I can offer some advice to you.
First off, I was a long haul trucker for many years, I even owned my own rig. I worked for a company called Q-Line Trucking in Saskatchewan. I was a heavy hauler all across North America, with this kind of freight:
http://i1.wp.com/qlinetrucking.drea...content/uploads/2012/06/111.jpg?fit=1024,1024
One of the first things I will say is never, ever, secure a piece of equipment by it's attachments or accessories. If you decide to tie down the loader arms, and not the front axle, thinking it is safe because the loader is attached to the tractor, you have made a huge mistake. It is illegal to secure equipment by an attachment. Attachments MUST be tied down separately. Simply put, if you have a front end loader on with, let's say a bucket, the bucket needs to be secured on it's own. This can be tricky because while you cannot secure a tractor solely by securing the front end loader, you do not have to tie down the loader arms as an attachment, unless you have no attachment hooked to the loader arms. If the loader is on, but no attachment is present, secure the loader where an attachment would have been. If your loader arms have a support tube running from side to side that is open, run a chain through that tube to the other side. Be prepared to take hooks off as they do not always fit sometimes. Simply put the hook back on once you fish it through.
Never tie down a tractor by the 3PT either. It can and will bleed down, and your chain will be loose when this happens. As I already stated, you cannot legally tie down a machine by attachments or hydraulic parts that are in travel (meaning part way extended)
The correct way to tie down a tractor, would be chaining the axles at each wheel, usually in a cross chain pattern, or an X if you will. Make sure the chains do not touch each other where they cross, this is a ticket-able offense.
One thing I see a lot of is people who put a smaller excavator bucket, inside of the bigger one that is mounted to the machine or backhoe. They curl the buckets in thinking it is OK. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Hydraulic cylinders are not guaranteed to keep things in place. If you have any leak down whatsoever, the buckets will be loose. You CANNOT rely on your hydraulic system to hold itself in place, it is illegal to do so.
Rub rails. Never hook a chain, or strap, to the outside rail on the side of your trailer deck. This long flat piece of metal is a rub rail, it is not meant for chains or straps. Stake pockets are the proper place for chain hooks, and straps should be run behind the rub rail, and hooked under the lip of the trailer. Not following this is an offense as well, and illegal. Why? Well, if you put your straps on the OUTSIDE of the rub rail, and a car side swipes you, chances are good they will be cut and your load is now loose. If your straps are behind the rub rail, it is much less likely for this to happen.
Do not use cheap, thin chain. I never use anything less than 3/8, grade 70. Your tie downs have to meet state and federal laws. Having chain of the wrong thickness, or wrong grade, is again, a ticket-able offence.
This is a subject that really makes me mad, because everyday I see people who throw stuff in their pickup bed, and just take off, without securing it. You can never assume something will stay put. Even an unsecured gas can is inexcusable in my book. A load is a load, whether it is 5 pounds or 200,000 pounds, it has to be secured.
I've had loads that would make others cringe, give up and walk away. There is ALWAYS a way to properly secure a load. Whenever you are hauling something, anything, stand back and look at it. Now pretend you are the incredible Hulk, turn your trailer and load upside down in your mind. Would it stay on with your tie down job? My motto is even if I get in a wreck, or go down a mountain side, the load will still be attached to my trailer. I have spent hours securing loads, because it's the right thing to do. If your in a hurry, change your schedule, don't put 1 less chain on, because it might mean someones life, or your own.