ponytug
Super Member
Yes, you can hit a nit picky cop at anytime. I'm dealing with a building inspector at the moment that has no common sense at the moment and every single deviation from plan is a work stop order. Even his supervisor was complaining to us about him.
That said, the tie down logic is pretty straightforward. Don't use old, frayed, or unlabeled tie downs. Chains will keep you from being dinged on fraying, but make sure they are trucking grade, with label ("grade 70", etc.) if you are going to rely on the weight rating. However, you aren't a professional, and this is, in the grand scheme of things, a light load.
The devil is in the details. There is a nice article here.
The actual regs are in the link below, with details at the bottom. Technically, a 425 doesn't meet the weight requirement for a heavy vehicle that requires the four direct and one indirect tie down, but...nit picky is always out there.
Cargo securement rules
In rereading this, I was reminded of one thing- I would highly recommend chocks for the tractor- you don't want to rely on a parking brake. I'm sure MossRoad's method works really well, but weird things happen on long hauls, and I would hate to see you bend or damage a parking brake on a new tractor.
CONGRATULATIONS! I'm sure that you are going to have a great time with your new 425. I can't imagine running our ranch without our PT. IT has paid for itself many, many times over.
All the best,
Peter
P.S. I have always liked Ken's chain tie downs- not because I trailer my PT, but because of the number of times that I do fasten things to the tractor, pulling, anchoring, etc.
That said, the tie down logic is pretty straightforward. Don't use old, frayed, or unlabeled tie downs. Chains will keep you from being dinged on fraying, but make sure they are trucking grade, with label ("grade 70", etc.) if you are going to rely on the weight rating. However, you aren't a professional, and this is, in the grand scheme of things, a light load.
The devil is in the details. There is a nice article here.
The actual regs are in the link below, with details at the bottom. Technically, a 425 doesn't meet the weight requirement for a heavy vehicle that requires the four direct and one indirect tie down, but...nit picky is always out there.
Cargo securement rules
In rereading this, I was reminded of one thing- I would highly recommend chocks for the tractor- you don't want to rely on a parking brake. I'm sure MossRoad's method works really well, but weird things happen on long hauls, and I would hate to see you bend or damage a parking brake on a new tractor.
CONGRATULATIONS! I'm sure that you are going to have a great time with your new 425. I can't imagine running our ranch without our PT. IT has paid for itself many, many times over.
All the best,
Peter
P.S. I have always liked Ken's chain tie downs- not because I trailer my PT, but because of the number of times that I do fasten things to the tractor, pulling, anchoring, etc.