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Load Chokers - Timber Application

Load Chokers - Timber Application

Posted by TieDowns Direct on 29th Dec 2016

Load Chokers

Safety and efficiency are two primary concerns of most drivers. A driver is not interested in compromising the safety of their load or the people around them. Increased efficiency is beneficial for everyone involved with that shipment. That is what makes the load choker such an appealing product.

The load choker is a horse shoe-shaped link designed to help provide a more focused binding with straps, chains, or other restraints. This solid little workhorse can provide the drivers with a means to more efficiently secure their loads with less material.

The functionality of the load choker is to let a driver create different choke points in the same strap. Hauling two rectangular I-beams of different sizes would normally require three straps to secure. Each I-beam would require a strap of its own to secure it and then a third strap to bind them both down. Not all of those straps will have 100% efficiency in tension on them either due to the shape of the I-beams. The use of load chokers cuts the number of restraints down to just one while offering 100% efficiency.

The driver creates a loop in the restraint and brings it to the inner, upper corner of the first beam. At this point, the strap is doubled over itself with the loose end underneath. That end is brought up around the bottom of the beam and hooked into the load choker. The driver then pulls it tight. Now, we have a restraint that is fit snugly against the body of that beam the entire way around.

The process is then repeated on the second I-beam. The loose end of the restraint or chain is doubled over and the loop brought to the outside of the second beam. The driver puts a load choker through the loop and runs the loose end back towards the inside and around below the beam. The loose end is then looped and put through the choker.

The result is two I-beams that are secured tightly with 100% efficiency by only one restraint. Each beam is completely wrapped with no loose play in the restraint because of the size difference of the beams. If chains are used, this can help prevent rolling of the chain on the squared corners. A driver can then secure the free end to the trailer and bind it down with a tensioning device.

A couple of load chokers can help drivers save a lot of time getting secured and ready to roll. One can even position them along the outside of a stack of a lumber to place more tension there to keep it upright. Numerous options are available with this little workhorse.