How To Set Up And Use Ratchet Straps: A Complete Guide

Anyone who's recently needed to move furniture or transport outdoor gear like a kayak from one location to another knows it can be a logistical nightmare. While such items can sometimes be affixed to the top of a car, most will agree that having access to a pickup truck or even renting a moving van from a retailer like The Home Depot can seriously mitigate the transportation headache. In the latter case, transporting a heavy load via pickup raises another potential issue in how to secure that load for travel.

There are numerous ways to go about ensuring that your load is properly tied down during transport, though you'll hopefully avoid such absurdist scenes as that infamous meme of the guy draped over an unsecured mattress in the back of his buddy's truck. It's far more likely you'll seek to secure your load using ropes or bungee cords. 

Of the current options available to consumers, ratchet straps like those available at Harbor Freight are, perhaps, the best way to keep a load secured in a moving vehicle. They're also relatively budget-friendly, with heavy-duty sets selling for about $35 on Amazon and other retail outlets. Depending on your needs, that may be a most worthy investment indeed. But once you've purchased a set of ratchet straps, it's important to learn how to properly set up and use them. 

Before we begin, we should note the obvious point: While most ratchet strap setups are similar, they are not all the same. You should consult whatever instruction manual accompanies the ratchet strap set you purchase before putting it into service. 

Apart from any item-specific instructions, you should be able to follow these steps to secure items on your vehicle using ratchet straps.

1. Loosely wrap the strap around the load, ensuring it's not twisted or tangled.
2. Open the ratchet end of the strap to access the empty take-up spool, which helps pull it through the housing.
3. Feed the opposite loose end of the strap through the lower slot on the ratchet housing.
4. Pull the strap through the housing by hand until it is almost tight, leaving a little slack.
5. Secure the hook ends of the ratchet strap to the attachment points on your vehicle.
6. Pump the ratchet lever up and down to pull the strap through the housing and tighten it to the vehicle.
7. Make sure the strap does not get twisted as it tightens against the vehicle's surfaces.
8. Lock the ratchet in a closed position and secure the untethered loose ends of the strap before travel.

Depending on how far you're traveling, you might consider checking the straps whenever you stop to retighten them as needed. Otherwise, here's how to release them once you've reached your destination.

1. On the ratchet segment, pull open the hinge and hold the release lever.
2. Open the ratchet to lay flat, fully releasing pressure on the strap.
3. Pull the loose end of the strap back through the hinge, remove it from your load, and voila, you're all set.