Chains or Straps??

Burner said:
I agree with Billy here. Don't cross (Option A) and keep the angle close to 45*. The more suspension or tires are compressed the better. If the load is poping the restraint..it's not tight enough. Just think of it as adding 4 to 10,000 lbs of weight to the load. Would the truck (ie, load) bounce with 10k in it? I've been around for a while and I have yet to see ONE rubber tired machine strapped down by the axels or tires......always by the frame.

Please remeber, you are moving Forward and your strongest chains should be used at the rear. ...........I saw a horrible sight some years ago. I saw a small rubber tire loader (20k or so) sitting in the cab or what was left of it. The Lowboy driver had chains on the front and one on the back. The rear chain popped as he approached the red-light. The other chains popped 'after' the tractor was in motion, 8+ feet of slack will do that.

As long as the trailer and load act as one you shouldn't have a problem. If there is movement between the two.....ya got problems.

Ratchet binders are the only way to go.
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How many industrial, or ag machines have suspensions?? Not too many in my experience...and most that do, go rigid when the machine is off;) That's why you can hook to the frame on most machines, and be fine. On a vehicle, with a suspension, it is unsafe to hook the the frame, unless you are planning on completely compressing the suspension. If you are not compressing the suspension, you are allowing room for some slack in the chain/strap, and it could come undone.

I've seen a lot in my short time, hauled a lot, and loaded more...it's what we do. Use common sense, and err on the side of caution...if it doesn't look right, try again. If it doesn't feel right, re-do it.

Chris
 
Tiedowns?? Most machines don't have designated tiedown points...most of our hay equipment does, and the Buhler articulated tractors do, but other than that, it's use your own imagination :hehe: :hehe:

Chris
 
Signature600 said:
Tiedowns?? Most machines don't have designated tiedown points...most of our hay equipment does, and the Buhler articulated tractors do, but other than that, it's use your own imagination :hehe: :hehe:

Chris
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Just run two straps in an "X" over the header, reel and all, and suck 'em down. It aught to hold. :hehe:
 
All bets are off when you start stacking things:D

Anyone wanna help us load trucks??

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Chris
 
Men... Lend me your ears...

getblown5.9 said:
the chains i have are long enough to cross...but which is better with 4 chains and my racheting binders

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Billysgoat said:
A, but move your attach point on the trailer farther in, the sharper the angle of whatever retention device you use, the better, i.e., if you can get your chain at a 45* angle instead of a 30* angle it's better. I always hook so that the suspension of whatever is on the trailer is compressed, when you hook to just the axles you are putting extra stress on your load securing straps/chains every time you hit a bump. If you go with binders, try to get some of the "soft release" types, they don't boom quite as bad and are a bit safer IMHO.
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zstroken said:
Everybody I have seen hooks to the axles, and lets the suspension free. If those axles can hold up to sled pulling, they will hold up to the forces you put on a binder. I will work on the pics of the mounts TJ.
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Signature600 said:
But when you chain the frame, and compress the suspension, every bump you hit compresses and unloads it putting slack in your chain/straps. You cannot bring all the flex out of the suspension by tying it down.

I always chain the axles...usually 2 chains on the rear, sometimes crossed, sometimes not crossed, and 2 chains on the front the same way!

Why are you worried about body roll on something you're hauling?? I haul tractors that are a heck of a lot taller than a truck, and heavier...a little body roll on a 7000lb truck is nothing. Throw a 15K lb tractor or combine on there, that is 13' total height, and it's a different ballgame;)

Chris
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I have multi-quoted all of you because there are many correct statements and a couple of wrong ones as well as a key piece of info missing.


Bare with me...

Billy,
A 45 degree angle is best but not always achievable. (wonder who you learned that from any way...hmmmmmm) Most civilian trailers do not have a grid pattern of tie-down rings on the loading floor surface like a cargo aircraft would. Unless the trailer was purpose built with tie-down rings on the main beams of the frame, straight leads away from the load (parallel, or in same direction of the load) which provide the most restrain are nixed. So getting "the best" angle comes with some variation.

Option B with the devices crossed is actually better providing there are no tie-down rings on the trailer floor because when devices are used in symetrical pairs the opposing forces create left and right restraint thus reducing "roll."

zstroken,
You are correct in saying the axle is strong enough for tie-down; However, you never use more that 50% of the total number of devices around the axle. This is equated to the old saying of "putting all your eggs in one basket." The question to ask and answer here is in the event that one or more devices fail, what is in place, other than around the axle, to keep the load in place?

Signature600,
You are correct in saying that it is NEARLY impossible to remove all the spring tension... you will still have bouncing. This is where the missing piece of info comes in that I mentioned.

It's called sleeper shoring... translated... wooden blocks. It's really quite simple... before you apply ANY tension from the restraint applied to the frame, take a measurement from the trailer floor to a solid, unobstructed point on the frame, front and rear. Next cut up some wood, reccomend nothing less than 2x8s, (this is where you need maximum AREA coverage on the trailer floor... think shape of a pyramid) to stack and screw together, that will equal (or come not less than 3/4" from touching the frame) the higth of your measurement. Build enough of these for four points. Insert them @ your place of measurement and apply enough tension to your frame restraint to create SOLID DOWNWARD pressure on those blocks and the trailer floor.

Threre... you have just eliminated ALL bouncing effect created by the vehicle suspension thus MAKING the trailer suspension do it's job. Meaning the load and the trailer become one making the trailer suspension do it's job and not fight the suspension of the load.


End of lesson...
 
Holy !@#$

Signature600 said:
All bets are off when you start stacking things:D

Anyone wanna help us load trucks??

100_0158.JPG


101_3227.jpg


Chris
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All I can say about these pictures is... :badidea::badidea: VERY :badidea:

Coming from farming roots myself, I know very well the mentality of daily operations is to "do as much you can in one trip."

However, having lived through the experience that I did and seeing these pictures, when the thought of facing a involuntary vehicular manslaughter charge or a wrongful death law suit come to mind, multiple trips or multiple trucks are hands down an absolute must!!!!!!!!
 
06 DIESEL said:
Is there any way you can post those pictures for those of us that do not have facebook?
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here some pictures of the truck and trailer the trailer came off but the safety chains never broke there was 4 people in the truck and no one got hurt truck was totalled it was 06 chevy duramax crew cab dually with only 30,000 some miles
 

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It hurts to see that damage caused, even though I know that no one was hurt. There is alot of money tied up inone of those rigs once you put a new truck, nice gn trailer, and a pulling tractor all in one accident. Just goes to show you that if you do not trust what you are strapping down, then try again until you feel comfortable. I know that with our pulling tractor it gets two chains, one across the front axle and one through a clevise on the rear.
 
WYODodge said:
All I can say about these pictures is... :badidea::badidea: VERY :badidea:

Coming from farming roots myself, I know very well the mentality of daily operations is to "do as much you can in one trip."

However, having lived through the experience that I did and seeing these pictures, when the thought of facing a involuntary vehicular manslaughter charge or a wrongful death law suit come to mind, multiple trips or multiple trucks are hands down an absolute must!!!!!!!!
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I understand what you're saying...but we've been doing it like this for 40 years...and we've not had an major accident, or EVER lost a machine. We have hit bridges with combine cabs at road speed, and they don't come off the trailer, and usually don't even break the chains (although it was enough to knock the cab off, and have it land in front of the state trooper following us:hehe:)

BTW, those loads would have easily been split into multiple loads...but we've hauled some that were just as "unsafe" and were one piece...are we still doomed?

Just another$.02
Chris
 
NO Contest...

Signature600 said:
I understand what you're saying...but we've been doing it like this for 40 years...and we've not had an major accident, or EVER lost a machine. We have hit bridges with combine cabs at road speed, and they don't come off the trailer, and usually don't even break the chains (although it was enough to knock the cab off, and have it land in front of the state trooper following us:hehe:)

BTW, those loads would have easily been split into multiple loads...but we've hauled some that were just as "unsafe" and were one piece...are we still doomed?

Just another$.02
Chris
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By no means do I wish to contest you. We all inherently face many risks just getting out of bed each day.

The single most important thing I wish that people will take away from the responses I posted is safety. You see, in my job with the AF, if I do not do my job properly, I put not only myself but also the other crew members lives in jepordy. If I dont tie-down an armored vehicle the right way and it comes loose during any phase of flight, catastophic damage and/or death are only a heartbeat away. Granted you are not dealing with armored vehicles nor are you moving them by air... But, even the smallest farm equipment can become a lethal projectile based on poor load planning, insufficient restraint or defective restraint.

Last item...

Something I have gotten in the habit of teaching my students (I'm an Instructor) is to step away from what your working on and scrutinize what you did. If after scrutinizing your work to the last detail you get the feeling that something is just not quite right, that's your contious screaming @ you to fix the mistake before it becomes a mishap that you have to explain your actions to an investigative review board and the families of the co-workers/innocent by-standers you injured or killed.

This easily translates to every day life and jobs in the civilian world. $.02*bdh*
 
I use big truck tire chains cut so there is a about half a chain,then bind them all down....if I want to be fancy.
Most times I just Chain the rear axle back and the front axle forward with one chain (my duals are against the fenders and it can't go forward,so all I'm trying to do is keep from getting run over if someone pulls out in front of me)
Make it look good and the smokies will leave you alone.
 
Not to pick on ya there WYO dodge,but if I tied it down like you suggest I'd need another day to chain em' down,and a heavier trailer to pack all those chains with:hehe:
I'm just messin' with ya,I nothing wrong with at least knowing how to tie things down correctly.
 
I haul X-Ray Equipment in my Peterbilt, and I use nothing but E-Track Straps from Grainger. Never had a problem, and that stuff can get heavy too. Some older transformers are 6k plus on casters so all the weight is not stationary on the floor, it is live.

The corn pro held up great. Those pictures are disturbing, that is for sure!
 
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