Ratchet straps how do they work

An example of the working load limit would be a 10,pound breaking strength strap that would have a 3,pound working load limit. It is important to note that the working load limit was put in place by the Department of Transportation in order to keep everyone on the road safe.

Before a Working Load Limit was created there was a large risk of danger from Semi Trucks, Tractor Trailers, and cargo placed in the place of pickup trucks. You can find more about cargo securement from the Drivers Handbook on Cargo Securement here. Pictured above is a picture of what a Working Load Limit tag or label will look like on a reputable tie-down strap.

Remember, the working load limit determines the amount of weight that the strap can secure safely. If a Working Load Limit tag is not present the strap is unsafe to be used and should be replaced with a reputable tie-down strap. Depending on the state that you live in you could face stiff penalties for not having a visible and clearly legible working load limit tag.

Also, a vehicle should always comply with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance standards. You can find more information about the CVSA guidelines and more information about some of the safety guidelines they highlight on here.

How to Store a Ratchet Strap for Custom Applications When storing a Ratchet Strap it is incredibly important to always make sure the area you intend on storing the ratchet straps it is in a cool, dry, mold-free area that is not in direct contact with the sun. It is important to ALWAYS avoid any wet areas when storing your tie-downs as mold and mildew can form that can severly damage your ratchet straps and may cause them to not be able to be used over time.

The ideal way to store ratchet straps would be in a storage container, in a ratchet straps duffle bag , or another area similar.

Some of our customers over the years have even used socks to store their ratchet straps , as well as to be neatly organized throughout the process. Some of the other alternative ways include zip lock freezer bags, toolboxes, and rubber bands just to name a few. It is important to always remember that the more organized than the ratchet straps are stored the easier it is to reuse the ratchet straps , as well as keeping the strength of your ratchet straps by preventing any friction from occurring that may weaken or even in some cases damage your ratchet straps.

What to do if your Ratchet Strap is Jammed Happen to thread a ratchet strap wrong? If you find yourself needing to fix a jammed ratchet strap the best way to untangle the ratchet strap is to remain patient and work on grabbing the excess webbing that has become tangled inside of the ratchet strap out of the tie-down strap.

One of the best ways to make the ratchet strap that is jammed unjammed would be to use pliers on the bolts on the outside of the ratchet to loosen the webbing enough to take it out so it is no longer stuck.

You can use needle-nose pliers into the roll of the strap that was wound too tight to move the strap out of the device. One of the best tips to help prevent any excess webbing from becoming jammed in the ratchet strap you can simply to remove all excess slack before you begin to ratchet.

Remember to use the least amount of tie-down webbing for your application as possible inside of the ratchet mechanism to prevent the ratchet strap from becoming tangled and hard to remove later when you plan on removing or loosening the ratchet strap. In order to get the wad of webbing out from the windless of the ratchet strap pull the ratchet straight and begin to pull the webbing and eventually friction will help wiggle the excess webbing out and will be able to be used again.

However, this may take a little bit of frustration and some time in order to pull this off. That is why it is extremely important to make sure that you do not thread too much webbing when ratcheting. Ratchet Strap Tips from the Tie Down Experts Some of the most important helpful ratchet strap tips include storing your ratchet straps on the passenger side of your truck, van, or vehicle of choice.

This is due in fact too if your load were to shift and you were to need to get out of your vehicle to retie down the load that you would be on the passenger side of the vehicle away from the road that would give you great safety added benefits. This prevents you from being on the traffic side of the vehicle in case you need to pull over to make some adjustments to your straps. Another great tip for ratchet straps is to always make sure to always keep your ratchet straps secured from four different locations on the cargo.

This helps prevent potential load shifts, an unbalanced strain on your tie-down straps, and provides an extra great layer of peace of mind by having extra fail-safes. A fail-safe is if something were to go wrong you have an extra layer of protection to help prevent any damage from occurring to your cargo or other motorists. Remember that safety is always the number one priority when shipping cargo. If you have any questions regarding any tie-down straps that will work with your application, give our tie-down experts with over 25 years of experience a call at and we will work to help fulfill your cargo application needs.

Custom Made Ratchet Straps Ratchet Straps are typically made to fit the majority of cargo securement needs, however, sometimes there is a need for an extra heavy load securement or oddly shaped cargo which may need some extra ratchet strap assistance through custom-made ratchet straps. Some of the perks to using Custom Made Ratchet straps compared to traditional ratchet straps is they are made for your application needs that some traditional ratchet straps may not be able to offer or be able to cater to your load needs.

Custom made ratchet straps can be found in all sorts of different lengths of webbing, different widths of webbing such as 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches, and our strongest 4-inch tie down webbing that helps meet a variety of different cargo needs, and hardware that fits your application best.

We also have some customization choices with our webbing such as our stenciling capabilities to put just about any sort of words on a ratchet strap webbing so others know who straps they belong to.

If you have any questions regarding any of our custom-made ratchet straps or custom-made tie-downs give our custom ratchet straps team a call at and we would be happy to assist you with making the perfect made strap. Selecting the Perfect Ratchet Strap When selecting the right ratchet strap you will need to be assured that the ratchet strap that you choose is capable of holding your cargo down without breaking. The key to picking out the perfect ratchet strap is always picking the ratchet strap that has a rating higher than the weight of your load.

Loads can often shift during transportation so you never want to secure from just one side of the cargo as well. What should you do with Ratchet Strap Loose Ends? When securing cargo it is always important that after you make sure your load is secured you do your best to secure your loose ends of extra webbing or slack.

When the polyester webbing is not secured you become at risk for the loose tie-down webbing to rub and create friction that could severely damage your ratchet straps from lasting. As well as securing the loose ends of the ratchet straps when transporting cargo you should always do your duty of a safe cargo transporter by double-checking your ratchet straps after a couple of miles. This is to check or relook at any potential load shifts or cargo straps that may have moved due to potential stretching in some cases.

The working load limit is the rating that should never be exceeded when using a tiedown, which is the maximum allowable loading force. The break strength is to the point at which the strap will fail. If your ratchet strap has a breaking strength of 15, pounds, then it will have a working load limit of 5, pounds.

Check out this post to learn the meaning behind working load limit, break strength, and safety factor. Skip to content Are you using your ratchet strap the right way? Read our guide on how to use a tiedown. Open the ratchet handle and ratchet the axle until its open slot is pointing up. This is where the end of the webbing will be fed through.

Lead the free end of the webbing from underneath the ratchet, through the axle slot, and out the same way it entered. Next, place the hook attached to the ratchet into position, and do the same with the hook on the other end of the webbing.

Tighten any remaining slack by raising and lowering the ratchet handle assembly in a pumping motion.