What We Usually Use to Secure Cargo on The Road
You should know that accessories for truck are a lot different things to different people, we will focus on big rig tie down in this post , more specifically, we are going to talk about flat bed truck this time, because we can see those tie downs on the highway.
So many different loads can be put on flat beds, the choice of tie downs will be really complicated, they will need quite some different tie down devices to get the job done, such as e track straps for box truck . When it comes to flatbed , the first thing comes up will be the truck winches, you can see those flatbeds with truck winches at one side on the highway all the time, with those winches it’s easy for the driver to tie down loads with just winch straps with the help of winch bar .
Usually portable winch and 4×30 winch straps are most popular tie down devices for flat beds . There is one thing essential for truck winch and winch strap tie down combination, winch bar, which is the tool to help you control the cargo on the flatbed, since you can only tighten the winch straps through turning winch barrel, this only can be done by utilizing winch bars.
If your flatbeds come with winches installed, you only need to get some winch straps for most of your work, of course you still need to keep some chains, binders and ratchet straps handy. Winch straps with winches on the flatbed can be used to secure pallets, machinery, steel coils, concrete pipes etc., with 5400lbs working load limit and the protection of plastic corner protectors these winch straps can tie down almost anything threw at them. 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. Truck winches come in with two different flavors, 2” wide and 4” wide , but winch straps have width of 2”, 3” and 4”, it’s obvious you can put 3” winch straps in 4” winches, when we look at the length of the winch strap, the range is pretty wide for regular use, from around 20 feet to more than 60 feet, 27′ and 30′ being the most common length available.
OK, now let’s talk about ratchet straps are the most popular tie down devices for all kinds of trucks or hauling businesses. Actually the ratchet straps are just the assembly of ratchet buckles and tie down webbing, which can be nylon or polyester, the combination of different ratchet buckles and different straps gives us many choices.
Ratchet straps are most popular tie down equipment due to their capability , you can use them almost anywhere when it’s applicable. The ending comes with quite some varieties, flat hooks, double J hooks , chain anchor , snap hooks, endless and more. And it’s width can be 1” through 4”, length can be a few inches to more than 50′. On commercial trucks ratchet tie downs are the most used tie down devices for shippers , those flat bed trucks without winches installed will figure that ratchet straps are pretty important.
Before you go out or get online to buy these tie down straps , you should learn how to get more out of it while pay less , top priority is the quality of the straps, maybe you know the local store stuff quality, but for online stores you need to find out by reading other people’s the reviews, trucking blogs, such as trucker blogs , online feed backs, or by some other venues in order to determine if their offerings are good or bad.