V Bridle for Winch

[DonPatr0L]

Just bought a 24ft enclosed trailer for my S550 and I'm considering adding a winch. Trying to avoid adding in the tow hook and rather, use a V bridle for the winch to pull the car up. Any feedback on the best use of this setup? Axle straps versus J hook? Suggested length? Looks like most are 4ft.

 

[TMSBOSS]

The amount of force needed to pull a car into a trailer is not that great. I have a simple RV winch in my trailer. It has a 2500 lbs limit. I never get to the point where the winch strains. I would use the tow hook. Since you wont be tying the vehicle down with the bridle, its not necessary. Ensure the cable or rope is long enough to reach the car before the ramp and you should be good to go.

Welcome to the site.

 

[JDee]

I have a 5500 lb electric winch which is kind of overkill but it was on sale for really cheep, and, well, you know.....I was pulling it up with a boat winch so this is going to be luxury. I had been driving it on but with a racing clutch that's courting disaster for sure. This is an open trailer too so it's easier to work with than a box trailer I think.

I tie the car down with J-hooks on 10,000lb straps on the trailer, so I pull it up onto the trailer from the front two rather than putting wear and tear on my front tow strap. Ford has a document about tieing down their cars for shipment, it's pretty detailed in what they want. The J-hooks on 10,000lb straps front and rear are per their guidelines, any one strap has to have a greater breaking strength than the entire weight of the load. Seems to work well but it can be a pita getting the J-hooks into the slots under the car with the car so low, I have red arrows on the body where the hook slots are.

 

[TMSBOSS]

I tie the car down with 5000 lbs straps to the Ford S550 tie down kit.

Ford Performance Mustang Tie Down Kit M-1700-M (15-24 Mustang Fastback) - Free Shipping

FREE SHIPPING! Take the Stress Out of Transporting Your Mustang. Every muscle car owner knows that it can be stressful to properly secure your vehicle for trans

www.americanmuscle.com

 

[DonPatr0L]

I actually have that same tie down kit. Super easy to install and the j hooks on the straps work in there. The one negative with them is they complicate using my QuickJacks, but still can get it done. I'm using 3,300lb straps at each corner.

Do the tie downs act as an option for winching with a v bridle? Would assume not?

 

[DonPatr0L]

I gave FP a call today, they told me the tie down kit they sell could be used to winch the car as they are attached to the k member. Promising detail there. I think with a v bridle that has j hooks, it should work well...as long as I can get one that goes past the front end

 

[TymeSlayer]

Is it wise to pull the car in using the tow hook mounted on the front bumper?

 

[JDee]

Is it wise to pull the car in using the tow hook mounted on the front bumper?

I don't like doing it. I'm using the nylon webbing emergency tow straps and it puts a lot of load onto them unnecessarily. I figure they are best reserved for the track where they serve a valid purpose. There are many other ways of pulling the car up without loading them up. I really like using the J-hooks on the Ford recommended chassis slots.

I'm attaching a PDF with Ford's tie down recommendations for anyone that's interested. The Mustang tie down recommendations are on Page 7.

 

[TymeSlayer]

I only ask because it seems to me that this would be easier, the tow point is higher and helps with tow rope clearance and if it's good enough to tow from the mud, it should be fine to pull the car into the trailer. Obviously I would not use it for tie down.

 

[DonPatr0L]

I don't like doing it. I'm using the nylon webbing emergency tow straps and it puts a lot of load onto them unnecessarily. I figure they are best reserved for the track where they serve a valid purpose. There are many other ways of pulling the car up without loading them up. I really like using the J-hooks on the Ford recommended chassis slots.

I'm attaching a PDF with Ford's tie down recommendations for anyone that's interested. The Mustang tie down recommendations are on Page 7.

This is great! V bridle with J hooks for the win. What I dont understand though is the mention at the bottom about adding a 4x4 to prevent hitting the splitter? Where would that go? Is that necessary if your bridle webbing extends past the splitter?

 

[JDee]

That block they talk about is just to get the front end up quicker going onto the ramps, otherwise the splitter hits, even the stock PP1 splitter will hit. I had that problem initially, but I had my ramps made into 2 sections and lengthened with a brace halfway up so that made the incline much shallower and the splitter no longer hits going up or down. My car is not extremely low, just whatever the FR3 track suspension puts it at, I think 1" - 1.5" lower maybe?