Load Securement Woes, Not Me!

[Troublermaker]

Back in 79 I had been hauling a sawmill that was being broking down and move and the boss sent me to Elizabeth City, North Carolina to pick up a load of lumber. It came off a stacker that stack it 5 foot wide and 7 foot high. When I was hauling the equipment oil leak out one of the gear boxes on to the deck of the trailer. Any way I pick up the lumber and on the way home one of my chains on the back pile got a little slack in it. I was going around a 35 miles curb about  35 when the back stack started to slip to the drive side which put all the weight on the driver side. I knew it was going to turn over so I grab the steering with both hand and waited. When it was over I kick out the window and got out. I was lucky. There was a car behind me that seen everything told the trooper that I wasn't speeding. The lumber just slid across the trailer causing the wreck. I had put my cross piece on the back on that spot of oil causing it to slide because the chain had slack in it when I went around the curb.

[Phorester]

Not near as bad as losing a load of logs in the road, but a few years ago setting up our concession stand for our Boy Scout fundraiser, another leader and I took our pickups to get the canned drinks.  The drinks were on pallets wrapped all the way around and up and down with that plastic wrap they use for things like that now. We were getting one pallet each, loaded with a forklift into the truck bed.  The boys in the bottling plant warehouse said, no, you don't have to tie'em down, that plastic wrap will hold them.   :  Well..............

They loaded him first and he headed back to the concession stand.  They loaded me, then I gingerly drove back toward the stand.  Got in the middle of a big intersection where I was turning left, the drinks went right - toppled over and of course out of the pickup, spreading several hundred cans of soda all over that intersection.  Who was behind me but a cop.  Tied up that intersection for 15 minutes while everybody driving by stopped and helped me chuck the cans into the back of my truck. The cop helped, said no ticket this time, go make money for the Scouts.

"Now how am I going to live this down", I thought.  Got back to the stand and found out that the other leader had done exactly the same thing at another intersection. We both said, sure glad you spilled your load too!   

[Mooseherder]

I've seen one of those 18 Wheeler Dump trucks taking a left hand turn too fast at an intersection.
His load of concrete slabs from demolition shifted and the whole rig went over onto the passenger side.  Thankfully, no one was making a right turn on red at the opposite side of the intersection.

[SwampDonkey]

For 4' wood they had to pass through a set of rollers to straighten the load when leaving the forest road and proceed down the highway to the mill. Of course a lot of private wood never had this option, and yes many loads were thrown over the years. Some mills of course had their own roads into the mill so they never set them up. Dad hauled a lot of 100" aspen off the farm on a straight truck and never lost a load. It sure is slippery stuff though and real fun trying to load with a FEL and peavey.   We always chained the load in the middle of the pile as well as over the top. ;)

[Phorester]

Not the way to do it either.

[sandhills]

Phorester, that's a great picture, almost looks like a challenge to me  :D

[thecfarm]

Maybe some one said,Watch this.  ;D  I'll just back up fast and hit the brakes and it will unload itself.

[Maine372]

Not the way to do it either.

and that kids is the story of how grandpa learned to feather the clutch.......

[Phorester]

Maybe some said,Watch this.  ;D  I'll just back up fast and hit the brakes and it will unload itself.

Reminds me of the story a procurement forester told me many years ago about a local pulpwood cutter who loaded his truck, only to have the transmission go out when he tried to pull out of the landing.  Only gear he had was reverse.  So he backed his loaded truck 20 miles to the woodyard.

That's a good one, MAINE372