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Trailering

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jandkellis

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Hello,
I am planning to trailer my 100-4 to conclave in Hot Springs in June and have not towed it before on an open trailer; I am wondering if I can fit the tonneau cover at highway speeds without damage to paint or cover. Does anyone have experience which would help?
Thanks,
Jim (Red Rover)
 
Any way to predict what the air flow will be like coming off of the towing vehicle? How the tonneau will react and move? No? Thought not. I'd leave it off.
 
tahoe healey said:
What's the difference between driving with a tonneau and towing with the tonneau? Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

I agree. I think it would be fine, if not better than driving with it on. If you drive with it on it is only on the one side and wind can get underneath it. If trailering you can have it on completely and it should be fully tight and no wind should get under it. Just leave the windshield upright so as to give maximum wind blockage to the front edge of the tonneau.
 
tahoe healey said:
What's the difference between driving with a tonneau and towing with the tonneau? Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

The car stands higher and on a trailer, with an open floor the flow comes from underneath.
If your car is windproof from below (pedalbox / gearcover), I think it is oké to put the tonneau on
If you have the support bars that belong under the tonneau, put them under also
 
Last edited:
Thanks Bill,
You remind me that I should have mentioned that the towing vehicle is a Jeep, Grand Cherokee; my hope is to hear from someone with experience in a similar situation.
Thanks again,
Jim "Red Rover"
 
Hi Marv,
Thanks; sounds as if you have actual experience. Do you remove it as a precaution or have you seen damage as a result.
Thanks again,
Jim (Red Rover)
 
Hi,
The difference is that the tonneau is at least half open on the driver's side which significantly affects the air flow.
Jim (Red Rover)
 
healeyblue said:
I agree. I think it would be fine, if not better than driving with it on. If you drive with it on it is only on the one side and wind can get underneath it. If trailering you can have it on completely and it should be fully tight and no wind should get under it. Just leave the windshield upright so as to give maximum wind blockage to the front edge of the tonneau.
Click to expand...

Hi,
Thanks for the opinion; do you have any actual experience?
Thanks again,
Jim (Red Rover)
 
DerekJ said:
Why are you trailering the car? Does it not work properly?:devilgrin:
Click to expand...

Hello Derek,
Thanks for your response. The 100-4 Lemans Healey is a new one to me and I don't yet know how reliable it will be having little experience with it on the road and Hot Springs is quite distant from my home.
Thanks again,
Jim (Red Rover)
 
Hi BigGreen,
Thanks for your response. I am not aware of the support your mention; can you describe it for me? The Healey is sealed from the underside and I have no need to have the tonneau in place except in the event of rain on a long trip where my only option is to park it and fit the tonneau or full cover; as all Healey owners know, it rains inside a Healey with the hood up.
Thanks again,
Jim (Red Rover)
 
Not related to the Tonneau but when tieing down a car, make sure to use a cross strap from your car anchor to the trailer. I have found that straight down straps from the corners to the trailer sometimes let the car walk if the trailer bounces hard.

Jerry
 
Not a big Healey but I have trailered my Bugeye many times long distances with the tonneau cover in place. No problems. Towed behind a Dodge Dakota.

Griz
 
jandkellis said:
... I am not aware of the support your mention; can you describe it for me? ...
Click to expand...

Anderson & Moment mention it on page 126 for the roadsters
They call it metal battens ...

My 100 parts manual is with a friend, so I can't check

For a BJ8 it looks like this

TonneauBarBJ8.jpg
 
jandkellis said:
Thanks Bill,
You remind me that I should have mentioned that the towing vehicle is a Jeep, Grand Cherokee; my hope is to hear from someone with experience in a similar situation.
Thanks again,
Jim "Red Rover"
Click to expand...
I highly recommened that you check the towing capacity of your car before taking another step. Cars vary a lot! Is your Jeep equiped with a "towing package" and do you have a controller to operate the trailer brakes?? I traded in my Honda Element for a Tahoe to be able to trailer my Healey and get there safely. I still had to have a controller installed for the brakes on it even though the Tahoe came with a towing package. Fortunately the Tahoe already had the wiring installed so I saved money.
 
I take it off because I worry that if it did come loose, it could do a lot of damage before I notice it. If i'm driving it and it comes loose, i would react immediately.

Never seen a support bar or ribs/battens on a 100 tonneau. The 4 seaters have them. Not sure about the 2 seater 6 cyl cars.

Marv J
 
It cannot be (easily) predicted what the airflow over the Healey will be coming off of the Jeep. It could be a high pressure, low pressure or turbulent a area over the Healey which will change with speed. Take it from an engineer with a lot of experience in (aircraft) aerodynamics. Leave it off. In fact, you may want to put the seat bottom cushions in the boot to guard them from being sucked out if it's a low pressure condition from the jeep.

Oh, and 100 tonneaus don't have support bars.
 
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