New Rapture Toy hauler

I always use 4 straps on my atv. Two in the front and two in the rear. The front straps go diagonally to the rear and the rear straps diagonally to the front. (front left to right rear and front right to left rear) (right rear to front left and left rear to the right front.

That is the same way we load anything with wheels on an aircraft.

Turn off gas, set parking break, 4 tie downs.

Don't worry about stuff in cabinets, it won't fly out.

One last tip for the cabinets. Rubber shelf liner is the first part of the solution, stocking the cabinets full is the second. No room for anything to shift will prevent the heavier items in the cabinets from getting enough movement/momentum to bang open a cabinet door. Use dish cloths, paper towels,whatever you have to fill voids in the cabinets. Picture packing a box for shipping. Stuff it with filler items. If nothing inside has any space to move, it can't shift and become damaged or in this case, bang a door open and be a mess for you to clean up.

I sometimes unstack styrofoam coffee cups to fill the cabinet shelf if need be although we usually have it full enough that isn't neccesary.

Make sure you use good straps! I use Powertye trailer kit. They are expensive but so is the stuff that I'm strapping down. :)

for the atv tie downs

Get your tie downs setup so they are 'hard attached' vs. hooked. By that I mean use a clasp or some other threaded device to attach the tie downs to the atv and the 5er. If you have a hard attach vs. relying on a hook you remove the risk of the strap getting loose and having the hook bounce off.

I relocated my d-rings so I have one directly under the center of each fourwheeler, then I run a 1/4 inch chain from the d-ring to the back of the machine hook it on the rear hitch, then run another up to the front and hook it on the lowest crossbar of the front brush gaurd, a small chain binder takes up the slack. Never had one move with several trips to Wy. Utah, and Tennesse.
We also lined are cabinet shelves with the foam and have never lost a dish. I refuse to use paper plates or plastic cups and utensils.

Securing an ATV in a toy hauler is no different than on an open trailer - 4 corners are best. ATV's tend to bounce which causes the straps to loosen and sometimes unhook. If you can arrange tie downs so you can use tire bonnets you eliminate any effect of bounce. In my enclosed trailer, I use 2 straps per ATV - one on a front tire and another on a rear. Each strap over the tire to tie downs in front and behind each tire. Ratchet them till you squeeze the tire, close the door and drive away

Use at least 4--one on each corner. Also DO NOT hook the tie downs to the luggage racks. Hook them to a sturdy location on the ATV frame. Check the tension on the tie downs every time you stop.

And, most of all: Have Fun!

duggram wrote:
In '06 I got a Keystone Raptor which might be similar to your Rapture. I was in Alaska at the time and relocating to NM. Coming down the Alcan I thought I had my Harley and 4wheeler safely secured with straps. The Harley got lose and did a lot of damage to the interior walls. The 4wheeler was tied down well enough (strap at each corner) it didn't get lose. Granted you might not be going over the Alcan, but since that trip in '07 even when using front wheel stands on motocycles, nothing travels without straps on each corner. I know you are going to hear from folks that this is needless but I'd rather be safe than sorry, and not have any damage.

BTW since moving to NM I've made 4 more trips over the Alacan. Now that I'm more careful there has been no more damage from vehicles in the garage.

Agree that proper strapping or load control is the answer to surprises or damage to the trailer or cargo,

I haul dirt bikes all over the PNW -freeway to single lane dirt conditions. Have had one bike move when it was not strapped properly due to a brain fart.

I use 4 straps per bike plus a rear wheel tether in conjunction with E-Track rails on the floor. Bikes are loaded crossways behind axles to get payload distribution right. Bikes are about an 1" apart but do not touch or sway. Suspension is not compressed very much either. I also use soft tie eye straps with carabiner loops for positive strap retention.

Biggest thing is to analyze your situation and apply known methods to control the payload. There are many, many methods to accomplish the task depending on your specific needs. Remember to always consider that devices need to be under their specific Working Load Limit (WLL). Not all devices provide a WLL -the typical devices used for this application have a WLL of 1/3 the assembly ultimate capacity.

The Ancra Motorsports PDF at the link may help you understand the capacity issues as they list WLL and assembly capacity for most products.

Ancra Motorsports

Strap angle is an important issue to consider on atv/utv strap down. Tie down mounting can be another issue -some OEM's only screw the mounting point into the wood deck or use open loop d-ring on a single 3/8 bolt.

Mackie Enterprises has wealth of products available for purchase directly or through ebay if you don't have a source locally like a large truck parts dealer.
http://www.mackieenterprises.com/Tiedown_Systems.htm

In '06 I got a Keystone Raptor which might be similar to your Rapture. I was in Alaska at the time and relocating to NM. Coming down the Alcan I thought I had my Harley and 4wheeler safely secured with straps. The Harley got lose and did a lot of damage to the interior walls. The 4wheeler was tied down well enough (strap at each corner) it didn't get lose. Granted you might not be going over the Alcan, but since that trip in '07 even when using front wheel stands on motocycles, nothing travels without straps on each corner. I know you are going to hear from folks that this is needless but I'd rather be safe than sorry, and not have any damage.

BTW since moving to NM I've made 4 more trips over the Alacan. Now that I'm more careful there has been no more damage from vehicles in the garage.