securing flatbed loads

Thank you for starting this thread! I am on my first solo load. I didnt secure this load as I picked it up out of the yard, but I did tarp it. I really enjoy flatbedding, much more than I did the reefer side. I love the work involved in securing a load. Most people will never understand the satisfaction and pride of securing a load, and KNOWING it is done right.

 

i will starting my flatbed career this week and ive found this thread helpful so far hope everyone continues to use it and post helpful info and ill try to do the same

 

Ill try... lol
Anyone else use rope to secure your tarps or am I the only one?

 

Heres something to hopefully make it easier to figure out the minimum amount of straps or chains you need for a load. Lets say have 45 ft long pipe weighing 45000lbs. Divide the weight by 2 = 22500lbs which is your WLL. You will need a minmum of 5 (5400 wll) straps just to hold that much weight down. Now if you look at the lenght of 45 ft and knowing you need 1 strap minimum for every 10 ft then you know that this load needs a minimum of 5 straps to hold it down. Now if load has multiple layers then you will probably need some gut wraps which are extra hold downs in the middle of a load. So lets say its 3 layers high, I would have 2 gut wraps (1 for every 20 ft) over the bottom layer of pipe and then 2 more over 2cd layer of pipe which now makes a total of 9 straps so far to tie this load down. You will also need what is called a penalty strap which is an extra strap within the first ten feet of the load as the pipe on a flatbed has no blocking or bracing to prevent forward or backward movement. Now you are up to ten straps on this load and I didnt mention that I would also have pipe stakes in also. You could also add belly bands if ya want which go around the whole load and squeeze it together, I do depending on the load

 

I see tarps secured with ropes pretty regularly. I'd use one if I happen to have one.

 

I use the rope on the bottom, keeps it from flapping around there as much.

 

How many belly wraps of 2 inch strap would you use on that load pyramid stacked?

 

Thanks for the info! I have two 100' lengths of 3/8ths braided rope I plan to use. I don't trust bungees, they snap too easily.

 

Use 2" straps to belly-wrap pipe....No thanks.....

If it's wrapped pipe like the 16" and 18" gas transmission pipe I've hauled....

In a pyramid stack there's at least two straps belly-wrapped......I'll use up to 14 straps on those loads......Better to "over-kill" than run the possibility of getting killed by being lazy....

Unwrapped pipe like the 5" and 6" I pull from Houston.....I'll use chains to belly-wrap in the front and rear....

Bore-casings get center belly-wrapped with chains and straps on either end as well...

What I hate are the pipe shippers who use cut 2"X4" rectangle blocks instead of angled blocks.....

I had one shipper who went 5 high stripped with 12" steel pipe....Rectangle blocks....One driver drove 3 miles only to come back and tell the shipper to either take the load off and block it right or he was gonna do it for them by unstapping and dumping the load himself....The load shifted on him because the blocking failed and the pipe rolled to one side.....

I belly-wrapped my load with chains in 4 spots on the load plus 11 straps.......Didn't move....But it was an ugly sight......

 

Anyone ever carry a bridge on their trailer yet?

I have one I'm taking to a construction site....