Chains vs Straps (yes, again)

[RobertN]

RobertN,



Careful you don't get a large ticket for failure to secure. Some officers will judge "its ability to safely secure the load" the same way the coast guard or DNR judges a life jackets ability to save your life. That is any cut or tear or signs of visible wear or even oil contamination -- DISQUALIFIES -- it.

That's my biggest knock against straps, they are only good until you get a teeny tiny cut or some fraying. Then they are no longer up to rated capacity and are deemed junk by the man in blue. Some may let you slide where others won't. Sort of like playing the lottery. A chain can be dirty, oily, even have surface rust and still have "its ability to safely secure the load" intact. So, yeah, you can use straps, but you have to watch them like a hawk!


jb

I use chain and binders. I have thrown out straps, because as you mention, they can easily get nicked around sharp things on tractors. They were ok, till they got nicked.

 

[john_bud]

Yeah, I did the same thing. Guess it's a common learning curve! It was after the first tow using them too. Sort of a major waste of $$, time and effort. Have had the G70 stamped made in USA chains and binders for years with no issues. (Aside from paint nicks from the chain).

jb

 

[RobertN]

Yeah, I did the same thing. Guess it's a common learning curve! It was after the first tow using them too. Sort of a major waste of $$, time and effort. Have had the G70 stamped made in USA chains and binders for years with no issues. (Aside from paint nicks from the chain).

jb

I do still like straps, for towing my old Farmall. It's a 1941 "A", and has nice looking paint. Pieces of fire hose over the chain works fine too.

 

[MrJimi]

I use chains all the time except this would not have worked with chains, straps do have their place

 

[Midsouth]

Chains would be the only thing I would use on equipment. I have over 16 years over the road driving with about 10 of that pulling flat bed and lowboy hauling oversize loads and the rule that i always use is steel on steel if at all possible. Now sometimes that will not work but the majority of the time it will. Also always use 4 binders one on each corner on any wheeled or tracked equipment.The way I was taught to tie a load down was that when you was done you should be able to turn the trailer upside down and the load would stay put. One more thing new DOT rules say that if the chain is hooked to the load and to the trailer you count 1/2 theworking load limit of the chain. But if the chain is hooked to the trailer on both ends and goes over or through the load you get the full working limit of the chain.

 

[scorpion12]

When I was flying on the C-141b's as a flight engineer, all of the loadmasters secured vehicles in 2 different ways.

#1. If the vehicle was loaded normally (driven up on the ramps) then it was secured with chains. Whether they were 10,000# chains, or 25,000# chains depended on the size of the vehicle... Humvee's got the 10,000# chains... 2 or 3 across the front and 2 or 3 across the back criss crossed at both ends I think.

#2. If the vehicles were going to be airdropped, they were palletized and then loaded on the plane. Pallet locks within the rails secured the load within the airplane; straps secured the vehicles to the pallets. Once the load lef tthe plane, the straps were cut off and the vehicles driven away.

Our baggage and most other palletized cargo was secured with a variety of 10,000# straps. If you needed more holding strength, you used another strap. Straps that crossed at odd angles were counted as having less strength. (ones that went around the front of pallets or whatever...)

YMMV of course.

 

[firedog]

Straps have their place; good for surfaces that mar easily. I use four chains on the tractor. While our DMV regs say that a vehicle can be secured with a front & rear tie down, there is another section that refers to equipment in excess of 4K lbs requires four tie downs. (One could argue that a tractor is equipment not a vehicle.....like Farmwithjunk said; better to avoid the conflict than to argue it in court)

I have four (actually five) 12' GR43 5/16" chains (WLL 3900 lbs) that I use for securing, and I don't use them for anything else. I know a few folks that have 2 or 3 chains and use them for everything (from towing cars to pulling down trees.) I also have four 4" 15K straps with welded on ratchet assemblies for securing other stuff like pipe, lumber & whatnot.

ps. and I use a binder on each chain.

check out Ratchet Straps, Tie Down Straps, E Track Tie Downs, Moving Blankets & Pads, Cargo Straps, U.S. Cargo Control