Chain PWS(sanitized).doc

RAIL CHAIN TIEDOWN ASSEMBLY

FFP

½” SPECIAL ALLOY CHAIN TIEDOWN ASSEMBLIES, EACH CONSISTING OF:

HEAVY DUTY ANCHOR (FOR TRACK IN DECK)

1/2” COUPLING LINKS

LOAD BINDER WITH LOCKING DEVICE

HEAVY DUTY COMPRESSION UNIT

CLAW HOOK

½” SPECIAL ALLOY CHAIN

½” ALLOY SLIP HOOK

(See attached drawing for illustration of a typical chain tiedown assembly. Note that while the drawing does not show a load binder locking device, such a device is required by the specification for this solicitation.)

Chain tiedown assemblies must meet all specifications and requirements of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). (Known specifications attached.)

Production & Shipping Requirements 1.

Within 7 calendar days after acceptance by the Government of the report required in paragraph 3 of the Specification for Chain Tiedown Assembly, Contractor shall commence and within 35 calendar days after report acceptance Contractor shall complete the manufacture or purchase of at least 432 chain tiedown assemblies and package them in batches of 36 or 72 assemblies.

2.

When the number of assemblies on hand drops to 216 or below, Contractor shall by manufacture or purchase bring the number of assemblies on hand up to at least 432 assemblies within 28 days of the number being reduced to 216 or below.

3.

Shipment shall be FOB Destination and take place by the close of the second weekday (Monday-Friday, excluding federal holidays) after receipt of call/pull order. Minimum quantity on any delivery order will be 72 assemblies; quantity will increase in units of 72 assemblies.

Specification for Chain Tiedown Assembly

1.

Assemblies and their components shall conform to all requirements of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), as of the date of shipment, as found in the current edition of the AAR Open Top Loading Rules. Reference in this specification to a particular section of the AAR Open Top Loading Rules but not to others does not mean that non-compliance with any relevant non-referenced section is permitted. As information, AAR publications can be ordered by calling toll-free 877-999-8824.

2.

Assemblies shall have a working load limit of not less than 13,750 lbs., a proof test of not less than 27,500 lbs., and a minimum breaking strength of 55,000 lbs.

3.

A report from a certified independent testing laboratory confirming that at least three assemblies otherwise meeting this specification have been proof tested without distorting the chain links and have been tested to the minimum breaking strength without failure (distortion, as contrasted with separation, of chain links at forces beyond the proof test limit will be not be consider failure) will be required prior to placement of orders with the Contractor. The testing and report shall be adequate to meet the AAR Open Top Loading Rules, Section 1, paragraph 21.7.9 requirements for load binder testing and approval.

4.

The assemblies shall include the following components:

a.

A chain anchor device which shall interface with the standard flat car tiedown anchor channel by matching four pairs of projections on the anchor with corresponding notches in the anchor channel. The four pairs of projections and notches are necessary to engage enough of the anchor channel to achieve a strength matching that of the chain tiedown assembly. The design and dimensions of the anchor shall permit the anchor to be inserted into a ‘deep’ anchor channel design at any point along the anchor channel. The anchor device shall be placed at one extreme end of the assembly.

b.

An acceptable load binder of any type mentioned in the AAR Open Top Loading Rules, Section 1, paragraph 21.7.2, provided that it is permanently attached as an integral component in the assembly. Lever-type binders shall be designed such that when lever handles are released from their locking device the handles are not under live load. Ratchet-type and turnbuckle-type load binders shall be lubricated with persistent grease and equipped with a fitting for adding additional lubrication without disassembly. Ratchet-type and turnbuckle-type load binders need not have an attached handle, provided that they can be tightened with an adjustable or monkey wrench. The load binder shall have a locking device to prevent loosening while in transit. The locking device shall not be a jam nut or other arrangement that loses its effectiveness as a result of wear caused by repeated use.

c.

A compression unit or shock absorber to reduce shocks that would otherwise distort the chain or break a component of the assembly when under load. The compression unit or shock absorber shall be functional at least up to the working load limit.

d. A means of shortening the chain length of the assembly during attachment to a load sufficiently for the load binder to tighten the assembly to the required tension. If the device is to be a hook it shall be a claw hook.

e. A clevis-type slip hook, with the ability to accept at least a nominal 1.75” shackle body and to interface with all equipment tiedown provisions that meet MIL-STD-209K, to be placed at the extreme end of the assembly opposite the chain anchor device.

f.

Chain with a weight not greater than that of nominal ½” special alloy chain and marked as required by the AAR Open Top Loading Rules, Section 1, paragraph 21.2 and Table 21.5.

g. A metal tag stamped with, at minimum, “Department of Defense”, the name of the manufacturer, the year sold, and the manufacturer’s part number.

5.

Components shall be attached to each other, and compression units shall be assembled, with AAR-approved coupling or repair links, as found in the AAR Open Top Loading Rules, Section 1, paragraph 21.29.1 and Table 21.3. Compression units shall be assembled with devices that shall permit parts to be replaced without the use of cutting or welding. The components shall be attached to each other so that the assembly, when anchored at one end and hooked to a shackle mounted to a vehicle with its pin in a horizontal plane, shall not exhibit a twisting of the chain or of any other component with respect to the component(s) with which it is joined.

6.

Ferrous components other than the chain must be painted or hot dip galvanized, unless forbidden by AAR specifications for the component.

7.

The overall length of the assembly from the attachment point of the anchor to the attachment point of the slip hook shall be not less than 10’ with the load binder at full extension.

8.

Technical questions regarding this specification should be addressed to dodx@mtmc.army.mil. Illustrations of different types of hooks are shown on page ix (.pdf file page 10) of TEA Pam 55-19, “Tiedown Handbook for Rail Movements”, sixth edition, available at http://www.tea.army.mil/dpe/field.htm.

PRICING

1.

Contractor may bill upon completion of manufacture or purchase for the initial 432 assemblies and upon completion of manufacture or purchase for such quantities as shall be required to replenish the supply up to 432 assemblies.

2.

Contractor may elect to bill after each shipment for the exact cost of the shipment. A photocopy or other true copy of a freight bill specifying the material shipped and the destination must accompany the invoice. If the copy of the freight bill covers more than the Government’s shipment, the portion of the cost attributable to the Government’s shipment must be shown or calculable.