Importance of Buying Reputable Tie Down Straps

Published on 01/25/18

Do you know the importance of buying reputable tie-down straps? There can be some serious consequences. Here’s why.


How not to use a tie down strap

Throughout the shipping industry, there are many manufacturers and providers of Ratchet Straps who will not take your safety seriously.

The Importance of Buying Reputable Tie Downs


A reputable tie-down strap includes a visible Working Load Limit also known as a (WLL) for short. This is the number that is given for the tie downs based on how much strength the straps can handle before they have a point of failure.

The working limit is based on the Breaking Strength for example if it were to be 10,000 lb breaking strength the WLL would be 1/3 of that amount giving you 3,333 lb. The working load limit is put in place for the unexpected things that may happen during transportation such as a deer jumping out in front of you, a sudden lane change, or something to occur testing the strength of the straps. The WLL gives room for error and more of a fail-safe in case something were to happen to keep you, your load, and others safe as well.

Any reputable strap will be a strap that has a visible Working Load Limit and has been thoroughly tested. Consistently testing of the tie-down straps to ensure the quality of the straps is safe to use are part of a reputable strap.

We can’t stress enough of how much high-quality ratchet straps can provide peace of mind and the probability of injuries occurring being significantly reduced by buying credible ratchet straps. We offer a wide selection of reputable, visible WLL, and a wide variety of ratchet straps and attachments for almost any cargo tie-down applications._

Semi Truck Loading Up at Night for the road with tie downs

Why Should You Choose High-Quality Tie Downs?


Ratchet Straps USA offers our high quality tested ratchet straps to make sure every strap is safe to use for any task. We offer 4-inch wide heavy duty ratchet straps and tie down combinations for those extremely heavy loads to make sure every load is safe to use. Our motto is to offer high quality tie down straps and shipping products for a low cost.

High-quality ratchet tie down straps offers peace of mind that cheaper quality, less durable, and overall less safe straps can’t compare to our products. We offer a wide variety of high-quality ratchet straps, tie downs, webbing, S hooks, J hooks, and other high-quality transportation supplies such as cargo bars, load locks, cam buckle straps, ratchet straps, and more!

The number one tip for buying in ratchet straps, tie downs, or other shipping strap is that the weakest link of the tie-down is how the working load limit is determined. Although the breaking strength may be incredibly higher with another part you should always go by the weakest link of the tie down when determining the assembly working load limit.

Always keep a careful eye on your tie down straps as moisture, mold, mildew, tears, ripped stitching, and other defects can jeopardize the safety of your tie downs or cargo. The general rule of thumb is glance over the tie downs before the operation and after an operation to determine if the tie down straps are safe or unsafe. If the ratchet straps are unsafe they should not be used and they should be replaced and the old straps disposed of.

Semi Truck Loaded up for the road

Danger of not using Reputable Tie Downs


When you are not using reputable tie downs you run the risk of potential dangers occurring such as a tie-down webbing breaking, stitching snapping, or ratchet hardware even failing. When purchasing reputable ratchet straps or tie downs you have a much lower percentage of someone trying to cut corners at the cost of your safety.

When looking for reputable straps it is important to find a manufacturer or distributor who supplies the tie downs with a clear, visible, with no tears working load limit on every one of the tie-down straps. This not only keeps you safe, but it also has become part of the Department of Transportation requirements for certain states and can face stiff fines or penalties for those who don’t follow the transportation guidelines regarding tie-downs.

Remember, these industry standards were put in place to keep you, others, and your load safe. Doing anything against these standards may result in injuries, damage to your possessions, or harm toward others from potential load shifts.

What are High Quality Ratchet Straps?


Answer – A quality Ratchet Strap begins with materials that have been tested and have been proven to be safe to use. Some of the things you will want to mainly look for when securing cargo is material that stretches very little. Materials like Polyester blends stretch on average 3 to 7 percent of the total of the length of the tie-down webbing. This is very little compared to materials such as Nylon that can reach 11 to 20 percent depending on the webbing ratio and is the reason behind nylon being used for towing applications to reduce strain and stress on the webbing.

High-Quality Ratchet Straps should always include a working load limit tag that represents the strength that the straps have been safely tested to hold. If the Working Load Limit is not found on the tie down webbing of the strap they are unsafe to use and should be thrown away. In some of the States around the United States, it can be found as illegal to use and poses fines and a stiff penalty by the Department of Transportation.

Best Price on Ratchet Straps


Answer – When it comes to getting the best price on Ratchet Straps, often, you will find that the cheapest strap is not always the best strap to use. You are risking the safety of your load, and the safety of the other motorists on the road for usually very few dollars saved. At Ratchet Straps USA we offer an affordable price point for straps that you can depend on getting the job done safely. We are constantly improving our manufacturing process to make safer straps for the cargo control industry through extensive research.

Have any product related questions? Give our team a call and we can assist in answering any questions you may have at 800-483-2189.