Quote:
Originally Posted by Jumbo
Such as what color ink your permit must be signed in. I still laugh at that.
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Absolutly, I got one of those fancy pens that has 4 different colors that I keep in that special place just for those permits, now if I can just remeber where that place is??
I keep seeing straps mentioned on here so I went out and opened the box, you know the one, the catch all on the side of the truck that we never open. Anyhow I found two really big pieces of canvas rooled up really tight with shipping bands around them and in white marker they say HH on them, really have no idea what those are for. I have a tarp for my trailer, it's a bag about 12" X 18" with an eyelet in it and says "Turbo Saver" on it so I know those can't be tarps. And for those really big loads I have a roll of duct tape. As for straps, I found two in that box I mentioned that have about 1' of chain on the end and a hook, have no idea what they are for or how to use them but I have them.
I walked back to the trailer and took an inventory of my securement equipment, 4 - 1/2" X 6' chains with a 1/2" hook on one end and an oversize hook on the other, 4 - 1/2" ratchet binders, 2 - 1/2" X 12' chains with the same hooks, 2 - 3/8" X 20' chains with 3/8" hooks on both ends (look like they have never been used) and 2 - 3/8" snap binders. Oh and one last item ('s) 6 t-hooks so the nice folks over at John Deere don't get their collective panties all bunched up when I pull in to load. Of course I only use 1/2" chains for securement and those POS t-hooks will only work for 3/8" but dear ol Deere says you gota have em or you don't load so I got em. Oops, almost forgot, I also have 2 - 1/2" X 40' chains in the headache rack along with two more ratchet binders for hauling wind towers but those are my special chains so they stay put up. That and the fact it takes two men and a friggen mule to move them.
On to the question about weight, every state is different. Some will let you run 24/7 and others will make you run the same as overdimensional. Even on my trailer I'm not legal in most states when I'm empty because my trailer alone is 59 1/2' with the flip axle down and the neck extender flipped over. Most don't notice it and never say a word but there are some, Wisconsin & Minnesota especially that get real ugly about it. And on my trailer the flip axle doesn't "flip" because I'm set up for a stinger so rather than flip it I have to take it off completely and set it up on the back deck and chain it witch is a real PITA. I usually leave it down and just avoid going through the states that get all crooked or run them at night when it's not so obvious and Mr. I Know All The Rules driver doesn't see me and get on the radio to tell me and everyone else listening that I can't be running that way empty.
On our Schnables we're 101,000# empty and 10' wide so we have to have unladen permits to even pull out of the gate. Then there are some states that when we are running empty we have to tower them together and lift the front 3 axles on the back tower otherwise they consider them triples and won't allow us to pull them.
You guys go ahead and tie up the East Coast, I'll deliver to you at Truckers World and you can take it on from there. I'll stick to my Mississippi river on the east, I-25 on the west and I-94 on the south boundries. Yes I said I-94 on the south, in 6 weeks I have only been south of 94 twice and came right back. Of couse I'm breaking the boundries this week, I'm loading in Racine in the morning and going to Exeter, ON in the morning but I'll be back.
