I need to put my newly acquired Series 1 XK8 onto a trailer to take it to our new home; the problem I have is that it has a Paramount Performance bodykit which prevents access to the towing point fixing; to make it more difficult, it's also been lowered!
I'm guessing that we probably need to remove the entire front bumper in order to access the cross member to attach the winch cable. Note that the car hasn't run for several years, so we're not even entertaining trying to start it and drive it onto the trailer.
Can anyone tell me how difficult removing the bumper is likely to be? Any other suggestions welcomed.

 

I would recommend using straps over each tyre if you can. I did this recently when I travelled 4 hours back home with my 98 XK8. It didn't budge an inch. Also put it in neutral to take the strain off the transmission. Unlock the gearstick through the small hole in the gear shift
plate probably closed with a plastic crosshead plug then select neutral.

 

I think he wants to know how to winch it onto the trailer which if it's lowered will be entertaining.

I follow Matts Recovery on YouTube (yes all right but some are fun) and he often uses hefty parts of the suspension to put a strap round and makes a bridle. If the straps are threatening to foul a bumper he passes the winch cable under 'something' the pulling end to lower it. I can't see how you'd do that in this case. I assume winching it on backwards is no better but you'd have more to put straps round. Are you aware of soft shackles?

Would a tipping bed help? I suspect not, you presumably need a very shallow slope and some way to lower the winch cable to avoid fouling the bumper.

I shall await developments with interest.

 

Indeed, this is about winching the car onto the trailer. My trailer is a tipping bed, I would imagine getting it onto a flatbed transporter with ramps would be even more difficult.
Lowering the winch cable is what I need to do, that shouldn't be an issue at the winch end as I can run the wire through a guide that's very close to the level of the wheel tracks; I'll take a look at Mat's Recovery for inspiration.
Edit: winching it on backwards is not an option, the trailer is set up to have the centre of mass forward of the midpoint, so I need the engine mass to be forward of the axles.

 

Backwards ..there is an eye at the rear right to pull on .The weight distribution is exactly 50/50 so it does not matter which way it goes on .

 

I can't load it backwards, the weight of the engine will make the trailer nose light, I need the engine nearer the tow hitch.

 

What part of 50:50 weight distribution did you not understand.

 

^^^^ this !

the weight distribution, front wheels vs rear wheels, is so close on these cars that it won’t matter much which way it’s loaded.

if fact, since the overhang is less in the rear an argument can be made that backing the car in will put the weight closer to the trailer hitch.

Z

 

The 4% difference between front and rear axle weights is significant on a 1700kg vehicle, 68kg to be precise; for a car that's suspended over the 2 trailer axles, it has a big effect on nose weight. However, we have considered that backing the car onto the trailer allows us to add weight in the boot (trunk) to get the trailer nose weight within our limits.
The way we move vehicles in Europe is way different from the way it's done in the USA, we have to be much more careful about getting the weight distribution correct on a trailer that weighs, including the car being transported, as much as the towing vehicle.
We will give it a try backwards; the first leg of the move is only 5 miles, so we have an opportunity to adjust the load distribution before we undertake the 2250 mile final journey.

 

68 kg ???

European rules are different I guess. In the USA we would just put a body, dead or alive, in the trunk and call it a day.



Z

 

How much does a full tank of petrol weigh?

I get you want a correct nose weight on the trailer and 2,000 miles is a long way. Bricks or bags of spuds must be your friend (bodies not so much as he'll be crossing national borders although once in the EU ...}.

OP is making me feel guilty how I used to trailer my off road Range Rover about now. I was happy if there was a reasonably positive nose weight and it 'looked' OK.

 

20 gallons gas = 6 lbs per gallon, 54.43 kg.

John

 

So the car has been loaded; it had to go on forwards, the Paramount front splitter is so close to the ground that it was grounding out as soon as the rear was lifting.
We had to locate a solid point to attach the winch cable, unfortunately the only accessible point was the engine lifting bracket, so there it had to go (I know!)
Once the car was sufficiently far on the trailer, I ducked underneath the car and re-attached the winch cable to one of the front suspension lower arms and completed the operation. Some minor damage was done to the bonnet leading edge in all this, something for my nephew to practice on (3rd year of his bodyshop apprenticeship at the moment)!
Next stop - our new home, 2000km drive away!