Unsecured load

I personally use direct securement when ever possible. Indirect securment is secondary to cover weight or length.

 

Just for the record I would have used chains on something like that for sure, I've hauled similar things when cleaning out factories and I chained it. This is a clear example of the customer being cheap when you shouldn't.

 

She can barely cross her arms. Probably has a terrible struggle wiping her arse.

 

Winner. With a direct securement, that load will not shift.

 

Yes Sir, your welcome too I have many more depending on the situation .

 

I have quite the collection myself. But there's always room for another good one!

 

This was a ways back but roughly the same scenario with having to be blocked on the ends. I wasn't real crazy about the blocking. I'd rather of had a stack 3 or 4 wide rather than 2. 2 other guys loaded the same thing alongside me.
They tossed some straps over it and ran. Crazy if you ask me. One hard brake and she's loose.
But they turned up at the job 1500 miles away in one piece.
One of them actually commented that I should have had straps all the way down the load. And that I was lucky!

 

Opinions are like arseholes!

 

A lot of opinions here.

 

I'll add my opinion since everybody else seems to be.

I haul some unique stuff that sometimes doesn't have the options of chains or straps even if I were to want to. I much prefer to use chains whenever possible on any type of machinery or steel that has chain points on it. If the piece doesn't have chain points on it but has mounting holes I have enough shackles to rig as needed to make tie down points.

From what @m16ty described even if there weren't chain points the thing was 2 beams welded to each other with a cross plate at the end. Wrap a chain around the plate on each end and just pad the edges to prevent the chains from digging or scratching the paint.

As @kylefitzy said chains work best when used as direct securement. You can gain so much more control over the load when using chains to pull in one direction at a time. If I'm going for indirect securement over the top I'll use a strap. The strap is easier to pad and avoid damage to the piece anyways.

@ChaoSS I agree that sometimes straps are the only option even if chains would be preferred. If the load has the option for even just a simple 4 point and use straps for the rest that would be better though.




Regardless of ones preference for chains of straps putting straps over the tarp the way this guy did is just lazy. He doesn't want to have to bother with using bungies to secure his tarp properly.

I'll give a few examples. These are all loads I've posted before but are good examples of different ways of securing.

Last week I hauled an 85,000lb Generator Rotor. No chains possible as it's a smooth shaft sitting in saddles. There is a flange on one end with holes but it ends up inside the wrapping. We are not allowed to put any securement outside the main body between the saddles anyways. Legally 8 straps would cover requirements for length and aggregate WLL but I threw 12 anyways. The white shrink plastic is slick as snot so there are rubber pads under all 12 straps. There is also rubber between the plastic and saddles under it.

When I first started hauling these our company would choke the body but after discussing it we stopped that. By the time a choked strap gets tight enough to matter on something this large it's already going to be moving too fast and is likely going to just break the straps.

There is no other way of securing this so I go overkill with the straps and then drive as if it wasn't secured at all. I would have like to actually run 14 straps but I'm missing 2 right now that I put some cuts in a few weeks back. Just haven't gotten around to replacing them.




This pump weighs 77,000lbs. The 4 1/2 chains were doing the work to keep it from rolling off the deck and the 4 3/8 chains at the back were to help with forward movement if something went bad and I really had to lay into the brakes. No place on the front to put chains pulling forward or I would have. Only option for pulling forward was to use 4" straps pulling at a slight forward angle on the parts of the body that sloped towards the back. Before somebody says something about it the rails on this trailer are rated for 5500lbs as there is no other place to put the hook for the strap. Again the load is sitting in saddles but they are just to keep it in place between when the crane has it and I secure it.



Final one is pretty simple. 12 direct 3/8 chains. Load weighs 65,000lbs. Not allowed to put anything on or over the shrink wrapped machine. Only choice for securement is the 2 legs bolted to the bottom. 1 chain from the rail through the piece and back to the rail on each corner to pull straight down. 4 Cross chains on the front and back to help with side to side and forward/back movement.