Securement (chains specifically)

OP. Have you price grade 100 chain?
I have used 3/8 and 1/2 for 40 years, never lost anything.

Bought a new RGN last fall and no tie down points had ratings marked.

 

A few years ago we had to replace the pull chain on the front of the tractor pull sled. I'll have to measure it now but I think it's 1 1/2". Its only 10 foot long. One guy can drag it but you can't hardly pick it all up. $80 a foot if I remember right.

 

Securement chain. Does it have to be tagged like the crane companies have on their lifting chains.
Mine has the grade stamped in the hooks. Does the chain need to be marked or tagged?
Never had an issue. Where I loaded this morning, I was told my chains wouldn't pass an inspection.
Same chain and binders I have been using for years and I have been DOT inspected.

 

If it has the grade stamped in your good. I have had dot check but they usually just ask.

 

@haulhand <-- seen that done, but never used it... see if it works, since I can't seem to use the "quote" feature at the moment...

You mentioned that you had an 80k spool shift, and broke 2 1/2" grade 100 chains... Do you recall how many chains you had in total? And how you had them placed? Its a curious thing to me, as a Grade 100 chain, has a Minimum Breaking Force of 60,000 lbs vs. 45,200 for grade 70. I'm talking Minimum Breaking Force here.. NOT Working Load Limits! (don't want to give anyone the wrong idea)

I don't question the fact that you can stretch a grade 70 chain, vs. snapping a grade 100 chain... But because of how much higher the Minimum Breaking Force is, I wonder if you would have snapped the grade 70's as well? Did you lose the load? How far did it move?

 

Here's my chains:

16 25 footers 5/16 gr 70
8 16 footers 3/8 gr 70
6 6 footers 5/16 gr 70

Gives me more than enough variety. I rarely have to break out the longer ones except maybe for a load full of spools. The 3/8 are for machinery etc. This is for a Revolution flat so I don't pull any big machinery like the RGN guys.

5/16 grade 70 doesn't cut it for anything with tracks or wheels over 10k in Canada. Must be 5000 WLL or higher or it doesn't count.

There's no such thing as over securement, and most people do not understand the 10 foot rule. It is not IN every 10 feet it is FOR every 10 feet.

 

I didn't lose the load thankfully. I had four grade 100 and six grade 70 1/2 inch chains on it two crossed pulling forward two crossed pulling back, one straight across pulling forward. One straight across pulling back two pulling straight down in the ,idle and one each side pulling straight down. The load moved 4 inches forward and 3 inches to side on the rear where the chain broke. The chain didn't break it was actually a hook that I had hooked into the side of the trailer that broke. I don't know if a grade 70 would've broke for sure or not but I've had drivers that have shifted similar loads with them and never broke a chain of had the load move as far as I did. Now my trailer deck was covered in oily water from them hydro testing the coil so I'm sure that played a part but it's grade 70 for me from now on. Take from that what you will

Edit: I remembered that the only grade 100 1/2 inch chains on that load where the four that were crossed front and rear everything els was grade 70. That could also be the reason only the one broke.

 

Its probably not a good idea to combine grade 100 chains, and grade 70 chains. Because the grade 70 chains can stretch, its like they aren't there at all, in relation to the grade 100 chains.

Using grade 100 chains, everything gets a lot more critical... The tension of the chains, and even the angle that the chains are running at, can make a big difference in all of the chains working together.

I'm glad you mentioned that mishap. I had been thinking about getting grade 100 chains for moving some equipment around, but I think I'll stick with grade 70.

 

Well it's been hinted that it's a stupid idea but I've been using grade 80 and later grade 100 since 2001 and I've not had any trouble. I haul multiple loads a day in a major metro area in heavy traffic. The company that I started with in 01 that got me started using them runs 20+ lowboys plus boom trucks and and bunch of tag trailer and they exclusively use grade 100 and they haven't had and problems in the 20 or more years they've been using them. At least none that wouldn't have happened with grade 70 and we don't really know but the stronger chain might have saved them a time or two.

 

I'm not too sure I'd go as far as calling using grade 100 stupid... But the grade 70 can be a lot more forgiving. If you have two grade 70 chains, one is tight as a guitar string, and the other is "almost snug", the tight one will stretch until they are both the same tension (assuming it has not exceeded its yield) and combined they will hold their load. With Grade 100, the first will snap, then the second will take the load.

Talking about the extremes here though... I'm sure @haulhand 's oily deck played a part too...