Switched to flatbed from cars

Persoanlly i use 2 inch straps on all cars with 12 inch length they work great. I have side rail d rings on my Kaufman and never had an issue and now with the wear guards they last a heck of a lot longer

 

2in straps come with the ratchets. If you have sharp corners on the freight use pieces of carpet or cardboard as edge protection. Also invest in some tarps. Always ask when needing tarp if it needs to stay completely dry. If so and your tarps are old be sure you have some tarps to put underneath ( some cheap lite weight non permeable to keep it dry ) You will be a lot more versatile with the ability to do cars and freight.

 

4 inch straps as well, get the highest load raiting you can afford and get as many as you can afford. They are pricey but you'll need them. They do break, rip, tare and magically disappear, so you will always need extras. Same goes for chains and binders.

 

I've found 2" straps work just fine in the hotshot world. You won't be carrying enough weight to necessitate the wwl of a 4" and as GAT mentioned, you will be replacing them semi frequently so why go the more expensive route? I've found cheap rubber car mats make pretty decent edge protectors. Cut 'em up and double them over. Or cut up one of your decommissioned straps.

Tarps are pretty handy in open deck too. I run a little bit shorter trailer so one 27' lumber tarp with a flap and 6' drops has worked for all but one load I've had so far. A steel tarp is going to be my next purchase. Added length when I need it and much easier to wrap short or odd shaped loads than a long lumber tarp that only has D rings on the sides.

 

Look for the 4in. winches with two bolts that will go most anywhere on frame, you can buy thick web 3in portable winches for a little more than you pay for the 2in. ones and they hold down much more.

 

Think lite weight. We run 2" ratchet straps, 30' long with the flat hooks. The type with the bar hooks won't fit through the bump rail. We carry a minimum of 12 of them in our tiedown box. They weigh a lot less than the heavy bolt on , or sliding winches and 4" straps do.

As far as chains, only carry 8 chains and binders at most. You can probably get away carrying 6 chains and binders. We rarely see a need for carrying more.