Hey everyone, let’s cut to the chase. I’ve been in the car lashing game for over 10 years now, and one question I get nonstop from trucking fleets, car dealership transport teams, and even small haulers is: “Can car lashing be used on all types of trailers?” It’s such a common question, and honestly, I get why it’s confusing. Not all trailers are made the same, and not all car lashing gear is either. Today, I’m breaking this down straight—no jargon, no fancy sales fluff, just the real stuff I’ve learned on the job. Car Lashing
First, let’s start with what car lashing actually is, just to make sure we’re on the same page. Car lashing is the system of straps, chains, hooks, and sometimes wheel nets you use to secure vehicles to a trailer so they don’t shift, slide, or tip during transport. I’ve got customers who ship everything from beat-up commuter hatchbacks to luxury electric SUVs, and their trailers range from old open-air flatbeds to enclosed multi-car transporters. So yeah, I’ve tested this gear on way more trailer types than I can count.
Let’s get to the core: can it work on every trailer? Short answer—no, not without tweaks. But before we dive into which trailers don’t mix, let’s talk about which ones it works on, because that’s where most people start. Open-air flatbeds, for example. This is like the bread and butter of car lashing. I’ve installed our standard polyester straps with heavy-duty J-hooks hundreds of times on flatbeds, and they’re perfect for that. Because the trailer has no sides, you need those secure anchor points at the corners, and car lashing straps wrap tight around the wheel wells or frame of the car, keeping it from moving forward, back, left, right, even up a little if you hit a pothole. That said, even flatbeds have caveats. If a flatbed’s anchor points are rusted or bent beyond repair, our regular lashing won’t cut it—you need to swap those anchors first, or use a different type of hook that grabs onto the existing frame instead of the anchors.
Next up: enclosed multi-car trailers, the kind that stack vehicles two or three deep. A lot of people think enclosed trailers need totally different gear, but no—car lashing works here too. The only difference is how you space it out. On a two-level enclosed hauler, each car sits on a steel deck, so you can’t just hook straps to the flatbed the same way. We sell a set of wheel nets for these trailers that work with our standard lashing straps, so you loop the net over the tire, hook the straps to the trailer’s deck rails, and that’s it. I’ve had a dealership haul 8 SUVs cross-country on these trailers with no issues, and they’ve been our repeat customers for years. The key here is making sure the lashing doesn’t over-tighten, though—if you yank a strap too hard, you can warp a wheel rim, which is a nightmare for anyone shipping new cars. I always tell new customers to use a tension gauge (we sell those too, fwiw) to get it just right—usually 200 to 300 pounds of tension per strap, that’s the sweet spot.
Now, let’s talk about the ones it doesn’t work on as easily, because that’s where most mistakes happen. First, lowboy trailers. These are the super long, low trailers people use to haul heavy construction equipment, large RVs, or oversized vehicles. Wait—wait, before you yell, there is a way to use car lashing here, but it’s not standard. Lowboys have very wide decks and sometimes no high side rails, so you can’t just use the regular 2-inch straps. I recommend switching to 3-inch heavy-duty polyester straps, because they distribute the weight more evenly and don’t dig into the side of a vehicle’s frame. Also, lowboys often have D-rings spaced further apart, so you need longer lashing straps, not the standard 10-foot ones. The big mistake people make here is trying to force standard lashing—they end up with straps that don’t reach, or they overstretch the material, which is a huge safety risk. So it’s not that car lashing can’t be adapted for lowboys, you just can’t use the off-the-shelf stuff.
Then there’s single-axle utility trailers, the ones small businesses or homeowners use to haul a couple cars or ATVs. These are the tricky ones because most are lightweight, and their anchor points are tiny compared to big rig trailers. If you use our standard car lashing here, you can easily pull the anchor right out of the trailer’s deck, which is bad news. For single-axle utility trailers, I tell people to use smaller, lower-tension straps, or even wheel chocks in combination with lashing, to reduce the load on the trailer. I’ve had a guy show me he used a bunch of bungee cords instead of proper lashing for his personal car, and he almost lost it on the highway. So yeah, car lashing works here, but you have to adjust the gear, not just grab whatever’s lying around.
Wait, what about enclosed trailers that are really small, like the 10-foot ones people use to move cars across state for personal use? Same as utility trailers—adapt, don’t force. I’ve had a customer use our smaller 1.5-inch lashing straps on a 10-foot enclosed and it worked perfectly, because the straps are lighter and don’t put too much stress on the small trailer. The key here is matching the lashing’s weight rating to the trailer’s capacity, not the car’s. That’s a rule most people skip, and it’s why they end up with issues.
Now, let’s clear up a myth I hear all the time: “Car lashing works the same no matter the car size.” Nope. A tiny smart car is way different than a full-size 3-ton pickup. So on trailers that carry a mix of small and large vehicles, you have to mix your lashing. For small cars, use the shorter, lighter straps, for big trucks or SUVS, use the longer, heavy-duty ones. I once saw a hauler try to use one-size-fits-all straps on a load of 6 cars, and half the straps snapped halfway through a run, leaving a Ford F-150 sliding across the flatbed. Scary stuff. That’s why I always tell customers to assess their load first, then pick the right lashing, not the other way around.
Another big thing: trailer condition. If you’ve got a rickety old flatbed with rusted anchors and bent rails, no amount of good car lashing is going to keep your load safe. I’ve had customers come to me complaining their lashing “doesn’t work,” and when I look at their trailer, the D-rings are so corroded they’re barely holding on. So car lashing is only as good as the trailer it’s attached to. Before you even think about lashing down a load, inspect your trailer: check for bent rails, rusted anchor points, loose bolts. If something’s wrong, fix it first, or the lashing is just a band-aid.
Let’s get to some real-world examples, because that’s what matters. Last year, I worked with a fleet that had a mix of open flatbeds and enclosed 4-car trailers. They were using our standard lashing for the flatbeds, and our wheel net system for the enclosed ones, and their accident rate dropped by 40% in six months. Before that, they were trying to use the same straps for both, and had two incidents of cars shifting. Another customer: a small RV dealer that uses lowboys to haul their larger motorhomes. They started using our 3-inch heavy-duty lashing with extended hooks, and haven’t had a single tire rub or shift issue since. The key takeaway here is adaptation, not one-size-fits-all.
Now, what about edge cases? Like specialized trailers, like race car transporters? Those are built for speed, so they need extra secure lashing. I work with a few race teams that use our ratchet straps with locking mechanisms, so the tension doesn’t slip during long runs. That’s a perfect fit, because race cars are lightweight and fast, so they can shift easily. What about vintage car trailers? Oh, vintage cars are super fragile, so you can’t use heavy chains that might scratch the frame. For those, we sell our soft-strap lashing, which has padded edges so they don’t damage the car’s paint or delicate metal parts. Even here, though, it’s car lashing—just a modified version, not a totally different system.
Wait, let’s address the one type of trailer where car lashing isn’t the first choice: gooseneck trailers for large loads. Wait, no—actually, goosenecks work fine, but again, it’s about the setup. The problem with goosenecks is their center of gravity is lower, so you need to make sure the lashing is spread out evenly, not all in the front. I’ve had a farmer hauling a tractor on a gooseneck use our standard chains (we sell both straps and chain lashing, fyi) and it worked, but he had to add extra straps on the rear to keep it from tipping backward. So again, it’s about adjusting the lashing to the trailer and load.
Let me wrap this up with the main point: can car lashing be used on all types of trailers? Yes—if you pick the right lashing type, adjust for trailer size and condition, and don’t try to force a one-size-fits-all system. The mistake most people make is grabbing the cheapest lashing they can find online and slapping it on any trailer, which is how you get accidents. I’ve been in this long enough to see that good lashing isn’t just about the product—it’s about matching it to your specific setup.
If you’re not sure what lashing works for your trailer, don’t guess. Reach out to us—we’ve helped fleets, small haulers, even homeowners figure out exactly what they need for their specific trailer and load. Whether you’ve got an old flatbed, an enclosed multi-car hauler, a lowboy for heavy stuff, or even a tiny utility trailer, we can hook you up with the right gear, no overcharging, no weird fine print.
Don’t risk your load, or worse, other drivers on the road. Car lashing is a safe, effective system for almost every trailer type—you just have to use it the right way. If you have questions, or want to chat about your next haul, hit us up. We’re here to make sure your vehicles arrive safe, every single time.
Seatbelt Buckle References
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Guidelines for Secure Loads and Cargo Restraint, 2022.
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J2193: Performance Requirements for Automotive Cargo Restraint Systems, 2021.
- National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) Trailer Safety Best Practices, 2023.
- Car Lashing Industry Field Test Data, 2018-2024, Internal Supplier Records.
Good Success Corp.
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