I just bought an 18' wooden deck dovetail car hauler. I'm trying to decide how to go about trailering my car. I'm new to this and need to know some basic things like where to anchor to the trailer, where to place the straps on the car, what kind of straps are best, what's the best way to load and unload the car, etc. Thanks in advance folks.

 

Get the 2" wide yellow ratchet type straps from Home Depot or LOWES
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

Hook the front straps to the xmember (not the sway bar!) and the back ones to the rear axle housing.
The car weight should also be right on the trailer axle but it doesn't mean that the car has to be centered on it...
Typically with the Mustang, the front of the door would be the spot to use as reference to put above the trailer axle.
Better weight repartition that way.

As far as loading/unloading the car, you'll need to have ramps long enough to avoid dragging the front bottom of the car and the muffler to avoid a stiff rake.
The height of the trailer will determine how long those ramps need to be.
2x8" wooden boards are often used...

 

I can't find pics of S197s strapped down on a trailer to save my life. I don't have a front swaybar anyway, so no need to worry about that. If I attach to the crossmember in the front and the axle in the back, wouldn't that cause me to load the suspension in the front while the rear suspension is not loaded? I appreciate the advice, but I've heard that doing it that way leads to load instability (I'm not sure, I'm just passing on what I've been told).

If my dovetail is 3 feet and my ramps are 5 feet, do you think I can make it on without scraping? I'll be doing some test loads this weekend to familiarize myself with it.

 

I wouldn't worry about load instability since the car won't be rolling.
Guys with flat bed hook cars up a lot of different ways but I just hate to grab the front suspension components.
How far away are you planning to tow?

3 foot high might require more than a 5 foot long ramp to get the car on and off with enough clearance.
I know that it won't work with my car though.

 

Any cars I haul any more I use the wheel straps. That allows the car to ride on it's own suspension without adding stress the the straps if tied to the chassis. I run one strap over each wheel pulling front and back. Once the car is snugged down, I apply the parking brake and if an automatic, I will make sure there is no pressure on the park gears.

I am a full time RVer and have towed both daily drivers and show cars many miles. Check how many professionals haul vehicles long distances and you will most likelt=y find wheel straps.

I have the first ones listed here.... http://www.talcospecialties.com/car-tie-down.aspx

 

A friend of mine tows his show truck dakota on a flatbed trailer.

He has metal ramps. There's no way I'd trust wooden 2x8's.

He Ties it off around the rims.

Unless your ramps are long enough, on a lowered car, you will probably be scraping the bumpers on entry.

Get a couple of 4x4 posts blocks to put under the rear of the trailer. When the car's weight hits the back of the trailer, the trailer will begin to tip down. You want that to happen, because it reduces the chance of scrapinig, but you also don't want the trailer bottoming out and coming off your hitch!

Beware of the fenders on the trailer covering the tires. That's a great place for your fenders, rims, or side skirts to scrape if it to one side or the other too much.

 

Oh it's not 3 feet off the ground, it has a 3 foot long dovetail. The dovetail is probably only about 18" off the ground at the back end (estimating). I'll be towing about 70 miles each way to the drag strip once or twice a month. I agree with you about not wanting to stress the front suspension components if it isn't necessary. I may have to look more into those tire straps.

 

You're the second person who has recommended that exact website. I'll have to do further research. Thanks.

 

Well, if you want to do it the professional way, you'll spend more money than you think on stuff.
Wheel straps and metal ramps are the best of course but why invest that much if you're gonna tow only once in a while.
The wooden 2x8s will need blocks under it to prevent bowing etc...
It's common sense stuff.
I always look at the inexpensive way first before I commit to anything...

 

Wheel straps are the best bet. You can drill holes in the floor of the trailer where you need something to tie to and use heavy duty eye bolts(ones with shaft of 3/4-1") with a fender washer and nut on the bottom that way you can remove them easily while loading/unloading(so you're not driving over them). We did this for my neighbors car. Not very practical if you're towing more than 1 type of vehicle with it but he only used it to tow his third gen firebird to the track and back.