Strap twisting on a flatbed!

and ancra mfg recommends a half twist to prolong life of the strap

read down what listed of page 12 , 2d page of this pdf http://www.ancra.com/truck/pdfs/flatbed_tiedown.pdf

 

I've been flatbedding a long time now....... I'm at a loss as to what to say about that Kinedine article, except to say that whoever wrote it knows nothing about real world application of those straps. On some loads, if you do not put a half twist in your strap, one of two things will happen. Either your straps will be flappin in the breeze (DOT officers love to see "loose" straps by the way) OR you are damaging the product you are hauling.
Using larger corner protectors or stronger V-boards will NOT prevent the straps from flapping on these types of loads without causing damage to the freight from over tightening. Lots of BS out there it sounds like to me, but hey, to each their own....do what ya gotta do. Me? I'll be putting the same half twist in my straps that I've been doing for 20 years now.

 

I think Kynedine just wants your straps to beat the hell out of the load your hauling and thus their straps which will cause you to have to buy new ones

 

This is some crappy hay I got this winter. If I wouldn't have put a twist they would've been singing like the baptist choir. I know this because a kid helped me strap down and he forgot to twist one of them.

 

Easy solution, don't buy the cheap junk straps Kinedyne is putting out there. Their quality has gone down considerably since they started making the straps in china. Even without a twist, i would question the integrity of their WLL.

 

I would like to see a test report that proves a twisted strap is weaker!
I have been putting a single twist in my straps for many years to keep them from acting like an airfoil which causes vibration and will wear cuts across the strap where it touches frieght.
I get my straps tight, I mean TIGHT. If it is soft cargo, I tighten them just to the point of doing damage, then back off a notch. In any case, do your regular cargo securement checks as required by DOT regs.

 

As chubby checker would say.. Let's twist again, like we did last summer.....

 

I quit buying Kinedyne straps and chains and binders for our fleet. I have been getting Ancra and the quality is higher, last longer and the price is better.

 

Really? I just picked up some Kinedyne 2" ratchets and 4" straps from Tarpstop in Gary,IN and they seem vastly superior to the Ancra I have been using for a long time. The ratchets themselves are much better, and the straps are more rigid and not like a wet noodle as I would compare the Ancra to. My local strap place stopped selling Ancra and went to an even cheaper brand, prompting me to stop by Tarpstop. I doubt I'll be buying anything but Kinedyne straps from now on. As for the article, I don't put much faith in it, especially with the FMCSA interpretation in the other post.

 

Their straps were adaquate. They seemed to abrade real easy though. Alot of that is due to user error though.
I like the hooks on the Ancra better because they have a 3" hook on a 4" strap which makes it easier to get in the trailers with the bent up rub rails.I still buy Kinedyne 4" ratchets, their 2" straps and other Misc stuff.

I'm hopefully going to phase out all portable winches soon and go all 4" ratchets.Its just that I can buy 3 portables for the price of one 4" ratchet.

The main problem I had was with their ratchet binders. The powder coating kept falling off in sheets and cross threading real easy. I purchase quite a few of these. Probably at least a hundred or more a month.
I am really trying to find some affordable American ones any help on that would be appreciated.
I also just got on board with Tarp Stop. They are a really good company. Their customer service is awsome.

I am constantly trying out new manufactures products trying to get a good balance between cost, quality and weight.