Tie Down Laws For Snowmobiles

[FreezerBurnt]

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

[philyz]

No??? please tell!!

[Icerider]

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.

[MUSKOKA800]

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

[FishHog]

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

[flyin-lowe]

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.

[michahicks]

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

[steve6]

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

[Phroziac]

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!)

[Pepsi_fuzz]

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.