Towing veterans..advice?

when i was racing, we always liked to use straps that went over the tires to strap the car down. we would back that up with axle straps as well. this way the car would still ride on its suspension, but was secured to the trailer. as for a winch, i personally would install an 8000lb electric winch, and mount it permanently rather than use a portable winch. you might find it more useful that way. if you are worried about someone stealing it, build a tool box that sits in front of the trailer bed, and mount the winch in the box, that way you can carry your straps, a jack, etc. and lock everything up. one thing if you dont already have one, get a front trailer jack that has a wheel at its foot as that will make it easier to move the trailer around, and make it easier to hook it up to the tow vehicle.

I use two of these on the front wheels and two straps criscrossed in the rear.

Wheel Bonnets

In the rear I also use a T-hook similar to the ones here to attach the straps to the car.

http://www.truckntow.com/c-147164-.a

http://www.truckntow.com/pc-23423-147164-frame-hook-t-j-combo-twisted-style.aspx

http://www.awdirect.com/grade-70-t-mini-j-combo-hook-cluster-w-connecting-link-11-7ho/hooks/

the wheel bonnets grabber linked to are what we used on the front, on the rear the slicks we used were as wide as what you would find on a top fuel dragster so we just ran a normal strap over them.

yes i have seen cars tied down with the pro packs, some as the only tie down, and some using them as back ups. as long as the straps have the required strength they are another way to go.