3/8" or 1/2" Chain

I use 5/16’s. 3/8 and 1/2 is more for heavy haul equipment use.

 

Yeah 3/8 is plenty on beams....

Older guys from the 60s and70s used to pull coils outta J&L steel (youngstown steel) throwing 1/2 chain in those days

 

1/2 inch on a flat is overkill because you do not have the anchor points rated anywhere near the WLL of 1/2 chain anywhere on a flat or step unless purpose built.
3/8 chain is all you need and 8 gives you a total of 52K WLL if you have the rated anchor points.
If the anchor points are rated at 5k then you need 10 to get over 48k WLL.
Remember you are only required to anchor 50% of your load weight although most drivers add one or two "safety" chains to the minimum. Also remember the "1+1 for every 10 feet or portion thereof" rule.
A 42ft load weighing 48K needs 5X3/8 gr70 for weight and 6 for length 1+5 (for over 40 ft) so 6 plus a "safety" not counting any tripping or stoppers you may want. This is if the trailer anchors are rated at 5K.

 

Unless you are hauling a 45,000 lb piece of machinery, and only have 4 tiedown points, you really aren't going to get much benefit from 1/2" chain. Nor are there aren't many basic flats with tiedown points rated to 11,300 lbs to take advantage of that extra WLL.

G70 5/16" is 4,700 lbs WLL and G70 3/8" is 6,600 lbs WLL. You only need 5x 5/16" chains to meet basic regs requirements for 45k, plus a couple for cross chaining at the front and an extra one along the length for "extra".

3/8" is more common for equipment hauling, since they weigh a fair bit more and usually there are less tiedown points on the equipment (requiring higher WLL to cover the load weight). The only 1/2" chain I usually see in use by drivers are 2-3 foot sections on RGN setups with jeeps and boosters for those mega-heavy loads.

 

When I puled a lowboy, I had 1/2 in chains, but I also kept 3/8 in chains to use on all the lighter equipment.

 

Yes, but heavy hauling equipment is so much different than the average flat or step deck hauling steel.
I typically carry 16 1/2" chains, and 6 to 8 3/8" chains for low bedding... But again it is a different world.

 

When I started on my first lowboy job, all it had was 1/2 in chains, which I needed, but I also hauled some lighter, hoes, rollers dozers and such, where they were just overkill. It took me a while to convince them to let me pick up some 3/8 chains. lol

 

Unless it is a very small machine say under 40k lbs I usually use half inch on them...the smaller chain is nice for buckets and accessories or odd ball stuff we haul.
I was honestly nervous about how to chain or strap down the armature i hauled this week. So i asked the guys who were helping me load it with the 2 cranes for advice because they move them. I was worried about damaging it, and it cost several million dollars so i was taking no chances. Rarely i use straps any more, but they were actually prepared to help me and wanted to help me.
We chained the shafts at each end after they slipped on these special plastic collars to protect the shaft, and then they had special 9 inch wide straps they lent me that we threw over the middle, and didn't cinch them down ridiculously tight just nice and snug. Had 8 chains and 10 straps on it....didn't move at all, but I was leery about it at first...its not every day I haul a 118k lb armature. This week I take the housing for the generator up to Kitimat, then they can put it back together. While less lengthy, it is taller and wider, and heavier. Hoping that my permits are not too restrictive or make me run ridiculously slow speed.