Trailer safety (was Re: [AT] OT Darwin

[Larry D. Goss]

WHOA!  Man, Mike, that makes chills run up my spine.  One of the things
I learned early on when transporting tractors is NEVER EVER use the
winch as a binder, not even for the front of a light load.  It is SO
tempting to chain the back and use the winch as a quick and easy
tensioning device, but they just aren't made for that.  I did it a
couple of times, and on the second time I was driving down the highway
and heard this rumbling from in back.  Before I could get the truck
stopped, the winch had run backwards, jammed the spool of cable, and
burned up the main switch on the motor.  I had left the control wire
lying on the bed of the truck and it shifted around enough that it got
caught under the front tractor tire and the insulation got cut all the
way through so that the controller was shorted out against the expanded
metal traction paths on the bed.  The winch was unfused -- wired
directly to the truck battery -- so it's a wonder that the whole thing
didn't catch fire when the motor stalled.  As it was, the relay switch
burned up and finally went open circuit.

The free spooling action of those winches is also a concern.  They
simply won't take the impact load that results from having the winch
under load while running down the highway.

Other NO-NO's:

Never drop the hook through a frame and double it back to hook on the
end of the cable.  The sharp bend in the cable at the hook or at the
tractor frame will break the strands.  For the same reason, always use a
deadeye for fastening the hook to the end of the winch cable.

Never stand close to the line of the cable tension from the winch to the
load.  If the hook breaks loose for any reason, it becomes a missile
that's every bit as lethal as a bullet.

Never stand in back of the load while it is being winched.  If it breaks
loose, you'll get run over.

Larry

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Mike Sloane
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2005 10:25 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Trailer safety (was Re: [AT] OT Darwin

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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