Post flatbed load photos here V2.0

Ding ding ding, winner winner chicken dinner. I drove 70 miles and about one mile from the job site, I tapped on the trailer brakes and the “stretch” trailer opened up about 2 feet and knocked the boom end section off the dunnage. I did my trailer pull brake check (tug) a few times from the shipper and all was fine. Whoever had this trailer prior to me must off stretch it and didn’t lock it all the way. However, at the end, it falls on me “if” something would have gone wrong. Luckily all went well, no damage. I guarantee you, this will never happened again. I’ve pulled plenty of stretch trailers and have always checked the pins, but this is a newer one. Like the saying goes, “You learned something new everyday”.
It’s sort of hard to tell, but I had a safety chain on the rear pulling it backwards.

 

Yup, sure was. Lots of “Eye Candy”, it’s the only good thing about it.

 

I always say that about Miami Beach.

 

Did the crane people see it?

 

They did. We know them well. They said no worries. They’re more concern about using chains without softeners under them.

 

@Diesel Dave many many moons ago whenever we’d rent a crane from this one particular company (that no longer exists)
Anyways, the owner was always giving us grief for using chains on his boom sections. This was back when I only threw chain (no straps). He would give us rubber pads to protect his booms.

Also, the old style stretch trailers had the hoses down the side that had to be disconnected along a manual handle for releasing the pins. Then they started using air for the pins as opposed to the handle. The air pins were a little more difficult to make sure that they were locked. The hoses would get torn off ALL the time when the pins weren’t locked correctly
I delivered a load of structural to Kodak in Rochester once. After driving two hundred some miles without a problem.I got empty and went to pull out and doesn’t the trailer begin to open tearing the hoses off… the load was enough to hold the trailer together

 

I believe we think alike. What you just posted was my exact thinking what I have gone thru. I only threw chains in crane parts until they mentioned about the padding if I used chains, and the stretch trailers with the pins and lock pins for the big pins being in place as well like you mentioned about using the side hose lines to release the pins etc. The newer trailers you just put the emergency line on the other glad hand and your done. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot more convenient but you have to be aware that the locking pins are in the rear. As for it stretching out on me, it was the load (boom section) that was keeping the trailer together until I tapped on the trailer hand brake that gave it enough momentum to slightly separate.

 

Kinda surprising to me that there isnt any manual container lock style safety device to “double knot the shoelaces” on that equipment.

 

Exactly my thinking. Something similar like the older style ones, this way it can be checked before the move.

 

I have seen a piece of chain with a hook located right near the rubrail at the split that can be used for safety.
Some manufacturers do have small safety pins that can be put in on each side of the trailer. Those are usually on the trailers where the pins go from outside to in. The manufacturers that have the pins on the inside going out don’t have any safety pins.
The old ones that had a manual handle, I was taught to always disconnect the hoses first before moving the handle…and vice versa…lock the handle first before re-connecting the hoses