Truck tie downs are essentially quite some interesting things to different applications , we’re going to discuss about 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.
When the jobs come your way, chances are you are not going to decide what kind of stuff will be put on your truck, the only thing you can do is to prepare for all the options , it’s almost always not for you to decide what stuff will be on your vehicle . When it comes to flatbeds , 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 .
For most flat bed trucks, truck winch and winch straps are what we usually use to tie down stuff, some trailers come with winches installed you only have to get winch straps . There is one thing definitely needed 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 making use of winch bars.
Usually most flatbeds will be sold with winches installed, there are still some of them come without winches though, in this case the drivers may use ratchet straps or binder chains as alternative. 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 guards these winch straps can tie down almost anything threw at them. Both flat hooks and wire hooks may be used on 2”, 3” and 4” winch straps, but flat hooks are more popular than wire hooks, you may see flat hooks on all size winch straps while wire hooks mostly on 2” straps. We can find 2” and 4” winches and 2” and 4” winch tie downs, depends on different needs , the strap length can be as long as 40′ or more than 50′ .
OK, now let’s talk about ratchet strap are the most popular tie down devices for all kinds of trucks or hauling businesses. Common wisdom indicates that the ratchet strap is assemblies of ratchet buckles and nylon or polyester webbing tie down strap, there are fixed end straps with ratchet buckles and loose end straps.
Ratchet strap is most recommended tie down devices due to their flexibility , 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. The smallest width for ratchets is 1”, 4” is the widest, while the length of ratchets may be anything from inches to more than 60 feet. Even for flatbeds which use winch straps primarily the ratchets may be essential, imagine following scnario, you lose a winch while you’re on a tight schedule, and it’s midnight and it’s impossible to find a new or used winch, then ratchet straps come to your rescue!
Before you go out or go online to buy these tie down straps , you should learn how to get more out of it while pay less , most important thing is the quality , probably you know local store well enough, but for online stores you need to find out by reading other people’s the reviews, trucking blogs, such as trucker’s deal , online feed backs, or by some other venues to make sure whether their offerings are good or bad.