I can't seem to attach the files the same way I did last time, so you will have to bear with me.
Photo1- here you see the 2 ton come-along we used to ratchet the van up onto the trailer AND hold it on there while we drove. It is attached to the passenger side of the rear axle. If you look carefully, you will also see a long yellow strap. That's a 25ft 3000lb strap we had wrapped around the driver's side of the rear axle. We had the duct tape on the come-along just in case.
Photo2- Here you can see WHY we had the two straps on the rear axle, pulling the van forward. Notice that the tire hangs OVER the back edge of the trailer. That's not part of the trailer under 75% of the tire. That's the loading ramp that should be totally out of sight, pushed into the frame of the trailer. The strap we have on there is a 1000lb strap and it's attached to the rear of the shackles on the leaf springs. Somewhere along the way we lost one. Either it broke or somehow came loose, but nothing bad happened because of it. After I took this picture, I deflated the tire some so it would just barely rest on the ramp to help keep it in place.
Photo3- Another picture of the straps we had wrapped around the rear axle. This baby wasn't going anywhere.
Photo4- to give us an extra inch or so in back, we deflated the front tires. Even so, those stupid sidewalls sure were stiff and it didn't want to give much.
Photo5- There she is, all ready to go. Notice how the Sprinter is as big as the UHaul? This caused us some problems at speeds higher than 60mph. Any gust of wind from a semi or natural cause or bumpy road would cause the trailer to swing wildly from side to side. Three times it happened and three times I thought we were going to loose it. When it happens, you can't step on the brakes. There are two things you can do: take your foot off the gas and slow down naturally or speed up.
Boy, what an adventure it was. When the UHaul guys asked what size sprinter I was going to put on the trailer, I told them "the small one". Otherwise they wouldn't have rented me the trailer.
I do not encourage anyone to do this. If you do, you are
I just wanted to let you know it can be done.
Joel in Philly