Superclamps question? Legal/Illegal??

[magnet]

speaking of stupid dot rules. a buddy of mine got ticketed for insecure load once because he only had 1 1/2" chain across the fron of his mud pump on the rig move. cross chained at the rear with 2 1/2" chains. pump weighs 80000lbs. chains were only rated to 60000. however the trailer they are tied to only weighs 10000 if that. so how are said chains going to fail. the trailer can't fall off the load. still got ticketed though

 

[Trax 2 Treadz]

Well, you make a point, but I think each case is different, my big concern was on a deck. Any mountain sled will hang off the deck, and most people will tie the machine 'forward' as they pick a spot rearward of the end of the deck and bring the straps forward...

Then, they tie the front either straight down or even forward depending on where your tie hooks are located, so in essence both ends are being pulled 'forward'...In a crash or even sudden braking the sled can 'lift' as it moves forward...

With the Superclamps, your skis cannot lift at all, and even if you used ONLY the front clamps, the skis might move forward a bit but will catch on something...If the rear clamp is used in addition to the front, there is very little chance of the sled moving forward at all.

In my opinion you can use 6 or heck put 10 straps on a sled, and it still has a chance to move forward in a collision because of how sled decks are designed and the fact that all of our sleds are longer than the deck.

Now, imagine a 120, what are they, about 4' long?? Put that in the center of the deck so that you could pull forward with one set of straps, and backwards with the other set, and I will agree with you all day long.

I still think there are very few systems as good as the Superclamp, but hey, I am new to the sport also...

Let me ask this question to all those with many more years in the sport than myself...

'Have you heard any horror stories about sleds coming off a deck or trailer while secured with Superclamps'...and not due to human error (we have all heard those ones LOL)

It's always a good idea no matter what manufacture of clamp system you have, when you have a sled on a deck, always have a secondary means of restraint to keep the sled on the deck such a chain looped through the front bumper and the headache rack. Human error happens all to often.

I also remember seeing an article in a recent issue of Snow Goer magazine about the new Transport Canada regulations in regards to securing sleds and quads. Superclamps when used front and rear met the requirements.

 

[2manykids]

speaking of stupid dot rules. a buddy of mine got ticketed for insecure load once because he only had 1 1/2" chain across the fron of his mud pump on the rig move. cross chained at the rear with 2 1/2" chains. pump weighs 80000lbs. chains were only rated to 60000. however the trailer they are tied to only weighs 10000 if that. so how are said chains going to fail. the trailer can't fall off the load. still got ticketed though

He had one chain on each end ?

 

[Longhorn]

The problem with this is where the clamp bolt is placed in the deck...through a piece of 3/4 " plywood. This is your anchor point for the clamp. The key thing here is obviously proper tie down proceedure. Do tie downs and anchor points support the weight being secured. A properly tied down sled/quad can't move 5 ways. Front to back or side to side and pullind down. On the commercial side of things the DOT wants to have it so if your vehicle is upside down nothing falls off using "legal" tie down requirements. If you get lazy tieing things down it will eventually bite you in the A$$ :d

I agree about the mounting...however I am building decks, and want to offer them with clamps. We have designed the deck so that there is a crossmember where the bolt goes so it becomes part of the structure. I agree, that through the plywood is not sufficient. We have done some testing, wrecked a ton of plywood, and it will not even support the weight of the deck itself, and the deck is lighter than my Summit.

 

[RMK Junky]

speaking of stupid dot rules. a buddy of mine got ticketed for insecure load once because he only had 1 1/2" chain across the fron of his mud pump on the rig move. cross chained at the rear with 2 1/2" chains. pump weighs 80000lbs. chains were only rated to 60000. however the trailer they are tied to only weighs 10000 if that. so how are said chains going to fail. the trailer can't fall off the load. still got ticketed though

It is law to have front and rear cross chained. And if weight dictates, you might need a throw over in the front and rear also.

 

[ZRrrr]

I have mine anchored to the frame. No way those suckers are pulling out.

Did Randall tell you his story about the earlier model Superclamps and a Yamaha sled in and enclosed trailer. Tow vehicle and trailer went off the road and rolled. When they got the trailer open (upside down), the sled was still anchored to the deck. Now that's a testament to the Superclamps!!!

 

[Bunn]

I was pulled over two weeks ago at a road side stop.Checked everything from lights on truck and trailer,registration of all three sleds,truck,trailer etc.We were there for over 20min while the three RCMP officers went through everything.I had one sled in the back of the truck strapped in the front(one rachet) and two rear(ratchet).Both sleds on the trailer(open flat- deck) are secured with front Superclamps and each have a rear Superclamp on the suspension.The RCMP were nice guys but stated I should have either two straps holding the back of the sleds on the trailer or two rear Superclamps,one on either side.They did not fine us or give us grief,but did advise me as it was MY trailer being pulled by MY truck.They said the sled in the back of the truck was fine.They had several trucks and trailer units pulled over and getting them to better secure their sleds.I also agree with you guys that Superclamps are great as are the guys.Gave me a new rear when mine broke no questions asked.

 

[Murminator]

When I was in Timmy's drive thu mon the RC's had their truck with 2 sleds on a trailer with superclamps on the front and a wide rachet strap that kinda split into 2 (like a rev jerry can strap) and wrapped around the rear bumper. I wanted to stop and talk to him but he pulled away before I got through the drive thru

 

[teeroy]

we got shook down south of valemount this weekend at a checkstop, everyone was using superclamps and one tiedown on the rear bumpers to 2 spots on trailer (8 sleds, one on a deck, 4 on an open place, and 3 in an enclosed) and we got the all clear. RC's thanked us for having the snowmobiles properly secured.

saw at least 3 trucks and trailers pulled over, one was even being towed away leaving his trailer in the roadside turnout....not sure if it was an impaired issue or what.....

 

[sledderdoc]

we got shook down south of valemount this weekend at a checkstop, everyone was using superclamps and one tiedown on the rear bumpers to 2 spots on trailer (8 sleds, one on a deck, 4 on an open place, and 3 in an enclosed) and we got the all clear. RC's thanked us for having the snowmobiles properly secured.

saw at least 3 trucks and trailers pulled over, one was even being towed away leaving his trailer in the roadside turnout....not sure if it was an impaired issue or what.....

No kiddin, where were you exactly? I've never seen anything on Hwy 5. Wonder if the RC's are changing things up. I did go thru a check stop coming off Renshaw in Dec. another first for me. Can't hurt thats for sure but we drive lots with 4 sleds in the enclosed with only the fronts superclamped down cause it's such a short drive to the hotel.

 

[teeroy]

No kiddin, where were you exactly? I've never seen anything on Hwy 5. Wonder if the RC's are changing things up. I did go thru a check stop coming off Renshaw in Dec. another first for me. Can't hurt thats for sure but we drive lots with 4 sleds in the enclosed with only the fronts superclamped down cause it's such a short drive to the hotel.

just a couple clicks south of town at a roadside turnout, there were no less than 6 RCMP vehicles stopping everyone in both directions. we rode clemina that day, a lady drove thru the parking lot in a yellow hummer with "mom's taxi" on the front license plate warning everyone of the checkstop.

 

[Trevor Repka]

Been sledding for many years.....Just one question has anybody seen DOT's pulling anybody over for an unsecure load?, I think not

 

[08summit]

we got shook down south of valemount this weekend at a checkstop, everyone was using superclamps and one tiedown on the rear bumpers to 2 spots on trailer (8 sleds, one on a deck, 4 on an open place, and 3 in an enclosed) and we got the all clear. RC's thanked us for having the snowmobiles properly secured.

saw at least 3 trucks and trailers pulled over, one was even being towed away leaving his trailer in the roadside turnout....not sure if it was an impaired issue or what.....

Just wondering if they checked inside your enclosed?? I've been stopped a couple times and all they ever checked were the lights and made sure the tear away brakes on the enclosed actually worked. I have been told they usually will not ask to go inside your trailer as they need a search warrant to do so if you refuse them...Not sure if this is true but have never been asked by the RCMP to see the inside of the trailer.

 

[teeroy]

Just wondering if they checked inside your enclosed?? I've been stopped a couple times and all they ever checked were the lights and made sure the tear away brakes on the enclosed actually worked. I have been told they usually will not ask to go inside your trailer as they need a search warrant to do so if you refuse them...Not sure if this is true but have never been asked by the RCMP to see the inside of the trailer.

no, they didn't specifically ask to see inside.

 

[knizer8hun]

I spoke directly with the owner of Superclampls on Monday.
He assured me the clamps are completely legal and no one should worry.
I believe he will be posting information to back this up and put everybody's mind's at ease.

 

[The Arborist]

Been sledding for many years.....Just one question has anybody seen DOT's pulling anybody over for an unsecure load?, I think not

The D.O.T. officer in Golden would bust his grandmother if she had a bag of cookies loose in the back of her pickup!! They take thing pretty serious in B.C.
So to answer your question, YES they do pull peeps over to check for unsecure loads!!

 

[Catchme]

I realize this is an old thread but have read it a couple times and it didn't leave off with a definite answer. On a deck is one front superclamp and one rear superclamp per sled alright for B.C? Or do you also need a strap on the back end per sled?

 

[Rockwerx]

I have a few options for secureing my sleds and quads but am curious if one of my setups is legal also.

When I purchased my sled trailer it came with some metal T-bars that screw down to the deck and hold the front skis in place. Is this in the same league as the Super clamps? I have seen these T-bars bent on people's rigs when they had an accident. I made some heavy duty T-bars for one of my haulers using square metal tubing that was twice as thick as the ones that came with my sled trailer...so they should be a lot safer in the event of an accident. I strap the rear of my sleds down with one 10,000 lb ratchet strap...I would think that one of these straps is many times stronger than the regular tie straps. The machines don't move around at all. Would they still give me grief if I was stopped for inspection?

I use three of these straps to hold down 2 quads. I put one strap through the front bumpers, one through the frames and one through the rear hitches...should be major overkill also, but I don't want to ever have a problem with an unsecure load!

 

[Summitric]

Superclamps is a member on this site...... Hopefully he can give his insight on the restraint legalities

 

[ram4tow]

I had one Super Clamp on my sled deck let go while travelling home from a sled rally.. thank god i happened to have straps on the sled as well.. The middle hook/ spring assembly that put the tension on the clamp pulled through the plastic thus leaving the clamp loose and in pieces.. I called randall and he took care of me through Marathon in Edmonton and they had a brand new super clamp waiting for me when i arrived.

Now i dont know if i maybe had it clamped down too tight or what the deal was ( im not a big guy or overly strong but who knows) It just something to check when looking over your clamps.

I am in no way Knocking super clamps, i still have them on my deck and in my enclosed they are great products with unbelievable support from the owner, i would recommend them to anyone..