jrbartlett Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 How much clearance is needed between the top of a car and the trailer ceiling? Specifically, I'm talking about an 80-inch-tall Locomobile Sportif top. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 (edited) Nearly impossible question to answer. Even if car top gets in trailer, figure rock and roll going down the road so damage not averted.. I’d want 6 inches minimum in trailer. A lot of times trailer height isn’t issue, it’s the clearance on ramp door spring. Also, the old trick is to let air out of tires, gains one inches. Edited September 29, 2021 by trimacar (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24Chry48 Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 Generally, the doorway clearance is less than the ceiling so if it goes in the door, you should be fine. Once a car is in and strapped down properly it isn't going to lift off the floor any higher than where it normally sits. If you raised one off the floor with a bump in the road, you are going to have more damage than just the car inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 (edited) I think six inches is way more than necessary. That said, cars move much more than most people realize. Three inches and I would feel comfortable. Getting a flat tire in a trailer is much more common than most people realize. It’s usually a disaster as no matter how tight the car is tied down, it will move sideways four to eight inches.......with the resulting disaster. Trailering is always dangerous.....to you and the car. Fact is, hauling a big classic with a 3500 series dually is marginal at best. Your equipment is NEVER heavy enough. Last week, I hauled a Duesenberg in a decent new trailer. The 2021 F250 HD Disel was very impressive. The ten speed transmission was FANTASTIC! I’m so impressed that I think I will switch back to Ford tow vehicles when I make my next purchase. Fuel mileage was twenty percent better than my GMC. Edited September 30, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobinVirginia Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 (edited) Ed, I deal with Diesel engines everyday. I don’t recommend buying a new one. Transmissions have come a long ways but not so much in engines. Hang on to the GMC It’s less an engine design problem but more of an emissions regulation problem. Engines are being more designed for emissions than longevity for the end users investment. Edited September 30, 2021 by BobinVirginia (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 Of course this topic gets a everyone going, but after watching this demo, it sure seems dangerous to cross strap a car in or on a trailer. If one strap lets go car can move all over the place, not so with front to back strapping. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrbartlett Posted September 30, 2021 Author Share Posted September 30, 2021 Ed -- Did you have any problems with the new Ford constantly hunting for the right gear? I've read about it in reviews and heard about it from the owner of a new truck. Also, I agree with you on the inherent danger in towing. I've personally never had a serious problem, but I've had to dodge potential problems caused by others. I had a semi trailer sling a tread just seconds after I'd pulled alongside to pass (on a freeway), a few seconds earlier and I'd have gotten that tread through my windshield. I've blown a dozen or more trailer tires, but never a tow vehicle tire. I was once passed by a pickup truck that got a couple hundred feet in front of me and then blew a tire and lost control, swerving to the right and off the road. Had that happened 10 seconds earlier, it would have taken me out as well. Keep in mind when towing that you've got up to 20,000 or so pounds in motion at high speed while surrounded by other vehicles and inattentive drivers that can do almost anything, plus poorly maintained roads and debris on those roads. On tie-downs, a couple decades ago I met an engineer who had designed and manufactured trailers before deciding he couldn't make money at it. He'd done strain analyses of strapping methods and recommended straight front and back strapping, because cross-strapping actually increased the strain on the straps, to the point that you could exceed the capacity of the straps in a hard stop or wreck. Also, I've always recognized the risk of a broken cross strap allowing the remaining strap to move a car sideways. By the way, we knew a guy back in the 1970s who was towing a '24 Cadillac on an open trailer when someone pulled into his lane, causing a head-on collision. The tie-down straps broke and the Caddy ended up on top of the tow vehicle, a then-modern Cadillac car. Amazingly, the driver and his wife survived. As for my trailer height question, I don't envision the car tires bouncing off the trailer floor. The risk to the top is caused by the natural suspension movement of the car itself as the trailer bounces, unless you also tie down the frame (besides tying down the axles). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted September 30, 2021 Share Posted September 30, 2021 The Ford I drove was exceptionally good at finding and holding gears. My low mileage 06 GMC is a great truck.....but it will need to be replaced in the future. As of right now, I would buy the Ford without any hesitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md murray Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 On 9/30/2021 at 11:49 AM, jrbartlett said: Ed -- Did you have any problems with the new Ford constantly hunting for the right gear? I've read about it in reviews and heard about it from the owner of a new truck I picked up my new F350 3 weeks ago and the salesman actually warned me that the 10 speed would be "learning" over the first 1000 miles and that it may so some strange things. I haven't noticed any funny business and am beyond thrilled with the performance, handling, feel over my old 2015 f350. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrbartlett Posted October 1, 2021 Author Share Posted October 1, 2021 Does the Ford transmission incorporate machine learning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, jrbartlett said: Does the Ford transmission incorporate machine learning? Absolutely.......it adjusts to the drivers specific style of throttle control. Of course putting it in tow range setting runs a different program. The computer senses injector pulse width at a given speed to figure out load on the truck. Trying to improve or seconded guessing the program with modifications is folly.......it will smoke the unit. I have seen it a handful of times in the last few years. Keep them stock. Edited October 2, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Fan Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 The Ford 10 speed transmission was jointly developed with GM and is in the heavy duty GMC and Chevys. Programming is different. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 13 minutes ago, Cadillac Fan said: The Ford 10 speed transmission was jointly developed with GM and is in the heavy duty GMC and Chevys. Programming is different. Who is manufacturing the unit? The newer generation Allison is very nice, but the 10 speed is fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 Interesting read.......there seem to be two ten speeds, light duty for a F150, and the heavier unit for the super duties....... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Fan Posted October 3, 2021 Share Posted October 3, 2021 more variations on the basic transmission design developed in conjunction with General Motors are rolling out. We now learn that at Ford the design has been developed in three torque classes. The lightest-duty one goes in the Mustang and will be arriving soon in the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Navigator. The middle one is already in use in the F-150. Super Duty applications will employ the largest one. The "barrel" of the transmission, where all the planetary-gear magic happens, increases in diameter with each step up, allowing for beefier shafts, gears, and plates in the multiplate clutches. Each of Ford and GM have different variations of the transmission. while the the transmission have different sizes, gearing, etc. they all originated from this collaboration. Interestingly, GM brands this in-house designed and built 10-speed transmission an “Allison.” https://www.motortrend.com/features/11-powertrain-points-2020-ford-f-series-super-duty/amp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted October 31, 2021 Share Posted October 31, 2021 On 9/29/2021 at 6:04 PM, jrbartlett said: How much clearance is needed between the top of a car and the trailer ceiling? Specifically, I'm talking about an 80-inch-tall Locomobile Sportif top. Thanks. It depends on the suspension of the vehicle combined with the angle of the loading and unloading - also how much “ bounce “ you anticipate going down the worst road. Probably a minimum of three inches. Every custom car hauler trailer I have design and had built to my specifications has had an 8 foot rear door clearance. I actually operate equipment designed to transport Early Brass and Tall Vehicles. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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