I suck at using rachet chain binders...help

[RDrancher]

good to know.What i do is i wrap my chain around a D ring to a clevis at the tractor then into another D ring and then try to remove the slack. I will try to use a stationary point of the trailer and see how i make out.

Thanks.

I had a feeling that was the problem. Also make the wrap through the d-ring as short as you can (within reason.) The idea is to use as little length of chain as possible. Once you get it down, you'll never use a boomer again unless you have more tiedown items than you have ratchets for.

When I rent roller compactors, I usually use a rental tilt trailer since it's safer. All of my rental company's trailers have d-ring attachment points only. That, and the fact that steel rollers don't "squish" down make ratchet binders worthless for that particular application. They can't take up all of the chain slack.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I don't care for the ratchet type either. Not saying they don't work but I have never had a binder fail me.

Chris

 

[tcartwri]

Can you take a picture of what you are doing. I use ratchet binders every day and I can tighten everything up with about three inches of exposed thread.

 

[HHR]

I was under the assumption that the lever type binders weren't legal anymore. That was the reason I switched to the ratcheting style years back.

 

[RDrancher]

I took some chain/binder setup pics for you. I used the chain wrapped around my stake pocket to simulate a d-ring.

This method is the worst possible. It doesn't work too well with a boomer either. The wrap around the d-ring places the ratchet right next to the chain and interferes. It also creates a lot of slack pulling all that chain around the d-ring.


This method works better if you have to wrap around a d-ring. It does place the binder too far away from the edge of trailer for my liking, especially if there's a box blade or other attachment in the way


This is the method I use. It has the least slack take-up possible when using one binder.

 

[Sterff]

I have both ratchets and lever binders. I prefer to use lever binders on the front and ratchets in the back.

 

[gtrippleb]

I used to use the lever type binders but I didn't feel like using a 2ft cheater bar to get them tight and possibly hitting myself. Not to mention when you try and release them, the possibility of the level swinging open and hitting me, wasn't for me. So I went with the ratchet binders. I still carry a few with me when I run out of ratchet binders. For me the ratchet binders are easier to get the chain tight.

In this picture the chain is attached to a stake pocket and then the loose end goes through the anchor point and back towards the stake pocket with one end of the ratchet binder connected towards the stake pocket and the other end attached to the loose end of the chain. Just make sure to try and get as much slack out of the chain before attaching the ratchet binder.




This picture gives you an idea of how the stationary end of the chain is attached if you don't attach the binder to the stake pocket/d-ring.


Greg

 

[QRTRHRS]

This is the method I use. It has the least slack take-up possible when using one binder.
View attachment 363697

The problem with the binder hooked like that is should the chain slack for some reason, the hook will fall out of the pocket. The preferrred method for any hook is for the chain to go up through the bottom of the pocket and hang the hook on top inside of the rub rail if equipped.

Lever binders get my vote FWIW.

 

[RDrancher]

The problem with the binder hooked like that is should the chain slack for some reason, the hook will fall out of the pocket. The preferrred method for any hook is for the chain to go up through the bottom of the pocket and hang the hook on top inside of the rub rail if equipped.

Lever binders get my vote FWIW.

The only way that hook is coming out is if the chain breaks. I tow thousands of miles every year with tractors, CTL's and mini-excavators running like this...I'm not too worried.

 

[tcartwri]

It takes a huge amount of slack in the chains before a hook can disengage. You would notice the machine moving around long before that happened.