What Phil says about tieing off the steering and weight is important. I disagree with him about how he ties off tho. The seatbelts aren't very good for this.
From a pending cave article....
Never NEVER trust the lock in the steering column! The steering wheel must be lashed when towing backward.
TILT steering must be all the way DOWN when lashing it! If it's not down, it could snap down if the lashings load up. Not good for it.
the best way to lock down the steering is with a Y lock. They are sold for commercial tow truck operators but you could make one. (They are required by law in many places.)
It is made from a single piece of bent 3/8-1/2 inch iron. Rebar will work. You'll need an acetalene torch.
Take a 4 foot section of rebar and bend it in half, leaving a space so you can tie something in the bend.
Next bend the ends into hooks. Make them big enough that you can put some thin padding on and still hook the spokes on the steering wheel.
Now make 4 more bends to the thing looks like the stick figure below. Make the hooks as far apart as the wheel spokes will allow.
For padding slide some old water hose over the arms. make the hose long enough to cover any metal that will contact the steering wheel.
code:
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When you want to lock the steering, hook this over the steering wheel spokes and lash it down.
To use the Y lock with a Fiero type seat... cut a section of rebar or steel pipe long enough to fit between the door sill and hump. (You want it long enough that it can't shift sideways and come out from under the seat.) Stick this under the seat so it hooks both seat rails. Lash the Y lock to this bar/pipe good and snug.
Once the Y lock is installed, nothing short of a major wreck will allow the steering to move. As noted these are required by law in many places when towing on the front wheels. (A tow truck operator friend of mine foung this out the hardway... cost him a stiff fine and some other penalty on his CDL.) Even if the Y lock isn't required in your area, there is nothing that beats them.
The only difference between the one I describe above and comercial ones... the comercial ones use a seat belt style web and adjuster to make hooking them up really easy. I don't know what they cost any more. It might be cheaper now to just buy one from a towing supply outlet.
11-Sept-01, The day the world as we knew it ended.
