This is why you put more than 2 chains on a coil

I been kicked outta nicer places than this!

 

So what I am understanding is that for all these years hauling coils of various sizes, loaded in more ways than one would think of, Have been secured incorrectly.

 

The thing about coils is that it is my opinion that you can over secure them all you want. If you hit something and come to a dead stop. You could have 30 chains on a 40k lb coil,.. and reality is that the chain points are going to rip the trailer in half and come off anyway. I've seen too many pictures and come by too many accidents and witnessed this very thing.

Now dont take what I am saying out of context,.. I'm not saying to under chain coils. Never,.. always use the proper WLL and chains, racks and combination of tools at your disposal to make sure they are secure.

For 12k coils,. Two 3/8chains per coil are more than enough. The average tie down point is only 5400 lbs anyway. 10,800 lbs of rated wll for a 12k coil. And I will generally do like @spyder7723 does,..add a 3rd chain to the rear angle of the front coil to help catch any shifting. Beyond that there really isnt much more you can realistically do to be any safer.

The idea for the dunnage and racks is to chain them in a way that they can not climb up out of the racks and dunnage. When done properly the coil/s will stay and remain secure. But in an act of God,.. say hitting the rear of another semi or large stationary object at anything 30 mph or over. Chances are,.. it wont matter how well you secure those coils. The weak link will be the trailer itself.

Hurst

 

I think that with most any load, you can never secure well enough to survive, say, a head on collision. The physics just doesn't add up to that. However, while I agree that we should be leaving ample space in front of us and working hard to avoid hard stops, swerves, etc, if you feel that doing a hard stop is going to be overtaxing your securement, then you are woefully undersecured. I'll leave it at that.

 

I'm talking about more than a "Hard Stop" as in slamming on your brakes. No load should ever come undone in that type of scenario. If it does,.. than I agree with you. It was not secured properly.

My point is that coils are not like a load of 2500lb pallets strapped down and up against a head board,.. or steel beams with ample blocker chains. Completely different animals.

I'm talking about an act of God,.. you've run off the road,.. hit a bridge,.. hit a tree,.. tail gating too closely and the truck in front does a panic stop. Bang,.. your done. In that type of situation,.. you are at the mercy of our Lord and savior.

Hurst

 

I see it more and more all the time. Especially the phone players, easy to spot them... driving slightly under the speed limit, running on the rumble strip trying to avoid impact with vehicle on the left, ( and you wonder how a truck destroys a disabled vehicle on the shoulder ) , and of course the inability to stay in between the lines on the road. All pretty much signs the driver is not being the professional he claims to be.

 

Largest single coil I ever hauled was in the 80's at just shy of 48,000 lbs. 8 chains no problem with good coil rack. 3 skidded coils setting in my trailer now, 3 chains securing them.. total Be safe out there.

 

Heavy timbers, back then we carried 1 set of 6x6 oak for larger coils. Our trailers were fitted with heavy steel plates especially for the big singles. Most did / do only use 4x4, works good for most but... bigger timbers help create more stability. If it can't get up, usually it can't get off.

 

How exactly does a split tandem and three axle tractor legally transport 150,000lbs of coils?

There isn't enough information to conclude what kind of securement was holding the coils on the deck, but those coils would at MOST weigh 15,000 lbs each and two 3/8" chains/binders on each would be sufficient to fulfill the aggregate working load requirements (3/8" G70 chain is 6,600 lbs, 3/8" G70 binder is 5,400 lbs; AWLL is 7,500 lbs thus 2x 5,400 lbs = 10,600 lbs).

These securement devices are not designed by the manufacturers to withstand the forces of a collision. I haven't found a single document covering these devices stating they will guarantee they hold in a crash.