hauls2020 Forest River Vengeance Rogue 29V behind a 2017 Silverado 2500HD Duramax, RZR Pro XP and a CRF250R
Thanksgiving week at Glamis is ten days out and i am redoing how i tie down. 2020 Forest River Vengeance Rogue 29V, a RZR Pro XP and my son's CRF250R in the garage. last trip the RZR walked about two inches toward the curb side wall between Ocotillo and the turnoff and i heard the plastic touch the wall over the expansion joints.
current setup is four 1 inch ratchet straps from the hardware store, hooked to the four floor D-rings and to the A-arms. the bike is on a wheel chock with two soft loops on the bars.
questions. how do i find out what the D-rings in my floor are actually rated for? where do people hook onto a Pro XP so they are not pulling on something that bends? and are 1 inch straps enough or am i kidding myself?
hauls2019 Grand Design Momentum 350M behind a 2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD, two Sportsman 570s
1 inch hardware store straps are kidding yourself for a machine that size. look at the tag on the strap, not the big number on the package. the package shows break strength. the tag shows working load limit, which is the number you use, and on cheap 1 inch straps it can be a few hundred pounds.
i went to 2 inch straps with a 3,000 lb or so working load on the tag, with axle straps around the frame or the hitch, not around the A-arms. A-arms move with the suspension and you want the machine squatted down a little on its own springs, not yanked down by its control arms.
hauls2016 Heartland Cyclone 4005 (shop project) behind a 2017 F-350, a Honda Pioneer 1000 to deer camp
D-rings are where i get to talk shop.
the rating comes from the trailer manufacturer, so start with the owner's manual or a label near the garage floor, and if there is nothing, call them with the VIN. Forest River lists the owner's manuals by brand on their site. what matters as much as the rating is how the ring is mounted. a recessed D-ring that is through bolted into a steel frame cross member is one thing. a ring screwed into the plywood floor with a backing plate is a very different thing, and i have seen both on trailers from the same year and the same brand.
get under the trailer with a light and find the bolts for each ring. if you see nuts on the bottom of a steel cross member, good. if you see nothing at all, the ring is only in the floor, and you should be gentle with it.
and cross your straps. front left ring to the right side of the machine and so on. two straps pulling straight forward do nothing when the machine wants to go sideways, which is exactly what yours did.
hauls2021 Grand Design Momentum 395MS behind a 2020 Ram 3500 Cummins, two RZRs
i just went through every D-ring on my own trailer this month for the same reason. found one with the nut under the cross member finger loose. not missing, just loose. it would have held, probably. i don't love probably at 65 mph.
for the RZR i hook to the frame right behind the front bumper and to the rear tow point, crossed like dale said. four straps on the machine, two more on the bike. i check them at the first stop no matter how short the drive. they always need a click or two.
hauls2021 Jayco Talon 313T behind a 2021 F-250 7.3 gas, four dirt bikes from a PW50 up
for the 250, a wheel chock bolted down is the right start. we add a third strap from the back of the frame down to a rear D-ring, because the chock holds the front and nothing holds the rear wheel from swinging. with four bikes in the Talon, a swinging rear wheel is a dented fender on the bike next to it.
and the soft loops on the bars, check they are not pinching the brake or the clutch line.
hauls2020 Forest River Vengeance Rogue 29V behind a 2017 Silverado 2500HD Duramax, RZR Pro XP and a CRF250R
back from Glamis. stayed off Gecko Road, the usual zoo for Thanksgiving, and the Friday night lights from the sand hill were worth the drive.
what i changed: four 2 inch straps on the RZR with a 3,333 lb working load on the tag, axle straps around the frame up front and the rear tow point in back, all crossed. i crawled under and found all four floor rings through bolted into the frame, so that part was fine. the bike got the third strap like moto mom said.
result: nothing moved going out. coming home, one rear strap had loosened maybe half an inch by the first stop at the Ogilby Road exit. one click and it held to El Centro.
hauls2022 Forest River XLR Nitro 351 behind a 2019 F-350 6.7, Can-Am Maverick X3
good thread. i was the guy with the hardware store straps two years ago and the Maverick ended up kissing the bathroom wall on the way back from the dunes. 2 inch straps, crossed, and checking at the first stop. took me one bent wall panel to learn it.
