Ratchet straps are cargo tie-down straps made of polyester webbing. They are run through a Ratchet Straps buckle that lets you loosen and tighten the strap, so you can lengthen the strap until you can pull it across your entire load, then tighten the strap again until there’s enough tension to secure the load.Ratchet cargo straps can tie down a load by securing it to the floor of a flatbed truck, and can also be used to secure a piece of cargo to the sides of the interior of an enclosed trailer. It can connect to anchor points in the side of a flatbed truck, like D-rings, and can also latch onto anchor points on the floor of the truck bed.All ratchet straps are made of polyester webbing.

Some ratchet straps have reinforced sides to resist cuts and tears, while still maintaining their softness and flexibility. This softness makes them ideal for hauling cargo that needs a bit of care, like beehives, trees, or furniture.Ratchet straps work by running over-top an entire piece of cargo to secure it. Therefore, some very large types of cargo, like cars, aren’t compatible with ratchet straps. In fact, if you’re going to haul cars, you’ll need specialty auto-hauling straps.Ratchet straps come with a variety of end-fittings, so you can use them to secure your load on trucks with different kinds of anchor points. Ratchet straps might be fitted with wire hooks, grab hooks, flat hooks, chains, or S-hooks.

The end-fitting you need depends on the type of anchor points on the floor or walls of your truck.Unlike winch straps, ratchet straps do not require your truck to have winches installed along the sides. Winches wind and unwind your polyester webbed straps, so they can be useful for some projects. For more information about winch straps, got through the details of winch straps.Instead, ratchet straps can be secured independently to any kind of anchor point on the floor or side of your trailer. You can use them whenever you need to secure a piece of cargo for transport. They can be used.Make sure your load doesn’t exceed the ratchet straps’ working load limit.

If it does, you might have to use multiple straps in short length-wise intervals to disperse the tension enough to secure the load safely. Or, it may be more appropriate to use a winch strap or a  chain to secure your cargo, rather than a ratchet strap.Lift up the ratchet handle and axle simultaneously, so that the open slot is pointing up.Pump the ratchet handle to get rid of any remaining slack. When you do this, you should see the strap wrapping around the axle.When the strap is finally completely taut, close the ratchet handle completely. Lock the strap in place.To unbuckle the ratchet strap, pull and hold the release handle. That will open the ratchet handle. Then, the strap will come loose and you can easily pull it through the axle slot.