Heavy Haul Securement Advise

I am going to add some more food for thought here. As JD mentioned earlier, we each have our own preferences based upon our experience.

I will not tie to tracks if I can avoid it. I used to all the time, and never had a problem until I sent my son to haul a feller buncher that belonged to someone else. What can happen is that if tracks are worn or loose the machine can move back and forth inside of the slack of the tracks. He had to get on the brakes a bit and the weight of the machine moved inside the tracks enough to stretch one of the binder hooks and come loose. The end result was that the machine pivoted a bit on the other chain and ended up askew on the trailer. Since that day I always tie directly to the machine. We are an excavating company. If any of you have run a track excavator digging firm material (I know @johndeere4020 has) you can feel the machine move ever so slightly against the tracks on each bucket, unless the tracks are tightened too much. This is the same thing that can happen on the lowboy if you have secured to the tracks alone. Tying to the tracks as well as the track frame would reduce the chance of this happening a great deal.

On our excavator I cross chain over the track frame to one of the steps (a labeled tie down point on Cats at least) on four corners, and then I chain from the each of the holes under the rollers down to the trailer, one forward and one to the rear on each side. This satisfies the WLL criteria and provides opposing pressure, to inhibit any movement.

As I said before, this is not the only way to do things and doesn't mean that other ways are wrong, but it works well for us.

 

That is food for thought, a thing I'll have to consider. We have a couple of excavators that are getting pretty worn.

 

JD, THIS is a shortcut, whether you choose to admit it or not. You have said you do/used to work with cranes, and you know there are things that should or shouldn't be done, rule or not, it's called common sense. There's no specific "rule" that says you can't pull sideways or against the tip of a hook, but we BOTH know that's not right either. I know you have a lot of experience, and you have probably done it this way forever with nothing going wrong, but that still doesn’t make it correct. And I will freely admit that I too have taken this exact same shortcut. That doesn’t make it right either.

In the other thread I said…

You and I can share shortcuts JD. We have the experience and knowledge to understand and agree or disregard them.

I have a pretty good idea why you secure loads the way you do, you’re a big boy and you’re entitled to make those decisions.



However, THIS THREAD WAS STARTED by someone looking to learn, and teaching shortcuts IN MY OPINION is the wrong thing to do, because as I just said, WE have the KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING to know how to use them or not. Teaching someone who doesn’t is not what Professionals do, and if expecting that from someone with your experience makes me a donkeys hole, I’m OK with that. Because I expect the same from myself.



So here is my help for those who don’t know or understand, or a refresher for those that do:

A binder is made by forging. Forged metals are extremely dense by the very nature of the process, this is why forged materials are so incredibly strong. Forging increases the materials yield strength because of the density and grain formation in the compaction process, however this same yield and density increase from the metal’s molecules being forced into their compact form removes the elasticity of the material. It is the same reason you can bend softer metals into shapes and forms and you cannot do the same with hardened metals. A coat hanger will bend, where the blade of a pocket knife will break, simple concept. The “softer” the metal is, the more microscopic air bubbles there are in it and the coarser the grain is, and it is the ability to compress these microscopic air bubbles and smooth the grain that allows the metal to stretch before failure. Forging removes these micro air spaces, and therefore its elasticity by its very nature.

An anchor point, chain, and binder form a “system”. The chain is the stretchable part that absorbs the shock load energy and dissipates it for the forging & anchor point that can’t. If the yield tension is reached without the elasticity in the system to absorb the shock then failure is the only option left. Add a cold climate to this material and it becomes even more brittle.

We don’t secure loads only to deal with the stresses of going down the road, if we did we wouldn’t need the quantities we do. We secure our loads for the same reason we are to wear our seatbelts, because nobody plans an accident. Why else do you need so much more securement pulling back? In the unfortunate event of a crash, the shock load your securement systems will endure will absolutely test its capabilities. Remember the WLL is three times the BSL, and in a crash reaching 3 G’s is NOT out of the question. An object in motion wants to stay in motion. That object in motion wanting to stay in motion during a crash is your cargo. The kinetic energy of your load against the securement restraint will cause the chains to stretch, this stretching is the shock absorber that will decelerate your cargo safely and keep you and others alive when done correctly.

If you’ve ever take a Fall Protection course and you are shown the demonstration video of crane rigging vs fall protection rigging you will see the difference. When a 250# test dummy is dropped using a 5000# rated crane cable sling, the crane sling explodes! Meanwhile the 5000# fall protection cable sling stretches, decelerating and stopping the dummy as it’s designed, but does not fail. They are BOTH 5000# rated cable slings, but they are NOT engineered the same way. Exact same concept.

I didn’t attack you personally, and put your big boy pants on if you think I did.

You don’t know me personally, so you have no idea what I do or do not know, have or have not studied. I have also talked to Crosby’s engineers, as well as Columbus-MacKinnon, & others. I have also been to Crosby’s Longview manufacturing facility and have witnessed them forging boomers, and testing them to failure.

I’ve never said “I know everything because I’m the only one thats ever hauled big loads” because I know I haven’t.

If you don’t care, thats your prerogative. And my load securement example isn’t anecdotal, it’s factual.

A car crossed the centreline and I smoked him head on.

I saw the aftermath of what happens to securement rigging with my own eyes, it changed the way I approach this subject, and how I do things. I wasn’t going to tie that load down the way it was. The truck push on that job made me change it, had he not, I AM CERTAIN I would have lost that load in that crash. I hope it never happens to any of you.

I’m not looking for a fight, and I can hold my own as well, not sure what you’re suggesting.

Once again, if you can put on your big boy pants and give a little constructive criticism I’ll happily accept and debate it, if your going to resort personal attacks, you’ll just go on the Ignore List.

I’m not sure, nor do I care where you’re going with the “You and your rookie buddy” thing, but it appears you have your own “rookie buddy” as well…

I don’t carry the little green book, nor do I sit around studying it incessantly. If you have read your little book, then you know there are countless regulations in that thing that the vast majority of people, DOT officers included, don’t know about.

DOT officer training 101: log books, lights, tires, brakes, repeat. Most don’t need to educate themselves beyond that to meet their quotas.

The US is NOT the only jurisdiction I operate in, did you not read the whole quote?

I forgot to also add “aggregate”.



In Canada the little green FMCSA book is nothing more than a waste of paper that I haven’t read in decades, nor have I looked at the NSC in years.

NSC Standard 10: Cargo Securement

“Working Load Limit means the maximum load that may be applied to a component of a cargo securement system during normal service determined in accordance with Divisions 3 and 4 of Part 1.”

I see they now list G80 & G100 and the ratings they carry. This was NOT the case when I took my load security course many years ago. However as previously stated, I have seen the testing and these grades do not yield (stretch) nearly as much as G70 before they fail. The description is a pretty painted picture, “rupture” is a fancy word for “shatter.”



Talk to any crane or rigger that has come to do a job north of the border. If they’ve been on any sites up here with diligent safety protocols, they’ll tell you that things are much more strict up here. Most places up here, you CAN NOT lift with lifting chain, but WTF do I know?

 

All right @Heavy Hammer lets get on the same page here about a few thing shall we?

First the other day you posted a picture of my load with my binder circled and said;

Now many times on this forum we have pointed out to people that company policy or opinion or what you were told at the truckstop is not a regulation. This is the same thing here, just because you don't like it or you consider it a "short cut" doesn't make it illegal, I'm assuming since you claimed that most DOT aren't aware its against the regs but you are you can cite it for us. If you can't then its not against the regs and we're back to opinion.

Next lets discuss "anecdotal" the definition is;

You mentioned your head on collision as evidence, yes I'm sure your accident is factual it the conclusions you draw that are anecdotal. How can you infer from you situation that your grade 7 chains held and that a grade 10 wouldn't? you can't, its you opinion that they wouldn't but without recreating the exact scenario there is know way to know and that is fact. Are you telling me that a 1/2" chain with an ultimate breaking strength of 60,000 pounds and a stretch of 20% will break before a chain with an ultimate breaking strength of 45,200 pounds and a lower stretch point? Similar to you asking me to cite you the regulation about the WLL vs. the breaking strength you asked about, you asked and I provided. I NEVER once said I agreed or disagreed with it I simply stated the regulation. Then you went on a rant about Us regs being a "perverted" version of the Canadian regs and whatever, that may or may not be true but it's irrelevant the rules are what the rules are whether you like it or not. As far as the chain grades your wrong period. I've asked I've researched and I've witnessed. You are entitled to your opinion the same as I am, so I'm not interested in wasting anymore time arguing it with you, you have provided no proof outside of your own opinions and I have, I'm ill equipped to argue with a brick wall.

And then you said;

I'm not particularly looking for a fight I just can't get my mind around being proud of being an "A-Hole" and frankly I'm worn out on hearing it. I want to be a nice guy and I try to be, someone needs or wants my help I'm there otherwise I mind my own business. I've been doing this a long time and I'm good at it if I do say so myself, I'm just aware that others are also good at it and I try to respect others opinions.

If you want to have a conversation I'm all for it and maybe people can learn as we discuss but if you think your opinion trumps everything else then we have nothing to discuss so you might as well put me on ignore.

 

I actually do study the rules and regulations we have to follow while doing the job we are paid to do. You keep referring to this regulation but you can't produce it. I have read the securement section front to back and back to front but don't recall anything about this. Please enlighten me.

The US is not the only jurisdiction I work in either. I have been a cross border driver nearly non stop for the last three years. In fact I'm hooked to a 16' wide 100' long load heading to Toronto. This is the 7th 1800 mile trip since march.

I actually agree with your opinion on hooking a binder straight from load to trailer. Key word here is OPINION. There are better ways to accomplish the same thing but that does not make some thing illegal.

 

This is incorrect. Yes G70 has a lower WLL which also means a lower BSL (WLL is 1/3 BSL), however, it has a higher stretching point before it just gives & fails. Which is how it was engineered, and why it used to be the only accepted NSC load securement rigging. It does a better job of decelerating cargo in sudden impact testing, which is exactly what it's doing when it's stretching.
G100 WILL hold more than G70! Yes I said that. However, it will stretch its 20% and then "ruptures" (shatters). Yes, it holds more, but that's the problem. The cargo's velocity while being restrained is potential energy, until rupture, then it become kinetic energy! It is this higher threshold of kinetic energy release at rupture where the problem is.
The higher rating becomes a false sense of security when you look at it this way. It will hold more, however upon failure it releases the cargo more violently.
It is the "failure characteristic" that is the primary reason even lifting chain is unacceptable on most Canadian job sites.

As far as reg's, if that's what your really looking for, almost every reg lists the manufacturers "recommendations of proper use" as the "rule". Rigging manufacturers usually have it in their tags or website or wherever about proper engagement. We both know that every rigging manufacturer out there says not to pull anything but directly into the back of a hook, yet I guarantee both of us "violate" this in some form or other everyday.

I'm not much younger than you JD, and quite frankly I'm pretty dang sure you're good at your job, but so am I.

If you want to call my accident "evidence" anecdotal, knock your socks off. IMHO it was a live experiment. One I hope you or no one else reading this has to go through. But if you or anyone else does, I pray to god you have taken load security seriously, because if you haven't you will answer for it one way or another.

If you think I'm an A-hole, spend 3 days in depositions being grilled by lawyers about it, I'm a pussycat!

edit: I don't know what the heck I did to make the font that color? Mod's if you can fix that so I don't appear to be a bigger A-hole than I already do, please do so. Thanks

 

As stated by the response to JD, read the manufacturers guidelines that made your rigging.
They are the ones who set the "acceptable standards of use". If you think the DOT will accept anything outside of this "standard", you're Kookoo for Cocoa Puffs.
Study away there sparky, that is your enlightenment.
You're catching up, I've only hauled 9 loads this year...

 

What it "BSL" I've never seen that term. You can use "shatter" or "rupture" all you want the fact is grade 100 will stretch to 20% before failure and grade 70 will not. The evidence is there your just being stubborn. I have both read and talked in person the manufacturer and they have said that this chain is perfectly acceptable to use for load securement, so your still telling me it's not? That's fine just understand that it's your opinion not fact, rule, or law. And I've hauled over 500 loads this year all in a major metro.

 

WLL working load limit
BSL breaking strength threshold/limit