Can you overtighten a ratchet, and make it lose strength?
I always finish mine off using a crowbar to give them a couple of extra clicks. Another driver lent me a hand unstrapping a load of reels and commented about how tight they were/ the bang as they released.
slowlane:
Can you overtighten a ratchet, and make it lose strength?I always finish mine off using a crowbar to give them a couple of extra clicks. Another driver lent me a hand unstrapping a load of reels and commented about how tight they were/ the bang as they released.
Think they recommend you dont use anything to tighten them.And i never do.But have seen a few that do.
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slowlane:
Can you overtighten a ratchet, and make it lose strength?I always finish mine off using a crowbar to give them a couple of extra clicks. Another driver lent me a hand unstrapping a load of reels and commented about how tight they were/ the bang as they released.
You weakling 
I get the bang just doing them up by hand 
Why don’t you ask for the downward ratchet units
slowlane:
Can you overtighten a ratchet, and make it lose strength?I always finish mine off using a crowbar to give them a couple of extra clicks. Another driver lent me a hand unstrapping a load of reels and commented about how tight they were/ the bang as they released.
I find it Better to use pull down ratchets instead when I need them that tight .
As always with ratchet straps how tightly you do them up depends on what you are strapping down. But I’ve always been led to believe that it is not good practice to overtighten them by using mechanical assistance as it can weaken them or cause them to snap.
The RHA offer the Extra click+ which is an extension with built in torque click (same principal as a wheel nut torque bar) that allegedly torques to the “optimum” tension…
Hand tighten and don’t drive like a knob. Simple
Rowley010:
Hand tighten and don’t drive like a knob. Simple
And if it’s timber you’re strapping, stop about 50k’s later and tighten the straps as timber shifts
pierrot 14:
Rowley010:
Hand tighten and don’t drive like a knob. SimpleAnd if it’s timber you’re strapping, stop about 50k’s later and tighten the straps as timber shifts
And if it’s hay bales tighten them, loosen the ratchet and pull the strap then tighten again!
If it’s glass bottles just keep tightening until you hear a crack or dozen 
I never ever bothered using anything to extra tighten them, I was under the impression that it was bad practice to do so. I can get them tight enough by hand that I’ve never had anything shift.
BT.
BlackTachograph:
I never ever bothered using anything to extra tighten them, I was under the impression that it was bad practice to do so. I can get them tight enough by hand that I’ve never had anything shift.BT.
Depends what you’re strapping , see above ^^^
Chuck a rope over it and double dolly.
Jobs a good un.
Worse load that i strapped was bags filled with wool fleeces collected from farms after sheering .Pull straps tight through ratchets then tighten then release then tighten do that about 5 times, then think they are tight travel down road and the bloody things come loose again .Ropes were a lot better
We had a trailer with poles slotted in down the sides like timber wagons for wool bales.
I don’t know much about self driving trucks but I can’t wait for self ratcheting straps and self opening curtains to arrive 
dci320:
Worse load that i strapped was bags filled with wool fleeces collected from farms after sheering .Pull straps tight through ratchets then tighten then release then tighten do that about 5 times, then think they are tight travel down road and the bloody things come loose again .Ropes were a lot better
So why didn’t you use ropes then? Better still - a net 
.
That torque bar looks interesting, reef. I might have a closer look at that.
Thanks for the replies everyone. I know it’s hard to tell, but I don’t feel like I’m over tightening them, I’m using the bar so that I don’t have to strain with my hands against the ratchet handle.
It’s a pain stopping off and retensioning straps on timber, but on the plus side, the trailer always smells great!
I recall a post on TNUK some years ago where a driver was seriously injured by the explosion of a ratchet during tightening with a bar. He lost an eye. I always struggled with kitchen laminated work surfaces out of Kronospan, Chirk. They slid around no matter how strapped.
The problem comes from exceeding the strap rating .
You would think that would be difficult but it’s very easy to do , every hard edge and angle puts surprisingly heavy stress on straps .
If you needed more pressure don’t you think they would come with longer handles or provision for extension bars ?
If the straps aren’t working when hand tightening then you should be using another restraint system .
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As a rule ratchet straps should be hand tightened only, however this is based on the strength of the average person and as the average person doesn’t exist it’s a guide.
Although most of the time I used my arm strength I must confess occasionally a marital aid was needed to get that extra click. I’d usually use the shaft of me hammer.
[Hang on, ‘shaft’. What a lovely word.]
The true proof of when a ratchet strap has been overtightened is when one wakes up in A&E.
Use ropes with dolly knots as a secondary back up if needed. Providing H&S hystericals haven’t stopped this practice.