I had a seminar for work tonight

It was on tie downs pertaining to the automotive industry

Anyway, do you know the laws of how to LEGALLY tie down a sled on a trailer or truck bed

In Canada

Interesting to say the least

No??? please tell!!

Not a clue, I just use the front bracket that came with the trailer and one tie down on the back around the rear bumper. Please let use know how it is supposed to be done.

Come-on Freezer.
Dont' keep us in suspence. :confused:

I'm not aware of any specific laws outlining the exact method. I would bet the law would say that the load must be secure. If anything happens and something fall of your vehicle, then obviously it wasn't secure and you most likely will be charged.

In typical government laws, they are left very none specific. As in they don't tell you exactly how to do something, just that it must be done. If they provide specifics, then they can be liable if it wasn't good enough.

example: Occupational Health and Safety Act. "the employer must take every precaution reasonable to protect the health and safety of its workers".

Pretty vague (intentionally so). If an employee gets hurt, then you obviously didn't take every precaution reasonable - Here's your fine.

FishHog

Here is what I have for IN, it is pretty specific to "round" items. Also for open trailers. I know there are Commercial Vehicle laws that should be the same nation wide that dictate how semi tailers and commercial vehicles are loaded. Anything ten foot or longer has to have a chain every three feet. But it looks like according to Indiana law if your sled is not over ten foot long you can secure it how you see fit.
I am sure that every state is different.
IC 9-20-18-14
Loads not securely fastened; Class C infraction
Sec. 14. (a) This section does not apply to a vehicle that has sides that extend above the load unless the load is not safely secured.
(b) A person who operates or permits the operation of a vehicle:
(1) on which:
(A) logs, lumber, pipe, poles, tanks, boilers, or similar objects are carried and not securely fastened by:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) metal chains;
(ii) wire cables;
(iii) steel strapping; or
(iv) logistic webbing of synthetic fibers;
identified as to strength and equipped with compatible hardware, that are of sufficient strength to hold the load in place under ordinary traffic or road conditions; and
(B) a load or part of a load more than ten (10) feet in length is not fastened by at least three (3) of the devices listed under subdivision (1), one (1) of which must be near each end and the other at the approximate center of the load; and
(2) on a public street or highway;
commits a Class C infraction.
As added by P.L.2-1991, SEC.8.

Please don't crucify me if I'm wrong, but thinking there must be 2 tie downs minimum. 1 each, front/rear.

I use paper clips and duct tape to hold er down.

Common sense is usually good enough for the law. I highly doubt there are any laws anywhere telling exactly how to tie down a sled.


I usually only ever see them with the bar going through the ski loops. However, what's going to happen to the back of the sled if you hit a big bump? It's going to bounce, and it could damage something, especially if it's next to another sled. A tiedown on the back is a pretty good idea.

You just want it to be secure, so it won't fall off. In addition, those straps that you pull on to tighten (instead of the ratchet type) won't really tighten up well with something heavy and big like a sled...they work better with things like dirtbikes, where the load can move around a bit when you tighten it up. If they aren't tight and the load moves, these straps are usually a thin enough webbing that they can break, which can cause the load to come unsecured.

I don't have a sled specific trailer, it's one of those utility trailers. I use a strap through the loops to the front posts, and one over the back. And I use the straps I just said not to use. (What a hippocrate!)

I just use my parking brake, lol. J/K. I don't have a means to transport it anywhere, I simply drive where I go on the snowmobile itself. Saves time, hassle, and the sport is too expensive to lug it somewhere to use anyway. I do have exceptions for this, of course.

That's completely true about the Occupational Health and Safety Act. We recently had a course on that at work. It does get more specific depending on what area of work, however that's where the employer stands. Not only that, it goes up the whole chain. If you get injured at work and there's a supervisor above you, they didn't do their jobs right. If there's a manager above him, he didn't do his job right, if there's a manager above him who's in a different province, he didn't do his job right (he should have set a better policy to help avoid whatever happened). So there is a reason why your boss does less work than you and gets paid more, lol. It's the fact that if something does go wrong he/she has the stress of being liable.

Another example for you truck drivers out there, don't take crap from any places that ask you to block your own wheels. It is the forklift operators responsibility. This is primarily to help avoid pre-mature departure where someone might be moving on/off the trailor/truck. The forklift operator is not going to remove the blocks knowing that they will be liable for their own mistakes. If they removed the blocks, it's at their own risk. They are also responsible for positioning the blocks in the first place for the same reasons.

You must have 4 tie down points



straps must be at a 45 angle

2 tie points in the back

and 2 tie points in the front UNLESS you have the clamp or front bar

The tie downs must be rated at greater then the sled weight

this mean all 4 must each have a weight bearing load exceed the weight of the sled

The MTO will be cracking down on this

by 2010 no more S hooks

same goes for the sled in a box must be tied in four places

Wow eh thanks for the info ....


Rick

FB, are these regs online so we can down load the "official" version?

by 2010 no more S hooks[/b]

No more s hooks on the trailer to car/truck from the trailer? In southern ontario I know they have already been cracking down on that for years.

No more s hooks on the trailer to car/truck from the trailer? In southern ontario I know they have already been cracking down on that for years.[/b]

S hooks are not good. I run into the MTO often over the summer period. They state as freezerburnt said that each tie down must be rated for more than the vehicle weight, and must be tied down by four points. This is to insure that the load is in the safest mode for a possible rollover, they want the load to stay in the vehicle or trailer if at all possible if it does turn over and four straps will do better than two.
Also, the trailer safety chains to hitch bar must be hooked by a closing hook, again no "S" hooks, they really come down hard on this. Don't forget to cross them as well so if the ball clamp fails the crossed chains will most likely hold the tongue in a up postion and will also help in keeping the tongue from sliding under the rear of your vehicle until you can safely stop.This actually happened to me at slow speed with a work trailer and it saved me big time. Hope this helps some that don't know the most common rules of trailering!

Open rear door on trailer drive sleds in till ski's are at the front of the trailer, apply parking brake and close rear door. Back of track sits in cut out area of door and can't move sideways, close door sled can't go back or forward.

All these years and your telling me this is incorrect ?

Shame on me

I like the idea of something better than an S hook, however something better than an S hook is hard to find. Typically, if I do have to tie something down, I literally tie it down. Knots. No S hooks, nothing, just rope. Heavy duty rope that I could hang the machine off of, but just normal rope. If you tie the knot properly, it will tighten under a load, not loosen, and still comes undone easily with the right technique.

I would buy something better, such as a closed hook, but it's still held on typically with knots anyway, and it's not easy to find an affordable kit for tying something down. It's so much cheaper just to buy a few rope, and use the cave-man-style technique. They'll have to start making kits readily available if they plan on imposing any laws. Right now, what's been mentioned, is simply a suggestion, not law.

This is very interesting! I guess we won"t be able to use the ratchet type straps sold at crappy tire,Home depot or any other big box outlet pretty soon. We"ll if this is the case I"ll sew on some tags on the ones I have and continue using them as I always have. As long as they aren"t frayed and the ratchets have been secured they can kiss my A$$. I deal with the Nazi DOT at the scales checking when I had my last crap and nobody"s going to try and pull a fast ( gimme your money) one on me for an insecure load for my quads or sleds. Another BS money grab!!!!!

This is very interesting! I guess we won"t be able to use the ratchet type straps sold at crappy tire,Home depot or any other big box outlet pretty soon. We"ll if this is the case I"ll sew on some tags on the ones I have and continue using them as I always have. As long as they aren"t frayed and the ratchets have been secured they can kiss my A$$. I deal with the Nazi DOT at the scales checking when I had my last crap and nobody"s going to try and pull a fast ( gimme your money) one on me for an insecure load for my quads or sleds. Another BS money grab!!!!![/b]

Yup non of them sell "legal" ones as of yet

Only legal ones sold are made by Kinedyne That "I" know of(might be others)

What happened is that these rules were for commercial trucks,vans,tractor trailers etc

BUT the MTO and other transportation departements decided what is good for the goose is good for the gander

you know the sad part I bought new ratchet straps and cut the tags OOPS like pillow tags they annoy me

Well those tags are there for a reason,to tell the law what the straps are rated at

by 2010 you will need snap hooks

Until I get a ticket I'll continue to use one or two straps (with s-hooks) going from the A-arm to the headache rack. Been doing it that way forever, and I've never lost the sled out of the truck yet.
Of course I've never rolled my truck either.

What the MTO should be looking after is a common sense way to get the ice build up off tractor trailer tops which result in flying mortars and damage more property than anything else on the winter highway.

Last week I saw 4 vehicles on the 401 that had their windshields taken out plus what other damages by flying ice off trailers and 1 on the 407. The truck on the 407 that got damaged managed to pull the guy over. They should have areas set up so they can clean off the rooftops and anyone not compling should get fined. I wonder how many clowns lose a mattress off their vehicle also. Ladders and the list goes on and on. I can"t recall someone losing a sled or quad unlss they were in an accident.

What the MTO should be looking after is a common sense way to get the ice build up off tractor trailer tops which result in flying mortars and damage more property than anything else on the winter highway.[/b]
You Can be my guest and climb the thirteen feet to the top of my trailer for me it the dark every morning it snows. And let me know how you made out with that. :dazed: :dazed: !!! !!!

Another thing they will have trouble with, are once people start buying straps with snap hooks you watch and see what they will be actually hooked to on the trailer. I don't have any way to hook a snap hook to mine. And I'll bet you I can't afford a new trailer anytime soon either. I bet you'll se tie down rings screwed to plywood floors with drywall screws and the like to say that they are using the snap hooks. :crazy:

You Can be my guest and climb the thirteen feet to the top of my trailer for me it the dark every morning it snows. And let me know how you made out with that. :dazed: :dazed: !!! !!![/b]

You may note I said common sense. Besides in is ilegal for you to climb up there any time except on your property or in a safe environment (not the side of a route). I wasn't taking a poke at truckers I was simply stating a fact

You may note I said common sense. Besides in is ilegal for you to climb up there any time except on your property or in a safe environment (not the side of a route). I wasn't taking a poke at truckers I was simply stating a fact[/b]

true at least in Ontario

to climb a ladder or whatever that exceeds 10feet you need a fall harness

+ the tops of trailers are sometine thin fiberglass that will not support any weight

if you have ice up there,you can not pund on it neither

The laws in the U.S ,and Canada are going through changes all the time . Every time something bad happens the law gets challenged. I hauled a Volvo 300 rock truck the other day that wieghed in at 56,000 lbs. On a tandam 48 ft. double drop trailler. I scaled out at 91,600 lbs. gross. The law is as long as I have D.O.T rated chains , and binders I must have 68% to 70% of load wieght held from the rear, to stop load shifting forward. You will find it is easier to out brake a load then out accelerate it. Although it happens sometimes. I remember watching Sled Ed on this topic. He unloaded his machine really quick by turning his pick-up real fast with no straps on it. It flew out. LMAO.

I also hauled loads of lumber years ago, and all the lumber yards have over head safty cable systems . If you had to go on the load, you had to park under this contraption, and harness up. As for the ice build up , when I hauled van traillers this was a huge issue, there is no real good system for a fiberglass top. You climb on you going through. LoL. The bigger outfits have an overhead beam that is set for about 13 ft. 8 inches. To take some snow off , but it is no good for ice that is an inch thick. So i'm not sure if there will ever be a good way to fix this problem.

You can't stand up on one of those things? Wait, are we talking civilian trailors or tractor trailors? At my place of work, we have a guy who is responsible for the refers, and when there's a buildup on the roof of the trailors it is his job to climb up there and clean them off. He uses a normal ladder, climbs up, and shovels the roof of the trailors off the same as if he were clearing his driveway (except he doesn't have to pack to snow on a bank). So if the roof can't hold someone's weight, someone forgot to tell him.

You can't stand up on one of those things? Wait, are we talking civilian trailors or tractor trailors? At my place of work, we have a guy who is responsible for the refers, and when there's a buildup on the roof of the trailors it is his job to climb up there and clean them off. He uses a normal ladder, climbs up, and shovels the roof of the trailors off the same as if he were clearing his driveway (except he doesn't have to pack to snow on a bank). So if the roof can't hold someone's weight, someone forgot to tell him.[/b]

They're referring to the translucent roofs that allow light to shine through.
The aluminum skinned roofs are way too slippery for anyone to be safely walking on.
Unless they're tied off and wearing a fall arrest harness working under a platform as mentioned.

The guy that gets told by your boss to climb up on the roof to shovel them off must have suction cup feet. LOL

I know it's a problem. I was on the road for 10 years and I really can't see what the answer is.
The radio has been playing commercials lately telling people that the law states it's their responsibility to ensure they don't have a snow or ice buildup. However, you can't see a sheet ice covering from the ground and you can't under the Occupational Health And Safety Laws climb a ladder to inspect the trailer's roof and even if you did, you couldn't safely climb up there to remove snow or ice. A platform at a trucking companies yard could enable a driver to do this safely. However, what about the trailer they just picked up at a customer that has been sitting at a dock or in a yard for days or sometimes weeks. Can't get that trailer down to the yard without the extra unwanted cargo. And what about the driver that just had to comply with the hours of service legislation and has sat for 8 hours or one that has sat for days waiting for roads to be opened again after a major snowstorm. How are they going to get their roof cleaned off.

Jeff