Getting To Know Ratcheting Straps & How To Use Them

Whether you're hauling an ATV on your trailer or lumber on a flatbed there is one common goal of all haulers which is to keep your precious cargo safe and secure. Ratchet straps are just one of the many items that help keep your cargo in place during transport ensuring that all that is aboard is secure and stable throughout the journey. Tie down ratchet straps come in a variety of sizes and functionalities, but they all use the same mechanics in how they are used and more importantly how they work. With the proper understanding of what makes ratchet cargo straps work one will avoid headaches that people often encounter and keep their cargo safe and secure. 

My Very First Experience Using a 2 Inch Ratchet Straps

It was the spring of 2020 and restrictions had just begun to get lifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We had decided to purchase a 100-foot zip-line for our children and place it along the backyard fence, attaching it from one tree to another. After attaching the steel wire from one tree to the other the same thing kept on happening, there was too much slack, and the zip-line was just a mere couple of feet off the ground. I did a bit of research and learned that people were using ratchet straps to tighten a zip-line. The mechanics of the ratchet gives you a lot more tension that ultimately pulls the steel wire leaving a minimal amount of slack. With every crank you gain more tension and create a better securement for the subject that you look to secure. 

The only issue was that I had never received guidance from ratcheting experts and encountered some issues that you can avoid. I ran into problems with too much slack of the webbing material on the ratchet reel and not solid anchor points that limited its weight capacity. Once you grasp the mechanics of how ratchet tie down straps work you will be able to maximize their use and secure pretty much anything (speaking of “anything”, I have even seen someone's RZR axle that snapped and they were able to secure it with a ratchet strap, just don’t try that at home). Using ratchet straps is really easy if you understand the nuts and bolts of how they work. The objective of this article is to bring 100% clarification to all ratchet strap users. 

What Is the Correct Way to Use a Ratchet Strap?

Before you start using a ratchet strap it would be well worth it to take it apart to understand it to make sure it is set up correctly. Completely detach the webbing from the mechanism so that the ratchet section is completely free from any material and place it in the closed position (folded together). Look at the center of the reel or often referred to as the “windlass” and be sure that the slot is in a horizontal position (if you're like me and have a hard time with horizontal and vertical just remember the line in the center of the “H” is lying flat and that is the horizontal position). 

Now that you have a clear visual of the two parts that make up the ratchet strap, take the webbing and lead it through the windlass, creating a pulley system (holding either side of the strap allows the ratchet to glide to either side of the material). Anchor the two hooks on both sides of the ratchet strap to your trailer and be sure to eliminate as much slack as possible by pulling the extra webbing through the windlass. At this point you are ready to begin cranking the ratchet that creates tension of the strap which will ultimately secure your load. With every crank you want to be certain that the incoming webbing that rounds on to the ratchet is absolutely aligned with the original material that was there during the initial threading process. If at any point during the ratcheting process, you see the webbing go offline it would be worth it to release and realign it less you limit that rollup capabilities due to the material rolling up onto the ratchet mechanism.  

“Be Sure to Just Cut the Slack”, Why?

Once you understand the mechanics of how a ratchet strap works you will notice that there is not so much room for the webbing to roll up onto the windlass. Even on a heavy-duty ratchet strap, with no material on the steel windlass there is just under ¾ of an inch for the webbing to roll up on. Therefore, when using a ratchet strap, it's essential that you remove as much slack as possible before beginning any ratcheting. The mechanism is to be used as a method of creating tension to provide the optimal tightness for load securement. Many cargo securement amateurs seem to make the mistake of not cutting the webbing slack and greatly diminish the ratchet straps functionality. 

How Does the Ratchet Tie Down Remain in Place Amidst Tension? 

As that ratchet gets cranked there is an immense amount of tension that gets pulled but how does it lock in place? There is a spring that lifts and locks with every crank that retains the max tension. On both sides of the reel are circular jagged edges that create a steel lock. With each rotation the lock lifts and relocks itself. The spring that holds the lock in place is referred to as the "dog". With every rotation the dog keeps locking in place which holds the tension for securing the load. That is the science of how a ratchet strap keeps all the tension stored up inside it. Some ratchet straps are strong enough to transport bobcat tractors that can weigh over 7,000 lbs.

Every ratchet strap has a workload limit of how much cargo it can secure and assembly break strength. Cargo haulers always need to follow the workload limit which is less than the break strength. That’s because during transport the push and pull can make the load heavier than the actual load. Take a pallet that is being transported by a local hot shot hauler that weighs 750 pounds and the operator has to suddenly stop to avoid an accident. There is an additional weight that is added to the load that the straps need to secure depending on how fast the driver is going. Therefore, it’s imperative to follow the workload limit to protect your load and most importantly yourself.     

Releasing The Ratchet Strap

In order to release the strap, all you need to do is pull in the ratchet lever with your middle fingers as you rotate the ratchet into the straight position. What happens is that the material that was wound up now serves as a cam to hold the dog in the unlock position for you to loosen the strap material. Just make sure that the ratchet is in the open position and completely straight. Sounds pretty simple but if you don’t get a chance to understand the mechanics of how the ratchet strap works you might find yourself fighting with it for optimal cargo securement. No matter what the size or workload limit is, ratchet science is always going to be the same, load, crank, and lock. 

Ratchet Strap Troubleshooting

Too Much Webbing Around the Reel: It’s not uncommon for new ratchet strap users to encounter too much webbing on the reel that interferes with the ratcheting mechanism. Before you begin any ratcheting make sure to pull as much of the material through the windlass prior to proceeding with any cranking. This will ensure that we don't waste any extra material getting rolled up onto the windlass and only tension is created during the ratcheting process. 

Material Is Just Stuck: It could happen that during the ratcheting the webbing seems to get jammed and won’t move forward or backwards. If you can’t seem to get the material free that has disabled the ratchet cargo strap, simply push the crank into a straight position. It might be difficult, but you should be able to get it into the unlock position which will release the material for you to start all over again.

Ratchet Material Is Twisted: This can easily happen after anchoring the ratchet strap hooks and you did not realize that one of the sides was twisted. There is a myth that claims that when a strap is twisted it loses some of the strength that will diminish the workload limit. There are always two sides of an argument but Jason Marburger from FireballTool has debunked that in a YouTube video. The twisting of the strap material actually creates some aerodynamics that keep the strap in place during transport. When a flatbed trailer that has a load secured with straps begins to pick up speed you will notice that the material begins to vibrate. If at the moment of the vibration the truck rides over a bump or uneven pavement the load security could be compromised. Therefore, it is not that bad to have a couple of twists in your strap that will provide better load securement to ensure safe and sound delivery. 

Final Thoughts

Whether you are using a small ratchet strap or a heavy-duty ratchet strap they all work the same way and the more experience you gain using them the better they will work to secure your load. At first you might encounter some hurdles with too much webbing on the reel or the ratchet jamming but if you first inspect the ratchet strap to understand how it works you will avoid the common amateur errors. If the load ratchet strap is not working properly there is obviously something wrong and you want to reset it so that all is functioning properly.

In addition to inspection for basic functionality, it’s important to make sure that the ratchet strap that you will be using to secure your load is not defective. Play around with it a bit and give it multiple cranks and then release the spring. This will ensure that the ratchet and straps are in good condition to haul within the workload limit. All ratchet cargo straps sold in the USA must have a tag sewed on the webbing that states clearly the workload limit and assembly break strength. Always be sure to purchase your tie down ratchet straps from a local US manufacturer that must comply with the specifications set by government agencies. There are a certain set of rules that ratchet strap manufacturers must comply with that undergo testing to put their straps to the test. The last thing you would want is for your cargo to be compromised by some strap that can’t sustain the weight of the item you are hauling. Good luck and happy ratcheteering!