These tie down straps can be cut very easily, even the thick heavy duty ones. My Dad was helping me tie down ATVs on our last trip, and wasn't paying attention when ratcheting down the ATV, and got the tie down strap all wound around the ratchet mechanism in a big knot. I found the probelm when it was time to unload the ATVs, and spent twenty minutes trying to undo the knot and was getting know where, so decided to sacrifice the strap and just cut it. I used a big bowie knive I carry in my gear bag, and to my surprise I just barely touched the nylon strap that still had tension on it, and the strap sliced right in two, and released the ATV. That knife was not that sharp. And that was with really good quality tie down straps, not the cheap ones. It surprised me how easy it is to cut one of those straps. A poor quality strap that barely makes contact with a semi-sharp object could easily be cut by accident, releasing your ATV while it is being trailered somewhere.

 

I put my straps over the front rail of my trailer once. I think it was to get them over my plow. Anyway one of them got cut in half by the rounded off edge of the rail. I can load my quad backward with the plow on and not do that on the front of the trailer but the back end is tricky. IIRC I had to turn the blade all the way to one side after I loaded up. That cleared a spot for at least one strap but I think I got both on. It's been a long time and I'm not sure.

I also learned the hard way to make sure my front cargo box is latched if I load the quad backward. I always keep both latches fastened but coming home from the dealer the lid flew open and broke off. I don't know why they unlatched it but I know to double check if I ever load it backward again.

 

I just drove from VA to FL and back over the past weekend. I stopped counting how many broken straps laying by the side of the road I counted. AND there were more than a handful of trailers broken down with failed wheel bearings, blown tires (Without spares), broken axles etc. Although most were campers and boats, the same holds true for ATV and UTV trailers as well. At least two were WAY OVERLOADED. (Axle broken). MY point is use your head folks. They don't put ratings on trailers for nothing. When in doubt be safe and do not overload it. My grandchild may be in the vehicle behind you when a tire blows and all hello breaks loose. A 1000 lb ATV bouncing on the road is going to really cause some damage.

 

Well said... some people don't care about the family that may be injured or worse because of their stupidity

 

What's really crazy is that some people think if they haul their ATV in the back of a truck they don't need to tie it down because "it doesn't have room to move around". I could see that possibly going badly if you have to suddenly swerve to avoid an accident.

 

I had a very close friend get killed, and her son seriously injured by a guy hauling a lawn mower in the back of his pickup once without securing it. They collided and it was thrown through the windshield into her face killing her instantly. Very sad. It would have taken what, 5 minutes? She lost her life because of the other guy's ignorance.

 

I knew a guy that used the cheapest tie down straps he could find to tie down his Harley motorcycle inside an enclosed trailer. He was driving about 500 miles from Idaho to Las Vegas, NV in the dead of winter to get out of the snow and ice, to get to ride his motorcycle. When he got there he discovered that the trailer looked beat up, from the inside out, and that a tie down strap had failed, and his motorcycle had slid around inside the trailer for most of the trip. The motorcycle and the trailer were ruined. He did have insurance that covered the cost, but he didn't get to go motorcycle riding that winter.

 

In my younger days, I usd to race the midwest Moto-X and Dirt track circuits, and had a enclosed snowmobile trailer that I towed with a Pinto... yes I know, Stupid. The trailer was bigger and heavier than the car.... well I was on my way to a national at Tipton Iowa and it was 3 in the morning... when I saw a sign that said RxR... Bump. Holy crap, I launched off that ramp that was taller than Evel Kneivel used to jump the fountain in Las Vegas and came down HARD. The entire car and trailer were at least 5 ft in the air. When I looked inside the trailer, everything was upside down. I drove 10 miles to the race track and opened it up. OMG what a chore that was to put it all back where it belonged. Race bikes were sort of OK. We both broke in practice and never got to race. My buddy put his boot through his front wheel. And I split my aluminum fuel tank on my new Honda Elsinore. On the way home, we blew a tire (No doubt damaged in our solo flight off the RxR ramp. and thank GOD I had thrown the spare into the trailer. I got home late, and quit racing that day.

 

Where i live we have a 4 way stop coming off 2 major hwy's. at least 3-5 times a summer you see someones camper out of the back of their truck sitting at the intersection due to not being secured or secured improperly

 

Old thread but still relevant....
When when I bought my ATV trailer, I very nearly bought one just like the one in the picture with the angled sides, but in the end got a different one, with a wider deck with 2.5 foot tall rails all around and 1 side drops down and unfold into a ramp (well all sides can fold down), first time I drove an ATV onto it I knew I made the right decision, when I came up the ramp and stopped just sort of hitting the rail on the other side. At least the rail would have definitely stopped me if I had not stopped in time, I can see my wife or child or somebody else driving up and over off the edge of the kind the op bought with just the short angled sides.... plus it's nice having the entire side of the trailer as a ramp so you don't have to worry about keeping your tires on skinny little ramps. I did that one time into and out of a truck bed before I bought my trailer, never again!