7 Ratchet Strap Pro Tips

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Video Equipment and Misc.

[thetowndrunk]

As a platform/heavy haul driver of 3 decades, with recurrent certification to teach securement per DOT specs, I’ll share some tips-
1). Always use edge protection anywhere there’s a sharp edge, even if it doesn’t look very sharp. You can buy plastic edge protectors, but you can also use cardboard if it’s not a material that would cut through the cardboard.
2). Another way to store the excess, is to fold it over numerous times, then zip tie it to the main line. Just make sure to leave about a foot between your bundle and the ratchet, so you have room to tighten the strap as the load settles.
3). Though you can get away with attaching the hook to a stake pocket in non-commercial applications, there is a reason it used to be illegal on commercial applications. The rule has changed back and forth over the years, but in general it’s still frowned up, even though it’s no longer illegal (as of the current rules). Remember, first make sure that stake pocket/rub rail is certified by the trailer manufacturer to have a tie down attached, and that they have a WLL posted for it. Also, NEVER go outside the rub rail. Though no longer illegal, if you were to get side swiped, it could cut the straps and you could lose your load.
4). Inspect your straps for nicks and frays. If you find any, toss the straps. In commercial applications, it’s a violation (possibly more than one. If that strap is no good, and then the remaining straps do not meet the minimum requirements for the length and weight of the load, you could receive 2 violations. One for a bad strap, and another for insufficient tie downs). Straps are pretty cheap, so replace them when they get a nick. It’s cheap insurance.
5). Though this is only a requirement in commercial applications, I still suggest these rules. 2 straps for the first 10’ of material, plus another strap for each additional 10’. Also, the working load limit of all straps should equal AT LEAST half the weight of the material you’re hauling. So if you’re hauling 6, 000 pounds of material, you should have AT LEAST 3, 000 pounds of WLL. So if you had 2” straps rated at say 2, 250# WWL, you’d need at least 2 straps.
Hope this helps

[gaveintothedarkness]

Please dont forget you are legally obligated to do the very important step of wrenching on the thing you are tying down and stating proudly "that's not going anywhere".

[michaelhill]

Something you didn't mentioned, but mentioned years ago... Put the rachet part on the passenger side of your cargo, in case you need to stop on the road to tighten it down or if thats how you're unloading.

[Tubzane]

Thanks for the great video. One small critisism however. I was always taught to roll the straps up seperatley from the ratchet, with the hook on the outside. When you throw it over the load, hold the hook and throw the roll over. If you throw the hook end first, you never know when some kid might be walking past your truck and catch a face full hook. Keep up the good work!

[BrittCHelmsSr]

Like you, I wrap my smaller rachet straps like you did, but then I tuck them into a can koozie. It is a snug fit that keeps them from becoming undone. Great advice again from you. Thanks.

[jae]

Very useful tips, thankyou! As a female sole parent I've had to figure things out on my own a lot and videos from an expert like you are the best!

[mjl]

In my country it is saying: It is nice to hear when wise man talks about something.
Great video about simple thing, as many think.
Cheers from Poland.

[kylerayk]

I love ball bungees for organizing ratchet straps! Wind them up like you do and put a ball bungee around to keep them from unraveling between uses. I also wind up the loose end of the strap, flatten it out and affix it to the ratchet strap with the same ball bungee.

[hughes]

A.B.C
Acceleration.
Braking.
Cornering.

Best way I was taught to think about any load I'm lashing down. Great video as always. 👍

[lysterne]

Some good tips! My overall favorite method for dealing with excess strap on the big straps is to simply roll it up, hand over hand you can roll 20 feet of strap in a matter of seconds, and then slip it through the loop in the strap, right above the hook. When you tighten it down, it grips tight and won’t let go. Fast, easy, and doesn’t look like a jumbled mess going down the freeway

[Blueshirt]

As a person who has worked with CGU-1B cargo straps for the better part of a decade in the Navy, I thought all of this was common knowledge. Then I remembered I am but a man, and you could probably tell me the most mundane fact about concrete work that I would marvel at for having never guessed it. Great video as always. Our straps have a length of about 21ft, so we often have to find inventive ways to maintain the excess on smaller cargo, but what I have always found to work the best is to take the excess and fold into 1ft-2ft bights, folding it over on itself flat so that it is all one nice bundle, then tucking it under a looser stretch of strap, and then pulling it to a tighter part so it stays in place. We mainly work with cargo going on planes, so we only worry about wind taking it while on the flightline, not on the road. The bitter end being should always be on top of the bundle so it can be pulled out easily by a single tug, which is very important for air freight; if a load shifts while in flight, the aircrew has to be able to reconfigure quickly and easily. Hasn't failed me yet, and I have yet to hear a complaint from any aircrew or airfield. It makes the cargo look like a present wrapped up in bows as well, so that's a plus.

[gillibby]

Being an electrical contractor I use to use cable ties to secure excess strap as a lashed bundle next to the windless. A few years ago cloth double sided velco cable dressing tape came out and it works better, faster and is reuseable compaired to the cable ties. Your wrapping the strap around the windless has served me well for years as I store my straps in a clean, five gallon mud bucket. They stay wrapped waiting for the net time without getting loose and tangled in the shop.

[emmanuelgermain]

One thing I was taught for the small ratchet straps is to coil them up like you did but to store them you can buy a pack of cheap cotton socks and store each one in a sock. They can then roll around wherever they are stored at but will not get tangled up between each other or unwind.
Actually works really well.

The big ratchet straps I recently started using the truck driver standard securing way. It's a little harder to remember the first few times you do it but once you get the hang of it there's no going back. Simple, secure and just easy to take apart. Just roll the excess up loosely in a 1-2foot coil, go under leaving a loop that you insert half the coil through and then twist on itself until it's tight there are a few good videos on it here on YouTube.

[zschudrowitz]

As a Scouting climbing instructor I fell into using retired ropes and carabiners for tie downs. It s good knots practice. Im glad you mentioned ropes and rigging at the end :)

[michaeldougfir]

Thanks for a timely, practical video.

May I make a small suggestion please?
I appreciate that you periodically put "titles" up on the screen. The word I think would be helpful this time is "bight". I have been a Scoutmaster and worked on a tug in the Navy. So I have had occasion to teach a little about knots. And some of the terminology is occasionally hard to get across to the student. (Especially with today's "education.") So I would show them the written word "bight." Now it's less likely to be confused or forgotten.

Also you are right about handling long ends on straps.
One time I let friend tie a load onto a trailer. I let him do it without my hovering over it. And I didn't check it before leaving. I know I should have, but I was being low key. Well I hadn't gone two blocks when... BAM! BAM again! Two long strap tails had got under the tires. The straps didn't break, but they pulled out two "cleats" that the load was tied to. I found one on the road and a friend found & returned the other. So... listen up people! This man knows what he is talking about!

Michael 🌲

[aserta]

1. Magnet on the hook tip. Keeps it sticking where you let it.
2:53 sow leather patches on the strap. Those are "rope savers" you put in position over sharp edges. Can be fake leather, canvas, anything that's wear resistant. They can also be affixed to the strap with snaps, which makes them universal to any strap you have, just keep a bunch in one place. The snap variant can be bought in bulk as the shoulder protection that's used for carry-on bags, laptop bags, work duffel bags. In the same place, one can buy the rubber shoulder savers, they can also be used for this, they last even longer.
5:44 for those that might find that a bit of a chore, there's a cheat method. On the end of the strap, have a piece of wire that goes through the strap. Pack the strap and use the wire to loop around the tight portion, neat and quick. The coated wire used for privacy fences is the best for this. Doesn't rust, and it's cheap as heck in a roll. The little hole it goes through in the end of the strap should be burned in with a hot nail, to keep it from fraying. No twists are required to hold the thing down, just looped around 3 times and it's enough.
8:37 the piece of wire will also help when you're packing them like that, because otherwise, there's no stopping them from unwrapping.

[frankstavalo]

As always great information. I use all sections of old fire hose as sleeves on my ratchet traps to prevent chafing.

[seanparsons]

Another great video. I'm 100% with you on putting your gear away correctly. You are saving your future self, loved one, or friend the hassle of the tangled mess. I use ranger bands (cut up old bicycle inner tube) to secure the wrapped up strap. One old tube can yield 30 to 40 3/4 to 1 inch rubber bands. An extra handful in a baggy thrown into whatever you carry your straps in comes in handy when Murphy hides the one you just took off. Fair winds and following seas.

[cliffbrown]

I use ratchet straps every day. A few additions for you.
#1 For storage. When warping the strap around the windless open the leaver to its full open (like the big yellow one you did) two reasons (a) Bigger base less winding.(b) If they're frozen or muddy they're easier to clean out when open. (c) They're ready to use.
#2 Before winding, slide the windlass to the middle of the strap (a) your winding both sides at the same time, half the winding. (b) You don't have to pull the hook all the way through. I leave the hook end a little shorter so the other end surpasses it when wound and secures the hook. At this point I have a rubber band on my wrist, slip it off my wrist onto the strap so it won't unwind.
#3 You didn't mention the strap should enter the windless on the load side. (you had them right) but newbees might not know.
#4 I usually feed the strap through the windlass and Tie a slip knot at the end of the strap to keep it from sliding out. Slip knot so it's easy to untie.
#5 With regards to the twist, only half a twist per span (a full twist will chatter too). Eg For a lift of lumber 1/2 a twist up one side, 1/2 a twist across the top and 1/2 twist on the other side You might have to adjust how the strap goes through the windless.( Fold the strap into a wide V and slide it through the windless.)
#6 My tiding up the loose end is similar. Start the same as you. (a)Lift the strap towards you. (b) With the left hand, strap to the back of left hand reach under tight strap grab a bite of the tale and pull it through. (c) Keep pulling till the loop till it is the same length as the tale. (d) Cinch it down and do it again. Each cinch secures three times as much as your way.
#7 Windlasses (Say that three times) rust and bind. I used to use candle wax as lube in the ratchet. Recently I discovered the lube they use for mounting tires. Works great.
#8 If the hook won't go through the stake pocket.(a) Fold the strap back on it's self ( about 12 ") pass the bite through the stake pocket or slit or what ever then pass the hook through the bite and pull up the slack. (b) remove the strap from the windless, pass the end of the strap through the stake pocket, hole or small opening, throw the strap over the load and secure with windless.
I hop this all makes seance to you.

[dunep]

Scott, I take a piece of tie wire and wrap around the ratchet strap roll I've made and throw it into the tool box. Easy and reusable. Saves the mess. Works good on the bitter end also by rolling and binding the roll to whatever is available (and safe). And if I'm worried about a sharp edge wearing through the strap I cover the edge with cardboard or anything I can find. Lots of good ideas here. Good Job and thank you for sharing.