Another trailer binder question

I have both types and really didn't think I'd like the ratchet type that my son kept pushing me to use. So I bought a couple of them, new, as was not impressed until I shot them with some WD40.

I now agree with my son, I like the ratchet type better. You can also smash a finger just as easy with the ratchet type if not careful so that's a wash for me. It's very easy to get to swinging the ratchet handle fast and smack a finger or hand.

I'm still having a hard time accepting nylon ratchet load binders. I can see there place on soft load weight like hay but I just can't let myself use them on rigid equipment.

T_Bone

On the lumber trucks we used to used nylon straps for the framing order loads on the flatbed trucks for tie downs, with the winch type reels on one side. We would situate the lumber order on 4 x4 dunnage on top of the deck, wrap a chain completely around the order, protecting the corners with angle iron, used to stand on top and cinch that chain with the load binder and 4'-0" pipe ( over center type load binder ) until it was taught, then dump the load off and land it just like it was on the truck, let one end drop, place dunnage, let the front drop, then just pull the chain out, used to work great to drop a flatbed load of lumber without making a mess.
One thing I can warn people about with lumber and other freight is that if a fork lift operator is unloading one side of a trailer, don't be on the other side fiddling with your straps, rolling them up etc., trucker was in our yard, old timer was unloading his trailer and the fork hit and severed the metal banding of a unit, on the other half of the 2 unit wide loaded trailer, under the pressure the other metal band snapped and an entire unit of 2" x 12" x 16' pressure treated lumber released on top of the driver, crushing him badly, he lived, but was critically injured, probably disabled for life, we were all standing there when it happened, same goes for unleashing a load, be careful, structural steel is another one, especially if it's a sloppy load of weird sizes, soon as you release the binders, the sudden release of pressure can cause it to shift and collapse, just some things I've seen and or experienced along the way.

On lowboy's hauling equipment, it was always rubber tire machines that were a pain, they always loosen up. I found that using wood chocks and anything to help block the tires in addition to letting the ends of those ratchet binders out to the last thread, grabbing the farthest link you could reach and then cinch them tight until the tires squash out a bit, many times I did not have to retighten, depends how bad the road was usually. With any of that you must keep the lines tight, I always tried to lash equipment down in a fashion that allows me to pull against the opposing chains and binders, further tightening the load down, but not over do it either. Once something gets motion, you have some slack on your chain, straps etc., thats when you may have one fail, when they are taught, whatever it is can't get into motion, still does not mean it will stay on if you roll the trailer, but I'm sure many of you have seen the result of poorly tied down equipment or no tie downs at all, a guy I worked for lost a new JD 550 dozer some years on the back of a tag trailer, winter time, frosted deck, slid right off and was scrap after that, must have rolled or hit hard, could not believe it was destroyed. Not sure what gave, probably had no tie downs at all for all I know, lucky no one got hurt.

I went with winches and nylon straps rather reluctantly. The Canadian province I lived in at the time made it manditory. I have been using the straps now for about ten years. You would never change me back to chains and binds. I have never stopped 2 miles, 10 miles or 50 miles down the road and found a strap loose. I carry some devices for putting over sharp frames, etc. pieces of split 4" pipe, two pieces of 2x4 spiked in L shape, etc.

With the volume of truck traffic going by some inspection stations, particularly close to the Canada - US border, these guys are using some quite high tech equipment. There is photo equipment, audio equipment and weight sencing equipment out on the highway. They know in advance which trucks need closer inspection.

We have one such inspection station here in SW Ontario, located on the 401 midway between two crossings between MI - ON border and three crossings between ON - NY border in the Niagara Falls area. These guys regularly get local trucks, cross border trucks and US trucks in route from MI, WI, MN to the Eastern Seaboard. The same will be true of Canadian trucks going from SW ON to Western Canada via MI, WI and MN. I suspect these guys can tell you a lot more about the trucks going by than one would even care to imagine. I further suspect that when a truck enters US customs from either direction, they know if driver has a pimple on his backside.

I was at US Customs booth at Port Huron. One evening just as I was going to pass customs officer my manifest, he said, "you'll have to wait a min." He vacated his booth with gun drawn, next thing I saw was three customs officers with guns drawn in the next lane to the one I was in. At that point all they had seen was an approaching truck, they had not seen his manifest. 30 seconds later one customs officer was in the cab. I don't know where driver went, too much concrete. My point is US Customs knew exactly what they were looking for before that truck arrived. I think checking chains or straps has to be kept rather quick and simple for truck inspection station guys, they have a lot more on the table than we think.

I will admit there is both good and poor quality out there both in straps and chains.

Like the bannana-head that I am, I went and bought a couple of those ratchet types 'cause it was all I could find in a hurry one day.

They just ain't worth the salt, IMHO; huge PITA if ya ask me. Those old "over center" kind are the cat's meow fer me anyway.

Allan

Rusty, you and that old sheep herder from out in no-man's land just need to get your ducks in a row. Seen one of them over center binders come loose one time with a no-mind undoing it and it hit him right under the chin sending teeth right out his left ear. Never could eat right after that. Gord it hurts just thinking about it. The rachet type is all I use. Got 8 of those good gold colored chains, and eight rachets. What you got to do is hook both ends of the chain, and then hook the rachet in the middle somewhere and let the slack in the chain be between the hooks on the rachet. WD40 the heck out of the rachet and it will never twist. I had 6 of them on that grinder coming home last night and it never gave me a problem.