Just curious, How do you thread your ratchet straps? Is there a right way and a wrong way?

I've alway threaded ratchet straps going in from the back and bringing it up and out through the back again then ratcheting it tight. I'll occasionally have a hell of a time getting them loose but maybe thats because they're cheap straps. I was curious and so I looked it up on youtube to see how its suppose to be done. Most videos do it the way I do but there are a few that thread through the back but continue pulling it until tight then ratcheting.

Also, how do you store your straps? I'll thread the same way then role them up and throw them under my seat in my truck.

I just run the strap through one way then ratchet it back on itself. I don't thread it back through. Has never failed me. Although I might not understand exactly what you are talking about.

When it comes to storing I'm a little OCD. I take the strap and roll it back up on the hook then take a zip tie and wrap it around the whole thing really tight. Then throw that along with the ratchets in a milk crate I keep in my tool box. It takes time putting up but whe it comes to securing loads it's easy to get everything wher you need it.

The zip ties sound like a decent idea!

To thread, pass through the the slot from the outside side of the hinge mechanism and pull back out the same side of the hinge and away from the other hook. Begin ratcheting once pulled tight. Pictures are probably the only way to adequately explain it.

This how I do it. With an accent and everything.

This is how I do it as well.

I wrap the webbing around the hook, don't really wrap the ratchet end up and stick them in the backdoor of my truck

My description was pretty bad so this is how i do it.

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This how I do it. With an accent and everything.

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This is the method that threw me off when I saw someone do it like this, and made me a wonder if I was doing it wrong or if both ways are correct.

I need a youtube vidya on how to get the big yellow Tractor Supply ratchet straps to unratchet without giving myself a hernia.

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I need a youtube vidya on how to get the big yellow Tractor Supply ratchet straps to unratchet without giving myself a hernia.

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Rem oil and grin and bear it. Some of those larger ratchets can bite back. Haha

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My description was pretty bad so this is how i do it.

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Same idea. Both work

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I need a youtube vidya on how to get the big yellow Tractor Supply ratchet straps to unratchet without giving myself a hernia.

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Rem oil and grin and bear it. Some of those larger ratchets can bite back. Haha

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Yeah, I keep them oiled. My problem is I use them on hay that compresses and I'll get 3-4 wraps inside the ratchet. Sucks. I'd use a come along if I didn't need so many.

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When it comes to storing I'm a little OCD. I take the strap and roll it back up on the hook then take a zip tie and wrap it around the whole thing really tight.

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Velcro one wrap (dual sided velcro) commonly used for electronic cord management is what I use to store wound up straps. Re-usable so you don't have to carry around extra zip ties. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000078CUB/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1461749015&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=velcro+one+wrap&dpPl=1&dpID=41GcYob2FOL&ref=plSrch

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When it comes to storing I'm a little OCD. I take the strap and roll it back up on the hook then take a zip tie and wrap it around the whole thing really tight.

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Velcro one wrap (dual sided velcro) commonly used for electronic cord management is what I use to store wound up straps. Re-usable so you don't have to carry around extra zip ties. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000078CUB/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1461749015&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=velcro+one+wrap&dpPl=1&dpID=41GcYob2FOL&ref=plSrch

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Thanks salt!

I'm a tad OCD, but apparently not as bad as you guys. I separate the strap from the ratchet and loosely coil them and toss it all in a small cardboard box that lives in the storage box under my back seat.

Company I used to work for has started producing and selling these

Its a cover that can be fastened to the rachet, allows you to wrap up the strap when not in use, and it provides a pad under the rachet.

Both methods work. The first video just causes twice as much strap to be wrapped around the take-up spool so if you're not tight enough to begin with before ratcheting, you could wind up with too much strap in the spool before you're as tight as you'd like to be.

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Company I used to work for has started producing and selling these

Its a cover that can be fastened to the rachet, allows you to wrap up the strap when not in use, and it provides a pad under the rachet.

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Nice product, but it costs more than my straps.

I coil mine up like new, irons out.

I searched YouTube and couldn't find a video of my threading + tail storage method. I'll try to take pics when I have a chance.

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Nice product, but it costs more than my straps.

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They are pricey, but they are durable as hell. I only have one, use the double sided velcro tabs mentioned above for my other straps.

And I know it doesn't seem like much, but each one is hand made out of mil-spec materials and they do take a little while to make. Plus they are made in Texas, and not China. I was one of the guys who prototyped em a while back, so I remember the work they took.

Not disagreeing with ya at all, just providing some explanation for the cost. Its up to the customer to decide whether or not the price is worth it.

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mil-spec materials

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It's a freaking ratchet strap cover

Where can I find good quality ratchet straps? The ones at Lowes, Tractor Supply, Walmart are all poor quality and the webbing tears at the hook.

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mil-spec materials

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It's a freaking ratchet strap cover

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Once again, not disagreeing, just explaining the cost. Mil-spec materials are used for many applications, because it gives a standard to certify against, including country of origin, and having that material certified to anything adds to the cost.

Those videos were very informative. I had never seen straps that weren't rusty, bent, knotted and frayed.

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My description was pretty bad so this is how i do it.

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That's the way I've always done it.

I never realized that using ratchet straps required instructions until one day when my now ex mechanical engineer father-in-law was trying to help me secure some stuff in my truck and couldn't figure out how to tighten the strap. Since that time I've encountered a few other grown men that couldn't figure this basic task out.

And if you think that's bad, hand them a rope and ask them to secure something with it. I've been amazed at some of the crazy knots I've seen people tie in ropes in an attempt to tie something down.

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When it comes to storing I'm a little OCD. I take the strap and roll it back up on the hook then take a zip tie and wrap it around the whole thing really tight. Then throw that along with the ratchets in a milk crate I keep in my tool box. It takes time putting up but whe it comes to securing loads it's easy to get everything wher you need it.

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Same way but use the cable cuffs you can get at Home Depot.

I use those black rubber bungee chords with hooks whenever I can. Home Depot

When storing mine, I like to wrap them and bind them with dog or cat collars as appropriate for the size I need. I like the 'double braid' collars, as they don't have holes punched in them and can be buckled at any point, so it's always the right size. There may be another name, but that's what I could find.

amazon

Erickson retractable ratchet straps.

Google em.

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When storing mine, I like to wrap them and bind them with dog or cat collars as appropriate for the size I need. I like the 'double braid' collars, as they don't have holes punched in them and can be buckled at any point, so it's always the right size. There may be another name, but that's what I could find.

amazon

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Before clicking the link I was trying to think what a dog or cat collar was (assuming it was not the obvious) then I realized you really did mean what goes around the neck of your domesticated pets

Edit to add Erickson retractable ratchet straps is now what my dad is getting for father's day

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Edit to add Erickson retractable ratchet straps is now what my dad is getting for father's day

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I got some for my dad a few months ago and he loves them. Says he uses them nearly every day on his flat bed truck.

Erickson also makes a ratchet strap that has a built in clamp on the ratchet for the tail of the strap. They've got some pretty cool stuff and I think a lot of it is on Amazon.

Lots of input on how some of you store these straps.. I secure it using it's own design; hook it up to cleats and tighten.
Tonneau tri-flip cover keeps them safe. I don't have to deal with putting strap through the slot, since it is always through it.