I hate them, with a passion, they are the worst things in the world, everything about them is unpleasant…
Now i’ve got that out of the way, I’m looking for a particular type.
In my collection I have a few different ones, the best one to use, and the one you are able to exert the most force with in the least painful way, ratchets in the opposite direction to the standard. It also has more space around the reel, so you can ratchet for longer before it becomes maxed out. This is ideal for hay/straw which has a massive amount of compression before the strap feels tight.
I.e. to tighten it you are pushing down towards the ground, rather than up towards the sky, and the ratchet clicks as you move the handle back towards the sky rather than towards the ground. This makes it infinately more comfortable than the other type, it has a slightly bigger handle to.
I’m hoping someone might be able to direct me to a website/stockist that sells this particular type.
Has anyone even come across them before?
Any other general ratchet strap advice appreciated.
you never had to do it with ropes wg i take it.
thats when it was hard.
anyway.
when using your ratchet,put a lever into it and give it a few more pushups.
that should sort your problem out.
better again,get a job driving a fridge motor…
greg50: you never had to do it with ropes wg i take it.
thats when it was hard.
anyway.
when using your ratchet,put a lever into it and give it a few more pushups.
that should sort your problem out.
better again,get a job driving a fridge motor…
My initiall thoughts, although on really soft hay, you had more stretch on a rope with a double twitch tham a ratchet strap.My only advise would be to get the hooked ones off the chassis so the ratchet’s at a better height.and to put the strap through, and leave it heading down over, and get it as tight as possible before you start. The lever in the ratchet’s allus a good idea too
i have come across them before, like you say, hay and straw lads have them, i can also remember a driver in kronospan having them, unfortunately i have no idea where you would get them
you never had to do it with ropes wg i take it.
thats when it was hard.
Nope, not been doing this long at all and thats definately a headache I could do without. The straps are bad enough.
I notice on the larger hay trucks they have large sheets that cover the whole stack, with ropes securing the sheet at intervals. Wouldn’t know where to start with that.
I’ve not been shown /how/ to do anything really, just left to work out the best stacking patterns and ways of securing it all myself. Seem to lose a few off the back now and again when it hasn’t quite worked, its all learning I guess. Mostly work on minor roads and its never caused much of a problem, pick them up and try again.
Working with straps, ropes and flatbeds seems to be dying out, nobody around to tell you how to do anything. They arent popular with DoT/VOSA etc because of the risk of things falling off. But ironically, things are often probably better secured on a flatbed, rather than just hidden behind a curtain.
Cheers for the replies folks, the search continues.
Always wondered why they don’t use Load webbing over the top then ratchet from that. By load webbing I mean the military stuff or the same as the loaders use to secure air freight.
Hi’ never carried any great quantities of hey, but try these tips
A) Cut a short length of strap, place through ratchet and wind on a few turns to get a bite, hook strap onto body etc and ratchet end to main strap over load, connect second ratchet to other end and tighten as normal, now return to first ratchet and tighten as required. This should give you to ratchets on the line (one inverted) there for doubling the pull and allowing you to pull down on one.
B) If you don’t want one inverted, you can do this by just threading a ratchet along the strap to about 12” from the end and wind it on a few turns, then carry on as normal.
C) When you’ve tightened the strap release the tension and retighten without letting the strap slip back.
D) Place pallets or skids on top to stop the straps cutting into the load.
WildGoose:
In my collection I have a few different ones, the best one to use, and the one you are able to exert the most force with in the least painful way, ratchets in the opposite direction to the standard. It also has more space around the reel, so you can ratchet for longer before it becomes maxed out. This is ideal for hay/straw which has a massive amount of compression before the strap feels tight.
I.e. to tighten it you are pushing down towards the ground, rather than up towards the sky, and the ratchet clicks as you move the handle back towards the sky rather than towards the ground. This makes it infinately more comfortable than the other type, it has a slightly bigger handle to.
All of the ratchet straps in the Howdens Kitchens (former MFI) motors are these. They’ve had them for at least a decade. Brilliant if you’re hooking up on the side rail but if you go to the chassis, the “classic” type are better.
I am horrified that with a dodgy load like hay you didnt get proper training and the right equipment as a matter of course.
Every employer has a statutury obligation to provide this and, in the event of a disaster, he would have the HSA crawling all over him. His insurance would probably bail out too.
i remember hwen i did a week at a scaffolding company i grabbed every rachet strap they had took them into the manager and asked for new ones,
the ones i had always came loose, i remember when i was in perth one soaking day, i had somebody with me as we had just cleared a site and as were going round a big roundabout onto the m90 he turns to me and says one of the straps has come off
and this was on a full stillage at the back of the motor,
not a nice thing to have to do on a hard shoulder in the {zb} rain.
Can’t stand them, If I was given £1 for everyone I’ve retrieved from live lanes on the motorway, I’d be a rich man. It must cost you lads and lasses a fortune to replace them!!
next time your parked up and see a rope and sheet load ask the driver to show you how to dolly etc its easy when you know how and takes min’s to master. a short bit of rope to practies on over the weekend and u’ll have it
its a bit impractical sp? to expect rope to hold 26 tons of steel plate in place though which you arent allowed to use chains on , and straps wouldnt be laid all over the carriageway if they were put on properly and with rubbers on the edges/corners so they dont wear through and snap
Hi’ never carried any great quantities of hey, but try these tips
A) Cut a short length of strap, place through ratchet and wind on a few turns to get a bite, hook strap onto body etc and ratchet end to main strap over load, connect second ratchet to other end and tighten as normal, now return to first ratchet and tighten as required. This should give you to ratchets on the line (one inverted) there for doubling the pull and allowing you to pull down on one.
B) If you don’t want one inverted, you can do this by just threading a ratchet along the strap to about 12” from the end and wind it on a few turns, then carry on as normal.
C) When you’ve tightened the strap release the tension and retighten without letting the strap slip back.
D) Place pallets or skids on top to stop the straps cutting into the load.
Good stuff, thanks for that
Those GTF chaps are dead keen, I sent them a mail late last night, had a phone call first thing this morning.
He said £8+Vat for those ergonomic buckles I was after, but not sure if that includes hooks and webbing or just the buckle itself. Will update when they give me a final bill.
Can’t stand them, If I was given £1 for everyone I’ve retrieved from live lanes on the motorway, I’d be a rich man. It must cost you lads and lasses a fortune to replace them!!
Was wondering where they got to! Bring them to M4 J12 next time you’re passing, i’ll give you £1 each for them
Thanks very much, email sent to those folks.
Bring them to M4 J12 next time you’re passing, i’ll give you £1 each for them 