Low Loader advice , please

[own_account_driver]

What’s the deal these days with excavator booms. I remember a fatal where one swang out because of a hydraulic failure. I see a lot of JCB type machines where the backhoe is extended but not secured do they have some sort of locking in the central position? I haven’t moved one myself for a long time.

It can be quite easy work with things like cherry pickers or anything that has decent sized rubber wheels and large strong lashing eyes welded on. The problems come with the machines/plant that are either difficult to load, difficult to secure effectively or both.

My tip would be unless you are 100% on how to operate a machine if there’s operator on site make sure you get them give you the low down on it.

I haven’t seen them on for a while but a poster called 8 wheels did an extensive guide to this type of work.

[ian58]

Own Account Driver:
I haven’t seen them on for a while but a poster called 8 wheels did an extensive guide to this type of work.

8-wheels-toolbox.blogspot.co.uk/

[constantine]

8 wheels about still speak to him everyday he’s the one who got me involved in this game.

Really helpful with questions if he believes your genuinely committed to doing it properly bit like most old skool drivers on here.

Best job I’ve ever had since I’ve got with a decent company, have worked for a good national plant hire firm and a really ■■■■ local haulage contracting firm that done “plant haulage movements contracting” mainly, but they gave me the chance to get 6 months experience on semi’s and I’ve gone from there on my own back.

So you CAN do this too!

Passed my Class 1 in Oct 2013 and only ever driven semi loaders since.

You’ve never said whether you got previous experience in plant I started on 6x2 rigids and jumped straight into class 1 from there with only 6 months plant experience.

What kind of advice you looking for bud in general or more specific?

C

[constantine]

Loads of great advice here so far from all on here…

2 things that sometimes get overlooked by some people in the game…have a look at highway bridges A roads and Motorways you’ll see boom clashes on the lower bridges to others where people think they’re not over height!!!

Your height…at an old company I worked for was moving agricultural plant, a sprayer to be accurate measured by TAPE 16’ 4" (16’2 measured and added 2" for safety factor…the irony) going through a village and ripped down 3 power lines crossing road, as he went along only realised when pulled over by local residents.
Everyone thought 16’ 6" the tolerance…appears power cables have no obvious legislative minimum height WHEREAS telephone wires do and should be above 17’ crossing highways and believe its being increased higher as we speak in upgrade of line work.
None of us who I’ve talked to in the game that I know has ever found a minimum height for electrical lines ironically…still wanna find this info.

And if you’re doing STGO or stuff under C+U regs make sure you know all your sizes and weights and your various requirements before you go on the road!!!

As a lot of companies are unscrupulous in this area of work, saying you have dispensations so the rules of STGO and C+U dont apply to you, whatever is convenient to the company at the time! (If they’re not genuine “proper” heavy haulage e.g. ALE et al etc. just because you put heavy haulage on the livery does not mean you actually are in reality).
Had a few companies try this personally with me, ask for a printed copy of dispensation (as i think you’re supposed to carry one in case you get stopped, bit like carrying your STGO movement order at all times with the load in question) that then stops this bullzb in it tracks usually and makes people concentrate that you gotta do it properly if you want to move it!!!

C

[drift]

We do own account work and I drive a 26t moving flt’s and we only use straps, rated 5t mostly but for anything bigger I have a few 10t rated straps and ratchet sets.
Our three articulated wagons have curtains and those lazy gits have straps all over the place, I like mine clean and tied off neat and no damaged at all, any cuts and it’s either cut down or binned, it helps to have some cut short to save tying long straps off.
You can’t have too many straps/chains, and as mentioned above look out for bits that can fly off the gear your moving.like forks
That link above of 8wheels is spot on

[constantine]

puntabrava:
Main thing is to be a calm individual, able to take no notice of traffic you are causing to do things they do not like, able to think that nothing is as important as you and your load/loading. If you have no experience you have obviously told the employers this and make it known you would like a fair bit of tying down education as others here have said.

This is such brilliant bit of advice, as is ex.heavy.haulage’s advice too!!!

If you wish to do this type of work, this is the mantra to follow, it makes the day and job go so easy, you may appear arrogant to others and the public, but do follow it to the T, be polite always and efficient as possible and it’ll go as quick as physically possible, never quick enough for others, but ■■■■ em they’re not doing it physically YOU are.

One local haulage company that newly specialized in moving plant said we only had 20 mins to unload/load from one bit of plant to a few all bullzb, any longer and the managing director was dogging you all day that you had lost them loads of money.

In the end something like this happens, when you rush on knackered unroadworthy old gear at an auction house and a brake seizes on one side!!!

Boom, that resulted in me having a wake up call and realising I had to leave, a couple months later I did, before they killed me or mine and their clashing actions resulted in us killing an innocent party!

[constantine]

Own Account Driver:
It can be quite easy work with things like cherry pickers or anything that has decent sized rubber wheels and large strong lashing eyes welded on. The problems come with the machines/plant that are either difficult to load, difficult to secure effectively or both.

My tip would be unless you are 100% on how to operate a machine if there’s operator on site make sure you get them give you the low down on it.

I haven’t seen them on for a while but a poster called 8 wheels did an extensive guide to this type of work.

Like everything in life its easy once you understand the logic and never be afraid of questioning anything and triple checking stuff.

Remember none of us will ever know all the answers so you are always learning in this game of plant haulage.

This was some of the gear I moved in my first six months on semi low loaders, got loads of the usual gear but this was some of the more bizarre and some typical gear we carried.

C

[drift]

This was a pain in the rear to get on mine, bald tyres and damp ramp with nothing on the rear to winch it on with, had to go forward

And in a rush I loaded this, Then measured the mast… 17ft on the bed, all that work and had to take it off
and yes I did turn the clamp around.

Oh the joys, love it really

[constantine]

Drift,

Love it dude, some good pics there. Never moved a FLT yet, they just look horrid to load, my hat goes off to all of you boys low’s or rigids who move them. Proper nightmare stuff I imagine!

Yeah been there and done that, had one really recently loaded a long reach and a sliding arm both going to Bristol for auction, first loaded long reach against swan neck/head board (whatever you like to call them) after sliding arm was on the upper deck, obviously, minimum height 17’ 7"

End product below finished at 15’ 11" after much juggling and checking height 8 times in different places too

But man, was she an interesting beast to run down to Bristol with. Moving it that far forward to have the maximum overhang at rear without requiring an ■■■■■■ or attendant, really did affect the handling!

However with this crew nothing is a rush, so run it down there efficiently and safely and come home within the day too

[drift]

I often move reach and flt’s with high masts and with my bed at 4` but the office think it’s 4’2" shhh I always measure 3 times, paranoid but bridge free

You have some challenges there, to be honest that’s what I love, one minute I am delivering 200 yards from our yard then the same afternoon I could be 6 hours away in Haverfordwest like what happened Monday, love the variety. Though weekdays andnights are wwritten off

[rikki-uk]

my advice is simple… stop and ask, talk to the guys who have done the job before. never be afraid to ask for help, and if your in over your head don’t just struggle through. STGO is one of the few areas where egos don’t count, I was tutored/mentored by some of the legends in the industry but if they got a trailer type they hadn’t pulled before and I had they came and talked to me and asked how to best use it.

The best word in STGO is “STOP” … don’t do anything or go anywhere unless you are 100% confident in yourself, don’t listen to any one else or let them persuade you.

The top end of STGO is a very small world , its a job where you can travel the world at the companies expense , but it is based on reputation , if your not willing to start at the bottom again , even with 20 years experience of driving trucks, then your STGO experience will be limited to bumbling up the M6 , Right attitude and you might find yourself working all over the place.

[constantine]

Dan Punchard:
It’s not just strapping on ,it’s all the bits that arnt used to traveling backwards like roof kits ,and mirrors that the arms are seized up so won’t fold in air horns and beacons hitting trees ,windows falling or blowing out of old machines ect .

Awesome bit of advice.

Last 25t Long Reach Excavtor I moved last month, checked padlock on cage locked and secure yep all good…Started driving down first section of single carriageway A road at about 35mph, had a call from ■■■■■■ at rear to stop, stop, stop. Cab door protection cover had blown out of the cab cover cage…it’d sheared the hinges clean off. Luckily he was quite a way back, saw it happening, slowed traffic down behind and pulled to a stop short of the cover, picked it up and put it in the van, noone hurt but we was very lucky that day! A stray gust and that could of strayed into oncoming traffic causing an accident. Next layby pulled over put cover back in and two straps over the cage. I’ll let you guess what my procedure is now with cover cages!

Mirror arms - Bane of everyone’s lile on plant, life on the tracked dumpers especially the 27t ones are a ■■■■■■■ nightmare to move and get too!

Beacons reckon i’ve destroyed 3 in my life so far…through to not spotting them or just leaving them on thinking they would be low enough until getting to site and oh yay lots of low branches! Loads more to come if I rest on my laurels, so I don’t, they ain’t cheap!

Windows falling out on old machines - worse one stopped on M4 services for the toilet and noticed glass on the upper deck while quickly checking chains were all ok. Noticed a bloody pane of glass just sitting there! Cracked to buggery but laminated so all in one piece! Reckoned it happened on M25, when a car cut me up trying to undertake a lane off traffic and the suddenly slamming its brakes on, causing me to break harder than normal .

R.G - Mate you are going to get a lot of good advice from loads of decent blokes on here that should prevent you from having to live these mistakes I hope you do well on Sat and further on in the job itself!

I’ll say this plant delivering lorries tend to be the most friendliest/helpful drivers on the road, especially between low loaders always getting waves/salutes and waving back from random firms (and other types of lorries in plant too from 7.5t to 8 wheelers ) that aren’t anywhere close to our base.

Usually if you have a query/concern and ask a fellow plant driver they’ll usually have a good bit of advice you’ve never thought about. In all my limited experience in haulage its the best sector I’ve had the pleasure of working in yet…and I chose to be a driver after a career change.

Finally Rikki’s 110% right

Rikki-UK:
The best word in STGO is “STOP” … don’t do anything or go anywhere unless you are 100% confident in yourself, don’t listen to any one else or let them persuade you.

The top end of STGO is a very small world , its a job where you can travel the world at the companies expense , but it is based on reputation , if your not willing to start at the bottom again , even with 20 years experience of driving trucks, then your STGO experience will be limited to bumbling up the M6 , Right attitude and you might find yourself working all over the place.

Whatever STGO Cat 1, 2 or 3 that you pull, treat every load responsibly and properly from “bumbling up the M6” to driving through to the Higways of Dubai etc. Keep the right attitude and everyone gets to go home properly everyday.

I’ve done a bit of travelling with my original career, so travelling the world with lorries don’t interest me personally at all, but if it does you…nows the time to work towards it and get earning every bit of experience you can!!! Do everything properly and be professional no matter what you do, you’ll be suprised how easy it is to be identified and noticed by others doing that in this game!

C

[rikki-uk]

Keep the right attitude and everyone gets to go home properly everyday.

I think me and Constatine are talking at a level above where you are now. but it is somewhere you could go, if you have the right attitude. but the important thing he said and I cannot stress this enough, you will be working as team and getting home in one piece , all of you, is the one overriding factor, start it now with the attitude that if you are not happy 100% for what ever reason the load doesn’t move, you are not moving a load of bog rolls … you drop 44 pallets of bog rolls all over the M1 your going to ■■■■ off a lot of motorists , drop an 80 tonne casting you will be front page news on the BBC website.

[toddy2]

Constantine:

Own Account Driver:
It can be quite easy work with things like cherry pickers or anything that has decent sized rubber wheels and large strong lashing eyes welded on. The problems come with the machines/plant that are either difficult to load, difficult to secure effectively or both.

My tip would be unless you are 100% on how to operate a machine if there’s operator on site make sure you get them give you the low down on it.

I haven’t seen them on for a while but a poster called 8 wheels did an extensive guide to this type of work.

Like everything in life its easy once you understand the logic and never be afraid of questioning anything and triple checking stuff.

Remember none of us will ever know all the answers so you are always learning in this game of plant haulage.

This was some of the gear I moved in my first six months on semi low loaders, got loads of the usual gear but this was some of the more bizarre and some typical gear we carried.

C

thought I recognized that lorry - last time I drove it we had to squeeze as many machines on as possible - here we have 7 items loaded

[toddy2]

Here is another view
as you can see - it is crammed on
Always take your time to work out how you are going to load it, pace it out & think about your weight distribution,
Better to take a bit of time thinking about it, than have to keep unloading & re-loading to make it fit

And as others have said - you can’t have too many straps & chains,
another half an hour securing is still a lot less time than trying to pick something up that fell off

[danalex84]

Constantine:

puntabrava:
Main thing is to be a calm individual, able to take no notice of traffic you are causing to do things they do not like, able to think that nothing is as important as you and your load/loading. If you have no experience you have obviously told the employers this and make it known you would like a fair bit of tying down education as others here have said.

This is such brilliant bit of advice, as is ex.heavy.haulage’s advice too!!!

If you wish to do this type of work, this is the mantra to follow, it makes the day and job go so easy, you may appear arrogant to others and the public, but do follow it to the T, be polite always and efficient as possible and it’ll go as quick as physically possible, never quick enough for others, but [zb] em they’re not doing it physically YOU are.

One local haulage company that newly specialized in moving plant said we only had 20 mins to unload/load from one bit of plant to a few all bullzb, any longer and the managing director was dogging you all day that you had lost them loads of money.

In the end something like this happens, when you rush on knackered unroadworthy old gear at an auction house and a brake seizes on one side!!!

Boom, that resulted in me having a wake up call and realising I had to leave, a couple months later I did, before they killed me or mine and their clashing actions resulted in us killing an innocent party!

Which auction was this at buddy?
My brother in law thinks he might have been there.

[constantine]

danalex84:
Which auction was this at buddy?
My brother in law thinks he might have been there.

Where’s your brother from/working as that is how’ll answer that [emoji23]

He certainly weren’t around when I unloaded it.

As it took 15 mins for first person to get to the scene and it took me 5 mins to get seatbelt off and out of cab but after 20 mins and loads of people taking photos of it for Facebook we stood it up and reloaded it for its final destination as it wasn’t destined for auction house but a customer…10 mins after it was stood back upright I drove it on again and secured and loaded the Mooroka I was collecting too for same customer. Secured everything and left.

Managing Director’s words shocked me at time you wanna accident report etc as I couldn’t get hold of my MD…Nah this happens every week with the ■■■■ we have here!!!

Worst thing that day was 2nd incident on M1 same day. Tried to resign over that one but that company at time wouldn’t let me go straight away [emoji22]

C

[constantine]

Toddy2:
thought I recognized that lorry - last time I drove it we had to squeeze as many machines on as possible - here we have 7 items loaded

0

When you drive for for glorious PLL…

Yep that photo sums up a typical day there…like the second pic with the front axle reaching for the sky…the old good days…NOT!!!

[emoji28]

[toddy2]

Constantine:

Toddy2:
thought I recognized that lorry - last time I drove it we had to squeeze as many machines on as possible - here we have 7 items loaded

0

When you drive for for glorious PLL…

Yep that photo sums up a typical day there…like the second pic with the front axle reaching for the sky…the old good days…NOT!!!

[emoji28]

Hi Constantine,
Phil Got his moneys worth on that job, he got that trailer from my neighbor round the corner when he sold his unit,
Last job I did for Phil I used my own motor

[grumps]

puntabrava:
Main thing is to be a calm individual, able to take no notice of traffic you are causing to do things they do not like, able to think that nothing is as important as you and your load/loading. If you have no experience you have obviously told the employers this and make it known you would like a fair bit of tying down education as others here have said.

I know a mutual pal who could show folks how to load a trailer to the max