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Loading MR2 on trailer - forward or backward?

26K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  wildhippie666 
#1 ·
Our family will be moving from Florida to Colorado in the next couple of weeks, and we will be towing my MR2 behind our moving truck. We've rented the Budget car trailer instead of the two wheel dolly.

When loading my car on the trailer, should I load it nose first or tail first? (figuring that if I load tail first, the weight of the motor will be closer to the front of the trailer).

Is there anything else I should be aware of so that I load it safely? (e.g. making sure I don't park too far forward or back... strapping the car down properly, etc).
 
#2 · (Edited)
the mr2 fits on the car hauler fine with it on forward. if its lowered or has a lip expect to remove the bolted on tire stops on the front(still have the lip)

the car will track straight and not be rear heavy or want to walk.. this is because of the dual axel... if it was single i would suggest rear loading..

i have pulled multiple mr2's on the car haulers fron nj to fl.. with no issues.






as for tips.
pull it forward as far as possible.. your front tires will be up against the front stop on the trailer.
i usually have someone put a small piece of wood behind the rear tire when i am as far forward as possible. keeps it as far forward as possible and lets you really get the straps tight.
make sure the inside of the front tire straps are over the tire.. they actually side down the sidewall a good bit on inner and outer side.

i tend to hook the chain forward or try and go over the engine cradle... i also use a heavy ratchet strap... do this one last.. you can pull the car down (last cross beam on trailer) keeps suspension tight and pulls back on the straps(which should be tight on front tires)

i like to put the car in first gear and pull the ebrake just piece of mind.

i always do a brake check about 5 miles into the trip before i hit a busy road. get out check the car make sure it hasnt moved or straps have not gotten loose.

hope that helps a little.
 
#3 · (Edited)
You should not tow with the tranny in gear. All the jiggling backwards and forwards loads/moves things in a way they were not designed for. Now I have forgotten to take it out of gear after strapping it down and trailered for many hours with no immediate ill affects. It's just better if you don't have it in gear.

The goal is to center the weight on the two axles. Too much tongue/hitch weight (like backing the rear engine car onto the trailer) will unload the front wheels of the tow vehicle too much and make the steering little unstable.

Too little weight on the tongue/hitch is also not a good thing, but is more stable than the other.

Just pull it as far forward as possible (assuming it is a shorter one like above).
 
#4 · (Edited)
PDoane said:
You should not tow with the tranny in gear. All the jiggling backwards and forwards loads/moves things in a way they were not designed for. Now I have forgotten to take it out of gear after strapping it down and trailered for many hours with no immediate ill affects. It's just better if you don't have it in gear.

The goal is to center the weight on the two axles. Too much tongue/hitch weight (like backing the rear engine car onto the trailer) will unload the front wheels of the tow vehicle too much and make the steering little unstable.

Too little weight on the tongue/hitch is also not a good thing, but is more stable than the other.

Just pull it as far forward as possible (assuming it is a shorter one like above).
do what you feel is safe for you. i have no issue with putting it in gear. have done it all up and down the est coast to drag events. i have pulled many a drag mr2.. fl,sc,md,ny,nj,pa,ga.. all over the place never had a trans issue.. i have shatter transmissions launch at 700+hp but never had an issue due to how i tow and ive towed in some crap

the mr2 is a small enough chassis that the weight on the double axel trailer towards the rear is no issue towing..

the only way i see a hauler and a mr2 towing odd is if you have a lift kit or some odd articulation where the front of the car trailer is pitched up or back causing the axels to not lay flat.. this can also pop tires from excessive wear.



 
#24 ·
the only way i see a hauler and a mr2 towing odd is if you have a lift kit or some odd articulation where the front of the car trailer is pitched up or back causing the axels to not lay flat.. this can also pop tires from excessive wear.
Actually the tandem leaf spring design has an equalizer that compensates for that, though if you have a trailer with tandem torsion springs you would be correct. But those are rare because it's a bad idea, for the reason you listed and for ride quality over bumps

Mode of transport Font Line Parallel Circle
 
#6 ·
PDoane said:
You should not tow with the tranny in gear. All the jiggling backwards and forwards loads/moves things in a way they were not designed for....
I can imagine that if you had the car in a low gear, this could gall the crank bearings. The oil will get pushed out right quick, and then the crank pin will be rattling back and forth within the bearing clearance.
 
#7 ·
PDoane said:
You should not tow with the tranny in gear. All the jiggling backwards and forwards loads/moves things in a way they were not designed for.
The nice folks at Quaife once "instructed" me on the dangers of this and of the dangers of using the transaxle to slow the car, ie downshifting. These loads on the gears shorten the life of the gears and the box.
 
#12 ·
When I moved my MR2 to a storage unit I put it on the trailer backwards. Removed my bumper to save it from being harmed.

(and thats not me in the photos. I'm not that old. My apologies to our older members lol)


 
#13 · (Edited)
Bad idea loading ass first and putting too much weight on the trailer tounge and the front axle of the trailer. If the moving van was reasonably full, it wouldn't have noticed, but if you had driven long/far enough that way you might have caused a trailer tire blow out from overload-overheating.

If the trailer has more flexible tie downs, you could have moved the car to the back edge and probably been OK

KEEP THE CAR'S CG SOMEWHERE NEAR THE CENTER OF THE TWO TRAILER AXLES.

ALSO KEEP ALL THE TIRES (TOW VEHICLE AND TRAILER) PUMPED UP TO THE MAX LOAD PSI EMBOSED INTO THE SIDEWALL
 
#15 ·
heyitsryan said:
Where in colorado are you moving to? I'll be moving from Texas to Colorado Springs in April; it's good to know there will be some fellow mr2 guys in the area!

If you don't mind me asking, what is uhaul charging you to rent the trailer?
We're moving to Longmont, which is slightly northeast of Boulder. According to Google Maps, Colorado Springs is about an hour and 45 minutes. You're going to be super close to Pike's Peak. I'm jealous! I so badly want to drive up Pike's Peak!
 
#19 ·
Pulling forward is better IMO. I've towed two mr2's on a Uhaul trailer. DO NOT pull your car all the way forward until you put a block of wood between the metal rod tire stop and the slanted metal which stops your front tire. This will bring your front end high enough so that you don't crack your body kit if you have one. If you have lowered your mr2, you will definitely bottom out! I took a 2 x 12 board and cut it to size to fit in that spot. Then simply ratchet down the front. We all know where most of the weight of the mr2 is. Pull the car all the way forward! The chain hooks to the rear axle as a safety feature in case the straps were to give. DO NOT load/unload without the trailer hooked up to your towing vehicle OR your trailer is clear of any vehicles. If you don't have it hooked up, it will shift and some 4 x 4 wood blocks around the trailer tires will help. This is experience talking!
 
#20 ·
DO NOT load/unload without the trailer hooked up to your towing vehicle OR your trailer is clear of any vehicles. If you don't have it hooked up, it will shift and some 4 x 4 wood blocks around the trailer tires will help. This is experience talking!
I can second that. I was having trouble getting a lowered 350Z onto a trailer so I disconnected the hitch and cranked the dolly wheel all the way up to reduce the angle that the car would need to crest as it was driving on the trailer. Luckily I had chocked the wheels but when I got about halfway up the ramp the front of the trailer jumped up. Scared the crap out of the guy helping me and put a small divot in the tailgate of my truck. Lesson learned. Leave it hitched!
 
#22 ·
I can second that. I was having trouble getting a lowered 350Z onto a trailer so I disconnected the hitch and cranked the dolly wheel all the way up to reduce the angle that the car would need to crest as it was driving on the trailer. Luckily I had chocked the wheels but when I got about halfway up the ramp the front of the trailer jumped up. Scared the crap out of the guy helping me and put a small divot in the tailgate of my truck. Lesson learned. Leave it hitched!
Sounds like you've avoided a huge disaster by a hair. Noted thought, going to be doing this myself next week, decided to hop on forums to find info just incase :D
 
#21 ·
Hook up trailer. Use tape measure to check initial distance from hitch to ground. Load car. Distance from hitch to ground needs to be a little less. About an inch less works for me, but that depends on the details of your tow vehicle. In any case, the distance can NEVER be greater with the car on the trailer (means it's tail heavy and will sway).
 
#23 ·
It all depends on the trailer
If it's designed like a standard utility trailer and you're using it to haul the MR2, you'd want it backwards because the trailer wheels are just barely aft of center
If it's a trailer with the wheels further back then you'd want to load it forward so there's not too much tongue weight

If it's a Uhaul, forward is fine as they are made for such long vehicles our whole car almost fits ahead of the axle

A great recommendation is to get a tow ball mount with a scale like the Weigh-Safe, that way you can adjust the position of the car as needed until the tongue weight is just right
 
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