Quality tie downs

[twowings]

What do you tie the glider down with??

[Gliderjohn]

From twowings:

What do you tie the glider down with??

In or on trailers they are usually clamped in with hard clam shell type jigs if you will. When tied down at the airport, almost always rope.
GliderJohn

[rodekyll]

Well I must be playing with fire then, living on the EDGE!

Delivered the Scura to MPH today for a clutch replacement...Canyo n dancers and straps got it there safely and snug, no muss no fuss.

Party on dudes!

How are things at the MPH hideout?  We don't hear much from them anymore.

[PJPR01]

Well I only chatted with Kim today as when I got there Mike was out playing with some friends on some mini toddlers so I missed him, but the shop had some nice bikes in for service...

Talked to Mike a few hours ago after he got back...he sounded good!

[Tom H]

Interesting reading. I agree that all tie downs are not created equal. But...

I have been using no name 1"ish ratcheting tie downs and a few1"ish cam style straps for over 25 years to tie down everything in my '62 F100 bed from boxes to bikes. Some straps are that old and still working.

I have had some brands of ratchet straps that are junky, they don't release easily or the like, but I have never had one fail when properly used and not exceeding their weight limit.

I have loaded and tied up my Eldo and Ambo in the back of this truck with a 6' bed with 4 ratchets and two cam style straps. Drove 40 miles down a mountain road and then 60 miles of freeway without an issue.

Ratchet straps when used on cardboard boxes can get loose as the box crushes. Well that's why you should check your straps. But with the bikes, I check them once in the first about 10 miles and then just about forget about them. I do check them every time I need to stop though just for peace of mind.

If you use a ratchet style strap properly, you do not wind the excess strap on to the ratchet. Properly used you would have one hook on the bike and one hook on the truck bed. Then with your hand pull the tag end of the strap tight when threaded through the ratchet. Once the strap is hand tight, then start using the ratchet to fully tighten the load. It only requires one or two full turns of the ratchet to lock the strap. More turns may be needed to pull the load tight.

FYI: In a former job, I have used rope, ratchet straps and the welded on bed ratchets to secure loads on trucks raging from pickups with stake beds to 40' trailers. Mostly pallet racking and 4X8 particle board and then had pallets of misc. matl. on top. This was done with the appropriate sized strap for the load, 3-4" strap.

To sum it up, get the right rope/ strap that is appropriate for the load and all should go great.

Just my 2 cents,
Tom

[twowheeladdict]

Rope.  It fits anything if you know the right knots.

The right rope, and the right knots.  When I used to work with scouts I would ask them what the difference is between using the correct knot for the situation and using the incorrect knot?  The correct knot can be untied.  When using a rope to tie down something I always put a loop in the rope so I can half the force required to cinch down the load before tying it off. 



Worked well on the ferry in Canada.

[Tom]

Rope works if you know your knots.  Sasquatch Jim had his TW200 dangling from the upper tie-down points in a 20' Conex box when he moved from Port Townsend to Kona.    Was funny to see it hanging there above his 2 hacks.    My immediate reaction after we opened the box was "Hey, you must be a sailor!"

[Chuck in Indiana]

I bought these Powertyes: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JRG2F1A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm impressed: Soft loop that I put over the lower triple clamp. Carbineers at both ends with grommets that keep the straps in the right place. Stitching to maintain the shape of the strap through the grommet. Good length for trailers; not a lot of extra to drag on the ground.

 :1: Been using them for years.

[wirespokes]

I've got a set of Ancras from the 70s and they're still the best I've got. Twenty years ago I bought a batch of no-name tie-downs from the Honda shop for hauling seven or eight bikes from Los Angeles home. Like any cheap tool, they're not the most pleasant to use, but so far they've held up. You definitely get what you pay for, but they did get the bikes home safely. Whenever I haul a bike now, I've got so many tie downs, I double them up. I also tie the loose ends in such a way that if the clamp opens or loosens, it can't loose much tension. I also tie down the back of the bike as well as the front - overkill in that department is just about right as far as I'm concerned!

Agreed on the rope! It was an ah-hah! moment when I realized the purpose of hitches and knots. I recall towing a car with rope before I knew that, and was never able to undo the knot afterwards. Proper hitches and knots also reduce strain on the rope.

[kirb]

VERY happy with these...strong, well built in USA:

Ratchet:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J584XK0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Camlock:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M07K9YW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

non-hook ratchet for looping through D-ring and/or endless loop strap:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KI3HO1M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I threw out my old junk straps when I started using the above.

[Lannis]

I have actually had flawless results when using dacron line with a trucker's hitch. Most people these days play dumb whenever faced with knots. But, you know what, simple aborigines do it with coir, so it can't be rocket surgery. All's you need to bend a trucker's hitch is a bowline. Any boy scout knows that. A single 3/8" dacron twisted rope can lift your entire truck. A braided 3/8" can lift several trucks.

I'm all for that, but when I look at the specs for "braided 3/8" Dacron line", I find that the working tensile limit is 375 pounds ... ?   Even allowing for a safety margin, that's not one truck, much less several ... ?

Lannis

[Sasquatch Jim]

Rope works if you know your knots.  Sasquatch Jim had his TW200 dangling from the upper tie-down points in a 20' Conex box when he moved from Port Townsend to Kona.    Was funny to see it hanging there above his 2 hacks.    My immediate reaction after we opened the box was "Hey, you must be a sailor!"

And we never had to cut any of the ropes to get the stuff out.

[redhawk47]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the ultimate source of low cost tie downs: Your local motorcycle dealer.
The come with every new motorcycle, tying down the bike in the crate.
Just ask them to save some for you.
Quality? well, you get what you pay for.

[Motomoto]

Cmon guys. Are we not men?
https://youtu.be/TUHgGK-tImY

[Lannis]

Cmon guys. Are we not men?
https://youtu.be/TUHgGK-tImY

No!



Lannis

[Lannis]

I have actually had flawless results when using dacron line with a trucker's hitch. Most people these days play dumb whenever faced with knots. But, you know what, simple aborigines do it with coir, so it can't be rocket surgery. All's you need to bend a trucker's hitch is a bowline.

You've changed my life!

No more cursing at twisted-up webbing in a ratchet strap, or trying to undo one where someone wound two feet of web on the spool.   No more bungee cords trying to hold gas cans in the back of the truck.   No more "this strap isn't long enough".

Just two or three 20' lengths of braided rope coiled neatly behind the seat and I'm ready for anything ... the trucker's hitch ....

Lannis

[Chuck in Indiana]

the trucker's hitch ....

I've been using that bad boy for years.. but I like ROK straps for loading the bike.

[Lannis]

I've been using that bad boy for years.. but I like ROK straps for loading the bike.

Yes, I didn't mention strapping things down on the bike ... I use ROK straps too.   All the bungee cords are going in the trash.

First time I saw those things on a friends bike and asked about them, I was hooked (so to speak).  They adjust, they disconnect in the middle, they're flat and don't roll, and strong.

Lannis

[PJPR01]

Yes, I didn't mention strapping things down on the bike ... I use ROK straps too.   All the bungee cords are going in the trash.

First time I saw those things on a friends bike and asked about them, I was hooked (so to speak).  They adjust, they disconnect in the middle, they're flat and don't roll, and strong.

Lannis

On top of all of that (100% accurate) they look good too...picked up two pairs of Orange and Black ones last year at John Day National at wholesale prices from the guy selling (Rolf was his name?? ...can't remember)...a pair of thick/wide ones and a pair of narrower ones...brilliant design, just brilliant I say!

[Chuck in Indiana]

Yes, I didn't mention strapping things down on the bike ... I use ROK straps too.   All the bungee cords are going in the trash.

First time I saw those things on a friends bike and asked about them, I was hooked (so to speak).  They adjust, they disconnect in the middle, they're flat and don't roll, and strong.

Lannis

The thing I really like is once tightened,  the elastic keeps tension on the load, and you don't have to cinch them down again 50 miles down the road.

[twowings]

https://greenchileadv.com/collections/kits

[Huzo]

What he said.........lol

I spelled it wrong.

Wrongly.

[webmost]

The entire language of knots is comprised of just three letters -- IOU:


Left to right, the standing part, the overhand, and the bight. That's it. Three things. All you got. How simple is that?

To bend a trucker's hitch, you loop an overhand into it and then grab yourself a bight:


Now tie a bowline with the bight ... rabbit goes up the hole, round the tree, and back down the hole:


Your bitter end is the part you pull on. Send your bitter end thru your tie down, then up thru your bowline you just tied. Here, the carabiner represents your tie down:


That's your trucker's hitch. Essentially, you have made block & tackle out of your rope. It multiplies your force, cause you have to pull your bitter end two inches for every inch you move the standing part. Two to one. You could easily send your bitter end back thru the carabiner again, then up thru the bowline again, and now you'd have multiplied your force four to one.

Your standard three strand dacron rope has a breaking strength of 3500 lbs. With a ten to one safety factor, that's how come they tell you 350 lbs. But you are not breaking the damn thing by pulling a ton. So, yeah, pick up your truck with it. A hard braided 3/8 dacron rope, like what they call bull rope, your breaking strength is gonna be five K.  So "several trucks" is hyperbole, I admit. But here's the bottom line: With a 3/8" rope on each corner, your bike is not going anywheres. Period. If you don't believe me, go wrap a bit of that braided salt water fishing line round each fist and try and break it. Be sure to wear gloves.

[Lannis]

The entire language of knots is comprised of just three letters -- IOU:


Left to right, the standing part, the overhand, and the bight. That's it. Three things. All you got. How simple is that?

To bend a trucker's hitch, you loop an overhand into it and then grab yourself a bight:


Now tie a bowline with the bight ... rabbit goes up the hole, round the tree, and back down the hole:


Your bitter end is the part you pull on. Send your bitter end thru your tie down, then up thru your bowline you just tied. Here, the carabiner represents your tie down:


That's your trucker's hitch. Essentially, you have made block & tackle out of your rope. It multiplies your force, cause you have to pull your bitter end two inches for every inch you move the standing part. Two to one. You could easily send your bitter end back thru the carabiner again, then up thru the bowline again, and now you'd have multiplied your force four to one.

Your standard three strand dacron rope has a breaking strength of 3500 lbs. With a ten to one safety factor, that's how come they tell you 350 lbs. But you are not breaking the damn thing by pulling a ton. So, yeah, pick up your truck with it. A hard braided 3/8 dacron rope, like what they call bull rope, your breaking strength is gonna be five K.  So "several trucks" is hyperbole, I admit. But here's the bottom line: With a 3/8" rope on each corner, your bike is not going anywheres. Period. If you don't believe me, go wrap a bit of that braided salt water fishing line round each fist and try and break it. Be sure to wear gloves.

Good info.   I would have guessed a two or three to one safety factor, not ten to one.

Been researching some knots, and realizing that different knots have different strength factors (50%, 60% (like a bowline), 80% etc).   

First I've got to get good at the simple ones ... !!

Lannis