Well being a older geezer for my extraction perhaps a Moffit forklift and slings, a pizza peel to get my cheeks to let go also. LOL Reminds me of the fastest D6 dozer I had ever seen, I was shaking like a dog passing glass. Driver that lost it had no clue when it hit the guard rail and passed me.
I did just a little flatbedding very early in my driving life, and I can't imagine putting just 2 straps on this. Out of habit more than anything else, I like to scope out the securing jobs skateboarders perform on their loads. Very seldom do I notice one that strikes me as insufficient (though obviously they're out there). Hats off to you guys who are doing it right and keeping it safe. Unfortunately, though, I forsee more of this type of incident as we see the influx of the next generation of driver; that is, in a hurry at any cost. I hope I'm wrong. Stay safe!
The driver I replaced at the heavy equipment dealer had let a fiat allis about the size of a D6 slide off his trailer. He only had two chains (front and rear) on the whole unit, and he loaded it onto an iced over trailer no good.
You guys cant imagine the sheer tearor of thinking you lost part of your load and the sheer joy just seconds later when you realize "Hey, That wasnt mine".
Every time someone jumps on the radio to warn about something amiss and only say "flatbed" or "step deck" to describe who they are talking to. Too many people checking mirrors and wondering if its them.
Kansas I respect your experience, but I don't think you would catch me with 14 straps on 10,000lbs, I just hauled 2 pieces of steel ingot that weighed in at 10,200lbs total that were a 2 feet wide and 20 feet long the other day and I felt that 2 chains was plenty....maybe I'm wrong here?
Yeah Dimes it is, and trust me you wouldn't catch me going down the road if I didn't feel it was secured in a roadworthy manner. Everyone does flatbedding different, I see guys doing stuff different than me EVERYDAY, that doesn't mean that they are wrong or that I am wrong...just different.
It has been a while, but one night 1 a.m. traveling south thru the twisting construction lanes in the southern end of ky. on 65. I thought I saw something in the road a 1/2 mile ahead of me. slowed from the limit to 20 m.p.h. came upon a single coil in the middle of the right lane. a j.b. hunt truck was 1/4 mile from the coil. he was in his truck with dome light on, doing paperwork on the steering wheel. I got on the c.b. not sure if he heard me, but I gave him a earful. told him to get out there & put some reflectors out in the road way ahead of the coil. there was not any traffic to speak of, but because it was dark & just past a twist & turn curve, I thought this was going to be so easy for someone to hit. I never knew what happened, I always hoped no one had a head on with that big coil. I remember seeing, no skid marks, no chains broke, nothing on the trailer, as far as broke securement to indicate being chained down. maybe the driver put them away. or maybe the coil had only 1 or 2 chains on it. while in ATHENS AL at Coil plus a falcon driver took darn his side kit. I looked & saw 4 straps 2 over the top of the coil & 2 thru the middle, loaded suicide. I asked, did you not have any chains on the coil? where did you get the coil from? he said he brought it from chicago area & his dispatcher said too many coils had too much chain damage & not to damage any more coils, so he thought that meant DO NOT use chains on coils.
