Just my rant on hauling

504-1 · Oct 12, 2013

Yesterday I found myself on US 36 in Missouri being passed by a pick up with a nice looking barn fresh IH MD on the trailer. My rant has to do with the single log chain looped through the draw bar, "no binder" and a two inch strap on the front. The chain was flopping with every bump. If he had been seen by the MHP he would have had to pawn the rig to get out of jail. If you are going to haul a tractor worth about $7000.00 at least tie the thing to the trailer.
I wont even get into the part where the load falls off of the trailer and kills somebody setting in their car.
My best guess, from his plates, he was still 8 hours from home.

Bryce Frazier · Oct 12, 2013

Doesn't surprise me... I live pretty far out in the woods, and there are a lot of "back woods" type people out here.

Many of which think like this: If it doesn't go anywhere, then why tie it down? If it falls off, then I will tie it down next time. I have however partaken in this dangerous activity once before, however, it was with a small tractor with four flat tires, and the rear axle didn't even spin, and to add to that we were only pulling it about 10 miles, but still kind of risky!

Have fun, and be safe, just saw a head on collision on the highway today, 70mph + 70mph = well, bad news... Bryce

old · Oct 12, 2013

Ya many people do not have a clue as to how to chain or strap any thing down and wonder why things get lost or worse. Me I chain front and back boomers on both go a mile stop and check then go 10 and do it again if a short haul. Seen many tractor just parked on a trailer no chains no straps just a flip up tail gate

Paul from MI · Oct 12, 2013

I'm kind of a fanatic about chaining down tractors and anything else for that matter, but I've never lost anything yet. Two of our geniuses at the plant were hauling an ice fishing shanty, tied down with the strongest binder twine available. It fell off, dis integrated and a 2x4 went thru the windshield of an oncoming car, just missing the driver. Fortunately the result was only a major ticket and an insurance claim. Could have been much worse.

8v92guy · Oct 12, 2013

Had a guy pickup his tractor from being repaired at our shop, He was pulling a two axle trailer with a Toyota Tacoma drove his 55hp tractor on set parking brake then took off best part is he is a state trooper.

Tim in OR · Oct 12, 2013

I drive flat bed for work. I haul masonry products. The company is extremely conscientious about load securment. It really gets to me when I see someone cutting corners trying to save time or energy by using one strap instead of 2 etc. I tell other drivers, you will never get a ticket for over securement.
Then you have the landscapers that just run their equipment onto the trailer, set the brake, and drive.
Tim in OR

old · Oct 12, 2013

Sad that just because you should know better does not say you do better. That is one of those that should be turned in and loose his job since he can not live by the rules he enforces on others

DeltaRed · Oct 12, 2013

Last year a landscaper lost a nonsecured bobcat on a bridge.Hit a bump and the bobcat jumped off the trailer.Killed a young woman and her infant child. Her other young children were also injured.The driver is now serving time....

DeltaRed · Oct 12, 2013

Years ago when I worked for a diesel shop I was sent
25 miles to haul a 1750 Oliver(the bosses).The 'farm
wife'(bosses mother)came out .She talked so much
that I forgot to chain the thing down.Went about a
half mile down the road when it 'hit me',"I forgot
to chain it down!!!"I thank God the thing stayed on
the trailer.I didn't stop shaking till after I got
back to town.WHEW!

Alan K · Oct 12, 2013

My dad always told us...you are responsible for securing your load. I think of that every time I haul something or pull something home.

old-9 · Oct 13, 2013

I go to several tractor shows, and some of the better off collectors are buying enclosed trailors. One I know said he loves his new trailor, just a strap on both ends and off. Most hane a "rail system" , these rails are just screwed into the floor with what looked like # 10 or #12 screws. I gues what you don't see....
Myself, my little Ford gets 4 chains, 5 if an implement.
joe

john in la · Oct 13, 2013

Tying stuff down rules is for the big boys and their commercial rigs.
I am not commercial so I should not have to play by their rules.

In fact if you give me a few minutes to think about it I am sure I can read into the exemption for "The occasional transportation of personal property by individuals not for compensation nor in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise" law what I want to hear to prove my point.

PDRuff · Oct 13, 2013

I hauled a 2200 lb item (freezedryer for my nephew) on my gooseneck last week, 2 heavy log chains, binders and 2 big nylon straps
did not want it to move.....

Billy Shafer · Oct 13, 2013

My Dad would come out of his grave and kick my butt. If I had anything on a trailer not tied down. Properly. Hated loading a trailer with him. It was like being in bootcamp. Not strapped down or chained properly. You had to do it over.

Hated to go through his inspections. But we never had anything fall off.

Billy Shafer · Oct 13, 2013

Well when something falls off and kills or injures someone. You will be in court and jail for years.

oldtanker · Oct 13, 2013

(quoted from post at 07:24:47 10/13/13) Well when something falls off and kills or injures someone. You will be in court and jail for years.

You ain't kidding about that. Couple of years ago a guy, working for a landscaping company near or in the Twin Cities ha a rock come off his trailer right in front of a state cop. Of course he got a pretty expensive ticket. Year later the same clown lost another rock, this one bounced up and went through a windshield killing the driver. He's in the big house now.

I saw a guy with a JD skid steer on a trailer last year. One loose chain over the back of the bucket and the skid steer rolling back and forth on the trailer. Some people just don't think.

Rick

PJH · Oct 13, 2013

Makes you wonder how he'd gotten as far as he had without being stopped. I remember when my son was stopped by a state cop and warned about his unsecured load. He had his spare tire lying in the pickup bed and the tailgate was open. He shut the tailgate and the cop was happy. I know it would be a missile in an accident, but by comparison. . .

rustred · Oct 13, 2013

ooh wow, its your load YOU ARE responsible to have it secured properly.

john in la · Oct 13, 2013

Billy
It was a tongue and cheek statement on how some can read loop holes into the rules so they do not apply to them.

Go sit in front of any appliance store or home center for a few hours and watch some of the pickup loads leaving there and you will know what I mean.

Cas · Oct 13, 2013

One time I bought an old Oliver 1600. I hired a small trucking company to deliver it. It was a nice fall day and the owner decided to deliver it himself. It came in the yard with just the winch cable attached to the front end. He told me to get something to pull it off because he had to skid it on. Back tires were froze up because it sat for years. I was coming around the corner just as he had the rollback all the way back and up. Watched as the tractor rolled off and across the yard. It hit the back of a truck I had some 26 ft steel roofing panels. He was a pretty good friend of mine until then. The guy just said I don't believe it. My steel was bent up pretty badly. He did offer to pay for replacement steel
I saw him hauling a smaller track hoe last week.
Same story just the winch holding it. The funny thing is he hollers at his drivers if they do not secure loads properly.

Dachshund · Oct 13, 2013

I know a guy who has a big tractor/loader. It would JUST fit on an 18' car trailer. He would drive it on, run one strap front to back, and head out......2 miles or 100....

I sold a Yamaha Venture motorcycle one time. The guy and his wife were drunker then snot when they came to pick it up (nothing out of the ordinary...). I told them how to tie the thing down to the trailer, and even offered to loan them some straps. Nope. Took off with ONE strap over the "spine". Found out the next day that they met a semi about half way home going about 60. The blast took that bike about 10 feet in the air and deposited it in the ditch. The loaded what was left back on the trailer, and took it home.

JimEvans · Oct 13, 2013

I was always amazed at the motorcycle shop I worked at. People would buy a $13,000 Harley and then were too cheap to buy a $20 set of tiedowns. They wouldn't even buy the $10 cheap tiedowns (1992 prices). They would be tying their new bike down in their pickup with binder twine that we gave them. However, I don't recall anyone ever coming back and admitting that they lost one.

If you really want to be worried, start thinking about what may be in the enclosed van trailers from the major freight lines.

I was involved with helping a trucker from a well known freight line load a new Ford - New Holland 8N Boomer tractor into an enclosed truck. He couldn't drive it so I drove it into the trailer for him. I got off and told him he could tie it down now. He said I could tie it down if I wanted. It wasn't my tractor and I had no responsibility for it and my philosophy is that the trucker is responsible for securing his load. However, I was slightly panicked that he was going to haul this thing 400 miles with no tie downs. He managed to come up with 4 1" motorcycle tiedowns and I strapped the tractor (with loader) down in his trailer with them.

Bret4207 · Oct 14, 2013

(quoted from post at 06:08:33 10/13/13) Tying stuff down rules is for the big boys and their commercial rigs.
I am not commercial so I should not have to play by their rules.

In fact if you give me a few minutes to think about it I am sure I can read into the exemption for "The occasional transportation of personal property by individuals not for compensation nor in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise" law what I want to hear to prove my point.

HAR! Yeah, I've heard that a few zillion times. That's when you pull out the State V+T Law and refer to the "Unsecured Load" section that applies to everything from a bag of garbage to gravel to that tractor being hauled in a non-commercial status.

Used to be a landscaper around here that hauled his skid steer int he back of his dump truck with no chains, no straps, no nuthin', not even the tailgate up. Kindly old grandfather type with twinkling eyes and snow white hair, smoked a corncob pipe and looked like a poster for Santa Claus wannabees. After his 2nd warning he got nailed with several tickets. Never heard Santa swear and cuss like that before!

SDE · Oct 14, 2013

At last years county auction, they sold a Yamaha 4 wheeler. They started the engine and sold it as is. It was missing all 4 wheels tires and their axles. It was badly mangled too. I asked them if they lost it off the back of a truck and they said yes.
SDE

Just my rant on hauling

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