Truck tie down strap means quite some different things to different applications , we will focus on 18 wheeler tie downs in this post , more specific, we will talk about flat beds only for this time.
Since people put all kinds of stuff on the flat bed truck, just because they can or they have to , the requirement for tie downs can be complicated.
We are going to introduce truck tie down straps solely .
Portable winch and winch strap are most popular tie down devices for flat beds . When you work with truck winches and winch straps, there is one thing you can’t live without: winch bars, these steel bars are indispensable for your job, so get one if you don’t already have one.
Some flat beds come with weld on winches installed, not all flat beds have winches installed . When the flat bed have the winches installed, we can use winch straps to tie down loads on the trailer , usually we tie down steel coils, concrete pipes, skids, anything that not too heavy for the the straps’ safe load limit . Winch straps usually come with flat hooks, because we usually hook the straps on the edge of the flat bed , of course the wire hook can be used too. There are 2” and 4” winches and 2” and 4” winch tie downs, depends on different needs , the length of strap can be 20′, 25′, 27′, 30′, 35′, 40′ or more than 50′ .
Then there is the must have truck tie down: ratchet strap. Usually ratchet straps are assemblies of ratchet buckles and nylon or polyester webbing tie down straps, there are fixed end straps with ratchet buckles and loose end straps.
Ratchet strap is most popular tie down devices because of their adaptability , you can use them almost anywhere when it’s applicable. The ending comes with quite some varieties, flat hooks, wire hooks , chain anchor , snap hooks, endless and more. And it’s width can be 1” to 4”, length can be a few inches to more than 50 feet . On big rigs ratchet tie downs are the most popular tie down devices for haulers , those trailers without winches installed will find ratchet straps pretty useful .
To purchase these tie down straps, you have the choice between local stores and online , depends on your available options , sometimes buy them locally is an good idea , sometimes online deals are much better.
The ratchet straps to which we usually refer are the assembly of straps and ratchet buckles, also known as ratchet tie down. Usually people use nylon or polyester webbing to make the straps , the safe load limit can be less than 100lbs to more than 1000lbs , the width should be 1 inch to 4 inches , usually we can see hooks, loops or chain extension at both ends of the assembly .
The handle of the ratchet buckle have a few varieties, steel handle, aluminum handle or plastic coated handle. Following link is the diagram of long wide handle ratchet : http://www.mfrexpress.com/images/articles/ratchet_drawing.jpg, this drawing is just a reference, please check with manufacturer to get production drawing.
Both nylon and polyester webbing are used to make the straps, but they have different characteristics, for shock absorption, we need nylon webbing and for tie down bulk loads we need polyester webbing straps, nylon webbing has better elongation than polyester while polyester webbing are stronger than nylon ones, in real world applications we need varieties of straps for different jobs , that is to say we need both nylon and polyester webbing straps for different needs.
Webbing cab also be coated with suitable materials that will change desirable characteristics, such as abrasion resistance, sealing to prevent penetration of foreign particles and matter, increased(or decreased) coefficient of friction, ultra-violet light resistance .
Of course the quality of the straps is the critical characteristic, to properly and safely use the ratchet straps is a must . Now how to find these straps with quality and low price? Specialty stores will have almost all the straps you may need, and you probably are familiar with the people as well as the products in the store, and you don’t mind to pay a little premium for the service and quality. Actually there is a better way to acquire these straps, you guessed it, online stores are probably the best place to find wonderful deals, not most of the time but you will always find what you need, maybe not exactly but it will be close, and you may find some websites are pretty helpful in this regard, such as Trucker’s Deal, you will find extremely useful information about tie down stuff.
As one of the popular truck tie down devices, you need to pay close attention to the quality of ratchet straps, because the safety of your truck load may depend of these seeming unimportant tie downs.
