# Unsecured Loads



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I sell a few skidsteers on the side, so I run into all different people that come to the farm to buy machines. Some farmers just like us, but a lot of homeowners, landscapers and some horsey people. I am always amazed at how few people even secure their load even slightly close to secure.

Older guy came last night and bought a machine. He had two new chains and new binders. He had no idea how to use them or how to chain anything down. I ended up chaining it down for him. He bought an extra bucket. I asked if he had more chains and binders for the bucket. "Nope" he says. How about straps? "Just this rag strap". I put one rag strap(the cheapest strap you can buy) that already was knotted to fix a tear over the bucket.

The guy backed out of the drive and took the load 2 1/2 hours home....

I guess since heavy duty trucks and trailers are readily available now a days (unlike 60 years ago) everybody thinks they can haul their own equipment...

I know there is a lot of debate on chain grades, number of binders etc.....but I am talking about people that don't even have one good tie down on an item like a loose bucket...

I am not a big fan of DOT but in some cases its a good thing they are out there....


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

If anyone shows up here to buy something and they exhibit half of a brain cell, I step back and let them do all of their chaining or strapping. Sadly, there a plenty of the clueless types that end up getting a lesson in securing a load while they're here. I should advertise "free tie down lesson with tractor purchase (all liability waived)".


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I haven't strapped down many loads, but with a little logic, planning ahead, and figuring the type and quality of straps and chains for the type of load it isn't hard.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I was thinking about starting to stock ratchet straps,chains and binders so I can sell them with the machines.

The guy that came yesterday also had a skidsteer snow blower on the front of the trailer. He had a chain running over and threw the blower, but no binder on it. The chain was that loose the blower would have fallen off the trailer before the chain got tight...


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

PaMike said:


> > I sell a few skidsteers on the side, so I run into all different people that come to the farm to buy machines. Some farmers just like us, but a lot of homeowners, landscapers and some horsey people. I am always amazed at how few people even secure their load even slightly close to secure.
> >
> > Older guy came last night and bought a machine. He had two new chains and new binders. He had no idea how to use them or how to chain anything down. I ended up chaining it down for him. He bought an extra bucket. I asked if he had more chains and binders for the bucket. "Nope" he says. How about straps? "Just this rag strap". I put one rag strap(the cheapest strap you can buy) that already was knotted to fix a tear over the bucket.
> >
> ...


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

JD3430 said:


> PaMike said:
> 
> 
> > > I sell a few skidsteers on the side, so I run into all different people that come to the farm to buy machines. Some farmers just like us, but a lot of homeowners, landscapers and some horsey people. I am always amazed at how few people even secure their load even slightly close to secure.
> ...


Maybe so. But I think sometimes its best to do the right thing even if there is some liability. I would sure rather secure the load the best I know how than have him drive away without it being secured and have it come off on the road.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Yeah, I guess so. Id probably do the same. Just make sure you do it right. People sue for anything. Even when its not your fault. Hopefully the guy was a least thankful.


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

I seen a ABF freight flatbed today had had some sort of airfreight box on just tide down with straps tided down not ratcheted . Then behind that a forklift with one chain loosely rapped around it with binder laying on deck not attached to anything. This was in Reading, PA on 322 he then got on 222N driving scares me anymore. 
The outfit I work for requires a backhoe to have at least 6, 3/8th binders and these guys just lay a chain on something and go.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

He wasnt really thankful. He was too dumb to know that his "method" wouldnt work, was unsafe, and would have resulted in a big ticket if he got pulled over. Some people have half a clue so I just let them do his thing. This guy knew nothing. He was also 2 1/2 hours from home with no jack, wrench or spare for the trailer...


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Screw the ticket....people could have been hurt....or worse. 
What a dope.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> Screw the ticket....people could have been hurt....or worse.
> What a dope.


That's really the issue. I've gotten to where I won't follow a non-big rig trailer on the road. I've seen too many unsecured and lost loads. Going down IH-10 once, I got around a guy pulling good sized boat who was fishtailing. I watched him in the mirror go into a pinwheel, lose the boat, and it came sailing up behind me. I got away from it but I wasn't sure how I'd explain to my insurance company that I was tail-ended by a boat.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Interestingly enough, I ran into town this morning and came up on a flatbed truck carrying a short stock trailer backwards with the gooseneck hanging over the back end. The single jack was right on the end of the flatbed. When I went around him I noticed that there wasn't a single chain, strap, rope or even baling twine holding the thing on the truck. At least he was going slow.

I wonder how Google is programming their self-driving cars to identify and stay away from idiots. It's going to take a while to transition to them and I'm not sure that I don't trust robots more than some people......


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

[quote name="Mike120" post="213025" timestamp="1443820417

I wonder how Google is programming their self-driving cars to identify and stay away from idiots. It's going to take a while to transition to them and I'm not sure that I don't trust robots more than some people......
[/quote]

IDK how they can have self driving cars when the directions they give are not always right.Other day I was delivering and it wanted me to turn down a residential street going threw a town when my route was a straight shot threw the town on a county highway.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> IDK how they can have self driving cars when the directions they give are not always right.Other day I was delivering and it wanted me to turn down a residential street going threw a town when my route was a straight shot threw the town on a county highway.


Ours still do that as well, the road we live on is a straight shot to the hay auction in the next county, google, garmin or even our iPhones will take you every which way but the easiest, none of them have ever upgraded the 5 or 6 miles of that road that used to be a lane and a half gravel road, it was upgraded over 10 years ago to a paved 50mph main county road.


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

To digress from unsecured loads to Garmins etc. I had occasion to meet a fellow that followed his Garmin's (or whatever brand) right off into a mud road with 10" deep ruts which were filled with water. It was an "unimproved" road. His job was delivering lost/misplace luggage and worked out of Lambert Airport in St Louis. He drove that little crap-box of a car into a place that the local hoodlums go to mud their 4x4s. I suggested he believed the wrong display. He stared at me like a monkey doing algebra. I explained that the "big" display- his windshield- should always be believed over the little display. He had went a good 1/4 mile before he got stuck. The tow truck had a heck of a time getting to him. Just another example "if it's on the innerweb (or garmin) it MUST be true"

73, Mark


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Another example of not updating stuff on GPS systems, most will still claim I live on Pierce Road, it has been State Road 4 now for over 50 years. Google Earth shows it correctly.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Mike120 said:


> That's really the issue. I've gotten to where I won't follow a non-big rig trailer on the road. I've seen too many unsecured and lost loads. Going down IH-10 once, I got around a guy pulling good sized boat who was fishtailing. I watched him in the mirror go into a pinwheel, lose the boat, and it came sailing up behind me. I got away from it but I wasn't sure how I'd explain to my insurance company that I was tail-ended by a boat.


I'll go you one better...

A few years ago we were chaparoning one of my sister's band trips (she's a school band director) to Disney World. We were on these stupid Coach USA charter buses (a whole other story!) and when we FINALLY got going, we got stuck in traffic in Houston... when we passed the reason for the ball-up on the freeway, turns out it was some guy with his big shiny new diesel pickup, pulling his big new shiny fifth wheel RV trailer, pulling his not-so-shiny-anymore fancy speedboat behind the RV trailer... The boat hadn't been secured properly and had slid off the back of the trailer and been dragged for Lord only knows how many miles, because it had ground away basically the bottom foot of the V-bottom hull, half the prop and outboard drive, etc. before it finally slipped off enough that trailer basically folded in half...

Just a week ago, I was on I-10 heading back from San Antonio to home near Houston and had some moron with more money than sense pass me on the right as I was moving up in the left lane to pass an 18 wheeler... I was doing about 76 in the 75 zone, the semi was doing about 70, and I was moving up to pass... this idiot blew past me at about 90 in a big black diesel pickup with probably ten grand worth of fancy rims and huge mudgrips all the way around, pulling a triple-axle matching boat trailer with a black inboard probably 24 foot speedboat on the back... zipped up on my right, and cut me off, looked like he came within about 2 feet of the semi and about 4 inches from my front bumper with his [email protected] boat, never even tapped the brake...

Guys like that I'd LOVE to see their toys smashed to bits on the side of the road... morons...

Later! OL JR


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

This part of I-10 is interesting to watch but dangerous to drive. You've got a lot of people moving to the Houston area. The first thing they seem to buy is a big pickup and the second is a boat. They don't seem to understand either the laws of physics or the laws of maintenance and you see the results on the side of the road all the time. I've heard about idiots dragging the bottom off a boat but sadly, I've never seen it.......Yet!


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Wish I had a picture of it... it was actually pretty funny (to me anyway)...

Stupid is as stupid does...

later! OL JR


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