Proper Loading On Hauler for GT350

Hey guys, I am new to the forum. I live in NC, I'm 47 y/o. I'm a car nut and a gun nut!!

My cars right now are as follows...

2018 Mustang GT350
2018 Jaguar F-Type 400 Sport
2016 BMW 750i
2016 Dodge Challenger Hellcat
2005 Mini Cooper S, JCW
1964 Ford Galaxy 500, Convertible

I was lucky enough to be at the dealer when my 2018 GT350 arrived at the dealer on a car hauler. The pics show how the car was loaded. :headbonk: On the driver's side window there is a sticker that shows how the cars are supposed to be loaded. Clearly my car was not loaded the way the engineers intended. So...

Why does Ford want the cars loaded backward/rear end facing forward?
Will the cars be damaged if they are loaded incorrectly?
Who loads the cars on the haulers?
How did they mess that up?
Should I be concerned?

I mostly want the forum to be aware of this issue. I am not sure how big of an issue it is, but let me know what you guys think. Have a great day!!

Proper Loading On Hauler

Here is the pic on the window showing how the cr is supposed to be loaded.

Proper Loading On Hauler

Here is the pic on the window showing how it was supposed to be loaded. Sorry about the messed up ost. Im a total noob!!:cheers:

One would think those pictures were easy enough to figure out, but apparently not. Sweet looking car by the way.

One would think!!

I've read up about splitters getting damaged during transport. Maybe loading them in reverse helps avoid this?

Yes, I think that may be part of it, however, it was shipped with the splitter in the trunk. The dealer puts the splitter on as part of the PDI. I wonder if that is the only reason or if there is more to it. One thing I noticed is that the back of the car was WAAAAY off the back of the truck and not far off the ground. I would be afraid that debris would be kicked up by the truck/trailer and hit the bottom of the car. Or, if the trailer went through an extreme dip, the car might make contact with the ground. Of course, if you look at the sticker, the rear facing instructions apply to the three rear positions on the trailer, not just the rear most slot. I don't know...

:headbonk:

That is a good question.
The only thing I can find searching online is discussion about front spoiler damage prevention....ie the more extreme angles if loaded and unloaded onto the top level.
Backwards is to prevent front spoiler damage? That's the only thing I can find.
I read a general guide to loading crews....talks about strict 5 mph limit on GT350 when loading and unloading, don't slip the clutch, etc. Only use first gear and reverse...not 3rd, 2nd, etc....again more about concerns with clutch damage if someone loading doesn't know how to drive a manual.

The cars are tied down, parking brakes on. I can't think of a reason that a car would be damaged during transport simply because it was sitting forward vs backwards.

I'm going with loading / unloading damage prevention due to spoiler clearances.

Wow, OK! Thanks for finding that. Maybe that is all it is. Let's see what other guys find. Stay tuned!!!

:cheers:

So we'll have real issues if you're worried that the rear of the car will hit the ground if he hits a dip. What is that? A 4 foot dip? If you look at the trailer, the frame will get locked up on a large dip before the car ever sees a hint of the ground.

Not sure what you mean by “We’ll have real issues...”, the sarcasm is not needed. I have no doubt that you are THE authority on car haulers. Congratulations!

If you read my post, it says, “extreme dip”. It is also pretty clear that was not my first guess nor did I consider it likely. I am merely trying to figure out why the sticker says what it says.

Also, I can assure you the back of the car is not 4 feet off the ground, maybe two. It was surprisingly low. I have seen truck drivers manage to hang up their loads in some seeming innocuous spots. Never underestimate their ability to drag a load, back it into something or high center it.

Why don’t you put your energy into being helpful or productive? Nah, nah nah. You would’t Want to do that. Why would you want to help someone figure out thei question??? That would be absurd! It’s waaaaay more fun to flame anonymous people in chat rooms. Way to go tough guy!
:clap2:

1.5 feet if you are lucky. Plus I myself don't think the car should be sitting on the angled ramp portion of the trailer to begin with!

Yes the splitter is always still in the box in the trunk. As I've read before even when trying to go up a slight incline that might scrape the front splitter some have said that if they turned around and went backwards (talking driveway etc.) if not much of an incline the car didn't scrape.

Hinmonster said:

Yes, I think that may be part of it, however, it was shipped with the splitter in the trunk. The dealer puts the splitter on as part of the PDI. I wonder if that is the only reason or if there is more to it. One thing I noticed is that the back of the car was WAAAAY off the back of the truck and not far off the ground. I would be afraid that debris would be kicked up by the truck/trailer and hit the bottom of the car. Or, if the trailer went through an extreme dip, the car might make contact with the ground. Of course, if you look at the sticker, the rear facing instructions apply to the three rear positions on the trailer, not just the rear most slot. I don't know...

:headbonk:

Click to expand...

With the car facing forward I would say that you are correct in suggesting that the over hang of a GT350/R would be the main concern. Just another reason why all R models which sit even lower come with polyurethane shipping blocks in the front and rear suspension which raises the ride height of the car and helps eliminate possible bounce.

With the your car sitting lower and extending off the back of the trailer this certainly could create some issues especially if the truck has to drive over such obstacles as railway tracks whereby many of them are raised up and create some concerning issues during crossing.

Also as you mentioned the chin spoiler arrives inside of the car and is dealer installed therefore I can't see much of an issue there.

Unfortunately this situation has taken place many times before with some of these transport drivers thinking that they know the best method for loading and unloading our vehicles without following written procedures.

At the end of the day it was great for you to be there during the unloading process and hope that you witnessed an uneventful unloading for your car?

;)

under carriage scrapes, loading from rear allows greater ramp incline angles. So inspect for signs of dragging underneath. When I picked my car up I had them put it over the alignment pit and looked all over for drag marks.