Suedehead:
I still cant fathom out how they tie off the ropes on bar, as opposed to rope hooks
I can do it, and indeed taught my drivers at Toray the method because our demount bodies had no hooks only ringbolts set in the deck, but I couldn’t explain it. Also. although I have straps here now for my light trailer which has no hooks but corner bars, I have used it on that from time to time. I know it is not generally accepted by Australian drivers, but I am still of the mind that the UK way is best, if only because you do not have to either join ropes for really high loads or find a way to lose a long tail on really low ones.
Suedehead:
I still cant fathom out how they tie off the ropes on bar, as opposed to rope hooks
I can do it, and indeed taught my drivers at Toray the method because our demount bodies had no hooks only ringbolts set in the deck, but I couldn’t explain it. Also. although I have straps here now for my light trailer which has no hooks but corner bars, I have used it on that from time to time. I know it is not generally accepted by Australian drivers, but I am still of the mind that the UK way is best, if only because you do not have to either join ropes for really high loads or find a way to lose a long tail on really low ones.
David the highest a load can be ls 4.2 metres 14 foot 6inches including trailer height so with ropes the length SDU quoted are fine and loseing a bit extra isn’t really a problem, if its a drop deck then a set of ropes for that trailer stored in its own toolbox solves the problem, I can’t think of anything worse than wrestling with a wet 90 foot rope in your cab as I.m yet to see any UK trailers with a couple of decent tool boxes.
I shall retire now and await the broadside from the ■■■■■■■■ mob.
Suedehead:
I still cant fathom out how they tie off the ropes on bar, as opposed to rope hooks
I can do it, and indeed taught my drivers at Toray the method because our demount bodies had no hooks only ringbolts set in the deck, but I couldn’t explain it. Also. although I have straps here now for my light trailer which has no hooks but corner bars, I have used it on that from time to time. I know it is not generally accepted by Australian drivers, but I am still of the mind that the UK way is best, if only because you do not have to either join ropes for really high loads or find a way to lose a long tail on really low ones.
David the highest a load can be ls 4.2 metres 14 foot 6inches including trailer height so with ropes the length SDU quoted are fine and loseing a bit extra isn’t really a problem, if its a drop deck then a set of ropes for that trailer stored in its own toolbox solves the problem, I can’t think of anything worse than wrestling with a wet 90 foot rope in your cab as I.m yet to see any UK trailers with a couple of decent tool boxes.
I shall retire now and await the broadside from the ■■■■■■■■ mob.
Dig
Take your points Dig and SDU, but of course you don’t throw the whole 90 feet over , only enough to reach the other side and back. It must be over 50 years since I had any ropes, wet or otherwise, in the cab as I was very early into sided trays on the chassis for all that stuff or even hooks on the back of the cab to hang them on. Unless you were in the habit of always having the same trailer you wouldn’t want your valuable and very well looked after ropes disappearing in a trailer toolbox.
The biggest plus for the Aussie system is that you can have all your dollies down one side, the side away from the traffic, if you have to stop and check/tighten them. Also less walking about back and forth, but then if you spend most of your working day sitting behind the wheel a bit of exercise does not come amiss perhaps?
David, many years ago an older co-worker asked me why I anchored on the passenger side. I replied because I was pulling against the camber of the road. He was happy with my reason, saying it wasn’t wrong if I had a reason. He prefered the opposite way as any retensioning placed him out of the traffic.
Star down under.:
David, many years ago an older co-worker asked me why I anchored on the passenger side. I replied because I was pulling against the camber of the road. He was happy with my reason, saying it wasn’t wrong if I had a reason. He prefered the opposite way as any retensioning placed him out of the traffic.
I was always uncomfortable with the often advised method of using the foot in a bight with the loose end over the shoulder to tighten a dolly, even though I admitted it banished the occasional fall backwards should the dolly slip or the rope break, so I never used it. Another good reason for staying away from the traffic, if you are pulling hard with all your weight and something slips you are not only risking injury to back or head in a fall but also could be literally throwing yourself under a bus.
Eddie Heaton:
It’s what they call the Australian hitch suedehead , or at least that’s what I call it . It’s been discussed on here before , but I’m unable to recall the title of the thread .
We were often obliged to use it on many of the Irish Sea Ferry Lancashire flats that came into Garston dock in the 70s , as the majority of them were almost totally bereft of rope hooks , although a number were equipped with the horizontal bar .
You’ll find several videos explaining how it all works on YouTube , although I’m afraid I don’t possess the technical ability to post links .
Bear in mind we use multiple, shorter ropes rather than three miles of rope. Each 9~12 metre rope will cross the load only once. youtu.be/IxOWV4iLtQ4
Note, the rope in the demonstration is not suitable for load restraint and the first method used is likely to end up with a permanent loop in the rope. The second method is correct.
If restraining a low load, a bight can be passed under the tie rail to tie the hitch, then another hitch tied with the tail. This doubles the force of restraint and uses excessive rope.
Thanks for clearing that up. That was the bit that i could not comprehend, ie how you tied it off on a bar. Didnt realise you used multiple lengths of shorter rope. Thanks for the info
Just a foot note to our method of tarping but also just as important with our tie rails off the combing means we can chain as well as rope or strap off them too, there is a knack of course the chain has to be passed around and under the tie rail where it is welded to the cross runners or triangle the chain around two runners. Chaining in between the runners straight off the tubing will result in bending the the tubing not a good look.
The two photos which I have shown before but they do illustrate our method of doing both.
Before any comments how the tarp docent reach the combing and would let water in they were actually put on at the freight owners request to restrict the direct sunlight from shining on the rolls of roof insulation.
The trailer leaning in the sun shows how the chains have held the load which was around 30 tons of oil field pipe without it moving.
A double click will explode the pics a tad.
Did the Fruhauf survive, Dig?
I had a Fruhauf Super Hefty, ya couldn’t kill it with a big stick. Couldn’t say the same about my Freighter, but it was a heap lighter, even with 3 way container pins.
Yes it survived ok, the rig walked a Cat loader 30kms to me we unloaded pulled it out I had a look around it had twisted the frame slightly the skid plate wasn’t touching the the dolly turntable about and inch on the off side so we loaded about 2/3s of the load on the drivers side and by the time I got to the rig it was pretty well straight again.
Our workshop lads during the wet that year fitted 7 inch RSH channel combing rails to the 3 we had they never twisted again.
Heres two of them carting our D7s the third is a Hallmark to Queensland ,Quilpie as I recall across the top early the following year. bit of a test run .
Interesting pics Dig, I think you were very wise to chain low as you did, any attempt to go right over the top might have had a different outcome. I never did any chaining in Australia but I think that if I had to I would have been nervous of trusting to welds as you did. In England I always changed right round under the chassis as I know of some who had chained to rope hooks and regretted it. Of course, under the chassis has its own problems, you are restircted to free areas which makes securing over 5th wheel and bogies a problem or impossible.
Well as one or two commented on that pic on Facebook ’ we were not bothered what it looked like, we just wanted to chuck the sheet over and get in the cab out of the rain!
Well as one or two commented on that pic on Facebook ’ we were not bothered what it looked like, we just wanted to chuck the sheet over and get in the cab out of the rain!
Pete.
I would have told anyone who asked that it was an abnormal load and it was a helluva job to sheet round all those projections.
Whoever the photographer was John he sure scored a “hat trick” with that shot Talk about a disgusting shower and obviously whoever the drivers (or Shunters) were who S & R 'd those loads were very defo in the wrong job and for what it’s worth it’s quicker and easier to do a decent job than a “Cowboy lash up” one and it’s no excuse to harp on about getting back into the cab a few minutes quicker. Shots like that just gave the industry a continuing bad name in the day ! Cheers Bewick.
You’re a hard task master, Dennis. If I’d been there, in that weather, I’d be inside, having a tantrum and refusing to go out!
Considering my sooky attitude, under the circumstances, as long as it keeps the freight dry, it’s okay with me.
