How do you tie your tractor down when trailering?

[Jstpssng]

I.E., where on the tractor and trailer do you attach your tiedowns, What do you use, and how many?
After reading this thread I won't be using racket tiedowns, although many use them without incident; but I tend to err on the side of caution; perhaps even overkill, as I'll be using 3/8 inch binder chain to hold down my little 2800 lb tractor. Hard to believe, but my father uses those el cheapo cable come-a-longs to hold his tractors down. Then again he's been hauling them for years, so I guess he knows more than I do.

Also appreciate any comments on using trailer brakes, as I've never had a trailer with them.

 

[Soundguy]

I've never had a problem with ratchet tie downs.. course i buy the ones that are rated 3x the weight of the unit.. and use 2-3 of them..e tc.

Comealongs use steel cable.. that's pretty strong stuff.

What about brakes did you want to know.. are these surge (hyd) breaks? or e-brakes. What type of controller do you have? What year/make/model of tow vehicle..

Soundguy

 

[GeneD14]

I have a grade 70 transport chain on each corner of the tractor. I use an X pattern in front and back and run the chain through D rings on the trailer. I have D rings welded about every 4' along each side of my trailer. Each chain has it's own binder and I wire the binder handle so it can't work loose. If the tractor has a loader I also chain that down separately with one chain. I try to position the binders near the outside edge of the trailer so that I can see them in my rear view mirrors.

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

I use grade 70 "binder chains" only.... ratcheting "screw type" binders... and BRAKES BRAKES BRAKES. I spend a great deal of time and effort to insure my trailer/truck brakes are in top shape all the time. I tow a great deal in "city traffic"... Lots of stop and go, lots of bad drivers. Saftey is very important to me.

I attach the front TWO chains to the axle mount casting. The other ends attach to built-in chain rings in my trailer. Rear chains go through the drawbar "hanger". That is the strongest pint of the tractor in my opinion. I use ONE chain on any attached implements, fastened in much the same manner as the chains securing the tractor. Any "loose" implements on the trailer get TWO chains and TWO binders. (all grade 70)

I attemt to be the D.O.T. saftey poster boy.....

Nylon straps may do the job, but they aren't legal when hauling a wheeled vehicle on a trailer. (Federal law, but ENFORCED at will by individual states)

I try my best to NEVER give the D.O.T. the slightest crack in the armour. Once they find a flaw in your plan, the door flies open.....

Also, there are a host of other requirements should you be "commercial" in any way....(i.e. Fire extinguisher, log book, med card, ect.....)

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Nylon straps may do the job, but they aren't legal when hauling a wheeled vehicle on a trailer. (Federal law, but ENFORCED at will by individual states)
)</font>

Can you post applicable sections of this 'law' I can't find anything on it in the FDOT handbook. Also.. Many of the flatbed style trailers we have recently purchased at work have integral nylon straps for tie-downs. These are trailers with ramps. and dovetails.. clearly made for vehicles.. not cargo.. etc?

FWIW.. the section in the fdot manual I can place my hands on only specifies that the load be secured with 1+1(per10') tie down, choked wheels.. and then went on to suggest seperate front corner tie downs.. etc. never mentioned chain, strap.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

Gonna have to do some diggin' to find it, but it's there. I had it all explained in infinate detail last Jan. by a Kentucky State Trooper. As was explained, the "NEW LAW" went into effect last Jan 1st.

I'll try and come up with such as soon as I can.

 

[SnowRidge]

Just some info on tie down straps:

I have seen three kinds currently for sale, nylon, polyester, and polypropylene.

Nylon stretches more than polyester, which means it can absorb impact loads much better than polyester. It also stretches when wet, which means it can loosen under wet conditions. Nylon is degraded by the sun at a faster rate than polyester.

Polypropylene degrades in the sun at an alarming rate. In my opinion, polypropylene tie downs are a non-starter.

After reading a number of posts in other threads, it seems likely that at least some people use the term "nylon" when they are referring to any woven fabric tie down, regardless of its actual make up.

 

[SnowRidge]

Soundguy, here is the applicable section from the Code Of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Note that for webbing, it refers to an industry association standard WSTDA-T1 1998, revision 4. Unfortunatley, the association wants money for that. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

From what I can tell, the applicable section of the CFR hasn't been revised since 2003, at the latest, so it's hard to see how the trooper's statement that nylon straps are no longer allowed is accurate.

The industry standard does appear to have been revised in 2005, however since the CFR does not refer to the 2005 revision (as far as I can tell), it would not be applicable as a federal regulation at this time.

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

Looks mighty clear... (as clear as gov. regs can be anyway) Now I'm off to hunt up Kentucky STATE statutes pertaining to such. If they mirror federal, like they're SUPPOSED TO, I got rifled by a State Trooper over nothing.....

 

[Highbeam]

I am a little curious about the X-ing of the chains on the red tractor. What's to prevent the tractor from rolling out of the cross chains? Seems either corner of the tractor could lift and as it lifts the chain gets looser. Never seen an X chain like that. I realize the tires are in the way of a straight chain but you could back the tractor up.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( it seems likely that at least some people use the term "nylon" when they are referring to any woven fabric tie down, regardless of its actual make up. )</font>

Agreed.. I'm guilty of it. I havn't even checked the material in our straps.. just the weight specs.. etc.

As for the state trooper giving incorrect info.. it wouldn't be a first on a LEO or federal agent giving bad info. What did the IRS help lines average last year? 70% wrong answers or something like that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif?

I've also been told blatently -wrong- info by uninformed police officers before.. I take it with a grain of salt. I don't expect a police officer to be aware of every law there is.. but i do expect them to not quote laws they are unfamiliar with.

For example.. had a local sheriff deputy inform me that civilians could not own class 3 weapons.. ( that only class 3 dealers, and LEO agencies could ). Guess he's not ever heard of the NFA back from the 30's nor a Form4 tax paid transfer.. etc... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Soundguy

 

[Bird]

Even lawyers sometimes give the wrong information, and I'll never forget watching a city judge on the bench telling a defendant what he was charged with and what it meant, and he wasn't even close.

 

[GeneD14]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I am a little curious about the X-ing of the chains on the red tractor. What's to prevent the tractor from rolling out of the cross chains? Seems either corner of the tractor could lift and as it lifts the chain gets looser. Never seen an X chain like that. I realize the tires are in the way of a straight chain but you could back the tractor up. )</font>

Here is a link that may help: http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/trailering.htm

Also: if you look at the picture imagine trying to get the tractor to roll by picking up on the left wheel. When you try to do that you would be trying to stretch the chain that is attached on the other side near the top of the right wheel. The opposing chain won't allow the tractor to roll. The main advantage of crossing the chain is prevention of sideways movement and keeping the load centered.

 

[Dargo]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( had a local sheriff deputy inform me that civilians could not own class 3 weapons.. ( that only class 3 dealers, and LEO agencies could ). )</font>

I had a deputy roll up at my house last, no, this summer and nearly have a full out crazy fit because I was holding and had been firing a fully automatic firearm. He told me that he was going to hand cuff me and put me in the back of his car and call for backup. Only when he was proceeding to hand cuff me was I able to give him my Class III license and stamp for that particular sub-machinegun.

He didn't cuff me, but he sure grabbed my fully auto firearm and sat in his cruiser for nearly 1/2 an hour before giving it back and apologizing. He really wasn't all that new, but he thought that it was illegal for any civilian to have a fully auto firearm. I asked him if he wanted to see others, or my firearms with sound suppressors on them. He declined.

On the tie down thing; I am the lucky / unlucky (you pick) guy who got taken for a wild ride when two straps that were rated at 10k snapped on the front of my tractor. I feel very fortunate to not have lost my tractor, and even more fortunate that nobody was hurt. I do not know the exact laws, and don't really care. After my experience, I'll just say that I feel that it is poor judgement to use straps to hold down any rolling load. I only use grade 70 U.S. made chains and ratcheting screw binders now.

 

[SnowRidge]

<font color="blue"> "Aut viam inveniam aut faciam." </font>

Nescio quid dicas. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RobertN]

I chain and bind at each corner. After previous threads here, looking over Fed rules, DOT rules, and email with CHP Commercial division, I got the extra binders and chain. It didn't cost that much compared to my overall investment in truck, tractor, and trailer. What's an extra $100 of chain and binder compared to $40-50k of pickup, tractor, and trailer.

I set each chain and binder so they pull from the corner of the tractor to the corner of the trailer. It provides prevention of both forward/rearward movement, and side to side movement.

I use electric brakes and controiller. Only thing I find, is I'm always fooling with the setting. I haul the tractor, come home empty, then haul some long lumber, then something else. As the weight varies I have to vary the controls. Not sure if all electric controlers are like that.

I do not believe a come along is made to accept shock tension. It is one thing to put tension on the come-along. But looking at various ones, it does not look like it is made to withstand a jolt, like panic braking. Don't have solid data on it, but just by the looks of it I would not trust it.

 

[Dargo]

Oh, but you must. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Jstpssng]

OK, I learn more every time I post here. I admit I was leery asking about tiedowns but thankfully it didn't start a "Chain vs Strap" debate.

My current trailer is a homemade tandem with mobile home axles and a 6x15 foot deck, built out of 2x6" channel. Being homemade (NOT by me) it is way too heavy, and the center point of the axles is in the center of the deck; so extra care is given to load distribution.

Tow vehicle is a '98 GMC 1500 with aftermarket; cooler, reciever hitch, and soon to be installed electric brake unit.
Tractor and trailer will probably weigh around 3500 lbs; in all honesty I've hauled heavier loads with this unit, (sans brakes)but a load of logs has a lower center of gravity than a tractor.

GeneD, special thanks for the link. I found it very educational.


RHW

 

[Larstan]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Aut viam inveniam aut faciam )</font>

If you find a way and you don't have to make one. What do you do with the one you find? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[DannyD]

10,000 pound straps on each corner of the tractor to the rails on the trailer.

Front ones go on the frame where the grill gaurd is mounted, back ones go on the frame where the trailer ball would be.

Pull them down till the tractor squats just a tad, set the parking brake on the tractor, bucket down, backhoe pinned. Never been stopped or had a problem.

Brakes, electric on both axles.........never will pull this weight again without them.