trailer tie down recomendations

[MMagis]

So many people only consider the weight of the static load, but never even think about what happens in the event of an accident. A small accident can turn serious very quickly if a strap breaks. A fellow was traveling through the area last winter with a 4 wheeler on trailer and had an accident on the interstate. I’m not positive what exactly happened, but I know he ran into the back of another vehicle. The 4 wheeler broke loose and went forward into the cab of the truck, killing him. Anyone want to guess what was being used to tie down the 4 wheeler? Straps are fine 99% of the time, but that 1% could kill someone.

 

[LBrown59]

And why does any of this matter?

I don't see why it would not matter.

 

[Builder]

So many people only consider the weight of the static load, but never even think about what happens in the event of an accident. A small accident can turn serious very quickly if a strap breaks. A fellow was traveling through the area last winter with a 4 wheeler on trailer and had an accident on the interstate. I知 not positive what exactly happened, but I know he ran into the back of another vehicle. The 4 wheeler broke loose and went forward into the cab of the truck, killing him. Anyone want to guess what was being used to tie down the 4 wheeler? Straps are fine 99% of the time, but that 1% could kill someone.

99% of the time? I'd bet it's more like 99.9% of the time because if a full 1% of all trailer/cargo accidents involving straps were attributed to strap failure, they'd be banned.

I'm seeing a greater use of straps as the technology & strength is improved. I've seen equipment 5 times as heavy as the subcompacts most of you guys have secured with straps.

If the O/P uses 4 corner straps rated & installed properly, he won't have any problems.

Besides, chains & binders fail, too. Chains & binders can be poorly made or improperly tightened.

One of the worst cargo securement problems I saw was when a driver failed to properly tighten his binder on a chain and the machine shifted on the trailer.

Just like plane crashes, most cargo securement failures are due to pilot or in this case OPERATOR failure.

 

[Dargo]

Hi guys I just purchased a big-Tex 60CH tandem trailer today to transport my John Deere 2320. Love the trailer but am wondering what I should use for tie down straps, or chains. I found some at a local auto supply house that have a 1000 working limit, but I believe are rated to 3000 lbs....would this be good enough? What are you guy using? Any suggestions? Thanks.

Just remember that guys who possibly recommend incorrect and undersized tie down materials will in no way be in trouble if you take their recommendations and you lose your tractor, or worse. I hear the argument all the time that the cheapo $20 ratcheting straps will be fine 99% of the time. Taking their word for that percentage, let me ask you a question; do you wear your seat belt in in your car? Does your vehicle have airbags?

If you answer "yes" to either of those questions, you have already answered the question as to whether you are the sort of person who should use proper tie downs for your tractor. It's a well established fact that well over 99.99% of the time you get in your vehicle you won't need your seat belt. My guess is that you likely do wear seat belts and have a vehicle with airbags just for situations that aren't 'normal'. You know, like when somebody happens to pull out right in front of you. That's not supposed to happen, but I'd bet it has.

If you spent your hard earned money on a nice tractor, why would you want to get "cheap" and try to save an extra $75 or so to 'not wear your seat belt', so to speak? As many know, I had two of the straps that say "10,000 pound rating" all over them snap while going down a highway in a straight line. In my case it was just a dip in the road that caused my trailer to flex and, when the trailer flexed back, it snapped both straps holding the front of my tractor onto my trailer. Neither strap was across anything. They just snapped in half. I was foolish enough to take the advice of people who would in no way be responsible for what happened for their poor advice and nearly paid dearly for the mistake.

Take one of those cheap 2" straps that say "10,000 pound rating" on them and try something. Attach one end around the bottom of a large tree and hook the other end securely to your drawbar on your tractor. Back up and give yourself about 4" of slack and then drop the hammer trying to take off and see if you can break that strap. My little Kubota RTV can. Try the same thing with a 5/16" grade 70 chain and see if there is a difference.

As mentioned, some will disagree. I have no problem with that. There are some people who swear that seat belts are dangerous and will relay some story about somebody being "throwed clear" when a car flipped and say that wearing a seat belt would have killed that person. I'm sure that theory is correct since every form of motor racing (where there is a higher chance for an accident) adheres to the "throwed clear" theory. Good luck and be careful with that nice tractor and new trailer.

 

[Builder]

Just remember that guys who possibly recommend incorrect and undersized tie down materials will in no way be in trouble if you take their recommendations and you lose your tractor, or worse. I hear the argument all the time that the cheapo $20 ratcheting straps will be fine 99% of the time. Taking their word for that percentage, let me ask you a question; do you wear your seat belt in in your car? Does your vehicle have airbags?.............................

Not trying to argue, but just to set the record straight, I don't think anybody in this thread, including myself or DiamondPilot, suggested the O/P buy "cheapo $20 ratcheting straps" straps. In fact, In my case in this thread, I suggested:

there's nothing wrong with well made ratcheting straps that meet or exceed the WLL needed to hold your tractor in place.

Along those same lines, we all have to remember that just because chain is made from steel, doesn't mean it isn't cheaply made chain. Most people can't tell or don't know how to tell 70 chain from chinese junk, they buy what's on sale at Harbor Fr____. Same with chain binders. They can fail, too. Go over a bump and an improperly folded binder handle can pop loose. I see them going down the highway every day loose or popped.

We have heavy pallets of shingles, steel beams, huge paralams and 2 ton window walls delivered by boom truck onto buildings for years and have never even seen straps fail.

Quality chain is stronger, but too many don't know how to properly chain things down. The O/P is trailering a tractor a little bigger than the average lawn tractor. In his case, well made, properly rated ratcheting straps are fine. Considering what chain will do to the paint on his tractor since it probably doesn't have chain loops, straps are probably beneficial.

If you're worried about the tractor rolling forward, install dunnage around the tires or buy a trailer with a 16" bulkhead.

 

[Builder]

Take one of those cheap 2" straps that say "10,000 pound rating" on them and try something. Attach one end around the bottom of a large tree and hook the other end securely to your drawbar on your tractor. Back up and give yourself about 4" of slack and then drop the hammer trying to take off and see if you can break that strap. My little Kubota RTV can. Try the same thing with a 5/16" grade 70 chain and see if there is a difference.

I'm pretty sure Drago would agree with me, but folks I would not suggest trying that. It would definately result in serious injury.

However, if we took the scenario described above, but lets say we made the scenario more realisitc and add a binder, end hooks and angles of attachment, etc to the chain. After all, we don't just use a piece of chain to secure a machine, we use a chain and binder, hooks, etc..

Also, since the chain is describer as "70 chain", which is high strength, we should make the parameters equal and use a quality ratcheting strap, right? I think that would level the playing field.

I'd bet more people that do that experiment with slack in the chain will pop a binder or loose a hook than the other group that breaks the actual strap belt on a quality ratcheting strap.

I have had rental machines delivered to my jobsites by guys I've known for 20 years and have millions of miles under their belts of delivering equipment that use quality made straps and dunnage for smaller machines.

 

[cowboy357]

I don't see why it would not matter.

Somehow that doesn,t surpise me LB . . Thats the difference between posting helpfull Info , versus typing just to be typing & answering questions with questions .


Back to the Original topic . Straps may be fine . But I wouldn,t want to use them on any of My & especially others equipment . large size quality chains & boomers are the only way to go IMHO .

I,ve also allways padlocked the boomers so they would not come lose nor be tampered with in the places where you might want to stop for a break while transporting . The straps can be weakened with a few cuts or worn spots from overusage or just not knowing how to tie something down correctlly . Also with a pocket knife if someone has the mind to . . But I,m not a very trusting person. . Bob

 

[Dargo]

Back to the Original topic . Straps may be fine . But I wouldn,t want to use them on any of My & especially others equipment . large size quality chains & boomers are the only way to go IMHO .

Yes, others can type until they are blue in the face and there isn't even a remote chance that I'm going to believe a single word if they advocate using straps over chains for securing tractors. The only time I actually got to spend some 'quality time' with a DOT cop (female, but definitely a type A personality), they told me that if your load isn't worth securing properly it's probably not worth having. If she stopped you hauling a tractor the only strap being used better be securing an implement. Otherwise, grade 70 chain of appropriate size on all four corners with either ratcheting or lever binders securing the rolling load. Although not required, she also suggested blocking both the front and rear wheels as well.

As I've said before, I was stupid before and got lucky for my stupidity. It takes it to a whole different level when you've been told by the huge majority of people to use chains and you opt to ignore them and use straps anyway and then have a problem. If you want to use "quality" straps with the proper rating, that's fine. Just be aware that you'll be spending about double what the appropriate sized setup in chain will cost you, especially over time when you have to constantly replace the straps if they are exposed to UV rays, dirt, grit etc.; basically, if they are used.

 

[Builder]

Oh well.....if you do use ratchet straps for light-moderate loads like me, my subs and delivery companies I have done business with for the last 20 years, check these videos out from Mac's Straps.

The 3rd video is particularly useful. It shows some great pro tips on how to strap vehicles down to trailers.

Their straps are some quality built stuff.

Macs Custom Tie Downs - Professional grade tie-down systems for car, truck, motorcycle, boat, or airplane.

Chains for heavy equipment-yep, you bet. Straps for stuff in the 3-8K range with a nice paint job or no loops for chain!

 

[Hematite]

Yes, others can type until they are blue in the face and there isn't even a remote chance that I'm going to believe a single word if they advocate using straps over chains for securing tractors. The only time I actually got to spend some 'quality time' with a DOT cop (female, but definitely a type A personality), they told me that if your load isn't worth securing properly it's probably not worth having. If she stopped you hauling a tractor the only strap being used better be securing an implement. Otherwise, grade 70 chain of appropriate size on all four corners with either ratcheting or lever binders securing the rolling load. Although not required, she also suggested blocking both the front and rear wheels as well.

As I've said before, I was stupid before and got lucky for my stupidity. It takes it to a whole different level when you've been told by the huge majority of people to use chains and you opt to ignore them and use straps anyway and then have a problem. If you want to use "quality" straps with the proper rating, that's fine. Just be aware that you'll be spending about double what the appropriate sized setup in chain will cost you, especially over time when you have to constantly replace the straps if they are exposed to UV rays, dirt, grit etc.; basically, if they are used.

Absolutely right! Even quality straps and strap ratchets deteriorate MUCH more quickly than chain. I'll stay with chain for primary tie downs.