Interesting Things You May Know About The Ratchet Belt

The ratchet strap is a seemingly simple tool. But there is a lot of complexity below the surface! Ratchet straps are very familiar to flatbed truck drivers, who use them to fasten everything from steel coils to landscaping products. You might even say that the ratchet strap is one of the most important cargo control tools a truck driver can have on board. But there is still a lot to know about these straps, how they are made, how they are rated, and so on.

The ratchet strap also called the ratchet tie-down strap, is a flat 1"-4" wide strap made of polyester webbing. They are used to secure cargo to the interior of flatbed trailers, semi-trailers, or L-track or E-track systems. Even in a bumpy journey, these straps can prevent the goods from shaking or loosening during transportation.

What's interesting about ratchet straps

As a leading supplier of cargo control products for truck drivers, we thought it might be interesting to help our customers test their knowledge of ratchet belts. Here are some interesting things about these very useful tools that you may or may not know.

A. Webbing

1. The difference in webbing material

The polyester material from which the ratchet belt is made is called webbing in the industry. If you observe remotely, you may have noticed that the webbing of the ratchet belt is very similar to the webbing used to make seat belts. You may have even noticed that webbing materials are used to make tarps, tents, backpacks, etc. But did you know that not all webbing has the same strength?

In terms of materials used, the polyester safety belt webbing is almost the same as the polyester ratchet webbing. The main difference between the two is the strength of the webbing. The seat belt webbing is much thinner than its ratchet belt counterpart, and its tensile strength is much lower. Remember, the seat belt can only hold a few hundred pounds of weight at most and can only move in one direction at most. The ratchet belt must hold the weight of thousands of pounds by preventing the cargo from moving in multiple directions.

2. Environmental elasticity of webbing

Because of its elasticity, webbing has become the material of choice for all kinds of things. It is well suited for a large number of environmental conditions that can damage other materials. For example, it can resist mold and mildew because it can also resist moisture. The webbing will not shrink, can withstand direct sunlight, and is not affected by many acids in the industrial environment.

3. Not all webbing is polyester

Although polyester is a more common material for making webbing fabrics, it is not the only material. The webbing can be made of polypropylene, nylon, or even high-strength materials such as Kevlar and Dyneema. Each of these materials has specific characteristics that manufacturers are looking for when manufacturing new webbing products.

Polyester is usually sufficient for typical cargo control applications in the flatbed truck transportation industry. But when extremely high tensile strength levels are required, truck drivers may choose more expensive products.

4. Webbing construction method

Finally, the webbing material used to make the ratchet strap can be constructed based on one of two weaves. The first one is the solid weave. Solid braiding is not the preferred process for ratchet straps because it is not as strong as other processes (called tubular braiding).

Webbing materials constructed with tubular tissue utilize flat fiber tubes instead of individual fibers in the tissue. The use of flat tubes provides additional strength and shock absorption. The tubular braided webbing material is slightly more expensive, but when it comes to ratcheting straps, you are really worth the money.

Yes, the trustworthy ratchet strap is one of the more important tools that the flatbed truck driver keeps in the toolbox. The ratchet belt is one of the keys to successfully controlling the cargo while still being effective. If there is no ratchet strap, the truck driver will have to secure the cargo with chains, ropes, and inappropriate elastic straps.

B. Types of ratchet straps

The width of the ratchet belt, the breaking force limit, the hook fittings, the characteristics of the ratchet mechanism, and their manufacturing are different.

1. Width

Our shoulder straps range from 1"-2" wide. In a few cases, 3''-4'' wide will be used.

2. Breaking force limit

The braking force of the ratchet belt ranges from 800kg to 5 tons.

3. Hook accessories options

Most ratchet straps are equipped with hooks, and there are a variety of hooks to choose from.

Features of ratchet mechanism:

Some ratchet mechanisms have useful functions, including:

Galvanized or electrophoresis black anti-rust

Longer handles to increase leverage

Rubber top handle for excellent grip

Manufacture:

The ratchet belt is mainly made of polyester webbing. In addition to allowing such webbing belts to have different widths and lengths, the fabric material of the ratchet belt can have different qualities.

Some ratchet straps are treated to resist different types of damage, such as ultraviolet radiation. Our ratchet belt is treated with a proprietary material to protect the belt from damage caused by "most chemicals, sunlight, oil or moisture".

Some are high-visibility colors, such as fluorescent green. Even in low light conditions, these bands can be clearly seen.

C. How is the ratchet belt made?

The ratchet belt is made of flexible and durable polyester webbing. These straps are waterproof and have little elasticity.

Rarely, they are made of nylon. Nylon is elastic, but it is less durable and has a lower workload limit. Nylon ratchet straps are only used in very special circumstances.

Special ratchet belts, such as belts used for military or transportation of petroleum, are still made of polyester, but they have additional coatings to maintain the belt's superelasticity.

Polyester is a compound that is often artificially synthesized in the laboratory, but it can also be synthesized naturally from the cutin in the plant cuticle (the waxy substance on the grass and plant leaves that allows water to form droplets and dew on the surface).

To make polyester fiber into a belt, the fiber needs to be woven into a mesh. The webbing is a process of weaving fibers into a tight and strong pattern, and its design purpose is to transfer tension on the belt fairly and make the belt more durable.

After the webbing is made, these straps are tested to ensure durability and calculate the breaking strength.

The test was carried out in a store equipped with a special machine tensioner, which can accurately increase the tension of the belt in small increments.

After confirming that the polyester webbing is strong and durable, install them into the ratchet mechanism. Finally, connect the end fittings.