How do you chain down YOUR tractor?

[GreenYellow]

I have to haul my tractor pretty often to maintain my inlaws' place and others. I have never really liked any of the options for chaining it down. I would like to stay off the lift arms and bars, but there are just almost no options to attach to the tractor frame. I picked up some 3/8" steel U's a while back to weld on, but I can't even decide where to weld them on. I've tried chains and straps in a zillion different ways.
Show me what you do...

 

[oosik]

The one time I had to have my Kubota taken back to the dealer - they came with one of those tilting bed trucks.

The tractor was secured to the bed of the truck with a heavy chain & chain tightener at all four corners. The chains were wrapped around each axle and then attached to the bed rails of the truck. I think any other location for attachment on the tractor is likely to cause damage - i.e., the arms of the 3-point, any part of the steering mechanism etc.

 

[bcp]

In the front I would put rings on the side frame right behind the weight bracket, or on the front crosspiece the weight bracket bolts to.

In the rear, there is somewhere around the drawbar area to tie to, or mount a loop to.

Bruce

 

[GreenYellow]

Good news is, the front is easy. It already has holes that's are easy to deal with. No problem there. The rear is the problem... As I was driving to town just now, I was thinking I might put a ring or clevis in the drawbar hitch, and weld a ring in the floor of the trailer in the right spot. With a holesaw, I'd cut a 3" or 4" circle out of the deck and weld a ring/hook to the trailer frame there.
I almost always have the finish mower or brush hog on when I haul it. The mowers get in the way of trying to chain it down, but I'm not going to take them off. Just gotta work with them attached...
The drawbar thing may be the way to go...

 

[Ivan49]

I have hauled mine thousands of miles between where I use to live and here. I had a clevis that was a long type it was nothing but a piece of 3/8 metal that was bent with about an 8 to 10 inch long side and had an opening 2 inches in the middle. I think it came off a pull drag, I just it up to the draw bar and run a chain out to each side of the trailer and drove the tractor forward to tighten it. I had a loader on mine and I run a chain on each side of the loader frame to the tie down on my trailer. I then put binders on each chain front and back. I never had it move.

 

[bcp]

Some places don't like a single chain from one trailer side, through a loop or clevis, then to the other trailer side. If one point fails, that end is 100% loose.

You can make or buy something like this to put tie-downs in the floor if the rail isn't suitable.

Floor Chain Tiedown - Chain Binder - Transport Chain

Accessories, Specialized

Bruce

 

[Ivan49]

My tie down point on my trailer were welded on at where it was made and they were appox 3/4 in dia rod made in to a D ring style. Many states you have to have 4 chains on what ever you are hauling. Mine was legal at the time but I don't know what the regs are now. I don't trust anything that is fastened on thru the wood deck only.

 

[bcp]

I agree, would never trust one fastened to the wood deck only.

The ones I posted weld to the inside of the frame rail or to a crossmember, not to the wood only.

Bruce

 

[BoylermanCT]

I welded 4 heavy duty D rings to the metal sides of the trailer, and I wrap chain through the D ring and wrap it around the axle where it meets the wheel. 4 chains, 4 wheels, each with ratchet binder makes a secure load.

 

[GreenYellow]

I agree. I would never trust the wood. I was talking about cutting a hole in it and welding a D ring to the crossmember. It's 3x3 angle, and every board is bolted through it. Plenty stout.

I really want something quick to hook/unhook.

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[bdog]

Here is how I welded a couple grab hooks on the front of my backhoe. The rear has good attachment points on each side.

Everything I haul frequently I have chains cut to the exact length needed usually only 4-5' long so they are not as bulky and are easier to work with. I can chain stuff down in a hurry for sure.

Going from the four corners out is best but I do have a trailer that I haul two kubota RTV's on and they are so close together and near the ends of the trailer so there is no room to go from the corners out so I go from the corners in. There is a d ring on the trailer on each side positioned between the midpoints of the tires. I hook a chain on the frame of the RTV's behind the tires and run it two the d ring. Four chains on each one.

 

[bdog]

Also wanted to add per federal regs you must have at least 4 chains on anything over 10,000 lbs. On things less than 10k you are good with two chains on the federal level. Some states may be more restrictive but I don't know of any. If you have a small tractor like that and it is chained down good with two quality chains and binders I doubt you will catch any flack.

In your scenario I would probably put some small clevises in the front holes to run a chain through and a big clevis in the drawbar and run a chain through that. One thing the DOT likes to nail people on around here is attachments not being chained down. Anything that can be removed from the tractor like a loader bucket or a 3pt implement must be secured by law. The way you are tiring it down now may satisfy that because the chains look like they have the shredder secured.

 

[GreenYellow]

Thanks for all the info bdog.
Definitely nowhere close to 10k, but good info.
I got stopped by an AR state trooper last year coming back from deer camp with the tractor, shredder, blade, and fourwheeler on the trailer. He glanced at it when he walked by, but didn't give it much attention. I suspect he could have found an issue if he wanted to. He was more concerned about my 65mph in a 55.
(Downhill with a load... You know, makes the uphill easier. He didn't care. )

That may be a good idea too, to cut a couple chains the right length. If it takes more than 5 min to load up/tie down, I don't like it. I think short chains would be nice. Only takes me a couple minutes now, but I'm not satisfied with the method.
I'll pick up a couple more clevis too.
(What's the plural of clevis? Clevises? Clevii? Lol)

Thanks again!

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[jenkinsph]

I added some flat bar plates with holes large enough for the 5/16" hooks to pass through on my tractor front end. One each side in the front. See picture.

On the rear I remove the drawbar and run a chain through the drawbar hanger from each side.

In all cases I use two chain pockets on the trailer for each chain which makes a v in the chain attaching points. You want to make sure the chains are pulling against each other with no possibility of sliding side to side or front to back.

 

[GreenYellow]

I added some flat bar plates with holes large enough for the 5/16" hooks to pass through on my tractor front end. One each side in the front. See picture. On the rear I remove the drawbar and run a chain through the drawbar hanger from each side. In all cases I use two chain pockets on the trailer for each chain which makes a v in the chain attaching points. You want to make sure the chains are pulling against each other with no possibility of sliding side to side or front to back.

Looks good! I like it. Definitely an idea.

 

[GreenYellow]

Unrelated -- got home to unload tractor and realized somebody stole my trailer ramps while i was at Walmart... They slide into rails on the side of the trailer with pins in them. I considered locks in them -- too cumbersome. See where that got me. Had to back into a ditch to unload tractor. Looks like a night of welding next week...

 

[BoylermanCT]

One other thing to check on your load, after securing everything with chains is the nut holding the ball to your hitch. Two years ago I drove 5 hours from CT to PA to pick up my tractor from an auction. Loaded it up and secured it properly. Made it home to CT without issue. As I backed the tractor off the trailer, the trailer popped off the truck. We looked, and the nut holding the ball to the hitch had disappeared at some point on the way home! I had a guardian angel that trip. We were concerned about the tongue weight, as the trailer was short, and we could not adjust the tractor back more to lighten the tongue weight. It was the heavy tongue weight that kept the trailer hooked to the truck. So after securing the load, double check the hitch ball!

 

[GreenYellow]

One other thing to check on your load, after securing everything with chains is the nut holding the ball to your hitch. Two years ago I drove 5 hours from CT to PA to pick up my tractor from an auction. Loaded it up and secured it properly. Made it home to CT without issue. As I backed the tractor off the trailer, the trailer popped off the truck. We looked, and the nut holding the ball to the hitch had disappeared at some point on the way home! I had a guardian angel that trip. We were concerned about the tongue weight, as the trailer was short, and we could not adjust the tractor back more to lighten the tongue weight. It was the heavy tongue weight that kept the trailer hooked to the truck. So after securing the load, double check the hitch ball!

Geez! Scary!
I use a ball mount that has 3 different size balls so I don't have to worry about carrying around all 3 separately. They're welded all as one piece, so that's unlikely.

However, a couple of years ago, I was taking the ball mount out of the receiver and the cotter pin that holds the hitch pin was missing. The hitch pin was just there... Could have easily vibrated out and pulled the whole ball mount out of the receiver. Found this after a 300 mile trip with 3 fourwheelers and 2 dirtbikes on the trailer. Scared the crap out of me. I still have no idea what happened to the cotter pin. I suspect the constant pull from the heavy trailer is the only thing that kept the hitch pin from moving.

It's the stuff you don't expect...

 

[bdog]

I have had trailer balls come loose before and now I tighten them all up with a 1" impact and then tack weld the nut so they can't come loose.

 

[fredflintstone]

I use 4 10,000 lb straps to 4 corners must try to put straps to hold any bucket or implement as whell as the tractor my 20'
trailer has 4 Dhooks per side pluse rub rail with stake pockets so can normaly find a spot, on the rear of the tractor I use the ROPs mt at the axel to hook up
leave tractor in gear with brake on. think it would take something pretty radical to take my 5000 lb tractor off the trailer. and I tow mine alot