what's needed for hauling coils???

Y'all forgot the extra spark of insanity that goes with hauling 48,000+ pound coils.....a six foot tall suicide is a lot of fun to turn in urban areas, yeah buddy!

 

Its why you don't normally see anyone hauling coils with half inch chain. The stake pockets and spools normally are around 5000-6000 lbs on flats and steps. 3/8 chain is at 6600 and 5/16 is 4700 (g70 stuff, won't even discuss that g43 garbage. With 1/2 your not doing any better securement, will still need the same number of securement points as 3/8, and are lots heavier. Work smarter, not harder.

 

if your hauling a small coil & it rocks between the coil racks & touching the bed of trailer, you can just add 1 more timber to get the coil off the floor & it works well.

 

I've hauled several 40 - 45k coils and only used 3 racks to hold my lumber in place. Never had any problems.

This was a 42 or 43k coil.

 

It comes down to what is the effective Working Load Limit of the chains and other securement you are using. The 3/8" chains my company uses (I forget what grade they are) are rated 6500 lbs WLL. 5/16 chains of the same grade will have a lower WLL.

How that translates into effective WLL depends on how you've hooked up the chains. If you run them from one side of the trailer to the other, you get to count the full WLL of that chain. But if you run them from one side of the trl back to the same side, or one side of the trl and then tie the other end to the load, you get to count only half the WLL of that chain (or strap, but usually straps run between the two sides of the trl of course). The total effective WLL of all your securement must be greater than 1/2 the weight of the object you are securing. However many chains/straps that requires, is what you can use.

Each of these coils was around 24k

 

I assume you are referring to that pic that Hurst posted. On a suicide coil, straps would just be as useful as decorating it with ribbons and paper. I would throw another chain through the eye. On a shotgun coil, I would throw a couple straps over the top.

 

I always liked to chain over top of my coils, shotgun and suicide (assuming you have a trailer with center securement). If you do chain over top use some of that heavy felt so your chains don't damage the steel

 

Most of the mills I pick up at won't allow the use of chains over top of the coil. So I throw an extra strap or three over my shotguns. And I always throw extra chains on my suicides (no center securment on my trailers).

Better to throw extra securement than to lose a coil. Five minutes more work, but a longer and happier career is worth it.

 

And You don't even want to experience "California Legal" style..ie: (2) 8'x4x4's (hardwood) ,(2) 42" 2x4's, & (6) 16"x2x4 cleats per coil