Loading and Lashing: Securing gear

[flywgn]

Scott, I'm a HUGE believer in securing loads. As you know, the road we travel frequently between San Felipe and Punta Bufeo is fraught with pitfalls, literally. Even the vados on the pavement south of SF cause "ups and downs". One of the vados even sports the name "Oh S...t Dip", which some of you may have seen.

My loads don't move. I don't use stretch ties of any kind because they stretch. On a pitch any load beneath a rubber (or other type of stretch cord) tie will allow the load to 'jump'. For that reason I eschew those easy-to-use securities. They're useful, but in other circumstances.

My loads are literally tied down with straps or rope and secured to anchors in the deck or on the rails. My knots and loops are variations of the so-called "truckers' hitch" and clove-hitches--a very secure method of tying down any load. I also like to use 'load-locks', i.e. the rods that can be screwed against the walls of the bed to act as cargo dams.

I feel it's also important to make certain that whatever cargo carrier is being secured is in itself well-packed. A carton of eggs in a carrier will move within the carrier therefore negating whatever tie-down might have been applied to the carrier. The contents of each of our carriers are packed tightly so that movement inside is negligible.

Last Wednesday I made the trip from San Felipe to Punta Bufeo (91 miles) in two hours thirty-five minutes...and that was including a 20-minute stop to air-down, tighten straps, and grab a water. Not an egg cracked.

Allen R

 

[HenryJ]

...I really hope to meet you and your cool truck at some point

The feeling is mutual!

 

[david despain]

slid n lock is the best!

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/deathvalley3/ here are some pics where a hyd winch would leave you stranded if you were by yourself http://www.expeditionexchange.com/fo...read.php?t=447 and some story



here is a bit of a post i made in the hyd vs elec winch thread and its just as topical here as well. this guy rolled a disco and nothing inside it moved an inch. i always go overboard on the tie downs and ratchet straps. i was helping a friend move this weekend and when i showed up at the storage unit to help load a piano and said wow that thing is heavy we should tie it down" the other guys said yeah but we dont have anything to tie it with. i said oh i have tie downs yo uwant some. after i pulled out the first pair and asked if they needed more they were astonished i have more than two. not securing the load in a 27 foot u- haul resulted in a badly dinged up and scrated 1500$ fridge.

i have the hi-lift slide-n-lock and i love it. it was one of the only things that i pulled off of the ford when i traded it in last month, they were put on when it was new in late 94 so the sliding part was slightly different shape than the currernt ones. it was by far the most useful mod ever done to that truck. i loved those rails so much that the built in nissan rails were a requirement in my new truck. interestingly enough just last week i found out that uni-strut inserts are the same size as my rails so now i have LOTS of new options :box:

 

[Grim Reaper]

I use Sterilite Plastic Storage Bins.


I use bungie cords to tie them down.

Be careful. They stretch and if you are trying to secure any kind of weight they won't hold in a roll over. A couple pounds getting slung around effectively becomes a couple hundred pounds. It will stretch the bungee and find a way out.

Ratchet straps are the way to go if there is any kind of weight involved and by any kind of weight I mean over 5-8lb I wouldn't trust a bungie in more then a light flop.

 

[Scott Brady]

Henry (60seriesguy) has contributed an excellent article on loading and lashing. Great practical knowledge and approach, as can only be gained from years of exploring Central and north America.


Thanks Henry!
http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/loading/index.php

 

[goodtimes]

One of the vados even sports the name "Oh S...t Dip", which some of you may have seen.Allen R

I think I know that one. So does my dog. And I'm pretty sure I called its name as I blew through there at 55mph +/- in a short wheelbase jeep.:Wow1:

 

[paulj]

If you ever get a chance to buy a Rubbermaid Brute Tote, do so. This is their commercial line of products, so rarely seen in retail outlets. For some reason a Lowes stocked a few a couple of years ago and I picked one up. Dimensions are roughly similar to the consumer line (in 14 and 20 gal sizes), but construction is studier. The lid snaps on more securely, and the handles are open, so it can be strapped down more securely.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pr...m=rubbermaidcontainersandscoops&cookie_test=1

 

[photoleif]

i bought a pair of self-stowing tie-downs at home depot for about $25, but found upon attempting to install them that they had "wings" that prevented them from being flush-mounted in my sleeping platform (see sig). i bent the wings 90° downward to remedy that problem, and now they work great for tying bungees in, yet stow flat so that sleeping on them they're not noticeable.

in situ (one is visible, stowed, just to the left of the lid)

deployed (up)

 

[MountainBiker]

This is a great thread! I've been thinking about cargo restraints a lot lately. In the past, I haven't really lashed gear down in the back of the vehicle, and since it's just one big area, stuff could fly around and hit a human!

I really like the look of the Loadtamer nets that Scott linked in the first post: http://www.cargonets.com/military.html
But I need to decide how I will use the net, so that I can figure out what size to get.

I stack all the 'stuff' in the back of the Subaru, with the rear passenger seats folded down (or completely removed). Heavy stuff is on the bottom, soft stuff is on the top, and a food/beverage cooler is near the back hatch. When I'm accompanied by a passenger for a week long expedition, the amount of stuff when compressed is about level with the bottom of the windows, and pretty much filling the area between the hatch and the front seats.

Should I just get one big net that will strap everything down? Perhaps attaching the net near the rear hatch and near the back of the front seats, and with middle attachment points along the side, and then tightening it down. Is this an efficient way to restrain the 'stuff'? It seems that every time I need to get to something, I'll have to partially remove the net. I'd rather keep the system flexible to allow varying amounts of gear, and I'd prefer not to build any hard barriers/shelves. What are people's thoughts?

 

[ntsqd]

I think I know that one. So does my dog. And I'm pretty sure I called its name as I blew through there at 55mph +/- in a short wheelbase jeep.:Wow1:

Those are more politely known as "Dog Launchers"!

 

[devinsixtyseven]

Those are more politely known as "Dog Launchers"!

And they result in cattywompus, right?

A while back I found these recessed D-ring tiedowns from Polyperformance:

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/home.php?cat=263

I'm using a pair of the light duty version, bolted to the top of the bed between the corrugations, to lash down water, fuel and the cooler. I'd prefer if they were bolted to the bottom of the bed, they'd be more secure pulling against the bed instead of just the two 1/4-20 grade-8 bolts in each. In the pics in my build thread, they sit on either side of the two Scepter water jugs. The fuel cans are also lashed to the stock tiedown loops in the bed corners.

I also have four of the HD tiedowns arranged in a square at the back of the bed, mounted underneath with a 3/16 coarse grade-8 bolt. The spare tire sits in the center, with two massive tiedown straps cross-wrapped over the top.

The HiLift is bolted to the bedside, and the shovel is quick-fisted to the other bedside.

In the cab, we've been putting all the heavy stuff on the back seat perch, with more tiedown straps holding the toolbox down in a recessed space and holding the top closed. Large (40qt?) blue Tupperware "Roughneck" bins hold most of the other stuff, for ease of movement and safety. They're also lashed down using a couple OEM tiedown loops mounted to the cab, and to the back seat perch. One of them also covers the loose tool hatch.

The recessed tiedowns are handy enough I plan to incorporate a handful of them in to the new rear setup, when I get to it.

Something I've noticed about tiedown straps, they're not all the same...some of them incorporate thin, flimsy, and/or weak ratchet mechanisms, and with some the ratchet will misalign when you need it most.

Also...the pull-through, spring loaded clamp style straps are adequate for small loads, but by design cannot build the same tension as any strap equipped with a ratchet mechanism. They're far better than elastic straps, IMHO not adequate for anything particularly large or heavy, but great for lashing down camp chairs, small toolboxes, etc...we use a pair, crossed, to secure the cooler between the spare tire and the fluid containers.

-Sean

 

[ntsqd]

And they result in cattywompus, right?

Well, er, no, they're dogs - not cats.



A veritable plethora (been waiting all week to use that phrase) of Tie-downs Back-up to their main page for all sorts of other hardware.

I use 'footman loops' in the bed of Patch, coupled with 1" webbing & various Fastex poly hardware - including the snap-buckles like on back pack waist straps. Makes any frequent access stuff easy to get to and the hardware is low profile.

A concept I had back in the days of my '67 Ranchero was to use a section of 3/4" or 1" outdoor plywood (primed, sealed, etc.) with the recesses for the recessed tie-downs cut into it. That way the bed itself didn't get any large, un-reversible mods. In that vehicle I reasoned that having everything tied to one pice of thick plywood would keep things in place. For off road use it would be a simple matter to then secure the plywood to the bed.

The M/C carrier type straps only seem to work for me on M/C's. No idea why. I just don't bother with them anymore.

 

[TeriAnn]

I use Sterilite Plastic Storage Bins.
I use bungie cords to tie them down.

First time I used a roof rack I borrowed one from a friend and strapped everything down with a slew of bungie cords. I was on a particularly rough section of trail and after a sharp drop found a 10L jerry can of 90 wt hanging just beside my head outside the open window. That was my first & last use of bungie cords to lash down loads. I have learned to be a believer in ratchet straps and bolted down cabinets. On the trail I have a net that is stretched between the front and rear of the vehicle.

This is the rear interior of my rig fully loaded for a several week trip. Well not fully loaded, I normally carry a chaise lounge pad laid out on the floor for the dog. So except for the chase lounge pad and the dog it is fully loaded.

I rely upon metal cabinets bolted in place and dual latches on everything. The Porta potty is partially recessed inside a tight fitting space and does rely upon a tightly stretched bungie cord to keep it from sliding to the right, the only direction it can move in its stowed location.

The net is hung between the two cabinets and behind the seat bulkhead to stop a tumbling dog short of the windscreen.

 

[cactusjk]

Has anyone else used Quickie Tie downs? Feedback?

UPDATE: Article added from Henry Cubillan (60seriesdude) http://www.expeditionportal.com/equipment/equipment_reviews/loading/index.php

I have been doing some research on this subject recently.

Actually, it has always been in the back of my mind since a draw bar cut a 4" gash in the back of a friends neck during a roll-over.

I am a big believer in organized and secure gear storage. It just makes trips so much nicer.

What I have been looking at is the absolute highest quality storage gear and load handling equipment available.

Here is what I have found so far:

NETS:

Load Tamer Nets: http://www.cargonets.com/military.html
Killer quality and designed for loads pushed out of the back of C130's. I used on in the Outback Challenge with great success.

BedNet: Also very high quality. I have used a 4x5 unit for several years before the platform was built for the Tacoma.
http://www.thebednet.com/

Tie Downs:

Tie Candy- Good looking and STOUT

Hi-lift Slide-N-Lock:

Another good product I have used and like. ailable in 7", 22", 68", & 93" lengths. It is also available in black now, which helps with my chromophobia.

Straps:

Less research on straps, as I have always used ratchet straps of some sort. However, I came across these little gems, and have been using them for the last few months.

Quickie Tie Downs:

So, what has worked for you?

 

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: Raingler nets, can't beatem

:Wow1::costumed-smiley-007:safari-rig::safari-rig: JIMBO