I'm an older woman weighing in around 160 now....#### driving job lol. I only started flatbed in August. There was a woman named Mel at the terminal who showed and told me some tricks because we don't have the upper body strength you guys do. When I have the strap tight but not tight enough I put the bar in so that its horizontal or slightly pointed down. I put my right hand about half way up, put my left hand on the butt of the bar and my lower belly over my left hand. Basically centering all my weight and force on the extreme end of the bar. Then just lean in and down quick. Momentum and weight. Mel said drop that booty girl lol. I'm a little too old and out of touch with today's kids so I didn't really get what she was saying but I think I figured it out. If it's got a tenor range twang I'm happy. I don't go for the soprano range because it is hard on a strap and if you have any weaknesses or damage on edges you're accelerating the tear. I agree with more straps and more various directions of securement. Like a belly or butterfly wrap every so often. Its primarily after the motion begins that you'll need massive tightness. If its constrained in a few different ways it has a harder time starting to move.
Get that winch bar in there nice and snug - horizontal - my fat 220lb rear jumps on the bugger and gets that puppy singing tunes. Entire body weight plus gravity. My chiropractor loves me.
Even with hand ratchets u could slip ur winch bar in between the handle and the small bar in middle of handle to get leverage on it and can get it real tight. Not all work that way , i threw a couple good ratchets away because there was no way t get the winch bar in there to get leverage
Are you keeping the straps rolled up on the winches when not in use? Then pulling out what you need and trying to tighten a bunch of rolled up strap on the winch? It’s significantly easier to get the strap tight with only a few turns of strap on the winch, plus you’re not throwing a metal hook over the load. see how the excess strap is tucked agains t the rubrail?
