Not to start a war, But,

[jlmtractor]

what do you prefer chains or straps?

i dont want to start a war i am just curious.

I prefer straps not as bulky and heavy and easier to use in my opinion. So what do you prefer chains or straps to tie down your tractor?

Jlmtractor

 

[Nebraska Cowman]

Chains and over-center binders. But everyone has his own opinion. I was visiting with a man last night and he mentioned that he despises steering wheel spinners. Every tractor he gets that has one on it is the first thing he takes off. Humm, I put them ON all my tractors. Good thing we are all different. If we were all the same some of us would not be necessary.

 

[Carl NY]

I use both. Chains in back & straps on the front.

 

[glennster]

i use chains cause thats all i got. i have a butt load of em. lots of binders too. picked up quite a few off the highways. when i run out of chains, then i'll go to straps!!!

 

[730 virgil]

are straps even legal?
spinner knobs for sure

 

[jlmtractor]

yes virgil straps are legal

but some companies for example like south carolina electric and gas wont let their employees, my dad, use straps they arent believed to be heavy enough.

Jlmtractor

 

[Allan in NE]

Whaddaduin? Tryin' to start a war? :>)

Allan

 

[Walt Davies]

I see more and more trucks on the road with straps so I guess that's what things are coming to. I use them on hay because its a lot better than ropes the wider the better. also they don't tear up the paint on your tractor as much as chains do.
Walt

 

[Anonymous-0]

Chains at her place, but straps at mine.

 

[Nancy Howell]

Chains for equipment. Old trucker gave us some advice. Whatever you"re hauling should be secured well enough that if the trailer was suspended upside down, the piece of equipment would stay put.

We use straps on hay, as said earlier, because they are wider.

 

[old popper]

I use mostly chains, but if I'm hauling my "Baby" my little "H" John Deere, I use straps on the front end. What'da ya mean no steering wheel spinners? All of my tractors have them, power steering or not. Hope there aren't too many casulties in the war. LOL

 

[John M]

Depends on what Im hauling, my Ms get chains, my Cubs and lawnmowers get straps. I dont care what the rating on a strap is, I wouldnt trust it to hold my Ms to my trailer.

 

[Mike M]

I prefer chains with ratchet binders. Straps are a pain to fold up and put away so they don't get tangled and when tieing down stuff I got all that left over strap to tie up so it doesn't flap. Straps get cut up on tractors, too many sharp metal places. I see more and more people using straps and when I use them I just can't see why ? I guess I like my stuff secured.
Now for large items like hay loads or fragile things like wood or insulation straps would be first choice.

 

[kyhayman]

Thats the way I normally do it on the skid loader. Tractors usually 2 straps but occassionally a strap in front and a chain in the back if I have a chain on the truck. Dozer gets chains all the way around.

 

[Roy in georgia]

we use dot approved (for the load)weight at work but they are 4" wide so they are very strong sure would hate to throw a 30 foot chain over a 13 1/2 foot tall load. straps are easier to handle for me but if I am not going to use them on the same load I take the strap all the way out and roll it hook in the middle that way I can hold the tail and throw it other over the load then go around and hook it the ratchets are universal so no heed to keep them separate. You would be surprised at what I have picked up with these straps.

 

[John S-B]

I use chains on tractors and implements unless it's something like a garden tractor or something that is mostly sheet or stamped metal. I use a short piece of old firehose over the chain if it's something that has nice paint.

 

[ramtuff]

In Ky Don't think straps are legal on rolling loads.

 

[M Nut]

After I saw straps break, chains only. I was hauling a DC Case on a C-70 Chevy truck. I came done a hill with a bridge at the bottom. Bridge was lower than the road. When the truck dropped down, the shock snapped 2 of those straps like twine string. I was really thankful the brakes were locked and the tractor in gear, or it would have fallen off for sure. Now I use one 3/8 chain on each corner.

 

[old]

Well in most states chains are the law and if caught using straps it can be a very big fine. Straps are fine for loads that will not roll but not good for ones that can/will roll like a tractor. Best thing to do to make sure your legal is go to you local liecne place and pick up a CDL hand book and read what it says. By the way I'm a retired truck driver so I keep up on the laws at least in my state and stay carry a class A CDL
Hobby farm

 

[John M]

So what aprt of SC are you from, upstate here.

 

[ACSam]

Four years ago when I moved from Indiana to Tennessee. I loaded my little JD 210 lawn mower on a 5X10 trailer and used 6 new 1 inch straps. Each rated at 1000 pounds.My brother in law pulled this trailer since I was pulling another one. He left about an hour ahead of me. When I arived I couldn"t beleive what I saw. All six straps had broke and were mostly gone. Just a hook here and there was left. Only thing holding was that I had put it in gear. Nothing but chains for me from now on.

 

[Alex.C]

I use both straps and chain which down here is fine but if you use straps make sure there DOT/CHP rated which is over 1500 lbs (we've got 2 10,000lbs) and them have to be in good condition also get all twists out of the straps before hoking them up.

 

[jim johnson]

Braiding baling twine works but you should use plastic for safety reasons. It's all about safety. Allan has some clear twine that he uses. Smile.

Jim

 

[TractormanNC]

Rarely haul a tractor so chains or straps are a nonissue there. Haul a good bit of hay both rounds and squares. Straps always on that. The question is how do you guys that use straps secure the free end???? That is always a PITA for me. Any magic answers?????
Thanks
Leonard.

 

[Peabo]

I"ve helped guide about 45,000 pounds(conservative estimate) that was picked using kevlar straps. They look so small and dainty but they will lift alot. I realize that we are talking trailers and cargo straps, not lifting straps, but after seeing what I saw, I won"t throw rocks at something just cause it aint steel. One thing I like about non-steel is it seems to be alot safer when it snaps, as in flying srapnel.

--Peabo

 

[Roy in georgia]

I take the loose end and tie it back to its self close to the other end with a slip knot so it is easy to remove. My father-in-law hauled boats and kept some good plastic tape and he folded the loose end and taped it near the ratchet. always pot the ratchet on the driver side so you can see it better if it comes loose.

 

[Roy in georgia]

1 inch straps are not strong enough to hold much I don't know how big 210 is but if it is a general size lawnmower he must have hit some pretty bad bumps

 

[Mike (WA)]

Wow- hard to believe the straps just disintegrated- were any of the "Made in China" tags still visible?

 

[Anonymous-0]

Straps for hay bales, mini bulk bags, seed boxes, anything large and cumbersome with no sharp edges AND NOT ON WHEELS.
STRAPS WILL TEAR IF TIGHTENED AGAINST A PIECE OF METAL WITH A SHARP EDGE. You can cut a large strap in half with a sharp pocket knife, so use common sense and don't throw them around just anything.
Use only chains with binders for rolling stock.

 

[Andy Motteberg]

Chains

 

[caterpillar guy]

Tractorman,
What I do with the excess strap is after I get it trhough the winch on the trailer (yes winch) I pull it up some then take the end of the strap and lap it back on it's self and keep winding it up then tuck it in behind the main part of the strap and tighten the strap with the winch on the side of the trailer and problem solved. If it is on a rachet then i get almost tight and fold the excess and slip it in behind the main line so it is pulled into the spool so it can't get out then adjust so it is even under the handle. But chains are my choice for everything I can use them on.

 

[rustyfarmall]

Roll the loose end up into a coil, lay the coil down on the part of the strap that is securing the load, wrap black electricians tape around the whole mass, about 4 wraps, stretching the tape as you go. It will stay right there until you cut it loose.

 

[Anonymous-0]

A machine SHOULD NOT move when it is secured for transportation. On top of that, the material used must be capable of holding said machine. Truckers use straps only with objects that need to be compressed, like lumber or pipe.

If you are worried about painted surfaces, a cloth, a chunk of wood, or a piece of cardboard would do nicely to protect them.

 

[JDPete]

I drove trucks for years hauling everything from lumber to farm equipment to steel coils. If it can roll, chains only!
Straps are good to keep things from sliding but not from rolling. Using straps on anything that can rock back and forth the slightest bit can cut the strap. Been there, done that, learned my lesson!

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

Biggest problem I see is people using the breaking strength info on straps thinking thats what they should be good for.

We don't use chains that way so why straps? And why do you think if a strap is cut it is still good? We don't use a chain with a half broken link...

I use straps and chains, but I pay attention to the working load limit, and the angle they are being installed. A riggers handbook is a useful thing, lifting straps have the same types of limitations.

 

[MN Rick]

I use chains almost exclusively. That being said, a chain with a loose over-center binder is little better than nothing. I've been in the trucking business for 31 years now and the number of loose chains I see on a daily basis scare me to death. Take the extra 2 minutes to stop, do another walk around and tighten as needed. Used properly, straps can work well too. Straps are at their best on a straight, dead pull and must be padded when touching something else.

 

[Tim in OR]

I haul masonry products for a living, and we use straps for all that stuff. I personally use chains for anything on wheels, or with sharp edges.
Tim in OR

 

[Anonymous-0]

I had a 1 inch strap break when a few months old.Went back to length of rope to keep my 12 foot boat on the trailer.

 

[Anonymous-0]

A walk around to check binders and lights was a must when I hauled lumber.Fellow was just killed by lumber that fell off a truck here.I see many shaky loads on log trucks here.Always seems to be a dummy tail gating these loads.I haul 16 foot lumber in my pickup ,flagged and tied and have plenty of tailgaters.Saw a fellow in a sports car right up tight to the back of a liquid manure truck.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sun light degrade all straps,nylon cant take much sun.The backs of cotton shirts tend to rot out first.

 

[Oldmax]

When I bought my preasent tractor it had a steering wheel spinner on it . I started to take it off but after using it a little while I like it. But I would only reccomend using on tractor with power steering , without power steering the thing will take a finger off if you hit a rock or stump . Belive me I know have had this happen to me .