From what I've seen so far on this site there is plenty of atv knowledge to go around so I would like some advice. I've just recently purchased a BF 750 for me to ride and have a '97 Prairie 400 for the wife. My problem is what is the best method to haul both of these on my 5' x 14' single axle trailer. In the past while hauling only one atv on my trailer I would just "X" the straps on both sides of the machine but on the rough back roads going to my cabin in the mountains the Prairie would still bounce around some. I'm done a search on the web and found numerous methods and contraptions that may be usable but I wanted to here what someone on this forum has used with success. I'm wanting a method that would secure them both from bumping into each other and lock them down as tight as possible. I researched wheel chocks, tie down D-rings, Fastrap tie downs, ect.. Any suggestions?

 

Just a thought....I've seen boats tied to docks with tires hanging down to prevent damange to the boats when they bump against the dock. Maybe a tire between them strapped to both would work.

 

I'm not sure what to say other than ratcheting tie downs will allow you to suck the quads down MUCH tighter than the regular ones. If the road to wherever is so rough that ratcheting tie downs won't hold them on the trailer, maybe you should consider riding in instead of trailering....

 

Thanks guys, Originally I didn't mind the movement when I just had one since the only thing that may come into contact with the trailer were the tires but with two I was worried about the movement leading to rack to rack contact. I have eye bolts mounted along the top rail of the trailer frame but I wasn't sure if I mounted d-rings on the trailer floor if they would control the movement any better? I took another look at the chock/strap system called Fastrap from a company in Florida and decided they may give me the best protection so I'm going to order them and I'll let you know how they work. When you used ratchet straps did you "X" them on either side of the atv, going from front to back and vice versa? Also did you connect to the top rail or to the trailer floor? Thanks to all for the advice.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I have a 5 X 14 and usually put the smaller quad cross-ways in front and drive the longer quad on. Ratcheting tiedowns have worked the best for me.
Key is securing quads so front, aft, and side movement is secure. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

the thing that is going to help you the most is the placement of your ratchet straps. first i assume you have ratchet straps and not just the ppull type. you also mentioned that you tied them down in a x pattern what do you mean. usually most people, I assume you too, ratchet from the frame of the trailer to the quads racks. what happens then is you go over a bump, the suspension compresses and your straps get loose or come off. the trick is to put your straps on the bottom of the frame or somewhere that will not move when the suspension moves. two good suggeestions on the back of the prairie are through the hitch which works perfect, or around the axle. in the front I usually attach to the a-arm. try this and I guarantee it will work.

 

another good tip I forgot to tell you is too try and use just 2 straps, one for the front and one for the back. get a long strap and weave it through the bike to the other side of the trailer. the 2 strap method works much better than using 4 straps per quad.

 

Well, at just 5' wide you probably can't put that Prairie x-wise in the trailer(you might try letting air out of the tires, but this brings new problems to the table.) Personally, I use at least three straps per quad. Two holding the front quad from rolling forward, two holding the rear quad from rolling backward. One on each doing holding the opposite direction. Use ratchet straps and compress the suspension a good bit, this will help keep tension on the straps. I try to keep the length of strap under tension as short as possible, so it is less likely to stretch/loosen up. Finally, use your parking brake and keep it in good functioning order. I wouldn't trust my quad to just two straps. To much of an investment to do that.