CARGO TIE DOWN SYSTEM AND RETAINER USED THEREIN

摘要

A system for tying down cargo on the deck of a transport vehicle such as a cargo of stacked steel plates on a railway flat car. Link chains are used for tying the cargo down. The system utilizes chain retainers secured to the deck or to the bottoms of C-channels recessed in the deck. The retainers are positioned on opposite sides of the cargo and close in to the bottom. A selected link of a length of each of two tie-down chains is inserted into one of two retainers. The free ends of the two chains are fastened together on top of the cargo and then ratcheted to place the chains under tension. The chain retainers are in the form of one-piece castings with a pair of right and left hand uprights with a slot therebetween in which a chain link will fit and pivot in its narrow orientation but not in its wide orientation. A selected link in its wide orientation serves to anchor the lower end of the chain to a chain retainer.