Some people may not have read about what happened to me in the past, so I'm posting this experience again just sort of a safety reminder. Anybody else use the 2" wide ratcheting tie downs? I've gotten into the habit of using two of the tie downs on the front of my tractor and two on the rear, and not using chains anymore. I figured since the tie downs said that they had a 10,000 pound capacity that two of them on each end of my tractor would be sufficient. Wrong!!!
While running about 50 mph up a 2 lane highway yesterday I had both front straps break after going over a dip in the road. When they snapped, one of them caught the electric brake plug and also broke it. The only way I knew that the straps broke was my tractor began to exit off of the rear of the trailer.
Now I also ask, have you ever been towing a load and have it become extremely tail heavy? Once the tractor moved to the rear on the trailer, the trailer immediately slung around my 1 ton 4X4 dually diesel Dodge like it was a toy! There are heavy black marks that go within 6" of being off of the left side of the highway (wrong lane) and then within 12" of going off of the right side of the highway. I literally was all over the road and almost completely sideways. Without trailer brakes, I absolutely had all I could handle and then some trying to get the whole shooting match stopped with the rubber side down!
After what seemed like an eternity, I luckily managed to get the truck and trailer stopped. I have no idea how I didn't lose the tractor off of the trailer and how I kept it out of the ditches on both sides of the highway. I was also extremely lucky that there was no oncoming traffic because I was all over the highway. I still can't believe how much the trailer flung an 8500 pound truck all over the road!
I still can't believe that the only actual damage I had (besides two broken tie down straps - which I promptly threw away) was a flat right rear trailer tire from sliding sideways with a heavy load. The trailer didn't get into my truck, the tractor stayed on the trailer, and the trailer didn't flip.
Anyway, I'm getting a larger trailer that will accomodate my tractor better and I'll never use straps to hold my tractor on a trailer again!!! Both straps broke in the middle. Not at the hook, and not at the ratchet. There was nothing rubbing against the straps where they broke. They just flat snapped. I'm using nothing but chains again!
I only mention this incident to hopefully prevent someone else from having a disaster happen because of (supposedly) strong tie down straps break. I consider myself extremely fortunate and I don't expect to have another "warning" about not using chains to tie my tractor down on my trailer. If you use straps, please reconsider and use chains. Before yesterday I would have thought you were nuts if you told me that my tractor could snap two straps and come off of the trailer when I'm just driving down the highway. I learned my lesson and really got off easy for my ignorance. Sorry to preach, but that could have been a complete disaster yesterday and I could have very easily have not only destroyed my tractor, but there is no way I could have presented my trailer from smashing into oncoming traffic on the highway.
While running about 50 mph up a 2 lane highway yesterday I had both front straps break after going over a dip in the road. When they snapped, one of them caught the electric brake plug and also broke it. The only way I knew that the straps broke was my tractor began to exit off of the rear of the trailer.
Now I also ask, have you ever been towing a load and have it become extremely tail heavy? Once the tractor moved to the rear on the trailer, the trailer immediately slung around my 1 ton 4X4 dually diesel Dodge like it was a toy! There are heavy black marks that go within 6" of being off of the left side of the highway (wrong lane) and then within 12" of going off of the right side of the highway. I literally was all over the road and almost completely sideways. Without trailer brakes, I absolutely had all I could handle and then some trying to get the whole shooting match stopped with the rubber side down!
After what seemed like an eternity, I luckily managed to get the truck and trailer stopped. I have no idea how I didn't lose the tractor off of the trailer and how I kept it out of the ditches on both sides of the highway. I was also extremely lucky that there was no oncoming traffic because I was all over the highway. I still can't believe how much the trailer flung an 8500 pound truck all over the road!
I still can't believe that the only actual damage I had (besides two broken tie down straps - which I promptly threw away) was a flat right rear trailer tire from sliding sideways with a heavy load. The trailer didn't get into my truck, the tractor stayed on the trailer, and the trailer didn't flip.
Anyway, I'm getting a larger trailer that will accomodate my tractor better and I'll never use straps to hold my tractor on a trailer again!!! Both straps broke in the middle. Not at the hook, and not at the ratchet. There was nothing rubbing against the straps where they broke. They just flat snapped. I'm using nothing but chains again!
I only mention this incident to hopefully prevent someone else from having a disaster happen because of (supposedly) strong tie down straps break. I consider myself extremely fortunate and I don't expect to have another "warning" about not using chains to tie my tractor down on my trailer. If you use straps, please reconsider and use chains. Before yesterday I would have thought you were nuts if you told me that my tractor could snap two straps and come off of the trailer when I'm just driving down the highway. I learned my lesson and really got off easy for my ignorance. Sorry to preach, but that could have been a complete disaster yesterday and I could have very easily have not only destroyed my tractor, but there is no way I could have presented my trailer from smashing into oncoming traffic on the highway.