Hi all, been Class One for 20+ but never done transporters. I’m taking one down to London and was wondering if anyone can tell me what height it’s running at empty?
It running with similar rails as the one in this pic…
Think I’m putting a van on the back of it so I can get back up the road so will I load that behind the cab and cargo strap it?
Any help, cheers…
Juddan is your man
cheers driver, hopefully he’ll notice the thread ;
To the top of those safety rail posts on the peak should be about 13’3" but obviously check that, cos they might be a shade higher, the body in the pic might be a Kassbohrer but don’t hold me to that, i haven’t used a scissor fold down deck like that mesen.
By van do you mean a Berlingo or similar or a Sprinter high top?
The prime mover body looks like the whole top deck will lower down to about 2ft above the bottom deck, so you could put the smaller van on there slope it back a bit and still be lower than the peak safety rails.
Obviously the outfit will be more stable with the one vehicle on the prime mover, but if the van is a really high top then you could stick it on the front half of the trailer if you can’t work out how to get extend the decks so you can cross from trailer to truck deck, no good asking me i’m not familiar with that particular body, but it should be quite simple to operate, certainly simpler than the new designs with more levers than you could shake a stick at 
Luckily those old school wag n drag transporters are very stable on the road, so even if you shoved the van on the arse end of the trailer it would still be a stable vehicle.
On older bdy like that might still have proper underbody tie down ratchets…still the safest and easiest way to strap vehicles down, too obvious for words but make sure you have 2 straps pulling each way so 4 in total, if you need to use wheelstraps then unless the vehicles already has some on it you’ll need a few spare claw ends off old straps to use as diverters, ie thread a good strap through one or two claws and into ratchet as diverters, hook end of strap claw into deck cut out just in front of a tyre, loop over the tyre following the centre of curve and fit into deck cut out behoind tyre, hook ratchet where convenient and tighten to your hearts content…hopefully there will be one or two chocks still on the vehicle to ■■■■ up to a wheel and use the straps together with the chocks on the same wheel, two straps and chocks combined on opposite corners (ie front left rear right) and that van isn’t going anywhere but my all means use as many as you like so you feel confident.
If it was me, i’d make a few phone calls to the right carriers, get some cars going down to London and make a full £oad out of it…kerbloodyching 
Juddian, really appreciate the info… think it’s a transit but I’ll not know until I turn up in the morning.
Just been updated, the transporter is retired from duty and heading for Gosfield, Halstead
If you’ve never driven a vehicle up onto a transporter before, and most haven’t, don’t try and do it staring through the windscreen as if taking off 
.
Put the skids (loading ramps, might be hydraulic or might be manual pull out, that go from body to the ground) down as far as they will go, and looking out the drivers window line yourself up at the outer side of the drivers side skid, then get out and see where you are and how the vehicle will travel up the deck, then drive up slowly looking out the window at the wheels in comparison to the deck, if you keep your line (having already checked the other side before trying) you’ll go up in one easy try.
Tip, make sure the mirrors are in if you’re going over onto the tractor cos those posts will remove ■■■■■■ mirrors with a horrible crunch 
Standard ■■■■■■ i’d be inclined to leave it on the trailer top deck lowered as in the pic, you’ll have to raise the front of the trailer top deck to bring the arse end down to meet the skids, but it’ll all become obvious once you have a little play with the levers and see one which does what, check approach angles but a standard ■■■■■■ shouldn’t give you any grounding out issues at the front end.
Sounds like you’re going to Transporter Engineering’s place at Gosfield Airfield.
Enjoy.
Thanks again for the advice, much appreciated. Don’t want no screw ups… Yup, that’s the place I’m heading