From: EvMick@aol.com
Date: Fri Jul 18 1997 - 10:37:21 MDT
Just came thru the Arizona Port of Entry on I-10 heading east...thermometer
says 105.
I'm hauling farm tractors and their extra duals. Four duals (tire...about 2
foot thick by 7 ft in diameter...maybe 500lbs each) are stacked like donuts
on my upperdeck.
I strapped them down...each strap has a breaking strength of 12,000lbs...a
working strength of 5,000lb. The rule of thumb is to use 1.5times the
working strength times the weight of what is restrained. (1.5 x 1,000 =
1500...) one strap was way plenty.
But I noticed that the first strap I tossed over had a cut in it. So I added
two more straps just for giggles....I like my redundancy to have redundancy.
I arranged them in a TeePee or Net fashion...each one going thru a clevis
that I put on the top of the tires.
Tightened down as hard as I could on the winches...pretty secure.
The guy here at the port asked me if I had another strap...he pointed out
that one was cut. To fix it...the "or else" was implied...but none the less
real.
Now I never argue with cops...they got the guns...and the prime rule of life
is that if youre bigger you get to hit. So I added another strap. 3 good
straps at 5 thousand pounds each...plus one that's got to be good for at
least 2000 to hold down a weight of about 1000...
So I pull around again...Nope...no good ..bad strap....fix it.
(remember....it's 105 degrees.)
Now I'm a little bit irritated..So I pull ALL the straps off ....except
one...being sure it was really, really pretty.... And pull around there
again....
He looks at the staps...he looks at me..I grin....he looks at the straps
again..He didn't see a cut ...everything was fine...I got to go.
Go figure.
EvMick
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