Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/622612
I DA U N I V E R S A L J a n u a r y - Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 6 47 During loading • Do not operate or load equip- ment that you do not know how to operate, or operate safely. • When possible, place the equipment against a vehicle structure to help prevent forward movement – unless the weight distribution or securement considerations will not allow. • Be cautious when attaching securement devices over brake or hydraulic hoses or cylin- ders to avoid damage to those components. • Use edge protection to pre- vent damage to the tiedowns or to the equipment. • Whenever possible, use the equipment manufacturer's designated attachment points and follow the manufacturer's securement recommendations. • Do not use any attachment point that is of questionable strength or suitability. • Chain is the preferred tie- down for heavy equipment . • Use direct tiedowns when- ever possible, but keep in mind that direct tiedowns require the use of more tiedowns than when using indirect. • Use chocks, cradles, wedges, or other means placed against the wheels to prevent rolling of wheeled vehicles. ese devices need their own securement. After loading • Lower all accessory equip- ment and other movable parts such as hydraulic shovels, booms, plows, crane arms, etc., and secure them to the trans- port vehicle using tiedowns. Accessories equipped with locking pins or similar devices which prevent movement in any direction do not have to be secured with additional securement devices. • Hydraulics alone are not enough to secure accessory equipment. • If the equipment being transported has an articula- tion point, pivot, or hinge within its construction, lock or restrain the vehicle or equip- ment to prevent any articula- tion while in transit. • Accessories and other items that are not attached to the equipment must be secured to the transport vehicle follow- ing the general rules for cargo securement. • Confi rm the actual height and width of the vehicle. • Complete all required en- route securement inspections. Minimum tiedown requirements • If the loaded vehicle has crawler tracks or wheels, at least four tiedowns need to be used to prevent movement side-to-side, forward, rear- ward, and vertically. • An indirect tiedown routed through an anchor point and attached to both sides of the trailer is counted as a single tiedown. • A chain can be used as two tiedowns if properly attached to two anchor points using two binders, with slack in the middle of the chain, so that a break in the middle would not aff ect either tiedown. • e sum of the working load limits of the tiedowns must equal at least 50% of the weight of the cargo. If unsure of the cargo's weight, addition- al tiedowns may be needed. Attach tiedowns either: • As close as possible to the front and rear of the equip- ment, or • At the mounting points on the equipment designed for that purpose. Following good and compliant securement processes will "keep things in place" not only while moving equipment from place to place, but also during an accident or other extreme maneuver. As Flannery O'Connor famously penned in 1955, " e life you save may be your own!" ● www.equipmentworld.com 12/11/15