Loading…
18
That old bridge inspector's comment about my straps still bugs me
Ran into a retired DOT guy at a fuel stop outside Omaha last Tuesday and he watched me secure a mini excavator, then said my chains were tight but my binders were making the load stiff, and now I cant stop thinking about how suspension movement on rough roads might actually be what cracks frames on long hauls, has anyone else had a random stranger's throwaway remark mess with your whole setup routine?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
xenaf514d ago
That DOT guy in Omaha wasn't wrong about the general idea but he had it backwards for your setup. Stiff binders on a mini excavator aren't cracking frames, the frame cracks come from the load shifting and slapping against the chains, not from being held too tight. I ran a 5 ton mini for two years behind a single axle and the only damage I ever saw was from loose binders letting things walk sideways on washboard roads. On rough roads the trailer suspension and the truck suspension already soak up most of the bounce, so the excavator is moving way less than you think back there. What actually kills frames is hauling with the boom up too high or the bucket hanging out unsupported, and nobody ever talks about that because it's boring. Keep your binders tight, use four points like you're doing, check them at 50 miles and again at 150, and that frame will outlast the trailer.
2