lower triples or a set of canyon dancers depending on the bike. I use 4 straps typically when loading multiple bikes into a trailer/truck where you can't get an effective angle out of just 2 straps. I do pay close attention to the tie down points and tension on the straps and I've been fortunate to never have had a bike fall over in many many thousands of trailer miles. But I've seen it happen to others.

Good luck.

[Slide Panda]

Not sure I'd used those on a monster to street bike. Dirty bike, sure. But I'd fear one good bump in the road would find you will a cracked rear set

[JustDucky]

^ Is a good point. I was a little worried about use on an aftermarket rearset - especially if a peg shears off,  but less so on the big heavy cast oem ones. The videos show them being used on miscellaneous sportbikes. With the dirt bikes there is little if any bounce left in it to give an impact causing a break. Assuming similar security with a street bike, the break woud have to come more through constant force. I plan to try them out first on the girl's FZR400 and install a pitbull mount for the S4R. The idea being I would have a universal mount for multiple bikes. Of course if they break a peg, luck would have her (or the whatever other) bike fall on mine......

All that said I'd opt for the pitbull mount if the only bike I had the monster.