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School me on wood deck trailer tie downs.

94toytruck

94toytruck

Eastcoast crawler
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
472
Messages
892
Loc
Eastern Pa
Looking at ditching my steel deck car trailer for a buggy hauler with a wood deck. I've always had steel deck stuff and the trailer I'm looking at has no anchors or d-rings only stake pockets with a rub rail. What's acceptable here to put D-rings on the deck?

Normal duty would be my buggy which is 4200lbs. But obviously I'd want to be safe to put the max the trailer can handle. I've seen flush mount rings which seem to be really popular but they are rated at 1600lbs each.

Trailer in question.


 
one example
1674681676931.png
 
I realize I can tie down off the stake pockets, honestly I don't really want to. I really want to set it up like my old trailer so I have a tire stop and some d-rings and short straps. I pull on, stop the same spot every time and just drop the hooks on my straps onto my axle tie down and a d-ring in the deck. I'm loaded up in 5 minutes tops. I don't really want to be dragging chain around, looping shit through stake pockets ect.


The Macs ones are pricing AF for sure but up to the task. I looked a bit more and there's more that style less bling though. How much does a d-ring need to be rated at?
 
Maybe my advise is bad, because i hate d rings. Seen them rip off before. And I don't think they work as good as people think.

Rub rails are the best way for everything, there is many options to do anything you want. I'm not sure why you even want a buggy hauler if you're not going to use them :flipoff2:

As far as how to do it right, it kinda depends on how your rig sits on there and how you want your straps ran. I'd think you could weld stuff to the top of the frame right where the wood stops, but then you're messing up your nice flat deck. Sinking them below the wood is another option.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Maybe my advise is bad, because i hate d rings. Seen them rip off before. And I don't think they work as good as people think.

Rub rails are the best way for everything, there is many options to do anything you want. I'm not sure why you even want a buggy hauler if you're not going to use them :flipoff2:

As far as how to do it right, it kinda depends on how your rig sits on there and how you want your straps ran. I'd think you could weld stuff to the top of the frame right where the wood stops, but then you're messing up your nice flat deck. Sinking them below the wood is another option.
Click to expand...

To be clear I want a buggy hauler cause I don't want to remove fenders. I don't want shit sticking out the sides and want plenty of area to step on getting out of the buggy. I do not need a buggy hauler and it will likely never see more than my buggy which is only 80" wide. My left leg is in bad enough shape pulling my fender and stepping out the buggy down to a tire is a bit sketchy. Forget accidentally hitting my shin on the tail lights where they stick out, it hurts worst than when I broke the damned thing. Buggy hauler is nice and smooth down the side.


My rig is kind of narrow for a buggy hauler TBH. Recessed mounts in the deck would be legit if I could pull it off safely, My d-rings now are like 70" apart which puts them well into the wood deck. I'm not sure I have more than 36" of strap between the axle and d-rings on the longest side.
 
94toytruck said:
To be clear I want a buggy hauler cause I don't want to remove fenders. I don't want shit sticking out the sides and want plenty of area to step on getting out of the buggy. I do not need a buggy hauler and it will likely never see more than my buggy which is only 80" wide. My left leg is in bad enough shape pulling my fender and stepping out the buggy down to a tire is a bit sketchy. Forget accidentally hitting my shin on the tail lights where they stick out, it hurts worst than when I broke the damned thing. Buggy hauler is nice and smooth down the side.


My rig is kind of narrow for a buggy hauler TBH. Recessed mounts in the deck would be legit if I could pull it off safely, My d-rings now are like 70" apart which puts them well into the wood deck. I'm not sure I have more than 36" of strap between the axle and d-rings on the longest side.
Click to expand...

I'd pick the spot you want them that lines up with 1 board. Pull them out and weld a piece of flat bar, (even better would be channel) to connect 2 x-members and weld your gay d ring or whatever tie down to that. Chop the board up to fit. Maybe even better if you can plane it down to cover up most of your tie in piece. Or make the tie in flush with the top of the x members.
 
Weld channel or tube between two crossmembers and weld the D ring to that. Cut the wood out around the d ring and now you’ve got recessed D rings.

Or just use the rub rail. If you figure out what sort of straps or chains you want to use you won’t even have to get on the trailer, just go around it clockwise and hook it up. It’s nice that way.
 
Gbkeith said:
If you figure out what sort of straps or chains you want to use you won’t even have to get on the trailer, just go around it clockwise and hook it up. It’s nice that way.
Click to expand...
This is a nice factor. On my 16’ steel deck buggy hauler, the D-Rings are welded front at rear at the main frame (83”) at front and rear crossmembers. Could also be anywhere on those main frame rails.

Reach over from the side, clip the brackets welded to the axles, clip the d-rings and ratchet down.
 
Tie downs on my wood deck flatbed trailer go thru the wood deck use a length of DOM and bolt to a crossmember below with a bolt and a EYE NUT on top.

Pics tomorrow.

Today is the tomorrow I was speaking of yesterday so here is my wood decked trailer tie down points.

20230126_130054.jpg
 
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94toytruck said:
I realize I can tie down off the stake pockets, honestly I don't really want to. I really want to set it up like my old trailer so I have a tire stop and some d-rings and short straps. I pull on, stop the same spot every time and just drop the hooks on my straps onto my axle tie down and a d-ring in the deck. I'm loaded up in 5 minutes tops. I don't really want to be dragging chain around, looping shit through stake pockets ect.


The Macs ones are pricing AF for sure but up to the task. I looked a bit more and there's more that style less bling though. How much does a d-ring need to be rated at?
Click to expand...
mine are 5k each maybe 7500
 
lt1yj said:
I have almost the PJ version of that trailer and I have 4 of these.
Click to expand...
You can weld a 1/2 D-ring to every stake pocket and a hell of a lot of other places for what a set of those guys costs.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Fify. The pipes are there for chains.go under and then hook the chain on the rail and it can't fall off. The stake pockets work, but eventually get all fucked up. I'll try to remember to take pics of my work trailers later.
Click to expand...
Agreed, but I didn’t know if his trailer has pipes.
 
Gbkeith said:
Weld channel or tube between two crossmembers and weld the D ring to that. Cut the wood out around the d ring and now you’ve got recessed D rings.

Or just use the rub rail. If you figure out what sort of straps or chains you want to use you won’t even have to get on the trailer, just go around it clockwise and hook it up. It’s nice that way.
Click to expand...
this, I have also seen guys replace a whole or partial length of board with 6" c-channel welded in place just like a board. and have d rings mounted to that.
 
On my utility trailer, I bought the normal bolt-on surface mount D-rings for the wood deck because the trailer has wood sides on it 99.9% of the time. I located them above the crossmember and ran long bolts down through a plate under the crossmember. Effectively a diy u-bolt.
 
665.0coupe said:
Agreed, but I didn’t know if his trailer has pipes.
Click to expand...

True, one thing I don't like about maxxd equipment trailers.

Here's whats ideal imo. BTW, I hate those stupid logging binders, just had some musical trailers and lost my ratchet binders in the shuffle.

20230126_073336.jpg


This is what stake pocket look like after a bit of use with chains. :homer: That's not even a bad one.

20230126_073338.jpg
 
arse_sidewards said:
You can weld a 1/2 D-ring to every stake pocket and a hell of a lot of other places for what a set of those guys costs.
Click to expand...

I have 3 trailers and swap them around when needed. These were $80 for a set of 4 when I bought my trailer. They're a lot more expensive now. You could build some for under $15 each pretty easily.

I use them all the time and my stake pockets aren't torn up from running chains through them.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Maybe my advise is bad, because i hate d rings. Seen them rip off before. And I don't think they work as good as people think.

Rub rails are the best way for everything, there is many options to do anything you want. I'm not sure why you even want a buggy hauler if you're not going to use them :flipoff2:

As far as how to do it right, it kinda depends on how your rig sits on there and how you want your straps ran. I'd think you could weld stuff to the top of the frame right where the wood stops, but then you're messing up your nice flat deck. Sinking them below the wood is another option.
Click to expand...

I mean anything can fail at some point.

I've used welded on D rings for many years without issue.

Probably the only hassle is never seem to have enough.

Most stake pockets barely hold stake sides, never mind tying heavy stuff down with them.
I've ripped a few flatbed up hauling logs and pipe with "bunks" just in the stake pockets.
Ended up making a set of bunks that bolt to the bed.
 
AKnate said:
I mean anything can fail at some point.

I've used welded on D rings for many years without issue.

Probably the only hassle is never seem to have enough.

Most stake pockets barely hold stake sides, never mind tying heavy stuff down with them.
I've ripped a few flatbed up hauling logs and pipe with "bunks" just in the stake pockets.
Ended up making a set of bunks that bolt to the bed.
Click to expand...

Yes, but 2" of weld is easier to break than a whole rail off the side.

The biggest thing I hate is when they end up getting pulled sideways.

I know that they work, many people use them all the time, I use them at work occasionally. I still don't like them.
 
I'm on e-track for everything, with wheel bonnets. I like it, and it gives you a ton of versatility.
 
94toytruck said:
I actually hadn't thought of that. I'm used to seeing it in enclosed trailers. How's it with crud getting in it?
Click to expand...

Probably best to have it open on the bottom when attached to to the floor.

I like the idea of tire straps, but I can see how it might suck for you guys with mud on most runs. I think whoever said to add rings to the axle and be able to go to the rub rails had the best idea. In that case, a non buggy hauler would be better as the narrower deck would make it easier to reach the axle while standing on the ground. As far as the rub rail, you could just leave the short chain deals on the trailer all the time if your strap hooks don't jive with the hooking directly to the rails.

Edit: or use the axle strap to go around the pipes on the rub rail.

Post a Pic of your current straps.
 
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