Scoot Chaining Dynamics

[Does’ Leap]

I have steel banding that goes around the outside of the bunks to secure the stake pockets. Is there any reason not to fix two chains on the outside of the bunk and bind your load that way? This method seem like it would avoid having to pull out slack on the 20′ chain I currently use (wrapped around the bunk and over the logs) as well as some of the chain pinching issues – all manageable, but sometimes annoying.

George

[Carl Russell]

@Does’ Leap 38103 wrote:

……. – all manageable, but sometimes annoying. George

Not as frustrating as logs sliding forward toward the animals, or backwards off the sled…..

When stretching the chain from outside to outside the binder is actually not putting as much pressure down on the logs as you want, as it is mostly lateral tension. I know many people who chain just as you suggest, but I found it not nearly as effective as chaining so that the longs are bunched together and tensioned down onto the bunk. I found that the added time for readjusting the load, or collecting logs that spilled, was more of a loss than developing a standard practice of wrapping the chain around the bunk.

What are you doing that seems to create difficulty? I Just keep the chain wrapped and taught by looping around the upright stakes, so that when I stop, I just open the binder and lay the chain ends open, roll on the logs, pull up the ends, and bind….

Carl

[Does’ Leap]

@Carl Russell 38108 wrote:

What are you doing that seems to create difficulty? I Just keep the chain wrapped and taught by looping around the upright stakes, so that when I stop, I just open the binder and lay the chain ends open, roll on the logs, pull up the ends, and bind….

Carl

Hi Carl:

I do the same thing as I learned the practice from you. There is no big difficulty, just my desire to refine the process. What you write makes sense and I will continue to chain and bind the same way. How important is it to keep your loops that go around the bunk toward the outside of the bunk? My chain has a tendency to drift toward the center of the bunk, kind of like yours in the picture above. Would you load with your chains positioned like that or move your loops toward the outside? Seems like a trade-off between bunching your logs together (loops toward the center) vs. pushing them down toward the bunk (more toward the outside).

Thanks for the input.

George

[Carl Russell]

George, I tend to use the stakes only to keep the logs from falling off. If the chains don’t hold the logs tight toward the middle of the bunk, then they can work out against the stakes, and it can be nearly impossible to get the stake out of the pocket.

I rearrange my chains a bit before I start to load.

I have had a scoot all cut out for a bout 2 years now, and I think with this wet weather I may try to finish it this week….

Carl

[Does’ Leap]

@Carl Russell 38128 wrote:

I have had a scoot all cut out for a bout 2 years now, and I think with this wet weather I may try to finish it this week….

Carl

Carl, I know it is not the “weapon” :), but my scoot sure pulls nice on this soft wet ground compared to the bobsled. How about some pictures when you get your new scoot out?

George

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