Trailer tie down-DOT?

Harbor Freight Tools just sent a sale flyer that has 5/16-20 ft. grade 70 chain for $25. each with hooks, and 9200 lb. ratching binders for $20. each.

Find your local truck tire dealer, they may have used rubber rim liners(used with tubes) to give you, cut them into 2 foot lengthes to put between the chains and equipment so you won"t damage the paint.

Whatever you do, be safe.
Warren

Can't even begin to tell ya where the closest scale is unless it would be down there on I-80 maybe?

See those portable scales set up from time to time, but they don't want anything to do with a pickup or a farm truck; they're watchin' the big rigs.

Allan

Does DOT dictate how many sheets and the thickness of the toilet paper too?

Geeeze! What a nightmare.

Allan

Ratchet binders don't seem to hold up unless they're gigantic, so we use the kind of binders that have a loose handle after they snap over. It's kind of hard to explain but I'm sure a few of you have used them. They're expensive and hard to find,but they're just a little safer. The handles are double wired. We never use a pipe to pull them. Binder bars, or whatever the nickname is, are used always. You can control the twisting just a little bit better with them, and if the end of the handle hits something before the binder is snapped over, your buddy can stomp on the binder handle to complete the job.

There's a tramendous amount of energy stored up in those things, as you guys already know, and there's no completely safe way to use them. So far nobody's lost any teeth from a flying binder bar but one guy caught it in the head once. It made an awful sound but he just rubbed his head and kept on working.Jim

As far as binders: The over-center binders you use a pipe on are not only dangerous, but a pain as well. You can get hurt, they are sometimes tough to get right--one link is too loose and the next link is WAY tight. In many instances,you need to wire the handle down. They sometime spin to where it is hard to get the pipe back on to loosen. If needed re-tightened,you then have to unwire the handle, get the pipe back out, re-wire the handle,etc. Plus there are cheap ones that will bend/spread apart at the hinge mechanism.

A good quality ratchet binder is safer and easier to use. Yes, they must be lubricated occasionally. The best thing about them is that when you check them after a few miles,all you have to do is ratchet the handle a little--no fumbling with wire, pipe, and no wild SNAP when taking them off.

Buy good quality chains and binders, and have brakes and lights on your trailer. Re-check the load after a few miles and bumps in the road.

BUT they also have changed their law on the chain that is allowed, you must use grade 70 chain for equipment when traveling in and through Maryland.

The State boys have a little gadget that is about the size of a pack of smokes.

They put it next to the chain, push a button and it will let them know the grade of the chain you are using.

Learned this from a State Trooper, AFTER he issued a ticket to me for using the improper grade chain.

Took it to court and lost.

Bought grade 70 chains, and have had no problems since.

When I went to court in Maryland the judge told me that DOT regs are setup by the feds, BUT each state has the right to set or make their standards to be above the federal standards.

You might want to check the regs of any state that you plan to travel in or through, it may save you some money.

After paying the fine, court cost, losing a day from work, etc., I quickly found out that the price of grade 70 chain a LOT less.

Best way is to have two pieces of chain (You've got 16 footers which is long -- use each one like two individual chains by binding down the ends with a piece hanging slack in the middle) on the back of the tractor (axle housings are better (stronger than the drawbar) and at least one on the front. If your trailer is short, use two sections of chain on each end, with the chains pulling toward the middle of the tractor instead of off the ends. Bear in mind that you can stop faster than you can accelerate, so it's as important (if not more so) to have it tied down so that it can't break loose going forward and into your truck as it is to keep it from rolling off the back. A lot of folks will throw an extra chain hand tight (i.e., no binder) on to keep it from rolling back in case something fails.

The over-center binders are the ones with the big lever, that cams over to tension the chain. Less costly than the ratchet style, but a tad harder to get and keep tight. Always helps to have a 3 or 4-foot pice of pipe to use as a lever in pulling them down.

Whatever binder you use, stop after 10 miles or so and re-tighten anything that has slackened, and again at 50 miles, and then every time you stop for fuel or a haircut.

I can't find the link I was thinking would be helpful to you, but .if you search around over on the tractor hauling board, you can find a reference to the DOT requirements.