Hauling a Farmall

Hi Pete,

The new 2005 rule says 4 tie downs on each piece of equipment. Great idea.

I use the cross, X, chain attach as that pulls the center of load to both sides thus no side to side movement and then to the front and to the back beyond equipment ends as in a upside down "V" as then no front to back movement.

Also when you hook you chain onto the trailer frame, the chain hook must be inside the rub rail. Some trailers have a rub rail that sticks out about 1-1/2" from the edge of the trailer frame and the hook body must be inside that rub rail. This is to keep from shearing off the hook if you pancake the side of the trailer with another object. The hook also is fed down thru a stake pocket then returned up on the outside to hang on the top of the stake pocket lip.

I like the ratchet style binders the best.

The ratchet style flat belt frame hooks will not fit between the frame and rub rail without a BFH to tweek them. Those end hooks must also be inside the rub rail.

I did pancake my "new" trailer into a concrete road divider on my last trip out that knocked off the flatbelt hooks on two 10k load binders as the hook tip was on the outside of the rub rail. That's why it's important to make sure the smooth rub rail is the last metal on the outside of the trailer frame. I got lucky as the light load they were holding didn't come off the trailer until I could get stopped, about a mile down the road.

T_Bone

• Correct

You got me on this one as I've never heard of it. 60% Hold back?
Are you saying you also need to chain from front and back center?

I assume the 60% refers to each chain having a load rating of 60% of the equipment weight?

T_Bone

Why can't I post two pics in the same post? What did I do wrong?

T_Bone

I accomplish this with mine with “cheater chains” I made up. They consist of a 3/8” grab hook and a 3/8” slip hook connected by several links of chain.

To use, drop the grab hook end thru a stake pocket and hook it on the bottom edge of either of the narrow sides of the pocket. Then hook the ratchet tie-down hook to the free (slip hook) end of the cheater chain.

----

One way to post 2 images at once is to "fool" the system like this:

Using photo editor software (MS Photo Editor, Adobe Photoshop, etc), create a new blank image that’s double the pixel width of your originals.

(Example: If your originals are 300 x 400 pixels, create a 300 x 800 blank image)

Now copy and paste each of your originals to your new double width blank image. Then grab and slide the original images so one’s all the way to the left and the other’s on the right of the new image.

End result is a composite image containing both original images, but which to the computer interprets as a single, wide image.

Tip: Resize the original images to about 480 pixels wide or less before you copy ‘em. Otherwise the composite image will be too wide to display on many users’ screens!

Thanks Bob, that was very easy to do! I changed my orginal pics to much so they shrunk down but I know better now. New camera (last x-mass) so I thought I'd try it out.

If you hook the end on either bottom side of the pocket, then if the binder comes loose the hook will fall off the stake pocket and you have a loose end.

By coming thru to the top of the stake pocket the hook can't come off if the binder gets loose. I do know what your talking about tho on pockets without a spaced rub rail.

Maybe a piece of small channel welded to the outside of the stake pocket or inside the frame rail for the hook to sit verticle would accomplish the same thing.

And I like your idea of cheater chains. That's the first time I've ever hit the side of any trailer and it would have to be the new one. LOL

T_Bone

----

Thanks for the advice to hook at the TOP of the pocket as in your photo - you can be certain I'll be hooking mine that way from now on!! ...Bob M

After the tractor is loaded put the clevis on the drawbar. Run the chain from the left rear corner of the trailer, thru the clevis then to the right rear corner.

Next attach one ratchet strap to each front corner of the trailer and to the lower bolster. Tighten these down equally and evenly, drawing the tractor forward slightly until the chain at the rear is good and tight.

Finally run the third ratchet tie-down over the tractor midsection just ahead of the rear tires (thread it over the clutch housing and under the starter). Now tighten it down so the tires show a bit of bulge.

Finally set the brakes and put the gear lever in low or reverse.

When complete the tractor WILL NOT MOVE!

----

Tip: I always stop and check the tie-downs after towing a mile or two, and again at 10 miles. Never had to retighten one yet, but I feel better checking.

As far as number of tie-downs, I've always used one chain at each end- hook one side of trailer, thru a clevis or over the axle, then hook other side of trailer, with one binder, which takes up the slack in the whole chain. Chains are hooked forward and rearward of load so they are pulling against each other. Maybe that's not legal? Seems to the be the way the heavy haulers around here do it.