Towing With Car Cover On????

DAVID GAGNARD · #1 (**permalink**) 03-10-2003, 07:09 PM

Guys;

My question is,has anyone ever towed their car on an open trailer with a car cover on the car?????

Going to a car show in two weeks,six hour drive one way..Planning on driving my car if the weather is good,if not I can and will tow it on my 16' open car hauler....I have a pretty good,tight fitting car cover,but going 70-75 mph on the interstate for six hours,just wandering will it "flap" in the breeze and could it and would it rub enough on the paint to hurt it?????

The only time my car has ever been on the trailer is a couple of times a year when I go to the drags with it. I tow it just in case I have a breakdown while racing. The two drag strips I go to are a little more than an hours drive and if something happened there,my wife could not and would not be able to hook up the trailer to my truck and come get me.......

I do drive my car a lot and have driven it anywhere from 150 to 400 miles in a day,so the trip does not bother me as far as the car "making it",just do not like to drive in the rain,w/s wipers are kinda noisy and I have a small leak on the w/s on the lower right front that drips on the floorboard,since I do not drive in the rain,I have never bothered to fix it. Also,driving in the rain gets everything real dirty and grimey and since I'm going to a car show and will be advertising my car for sale,I'd like to keep it as clean as possible....

Just wondering about the car cover and possiblilty of dulling or scuffing the paint job. BTW,it is a basecoat/clearcoat paint job with three double wet coats of clear over the paint.....

Anyone with any expirence please chime in and let me know how it went.........

Thanks;

David

agro1 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-10-2003, 07:20 PM

At that speed the cover will probably come off and create a parachute in the middle of the freeway - could be dangerous. Also, the flapping of the cover may mess up your paint, or so I have been told...

Or you could put a nice thick coat of wax on it - put the cover on it - hit the road and have the car nice and "buffed" by the time you get to the show !!

DAVID GAGNARD · #3 (**permalink**) 03-10-2003, 07:23 PM

Forgot to add that I have seen many cars towed on open trailers with car covers on,some "flapped" pretty bad and others did not seem to flap at all...Guess the tow truck size and shape has a lot to do with it too..

Towing is with a 95 ford F-150 X-Cab 4x4,kinda tall....

David

G.R. · #4 (**permalink**) 03-10-2003, 10:36 PM

A friend and I towed his '67 Vette roadster from Co Springs, Co to Taos, NM in my Chevy 1 ton, when he moved down there, he couldn't find a enclosed trailer to rent or buy and already had a 16 foot open trailer. He had a custom made, fleece lined car cover, with tie down fittings that attached under the car with adjustable web straps side to side in about 6-8 places and front to back-- most of the trip was over mountain terrain, with some open stretches of 65-70 mph freeway, but after we got to his new home and uncovered the car his pristine paint had swirls and marks, that he told me later he couldn't polish out--ended up re-painting the car.
Terry's Vette is a 2nd owner car that he re-built from the ground up--looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor

Turk · #5 (**permalink**) 03-10-2003, 10:47 PM

I am sure some part of the cover will keep beating up on some part of the car to damage the paint.
Here is another idea.
Take 3-4 rolls of Saran Wrap. Seal that sucker from one end to the other like a big sandwich. Water, dust would not get in, and it wouldn't matter if you put the cover over that or not.

TURK

Bill Wells · #6 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 03:50 AM

leave the cover OFF. it wil whip in the wind and abrade the paint, IF it stays on the car at speed ! I have seen paint rubbed off exposing bare metal, i have seen marks that will never come out requiring repaint, i have seen chrome worn down and stainless marred, no matter how soft the cover ! real easy decision, leave the cover OFF and save what ya got. if you can get a 'car bra' for the front end it will help in not getting stone chips from pebbles etc thrown by the tow vehicle. real cars have stone chips. chipless cars are in enclosed trailers. bill.

Ron61 · #7 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 06:21 AM

Bill is very correct. I have seen three cars with big dollar paint jobs really messed up by doing this and they tried fastening the cover every way possible. One person finally got wise and had an aluminum air foil made to mount to the front of his trailer and that caused all the air to go above the car and also protected it from rocks, bugs, & etc. Now when he hauls his car a long distance all he has to do is wipe any dust that got on it off. No more rock chips or rubbed paint. And he enjoys the attention the car gets being uncovered.

ron

John Poling · #8 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 08:39 AM

Quick and to the point. DON'T PULL IT IN THE OPEN ENVIRONMENT WITH ANY KIND OF COVER> You will regret it, unless you really do want a new paintjob.

John

Bob Parmenter · #9 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 10:39 AM

Towing open trailer with a cover on the car is a major bad idea.

As a variation on Turk's suggestion there is a large format shrink wrap available. It is a relatively heavy guage material, white in color. Boat manufacturers use it to cover their vessels while being transported on semi trailers. I've seen it, had a small sample that I've used for wrapping some parts, but don't have a source for you. I suspect you could contact a boat builder, or transport company to see if they can source it for you. Or do a Google search.

niles · #10 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 10:39 AM

you got good advise ref: covers; NO, NO AND NO.

GN

BLACKJACK · #11 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 02:31 PM

TOWING A CAR IN AN OPEN TRAILER, WITH A COVER ON, IS THE "SECOND" BEST WAY TO REMOVE THE PAINT.

THE FIRST BEST WAY IS TO SPILL RAKI ON IT.

Y'ALL HAVE A REALLY GREAT DAY,

BLACKJACK

DAVID GAGNARD · #12 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 03:31 PM

Well it looks like it's pretty much 100% against towing with car cover on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess if I have to tow it in bad weather,then I'll just have to clean it over there....

BTW;It does have a bunch of stone chips (character I call them),two small scratches and the front valance does have a nice dent in it....All this from about 16,000 roads miles and one crazy sister-in-law..... Despite all this I think it still looks pretty good and just wanted to save what I have to try and sell it..... If it does not sell,then I'll build a 393 stroker for it and run the hell out of it....

If it does sell,then I'll order a Daytona Coupe from FFR. Always loved them and could use it all year as it is enclosed......

Thanks for all the advise guys. I do cover it in my shop when I'm doing dirty or dusty work especcially in the winter when it is closed up,usually in the summer,I just park it out on the driveway or front yard to get it out of the way.

Hope the weather is good so I can drive it as it gets 21 mpg on the interstate cruising and my truck pulling it would get about 10 mpg downhill-with the wind-and the a/c off on a good day....

Hope to see some of you guys in Pensecola on the 21-22-23 of this month.....I'll be around the red w/white stripes 65 GT-350 fastback (look-a-like) wearing my Club Cobra t-shirt....Come by and say hello....

David

niles · #13 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 04:38 PM

dave:
that why I going enclosed.
There is a local manufacture around here that can get you enclosed for about 3200
gn

DAVID GAGNARD · #14 (**permalink**) 03-11-2003, 06:08 PM

Niles;

Thanks for the info,but I really do not use the trailer enough to warrant an enclosed trailer....I probably put my car on it no more than three or four times a year. Actually my trailer stays away from here more than it stays here.... Always someone needing to borrow a good low-dovetailed-car hauler with brakes and it is loaned out at least 5 times more than I use it.... I probably use it more around the house hauling junk and branches and the like than hauling my Mustang....

There are four dirt tracks within 2 hours of here and usaully see a bunch of trailers,open and enclosed for sale come Christmas time.....Some of the wanna-be racers go head first into it only to realize they can not afford to race like they would like and the wifes usually get tired of that after a couple of years and there are some really good deals out there on trailers.......

Mine was an insurance total....Paid 20 cents on the dollar of it's retail price and put it back on the road for about a hundred bucks,it was only 2 years old at the time....Those deals are few and very far between,so I'm planning on keeping this a long time....

Thanks to all who reponded......

David

CCX33911 · #15 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 08:44 AM

Never tow in open trailer with the cover on. I made that mistake once!

Edley Rondinone · #16 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 11:00 PM

C'mon CCX33911, spill the beans! What happened? Remember, you're among friends here!!!

Jeff Frigo · #17 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 11:14 PM

Don't do it unless it needs a paint job.

Keith Lyles · #18 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 05:54 PM

Dave, if you really don't want to spring for an enclosed trailer: try modifying the open trailer with a some type of rig that allows you to use a good weather tarp to protect your car. I seem to remember seeing one of these modified trailers with the name COBRA on it at one of the SAAC meets a few years ago. Look like it worked just fine judging by the car it was hauling.

DAVID GAGNARD · #19 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 06:04 PM

Guys;

The weather forecast is very good thru saturday,sunday calls for possible scattered showers on and off. Will drive down there....Car is packed and loaded ready for 6 a.m. start 3-21-03..... We are down to three cars and 7 or 8 people,but will meet up with approx. 10 to 20 cars 2.5 hours into the 6 hour trip..... Hope all goes well,will also advertise my car for sale while I'm down there,hope it sells,already have a ride home just in case....

Thanks guys and next week I'll try to post some pictures,show ramrod says they are expecting 225-275 cars,should be a good time....

David

niles · #20 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 09:31 PM

Dave:
What show are you going too?
gn