Rules on securing trailered loads.

[clay1811/44c]

What are the rules on securing loads on and in trailers. I've seen a lot of lawn care people just pull a mower on a trailer and go. They must not worry about their equipment or a lawsuit.

[J-Mech]

Straight from the FMCSA:

Minimum Number of Tiedowns

The cargo securement system used to restrain articles against movement must meet requirements concerning the minimum number of tiedowns. This requirement is in addition to complying with rules concerning the minimum working load limit. When an article of cargo is not blocked or positioned to prevent movement in the forward direction, the number of tiedowns needed depends on the length and weight of the articles. There must be - one tiedown for articles 5 ft or less in length, and 1,100 lbs or less in weight; two tiedowns if the article is -

5 ft or less in length and more than 1,100 lbs in weight; or
greater than 5 ft but less than 10 ft, regardless of weight.
In the following example, one tiedown is required because the article of cargo is 5 ft in length and does not exceed 1,100 lbs. If the article of cargo were greater than 5 ft in length but less than 10 ft, two tiedowns would be needed regardless of the weight. When an article of cargo is not blocked or positioned to prevent movement in the forward direction, and the item is longer than 10 ft in length, then it must be secured by two tiedowns for the first 10 ft of length, and one additional tiedown for every 10 ft of length, or fraction thereof, beyond the first 10 ft. An example of this is provided below. If an article is blocked, braced or immobilized to prevent movement in the forward direction by a headerboard, bulkhead, other articles that are adequately secured, or other appropriate means, it must be secured by at least one tiedown for every 10 ft of article length, or fraction thereof.

- See more at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulation....JAupbU4H.dpuf

[olds45512]

about 10yrs ago there was a guy not to far from here that lost a forklift off his trailer which caused an accident that killed 3 people, he went to prison. ive been told when i tie stuff down i go a little over kill but its better to be safe than sorry.

[cubby102]

I tend not to mess with luck too much. I go a little bit overboard, if I'm going more then a block or two. On my cubs I usually have a minimum of two. But more then not I have three (too much is way better than one).

[R Bedell]

I have a nephew that has a Landsacaping Business. He has special brackets made (or bought) to tote his ZTR's around yet offer quick loading and unloading.

[finsruskw]

There is no such thing as TOO MUCH CHAIN! or too many tie downs.

[john hall]

Is rope considered appropriate for tying things down? We've used it for ages securing bales of hay and straw, never had a failure. The last Cadet I hauled home I left the winch cable on the front and tied the back with rope. Now when I tie with rope, we put a loop a couple feet from the standard hole on the trailer, run the rope thru that and back up through the loop. This way you can get it really tight. Yes I do have ratchet straps, but they were in my other truck. When we haul tractors (not lawnmowers) we use chains and load binders. I picked up a ratcheting load binder a while back for those loads that won't give enough to get a chain tight with a conventional binder.

[drglinski]

Originally Posted by finsruskw

There is no such thing as TOO MUCH CHAIN! or too many tie downs.

[CADplans]

Originally Posted by finsruskw

There is no such thing as TOO MUCH CHAIN! or too many tie downs.

[JLM78]

Originally Posted by finsruskw

There is no such thing as TOO MUCH CHAIN! or too many tie downs.

same hear never too much