Hi
This weekend will see my first experience of putting the Exige on a trailer (in fact first experience of anything towed!) Where is the best point on the front and rear of the Exige to attach the ratchet straps?
Any other (useful!) advice on towing a car trailer would be welcomed.
Cheers
Alex
Alex, strap the wheels - one at each corner will stop it going anywhere. If you have towing eyes fitted they can also be used but don’t compress the tyres or the suspension, i.e. not too tight.
Most folk also reverse the car onto their trailers, too.
and loosely try and balance the load across the axle(s)?
Warning - NERD alert!!!
Alex, my understanding of how to load an Exige on a trailer, (for information only - follow at your own risk);
Establish what the towing 'nose weight" of your tow vehicle - should be in the handbook � 100kg for my T5
Reverse the Exige on the trailer � handbrake is always a good idea
You are trying to find out what the loading is on the toe hitch of the trailer at the same sort of height as it will be when attached to the tow ball on the tow vehicle
Armed with a piece of timber, (mallet in my case) and scales, (out of the bathroom � don�t tell Karen), place the timber in the cup of the tow hitch with the other end resting on the scales.
Slowly raise the jockey wheel lowering the tow hitch and see what the loading is on the scales
It is then a case of trial and error by moving the Exige back and forward until you arrive at the required nose weight.
When done, make a reference mark on the trailer so you don�t have to repeat the process. Mine has stops / wedges that bolt in to the trailer deck so easy enough
I bought a set of these and cut the webbing to suite sealing the edges with a blowtorch, (JSR top tip);
This is how I secure the car;
Ignore the man in the strange hat!
As for towing you need to be conscious that the trailer is wider than your car and on tight turns you may have to swing wider than normal otherwise the trailer will be on the kerb. Also allow for the extra weigh when braking and it may be worth checking your insurance for both vehicles.
If you get the weight right you wont even know you have a trailer on the back.
Lastly remember that your Exige when on a trailer is very, very easy to steal! Hitch locks / wheel clamps are a bit of a PITA but worth it.
As for reversing - best of luck. I can manage the basics but am not very good in tight pub car parks as John S will testify!
Geek alert over and no I don�t own a caravan or belong to any caravan owners clubs � [size:8pt]yet![/size]
LOL @ Harvey - I forgot about that reversing incident 
Thanks to all for all the above - even the nerdy stuff seems like really good advice.
Must check insurance and apparently the only lock on the trailer (hired) locks the hitch to the car, so was thinking of using a motorbike lock I’ve got, through one of the wheels and chassis.
I think I’ll be more nervous Friday morning than Saturday!
Thanks again
Alex
PS nice hat - just need some corks!
We’ll just have to block them all in Alex - thats what we’ve done before 
Very entertaining,guys.I’ve been giving some thought to trailering in the future.
AlskiH,
Everyone so far has pretty much covered it, especially getting the tongue weight/balance correct.
Once I am on the road, I drive a very short distance, say 5 miles, pull over, and lock down the straps again - I have been surprised more than once how much “settling” occurs.
Furthermore, pulling over a short distance down the road is a good thing to clear your head and inspect everything again - tail lights, turn signals, locking pin on your receiver, tire pressures, trailer ramps are still locked down (!!!). My favorite bonehead move is I forgot the key that locks down my trailer ramps - suffices to say I disassembled the bottom of the trailer to get those ramps out - no one drives 60 miles only to be denied track time.
Another quick reminder is to make sure your car is in neutral before you depart. Your gearbox does not “do” trailer activities. My car does not have a handbrake, so neutral is at the top of my checklist. If you have a handbrake, remember you can’t use your parking brake right after your track day is over - you’ll trailer your car home and discover your hand brake’s pads are fused to your rear discs. So in this case use neither your parking brake nor your gearbox.
By the way, backing up onto a trailer is NEVER done in the States - must be a cultural thing - why would you blokes want to back up your precious onto a narrow trailer with even narrower ramps? You folks must have more visibility out your rear window than I do.
Thanks Beto
A couple of things there I might not have thought of -
I always leave cars in gear, but can see this might not be healthy when its moving around on a trailer!
[quote=beto]
By the way, backing up onto a trailer is NEVER done in the States - must be a cultural thing - why would you blokes want to back up your precious onto a narrow trailer with even narrower ramps? You folks must have more visibility out your rear window than I do. [/quote]
Beto
Not cultural, reversing the Exige on the trailer is the only way I can get the nose weight to the 100kg required for my tow vehicle.
Driving it on forwards, I cant get the heavy part of the car, (the rear) close enough to the tow hitch to get the 100kg due to the splitter clashing with the cross member at the front of the trailer.
The down side is I am getting as many stone chips on the rear of the car as I have at the front, especially after the trip to Spa - OE mud guards for my T5 now sitting in the hall waiting to be fitted before this weekends trip to Anglesey.
Harvey.
[quote=HT67reversing the Exige on the trailer is the only way I can get the nose weight to the 100kg required for my tow vehicle.[/quote]
Agree
Looked in the manual for my car (320d BMW) anfd it says only 75 kg of nose weight required.
Had lots of fun with our bathroom scales this afternoon trying to get it right - all sorted now and position marked!