How to Secure Tracked vs. Wheeled Equipment on a Trailer

Last month it was a wheeled skid steer on this trailer, chained at the axles, chocked, rechecked at the gas station. This month it’ss a compact track loader on the same deck with the same chains, and the chains have nowhere obvious to go, because there are no axles and the only thing at the corners is rubber.

The rule for securing a machine is the same on tires or tracks. The method is not, because a tracked machine is a rigid block that does not bounce but has rubber a chain will cut, and a wheeled machine sits on tires that compress, rebound and work every chain loose by the first stop.

The rule that covers both

Federal cargo rules require at least four tie-downs, placed as close as practical to the front and rear or at points the maker designed for the purpose, on any wheeled or tracked machine of 10,000 pounds or more, with accessory equipment lowered and secured, and that standard is the right one for a 5,000-pound machine too. The rule text is at 49 CFR 393.130.

The hardware, the working load limits and the binder technique are covered in the chain-down guide. This post is about where the chains go on each kind of machine and what the machine does to them once the trailer is moving. Read more about how to chain down heavy equipment.

Tracked machines

A tracked machine has no suspension, so chains stay tight once set, but its tie-down points are on the frame and never over the rubber tracks, and the house and the blade have to be locked before the first chain goes on. A chain run over a rubber track cuts the lugs and hands you a damage bill.

Compact track loaders and mini excavators carry cast or welded tie-down loops or slots on the main frame or the undercarriage frame, marked with a decal. Hook there and run each chain outward to the trailer's D-rings or stake pockets at opposing angles, so the front pair pulls forward and the rear pair pulls back. On an excavator, lower the dozer blade to the deck, curl the bucket in and set it on the deck with the boom down, engage the swing lock so the house cannot rotate, and leave the travel levers in neutral; an unlocked house walks in transit and finds the fender. On a track loader, lower the arms, lay the attachment flat on the deck and set the parking brake even though tracks do not roll on their own. Tension the chains to snug and a little more; a rigid machine does not need the extra pull that tires do. Rubber tracks grip wet steel ramps poorly, so load straight, slow and with the heavy end uphill. Read more about how to load and transport a rented mini excavator.

Wheeled machines

A wheeled machine sits on tires, which compress when you tension the chains and rebound on the road, so chains that were tight at the yard are loose at the first stop, and the machine rolls unless it is chocked and braked. Tension until the tires squat, and plan to recheck.

Wheeled skid steers, forklifts and telehandlers usually put their tie-down points on the axles or on the frame just inboard of the wheels. Run the chains at opposing angles the same way, then tension until the tires visibly compress. That preload is the whole trick: the tires are now squeezed below their resting height, so when the trailer hits a bump and the machine rebounds, the chain is still carrying load instead of going slack. Chock at least two wheels and set the parking brake. Lower the arms, forks or mast fully to the deck and tilt the carriage forward; a mast left a foot up is a bridge strike waiting to happen. Check tire pressure before you load, because a soft tire compresses further and lets the chain loosen sooner, and pneumatic tires bounce more than cushion or solid tires do.

Read more about how to load and transport a rented forklift and how to load and transport a rented skid steer for the specifics on each.

What goes wrong with each

Tracked machines fail in transit when the house swings or the attachment drops because nothing was locked, and wheeled machines fail when the chains go slack and the machine walks on the deck. Different failure, same fix: lock, tension, recheck.

The excavator house that was not pinned rotates a little on every curve until the counterweight is over the fender. The track loader bucket left an inch off the deck vibrates down and the machine slides on it. The skid steer whose chains went slack walks 6 inches and puts a tire against the rail. The forklift mast that was not fully lowered meets an overpass. Each is a damage claim, and each is avoided in the 2 minutes before pulling out. Read more about what happens if you damage rented equipment.

Recheck at the first stop

Drive 5 to 10 miles, pull over, and put a hand on every chain and binder, because a wheeled machine's chains will have loosened and a tracked machine's binders may have shifted on the first bump. Then do it again at every fuel stop.

Retension anything that moves, confirm the chocks are against the tires, confirm the attachment is still on the deck, and on a wheeled machine check the tires for pressure loss under the preload. Secure every binder handle so it cannot flip open on the road.

What about insurance and damage protection?

Before towing a rented trailer, contact your auto insurance provider to ask whether your policy covers liability and towing-related damage claims.

Eligible rentals booked through Big Rentals also include Basic Rental Protection at checkout. This added protection can help limit your financial responsibility for certain damage or theft events during the rental period.

For full details on how Basic Rental Protection works, including deductibles, exclusions, and renter responsibilities, review our FAQ and platform terms.

The Short Version

• Four tie-downs at the front and rear or at designed points, attachments lowered, for any machine; required by law at 10,000 pounds and up
• Tracked: hook the frame points, never over rubber tracks, lock the swing, drop the blade and bucket, tension to snug
• Wheeled: hook the axles or frame, tension until the tires squat, chock two wheels, brake on, mast and arms fully down
• Tracked machines fail by swinging or dropping; wheeled machines fail by going slack and walking
• Recheck every chain at 5 to 10 miles and at every stop

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