How to Use a Ratchet Tie-Down Strap

Securing your load on your vehicle is not only a safety issue but the law in many states. For me as a pool service professional I have two heavy carts riding on the tongue of my bumper. A Ratchet Tie-Down Strap is one of the most effective ways of securing your load.

There is a bit of a learning curve with a Ratchet Tie-Down Strap on how to actually use it effectively. I have purchased many sets over the years and I have not found any that explain the set-up well. The manufacturer simply expects you to know how to use the product. So this video will cover the installation and set-up of the Ratchet.

I am using an Everest 15 foot long by 2 in 1,100 lbs load limit Ratchet Tie Down. It has a break strength of 3,300 lbs so is is more than sufficient to hold both of these service carts in place if something were to happen to the Receiver or Hitches. Both carts together weigh less than 250 lbs. But it is better to get the strongest tie down you can find just to be on the safe side.

Most Tie Down Straps are the hook type, which means on the ends of the strap there are strong metal hooks. You must have a secure area to attach these hooks to, preferably on opposite side of the truck bed, but you can loop them around the cargo and attach it onto the same side. My 2005 Nissan Frontier has a set of tracks and tie down holders built into the bed of the truck. My old Toyota had two tie down holds at each end of the bed. You will have to find these locations on your specific vehicle.

So you would “hook” the Tie Down Strap onto one of these secure areas on side of your truck, for me it is easier to hook it to the passenger side of my truck. Then you would take the strap and work it around the load you are securing. In my case I walked it around both of my service carts to the driver side of my truck.

Then you would take the Ratchet end and hook it into the opposite side, if possible. Now comes the tricky part. How to get the Tie Down Strap into the Ratchet correctly. 

It is pretty easy once you have seen it done. You take the front or top of the Ratchet end and simply put the Tie Down Strap directly through the slit in the center of the Ratchet. Then you take it and bring it back out towards the strap creating a loop. A good way to distinguish the front/top of the Ratchet is to close it. The side that is closed is the back or bottom and the front is the side where the slit is facing.

Now you will pull the strap while holding the Ratchet until it is tightly around your load. Simply crank the Ratchet back and forth until everything is as tight as can be. You will here the sound of the Ratchet as it pulls everything tight. Then depending on how your Ratchet brand closes, securely close the Ratchet. This will lock the strap into place.

To disengage the Ratchet and loosen the strap, simply open up the Ratchet to it's fully open position and either pull the Ratchet towards your body or pull on the strap away from the Ratchet. This is actually pretty simple to do.

If you install the strap wrong onto the Ratchet by looping it in the wrong direction, it will start to be eaten by the Ratchet and hard to loosen. Make sure you loop it over the front of the slit after inserting the strap.

To purchase the Ratchet shown in the video here is the link from Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Everest-Premium-Ergonomic-Ratchet-Down/dp/B00FT9URXC/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=swimmingpooll-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=2dda0099c0efd14ca956fe8fc8411476&creativeASIN=B00FT9URXC

For a look at the two pool carts on the back of my truck:

Riptide Pool Vacuum System Overview Video: https://youtu.be/ycoGJsyFXNg

Pool Service Cart by T.Dula Specialties: https://youtu.be/g-fp5l6_wZc