You know, this topic seems to come up on a more or less routine basis, and I always read the same kind of responses, like "mine hardly move", or "they fit so tight on the trailer, they aren't going anywhere", etc, etc, etc.
What a crock of crap! Is anyone actually so ignorant of the laws of physics that they think a bungee cord, or worse, gravity alone is going to restrain a 1,200 pound piece of equipment in an accident? As for Topsites observation that the straps might fail, well, I'm certain that is entirely possible. However, even though I'm not an attorney, and don't work for an insurance company, I'm relatively certain there is a legal term, "negligence". In other words, if you are found to be negligent, you can be sued out the ying-yang. If, on the other hand, you did your due diligence and secured your load properly, I'm guessing you would be in a much better position, liabilty-wise, in the event of an accident where displaced machinery wipes something, or someone, out.
Not strapping down your mowers every time you pull out on a public road is, in my opinion, simply lazy. I have used Fastraps ever since I bought my first Z and trailer, and secure each mower with two every time I load them. Does it take a little extra time? Sure. But I feel a lot better knowing that if I have to make some type of evasive maneuver in a hurry, that at in most cases at least, my mowers are going to stay on the trailer.
My friend that I used to help several years ago simply had a couple of 2X4's nailed to the trailer bed for the wheels to rest between. Kept the mowers from rolling, under normal conditions, but one day we were heading back from a job and he hit a dip in the road a bit too fast. The mower jumped completely off the trailer floor. Thankfully, it remained on the trailer, but sure made one heck of a noise when it hit, and could have easily damaged the machine.
You buy liability insurance hoping you will never use it, but if you do, you'll be glad you had it. You secure your equipment figuring you'll never have an accident, but if you ever do, you'll be glad you did.
By the way, the cheapest place I found to buy Fastraps is through Sportsman's Guide.
