Ratchet straps (also known as tie-down straps) are fasteners made from webbing that are designed for a wide variety of scenarios where you need to tie down and secure heavy cargo for transportation.
Whether you need to carry a large number of wooden logs, vehicles in a flatbed trailer, or equipment or furniture in a pick-up truck, ratchet straps offer the most efficient, safe and secure way of tying down your cargo over regular types of tie downs. Below we will discuss some of the advantages you will get from ratchet straps.
Benefits
Reliable
Ratchet straps usually have webbing that is very strong, weather resistance, non-abrasive and low stretch, like polyester webbing. This means cargo will be securely tightened without sustaining any damage and can be transported in many weather conditions.
Variety of Sizes
It does not matter if your situation is lightweight (like securing your load to a roof rack, for example). There are suitable mini versions of ratchet straps with strength ratings of up to 1,500kgs. For larger applications, you can get ratchet straps that go up to 20m in size and offer a strength rating of up to 10,000kgs.
Variety of Fittings
Ratchet straps come with a variety of fittings that can be used in a number of applications depending on your needs. The fittings they can come with are: flat snap hooks, e-track double stud fittings, d-rings, e-track fittings, flat hooks, chain extensions, vinyl coated wire hooks and many more.
Effortless
Due to the ratcheting system of these tie down straps, you are given a mechanical advantage when it comes to tightening the load to make sure that everything is secure. They also make the job of loading and offloading large and bulky cargo easier and faster without needing a lot of man power.
Safe
Since your cargo is safely secured, you can transport it with peace of mind knowing that it will not fall off the trailer, pick-up truck or roof rack and damage the cargo in the process. This is especially important in high-traffic areas where the safety of others and their property is a major concern.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Rope
While ropes also offer much of the same benefits of ratchet straps, they usually require a bit more effort when tying down your cargo, since they don’t off any mechanical advantage. You also need to know how to tie a proper knot if you want your cargo to be safe and secure, especially when the cargo is heavy.
Elastic Bungee Cords
Elastic bungee cords are great shock absorbers and do a good job of holding down tarps when compared to ratchet straps. But their performance decreases when it comes to securing items and cargo that is heavy, bulky, or airborne-prone for transportation when compared to ratchet straps.
Tarps
Tarps are very useful when carrying cargo that needs to be protected from the elements, like wood and electronic equipment, since they offer a protective cover. They are also great at keeping cargo tight so that it does not move around. But compared to ratchet straps, getting the tarp over large cargo can require great effort and usually results in a lot of injuries if the ones doing the job are not very skilled at handling tarps.
Cargo Nets
These are nets that are made of very thick rope and are mainly design to secure cargo in airplanes and loading or offloading cargo from ships. Compared to ratchet straps, cargo nets are usually difficult to unload and require great care when securing your cargo so that they don’t damage any plastic or paint.
