securing tie down to your trailer

[MESSMAKER]

Not sure i fully understand the question, but i use these with my straps fairly often.

Stake Pocket D Ring 5 8 Gooseneck Flatbed Deck Over Step Deck Trailer Tie Down | eBay

That,s what I am looking for. Not cheap are they?

 

[MESSMAKER]

They are called "J" hooks. Like chains, they should be dropped through the stake pocket and brought up on the outside and hung on the pocket. Typically, this will subject the webbing to sharp edges so the webbing should be protected. Old fire hose, commercially available leather sleeves or even strips of leather from those old nasty shoes you just tossed into the trash will work.

Anytime a hook of any type is simply catching the underside of a pocket, rub rail, frame, whatever, you would be wise to put a bungee on it to keep it hooked should your tie down slack.

I have looked at those but the seem to create there share of problems securing them on the tractor end when you have a d-ring or loop you need to hook to.

 

[MESSMAKER]

View attachment 481978

Those are perfect, but I replace my straps each year. I can get the J hook or flat hook on sale for about $10 each. The chain variety are over $30 each.

 

[WM75Guy]

I buy all my straps from Custom Tiedowns. I use twisted J hooks at each end. I use axle straps either around the pipe top or through the stake pockets. That way I can always strap stuff down by myself as the ends cannot come unhooked.

http://customtiedowns.com/tie-downs/2-inch-ratchet-strap-tie-downs/

 

[QRTRHRS]

I usually use short chains through the stake pockets that attach with a clevis to the end of the tie down strap. It is a shame that the hook will not drop down through the pocket like a log chain will. There has yo be an easier way. How do you guys who use straps do it?

You can feed the strap end up through your pockets with the hook going outside the pocket or rub rail if you have one then hung on the pocket. Perfectly legal. Same as the "J" hooks though, the webbing may need chafing protection. The "preferred" way is of course to keep tiedowns inside the rub rail. By the way, it is also "preferred" not to hook tiedowns to the rub rail and not a pocket. This is not usually an issue with a tractor and perhaps an implement or two. I have hauled many many loads of building materials where my major tiedowns were secured to the pockets and "secondary" tiedowns were hanging on the rub rails.

Anyway, with the strap end on the pocket, the ratchet end needs to hang securely on the tractor someplace. Also, "J" hooks may work just fine on the pockets but not so much on the tractor. If you have plenty of both types, you can always mix and match.