Trailer safety (was Re: [AT] OT Darwin

[Mike Sloane]

While I am not nearly as experienced as many of the members of this 
list, I have hauled more than a few tractors, both on my own trailer for 
  my own use and on a roll-back in my job with a tractor dealer. With my 
own trailer, I use one heavy chain in front and one in back, with a 
large load binder in back (where it shows). And I crank down pretty hard 
on the binder and check it later to keep the chains tight. I have a book 
  somewhere that has all federal rules about securing loads in transit, 
and that is pretty much the sum of it for tractors or similar machinery 
as far as we should be concerned (I think that each chain has to be 
rated at least the weight of the load, or something like that). If 
anyone is interested, I can look up the references. One copy was given 
to each buyer of the Eager Beaver trailers we sold. I have yet to be 
stopped by the police when hauling a tractor, nor did I ever have a 
machine come loose. (I keep the book in the glove compartment, in case I 
have to explain how I arranged my load.) I have always been more 
concerned with balancing the load to keep the weight on the hitch about 
right, as I feel that stopping safely is the most critical issue in hauling.

When we moved tractors at work with the roll-backs (we had both a Ford 
F550 and F7000), it was considered appropriate to just use the PTO winch 
for the front and a heavy chain in the back, no binder. (The police 
tended to give us a fair amount of leeway, except for the time the boss 
got stopped for being 5 tons overweight on an old single lane wooden 
bridge!). But on the heavier tractors (over about 5,000 lbs), we would 
always put a chain in front, with a binder, just to be sure. That winch 
came in very handy when loading and unloading dead machines!

Mike

Indiana Robinson wrote:

> 
> 	When I read something like this I am always reminded of 
> the fellow that bought a 1939 John Deere B I used to own 
> years ago. He had a very nice new truck and a nice new tri-
> axle gooseneck trailer. He drove the B up on the trailer 
> and tied it down with two chains. Those chains were common 
> proof coil chains made of 3/16" stock. He just ran a single 
> chain down to the front center and a single chain to the 
> rear center. He then tightened them with two tiny load 
> binders that were little more than truck spread chain 
> latches. I was a bit worried and mentioned it to him but he 
> was unconcerned and headed for the highway. At least he 
> paid me in cash...   :-)
> 	That B was reasonably heavy and had filled rear tires. The 
> brakes were also marginal.
> 	I thought of him recently when I fastened down a load with 
> a couple of chains and binders like that but I was chaining 
> down a buzz saw and it probably didn't weigh much more than 
> 100 pounds.
> 	As I haul I usually think of an extra chain here and there 
> as just really cheap insurance. I also figure that any cop 
> coming up behind me might perceive the load to be well 
> secured and not look at me any closer. I am generally 
> mostly legal but would still rather not be overly 
> scrutinized...   ;-) 
> 

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
mikesloane at verizon.net
Website: <www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
Images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>

Political freedom cannot exist in any land where religion controls the
state, and religious freedom cannot exist in any land where the state
controls religion. -Samuel James Ervin Jr., lawyer, judge, and senator
(1896-1985)


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