Why four binders?

[RickB]

The intent of the law is that the chains, or straps, have to be able to be tightened by the operator. It does not say that they must be able to be tightened individually. Binders front or rear does not matter. If the fail, they fail. Since they are rated as grade 70 then they should have the same strength. No law that I have been able to find says each chain or whatever, has to have a binder, just that they have to be able to be tightened. I don't want the tractor to fall off the trailer backwards. That will probably kill some one. If it moves forward, it is going to come up to the bulkhead of the trailer or the back of the truck. Not a great situation but better than falling off the back of the trailer. And, that will only happen in the case of a stop. It seems clear to me that having binders on all four chains is just a myth that cannot be substantiated by any reference to law, just opinion. I am going to load up the tractor on the trailer and haul it down nearest DOT enforcement office and show it to them. I will report their findings pro or con.

Maybe their "findings" will be in writing. You should have done that to begin with, rather than argue with a bunch of lay people here. Fact of the matter is, if you get a professional opinion this week, and another next week, they probably will differ within the same jurisdiction. That's why reasonable and prudent folks try to err on the side of caution rather than nitpick the guys with the badges and gavels.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Maybe their "findings" will be in writing. You should have done that to begin with, rather than argue with a bunch of lay people here. Fact of the matter is, if you get a professional opinion this week, and another next week, they probably will differ within the same jurisdiction. That's why reasonable and prudent folks try to err on the side of caution rather than nitpick the guys with the badges and gavels.

We have a BINGO!

 

[SPYDERLK]

The intent of the law is that the chains, or straps, have to be able to be tightened by the operator. It does not say that they must be able to be tightened individually. Binders front or rear does not matter. If the fail, they fail. Since they are rated as grade 70 then they should have the same strength. No law that I have been able to find says each chain or whatever, has to have a binder, just that they have to be able to be tightened. I don't want the tractor to fall off the trailer backwards. That will probably kill some one. If it moves forward, it is going to come up to the bulkhead of the trailer or the back of the truck. Not a great situation but better than falling off the back of the trailer. And, that will only happen in the case of a stop. It seems clear to me that having binders on all four chains is just a myth that cannot be substantiated by any reference to law, just opinion. I am going to load up the tractor on the trailer and haul it down nearest DOT enforcement office and show it to them. I will report their findings pro or con.

Maybe their "findings" will be in writing. You should have done that to begin with, rather than argue with a bunch of lay people here. Fact of the matter is, if you get a professional opinion this week, and another next week, they probably will differ within the same jurisdiction. That's why reasonable and prudent folks try to err on the side of caution rather than nitpick the guys with the badges and gavels.

We have a BINGO!

n8586m, its fruitless to talk sense here. You get labled as unreasonable and imprudent and then piled on. Makes you wonder what the world has gone to.
larry

 

[Farmwithjunk]

n8586m, its fruitless to talk sense here. You get labled as unreasonable and imprudent and then piled on. Makes you wonder what the world has gone to.
larry

Yeah, you're no doubt right. It's PROBABLY best to argue with the cops, disagree with the judge, and probe the limits of state and federal law whenever possible. No sense in trying to comply with the law AND get along with those who enforce them. Heck! It may even be more "prudent and reasonable" to just leave the load completely untied!

 

[B7510HSD]

Does anybody know the law on size of chain needed my tractor weighs close to #3500 total would 5/16 grd.70 chain be fine or would 3/8 need to be used they say #4700 on the 5/16 nad #6600 on the 3/8?? I will be useing 4 ,1 on each corner and 1 over the BH and 1 over the FEL...

 

[kevinj]

Does anybody know the law on size of chain needed my tractor weighs close to #3500 total would 5/16 grd.70 chain be fine or would 3/8 need to be used they say #4700 on the 5/16 nad #6600 on the 3/8?? I will be useing 4 ,1 on each corner and 1 over the BH and 1 over the FEL...

6 chains would be 28,000# so they are good for a 14,000# load in round numbers.

 

[KeithInSpace]

I put my tractor on the trailer where it needs to be for balance. Then I hook the two front chains as tight as I can by hand. Then I put one chain on the back and with the tractor in neutral and brake off, I use a ratchet binder on the back chain to tighten the front chains until the rear tire starts to flatten. I then use a flip over binder on the second rear chain. So what would binders on the front do except provide at failure point?

Two things:

FIRST:

My loading procedure is nearly identical to yours except for I DO us a binder on the front. Depending on what I have on my trailer (which was front-loaded with 1,000# of landscaping along with my tractor this weekend, for example), I have no assurance that proper balance can be had with ONLY the front chain tight and no binder. I use an over-center binder in the front and a ratchet in the back. As it turns out with my layout, the FEL bucket rests on top of the over-center binder so the handle can't come free.

Thusly, the binder in the front serves a purpose. As the binder is rated for 3/8 chain, it bests the strength of my G70 5/16 chain used elsewhere.

SECOND:

Only when the load exceeds 10,000# do the "4 chain" rules come into effect. I figure that to be in no small part due to the fact that the load begins to exceed the working strength of most chain/binders and you're going for "control" instead of "restraint".

Remember that if you use a single 5/16 G70 chain, the rating is 4,700#. If you use FOUR 5/16 G70 chains, the rating is STILL 4,700#. All you are doing is ensuring that failure of one tie-down point doesn't, by definition, ensure failure of ALL tie-down points.

I transported my 3,000# tractor twice this week using two 5/16 G70 chains, one on each end, both with binders, on a 10,000# trailer. Given that either one of the chains could CLEAN JERK my tractor with a Factor of Safety of 1.5 times, I figured myself to be OK.

As it so happened, I had to perform an emergency stop yesterday. Somebody cut someone else off who swerved unexpetedly into my lane under heavy braking. Truck performed great and all was well with my load (which included the afore mentioned landscape material).

Bless all that use 4 binders on 4,000# tractors, but it does NOT increase the overall "tie-down" weight rating. I concede that it does increase the potential of a better controlled load SHOULD a chain break, but the likelyhood of that happening is in lottery territory.

 

[boatyard]

I have not transported tractors, but have hauled heavy implements and boats behind and on the roof of my wagon. I have hauled boats on my wagon roof and on trailers for decades. I have only had one come loose on a busy highway and was relieved that no one was killed. Ever since I have added a bit of redundancy because thinks can go wrong. Actually, eventually they will go wrong.
Two chains , one on the front and one on the back, looped through, or not looped through does not seem to make sense to me. What happens if a chain, [ I know yours never have, but it will] comes loose, breaks, what ever? Your tractor is not secured at that end, period. Four separate chains, two in the rear, and two in the front would seem to be the ONLY reasonable option.
I am not going to jump into the binder, no binder debate.
Oh what the heck. I will.
Being able to tighten all four attachment points seems like the only reasonable way to go.

 

[KeithInSpace]

Only difference: We're not talking about keeping balloons on the ground, here. The thing isn't exactly going to fly off the trailer without chains. I'm CONSTANTLY looking in the rear view mirror looking for any shift in the load. I hit a big bump just yesterday and had the truck pulled over within 1/10 mile to make sure everything was OK (it was).

A bit of perspective: You could suspend my tractor AND trailer from one of these chains. You could suspend my tractor AND trailer AND TRUCK from two of these chains. And of those two very chains I'm only asking to keep my tractor latched to my trailer. Pretty small task, considering what they're capable of doing.

I COMPLETELY CONCEDE that tying down using 4 chains instead of 2 is better and safer. So is using 3/8" chain. So is using 1/2" chain. So is driving 35 vs. 65. So is driving a F550 instead of a Smart. So is eating lettuce instead of porterhouse. So is drinking water instead of beer. Countless examples. The question is when safe is safe and you don't need to go any further.

 

[Wis Bang]

Having transported Construction equipment [D-8 Cat dozer, 225 Cat Excavator, etc] on a Rogers 'croucher' low bed in the 70's I have to say I was suprised when the DOT made their 'Securement' rules. For the most part I think them to be overkill but that may be from all the years where we 'got away with' doing less. I'm glad I was never stopped!

For each trip I made w/ the D-8, I made a few dozen moving the D-4. Both were chained w/ one chain at each end. Both dozers were driven onto the trailer w/ the goosneck detatched so the blade was facing the rear and angled so the leading edge was on the curb side and the machine angled so about 6" hung off the curb side, the only real diference was the D-8 sat on oak planks on the outriggers.

That positioned the roadside cutting edge pointing away from any wayward vehicles as I didn't want to see what that edge would do to a car.

After hooking up the gooseneck, the bigger machnes were all backed up against it b/4 chaining.

We hooked the chain onto the web of the cross I-beams that ran under the deck from the main beam out to the side [edge] beam from near the midpoint of where the body of the machine sat on the deck & behind the arms connecting the blade to the machine and over the top of the front edge of the treads, across the front of the grill and back toward the center & tightended up w/ a rachet binder. The other went around the back in the same fashion and thru the drawbar.

Both chains were tightened so they pulled the ends toward the middle. You can move a track machine a few inches w/ a rachet binder!

Their theory was that the counter tension helped keep the chains in place. I never had a tracked machine move & the Main beams sat lower so they would ground before the edges so the chain hooks were protected. I once took the 955 up the terraced face off a quarry w/ the beams hitting as I topped each level without damaging the chains...

The only machine that gave me trouble was an articulated 920 Cat loader on tall high flotation tires. Chain it up w/ one binder on each chain & after driving a block the chains were loose enough that I had to stop and add another binder to each. That's after I had pulled the first rachet binder in all the way and there would be enough slack to add another & draw it all the way in!

The idea of having to deal w/ 4 of those 20' chains, one on each corner of a small backhoe [the machine I moved the most] with 4 binders plus one across the bucket and another across the backhoe is serious overkill and all the slack excess chain, in my mind, presents a greater danger w/ more opportunity of leaving the deck.