Proper way to tie-down BX2350 to utility trailer

[gladehound]

I'm in Somerset Pa an I asked a state trooper while we were filling up at sheetz gas station to look at the way I strap mine down an he told me that my bx25 needs to be secured down at each corner. He said running one strap over the front bucket of the machine an one over the back is not acceptable in his opinion as the machine can still shift. So instead of arguing this is what I did to make it easier for me. I welded D rings to the tractor an backhoe. Then my kubota dealer sold me 4 of these kubota straps. Said with 4 total I will be well secured. View attachment 432763 View attachment 432764 View attachment 432765 View attachment 432766

He is either citing the commercial requirements for machines over 10,000 pounds. Or it is his opinion that your machine is not "generally secured" the way you have it. He may also believe that to "generally secure" a machine like yours you need a 4 point tie down + strap per attachment. If you were in an accident and it went to court, it may be the opinion of the judge that "generally secure" in this instance requires a 4 point tie down + strap per attachment. Because of the vagueness of the PA Code it leaves it for interpretation. Who is right and who is wrong depends on judge and jury. For these reasons (and because I don't want a 7,000 pound machine flying off a trailer in an accident) I error on the side of caution. Chains only. 4 point tie down + 1 per attachment.

 

[Baby Grand]

A note about those over-center binders:
Be very careful around them - they can be dangerous, especially if you use a cheater to get an extra link cinched down.
A guy I worked with at a lumber company got too close to a handle that flew open and split his jaw and part of his face - he was a mess to look at.
He had just taken the last cinch on a stack of 6 units of 2 by framing lumber and tapped the handle with the pipe to make sure it was fully locked. It wasn't, and the vibration from the impact of the pipe caused it to fly open, delivering an uppercut to his chin.

We used to stack the lumber on "stickers" - 4 foot 2x4 that allowed the fork lift to drop them on the flat bed and pull away. The chain was supposed to go over the lumber at the location of the stickers - 1 at each end of the stack.

Ralph like to set his chains a little offset & inboard from the stickers to get a little more spring in the stack. I suspect that this was a contributing factor to the way it came undone. Inflated tractor tires can provide similar spring to the load being secured - just somethin to keep in mind when securing your load.

Not trying to be alarmist about it, but just thought I'd bring it up.
Just like a firearm, and used with similar care and respect, they provide great protection in terms of securing a load and keeping everyone around that load safe.
Mishandled; they can be very dangerous.