Flatbeds and Tiney Chains
 

Just wondering what it is with flatbed people and these 5/16" chains and pop binders when they haul equipment.

I've constantly see flatbeds and stepdecks around here hauling equipment with only 4 5/16" chains and if I'm lucky they might have one over the bucket or blade. Is it really that hard to put on a coupple extra chains?

Example. Coupple of weeks ago I was hauling a Cat 324DL excavator (aprox. 56,000lbs). I had 4 1/2" ratchet binders on the corners of the tracks, 2 3/8" grade 100 chains in a x pulling from the center to the front of the trailer, and two more 3/8" chains from the center of the machine in a x to the rear of the trailer, then one 3/8" grade 70 over the bucket.

A step deck pulls in next to me with the same machine minus the bucket. All he has is 2 5/16" chains from the front corners of the tracks to the fron of the trailer in a x and 2 more 5/16" in a x on the back. Also no oversize load sings on the back of the trailer and no flags. Not safe at all.

I see crap like this all the time with stepdecks and flatbeds even some lowboys and it's starting to pi** me off. And has me wondering how they don't get caught.:pissedoff:

I am surprised that the other guy didn't get nailed for not having flags and signs. I assume that he was over width?

Yeah he was about 11' wide.

By no means is this a bash on all flatbed people. It just makes me mad when I see something like this it, seems I get stoped for a inspection about 5min later.

Flatbeds and Tiney Chains
 

Ignorance, lazy, and probably locals who think nothing will happen to them. In any case, hope a DOT bear gets 'em. BOL

At one time, I used to haul coils out of Sparrows Point. I used to see drivers pull 45,000+ pound coils with only 2 chains. I actually said something to a few of them. Their answer was usually similar. "I am only going to New Jersey" or "I am only going 100 miles." I usually put at least one more chain or strap than is necessary for the load. I remember once leaving that particular plant and had to lock my breaks down shortly after getting on I-95. I was so glad that I didn't do as those drivers and only have 2 chains on my load. I don't believe that 2 chains would have held my coil. I had 5 chains on the coil and it held just fine. I could not help but think that had one of those drivers been in the same situation that either them or an unsuspecting group of motorists could have been seriously hurt or killed. You can't have too much chain or straps on a load.

One issue I can think of is the weight of the steel. The more weight you carry in chains, the less you can haul. I'd say that most drivers are company drivers. That means they're using the equipment that the company provides. When a company looks at the weight difference between having one exhaust stack and two, (and orders their trucks with one stack so they can haul 300 pounds more freight...) they also look at the weight difference between the different chains as well. And, on that basis, they also limit the number of chains a driver has. When pounds = bottom line, they're going to trim every corner they can.

On my truck, I carried 16 chains instead of 12 (and mine were half again as long as chains provided to company drivers), and I also had 20 binders (14 snap binders and 6 rachet binders, and I believe most companies provide one binder per chain). The 4 inch straps, which are much lighter, the companies may provide 14, and I carried 18 at the least. When the company supplies the equipment, most drivers have to make due with what the company gives them. And, often, the people that determine what will be on the truck for the driver to use have never even held a steering wheel, much less tried to secure a load.

I remember when I drove for Maverick. I had picked up some coils in Houston Texas. As I was going around the loop a Harris County DOT pulled me over. He said they were checking all flatbed loads. After checking my load and being happy with it.He said that a local driver was hauling steel coils and was only going 5 miles down the road,but the coils were tied down with rope. We are talking about a 40,000 lb.coil tied down with rope going down I-10 in Houston.Now that is stupid.

Care to take a guess just how many local drivers have had "incidents" with coils of wire and coils of steel in the Chicago area? For that matter, plain sheets of steel that didn't stay on the trailer. Lost coils that unrolled down the hiway, coils moving on the bed of the trailer, rigs rolled over on the get-off ramps. One coil of aluminum looked like a shiny metal air duct that stretched for nearly half a mile.

I'd say that most local drivers are good and competent. But, there always seems to be a handful that shouldn't be driving anything bigger than Tonka. Of course, the same holds true for OTR drivers too.

I even remember a broker that wasn't going to load me because I was pulling a step. Every step he loaded lost coils. I convinced him to load me, and took a picture of the load. When I got to the delivery, I took a pic again. I sent them both to him. No coil moved a fraction of an inch. I understand that after that, I was the only driver he would allow to get loaded with a step.

Or put a 350 lb buffet buster behind the wheel.

I have this exact problem. I was given enough grief over getting 2 ratchet binders to bring my allotment up to 4 total. I've since broke down to swiping 2 snap binders and 2 more chains from trucks that are sitting collecting dust. I have one particular piece of equipment that I haul in which I'm certain DOT will try to bust me for. Problem is, it's tied down to the exact specs that the manufactuer reccommends for it being tied down in order to not damage anything on it. In fact I carry the owner's manual with me when hauling it for when I am stopped at some point.

Mr. Ford would you mind telling me what kind of machine it is? I might be able to help you out with how to chain it down.

Ummm no thanks on the help, I already chain it down to the manufacturer's spec's which the manual states are DOT certified. It's a PowerCurber 5700 SuperB, it just looks funky how I have it strapped down due to the design of it at the rear hooks. Lemme see if I can get a pic to load of the left side:

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s.../Camera010.jpg

It only weighs in at 24K but it's f-ing top heavy as heck. I have two chains on the front hooks, one on either side of the track and one chain on each rear track hook.

Mr. Ford it really dosen't look that bad. I've hauled a few of those and chain it nearly the same way. Hate having to load them as the tracks don't want to line up with the ramps on the lowboy. And if you slide the rear tracks so it will line up when you get it on the trailer and slide the track back in it always seems to tear a board up.

Is this to your liking.

Track-hoe 4 binders right tot he track. (no chain used) and a chain over the bucket.
This is the best pic i have.
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/100_0391.jpg

AWD fork truck. 2 chains and a strap over the forks.
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/100_0401.jpg

Well I don't have a pic of the right side with the right rear track, that's where it looks really funky. I have had a close call with it and the machine never budged, nearly turtled it after 2 spotters let me drop my right side trailer tires into a car swallowing hole while backing me into a jobsite. The one was staring right at it and telling me to keep on coming. My ramps can slide so it's no biggie on the tracks not lining up.:cool:

I do the same on the backhoe's Mack. Toss a strap over the back bucket and good to go.

Mackman, on a excavator that small there is nothing wrong with four binders hooked directly to the tracks and one chain and binder over the bucket. Forklift looks good. There is nothing wrong with using just two chains in that way as long as you have the four binders.

Just remeber that if you hook a binder directly to the machine the working load limit for the binder is cut in half. Like if you have a 3/8" binder rated at 9,500lbs when hooked direct it's only worth 4,750. Make sure though that you have atleast half the weight of the machine tied down as that is what is requierd by DOT.

Mr. Ford from what I can see of it that is one of the cleanest dump trucks I've ever seen.

3/8'' binders don't get a 9,500 lb rating, 1/2'' binders do.

Can you show in the load securement regs where attaching a binder directly to a machine reduces the wll by 50% please. I do it all the time and I have never heard of it nor have I had it brought to my attention by law enforcement.

Yeah you are part right. I've got binders that have a hook that will grab both a 3/8" and 1/2" chain they are rated at 9,500. Then I've got some that will hook to 1/2" and 5/8" chain and I belive they are rated at 13,000lbs.

Will try to find the securment regs for you.

Here we go.

This is the only picture I have of how I tie down evcavators. This John Deere weighed about 56,000Lbs.
http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/...C/IMG_0010.jpg

Thank you gpc, that pic was taken when things were going good and right after I had done a wash and wax on it. Now the truck doesn't look so good from sitting. I normally do very little rock hauling with it, it's mostly used for moving equipment.

You'll have to excuse me and my comprehension defecit but I'm not seeing it/reading it/comprehending it. I see where you require an total wll of 1/2 the weight you're securing (too little imho) but I am not seeing where it says if I hook a binder to a piece you are securing that because you hooked the binder to the piece and not a chain the wll of the binder is reduced by 50%.

Mgfg the part hilighted is what you are looking for.

This is saying that any direct contact tiedown (such as a binder going from directley from the side of trailer to the machines track) will be rated at half it's working load limit.

This is saying that any indirect contact with the piece of equipment (such as a binder and chain going from one side of the trailer through a tiedown point on the machine to the other side of the trailer with out ever being directly hooked to the machine) will be worth the whole wll of ethier the binder or chain. Which ever is less.

How obscure...Thanks (I think) GPC.

That's bizarre! Now I have to re-think some of my load securement or risk some DOT zealot busting me for this.

I wonder what the logic is behind this? What does it matter it a binder secures a piece directly (direct contact) or not? Would a hook and two links of chain make that much difference?

393.106 (d)

(1) this section is saying from deck to object is 1/2 WLL. trailer-binder-object 1/2

(2) this section says from deck, over, around, or though and back to the same side of deck is also 1/2 WLL driver side trailer - chain - object- chain- binder- driver side 1/2

(3) this says driver side over, though or around object to passenger side is Full WLL left side -chain- object- chain- right side Full Wll

Here's a pic I drew of 1, 2 and 3. 1 and 2 are considered direct securement. 3 is indirect securement. 1 and 2 are directly pulling on the object, which are not putting and equal force downward on the object. 3 is indirectly pushing down on the object. It is doing more work then 1 and 2 therefore it gets full WLL.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...securement.jpg

Jorlee, that is what I was trying to say but, I think your pictures explain it better. Thanks.

It helps when it was explained to me, as direct and indirect, inside a scale house. He was nice enough to draw me a picture to explain what he ment. Put me OOS for exceeding WLL, and let the tires with cords showing slide. Slapped some more binders on, and away down the road I went. The first thing they see in the scale are lights, and your securement. Because of him, I over kill on securement, and make damn sure my tires are good, in the spring, no less than 4/32nds for me anywhere on the rig.