Chain requirements heavy equipment

Say you have a machine that weighs 12000 lbs. g70 5/16 chain has a WLL of 4700 lbs. will that work?

If all you have is 5/16 g70, and you're picking up a 40k machine, cover your mandatory 4, then cover for the weight of the machine.

 

Tiedown requirements

• Restrain cargo using a minimum of four tiedowns, each having a WLL of at least 2,268 kg (5,000 lb.).
  • Prevents cargo movement in the side-to-side, forward, rearward, and vertical directions.
• Attach tiedowns:
  • Either at the front and rear of the vehicle.
  • Or at the mounting points on the vehicle designed for that purpose.

The way I read that is that 5/16 G70 chains wont work at all because they have a WLL of 4700 lbs. Is that correct?

 

That is for Canada rules and regulations. 5/16 G70 is allowed in the US. On heavy equipment over 10,000lbs need to meet requirements of 4 minimum tie downs on each corner, plus additional may be required to meet the aggregate WLL requirements based on the weight of your equipment.

For FMCSA rules and regulations refer to 393.106 for WLL requirements https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/393.106

FMCSA 393.108 for how the WLL of securement devices is determined, including tables with WLL for straps, chains, rope etc...https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/393.108

FMCSA 393.130 for heavy equipment requirements https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/393.130

All of this stuff is easily accessible online and is always in your FMCSA book.

 

I never hauled equipment, but with loads of steel on a flatbed the requirement (in 2003, at least) was to secure so that the WLL of the chains was at least 1/2 the weight of the load. For example, a 50,000# coil required at least 4 chains since we used grade 70, 3/8 in. chains. The WLL of those chains was 6,600# so 4 X 6,600 = 26,400#, which was over half the weight of the coil. However, my company required one extra chain, so we used 5 with a big one like that.

I would think 1 at each corner will suffice as long as they are the proper grade and size to secure 1/2 the weight of the load. And don't forget using one to secure anything hydraulic like a bucket or boom that could raise up going down the road--it happens, and shuts down highways when they hit bridges. Google "chain WLL chart" to see the WLL for each grade and size.

 

I thought the standards were the same? I'm pretty sure we use the same NSC Standards

 

I beg to differ. that's right from the fmcsa website.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulatio...ecurement-chapter-10-heavy-vehicles-equipment

 

Every link I also supplied for info was directly from the FMCSA website, including same info that is in the green fmcsa book. While the link you provided does have additional information on how to secure stuff, it is a seperate handbook, and the 5,000WLL minimum is no where mentioned in 393.106, 393.108, or 393.130