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Posted by: Tree Farmer
I've experienced tie-downs breaking when hauling sprung loads, like motorcycles; ATV's should be similar. My theory on how, for example, a 400-pound motorcycle can break a 1000-pound cable, is: resonance. The sprung vehicle (motorcycle or ATV) begins oscillating on the bed as you bump on down the road; harmonic resonance develops in the tie-downs, and whap! A tie-down snaps, unable to contain the peak stress as energy is added to the harmonic motion at the maximum excursion points.
So what? Who cares why or how they break, what are you going to do to prevent it?
O.K., O.K. I'll share my solution: bungee cords. Bungee cords are elastic, but they have enough self-damping characteristics or have natural harmonic periods sufficiently different from cables or straps that they do not enter the "death spiral" I described of those fasteners. Four heavy-duty bungees, stretched to "antagonistic" anchor points, that is, tensioned against each other, have held down my quads successfully for thousands of miles of road marches, over some pretty trying terrain.
I usually fasten a heavy chain or cable to the quad also, just in case all hell breaks loose; locked, the chain or cable deters thieves.
My physics and explanation of how tie-downs break may be all wrong; however, my solution is all right, from experience. Good luck on yours.
Tree Farmer
Posted by: hot_shoe_cv
Not sure what you mean by breaking..the webbing or the hardware? Get yourself some Ancra tie downs and connect them upside down to the anchor points so that you can pull UP on them to tighten. You get more leverage this way. I have some Ancras that are almost 30 (yes,thirty) years old and still working. You'll pull out your anchors before you break them.
Posted by: hot_shoe_cv
Apparently some have misconstrued my remark regarding reversing the position of a tie down. Now if one thinks about it for a minute, by fastening the hook so that the slack may be pulled UP, the machine's suspension is compressed as much as desired by the additional leverage obtained by pulling UP rather than down on the strap. In this manner I'm able to sit on the grab bar or bumper while tightening the tie downs at all four corners when towing into the back country.
Posted by: ecbaatz
TreeFarmer,
I understand your explaining and do agree with it. Based on that one way to minimize the oscillations with web straps is to tighten them enough to compress the springs on the quad. Since the springs are already compressed it will take a large bump to cause them to compress further ( and have less of a chance of rebounding if they are compressed).
I use 4 straps to hold my King Quad down (600#) Two racheting and two not, I secure the not racheting first and then use the ratcheting to cinch it down tight. I have not had any problem with straps breaking (knock on wood).
Question DM1. Are you using the tie downs to hold more them one machine at a time? If so you may be overloading the tie down. If not, I am at a loss as why you are breaking them. Could always get some like they use on the 18 wheelers to hold there loads on. Of course the bouncing as described by TreeFarmer could still occur. But if you compress the springs when you strap it down I believe you will minimize if not remove that problem.
Posted by: Harold
Throw away those trouble-sum straps and buy an atv lock made by fulton. buy it from bass pro shops for about $69.00!!!!!!
Posted by: nickb
My experience. I've hauled stock cars, derby cars, and street rods countless miles. I've had the same set of 3" nylon ratchet straps for at least 10 years and never a problem. One thing I do tho, is always tie the thing down using the back axle and lower control arms in the front! I never pre-load the straps with the suspension of the vehicle! The way I see it is, if the ATV weighs in at the 500 lb mark, I weigh close to 200 lbs and my weight does not compress the suspension on the ATV. So I'm guessing it takes close to 400lbs of pull with a tie down to even come close to compressing the suspension on the ATV. So do the math, 500 lbs ATV....400lbs to preload the suspension...close to 1/2 ton on the straps the way I see it. And at that I don't think the suspension is totally loaded out. I just know from experience that I never tie my ATV down unless going around the rear axle and lower front A-arms. Just my view on this subject. Happy trails.
Posted by: HondaHunter
For what it is worth, on the farm my grandfather always told me, "never saddle a horse upside down. The wieght must pull down.
Posted by: Fireblade74
I agree with NickB, why compress the suspension of a quad? Where is it going to go? I use the cheap 1000lb capacity tiedowns, and I have never had a problem with them at all, I tie down of the rear axle and front A-arm. This way the only tension the strap sees is what I put on it, or when the bike rolls from front to back, the force of the suspension is eliminated. I do however on my motorcycle compress the suspension to trailer it, that is the only way I know how with it, and have not had any problems with it either. Good luck...
Posted by: tprender
I have never broken a tie down in over 30 years of caring bikes and quads. The only time that one did break and this may be what happened to him was that we took the strape over the angle rall. The movement of the quad going down the road in the trailercut the strape were it went over the piece of steel. So hook the tie down some place so that it does not rest against any of the angle iron on the side of the trailer.
Posted by: trailboss450
I too have always used the ANCRA brand straps without failure. Some of mine are 15 years old or more. The are rated for higher loads than most any other I have seen. It is important when using any brand of tie down that it is kept from RUBBING on ANYTHING. Continued rubbing will wear out a strap in a short time and cause premature failure.
Posted by: Polarized
Never had a nylon strap fail unless it was rubbing something such as a rail.
Posted by: Zorro
I use 4 tie downs. 2 front, 2 rear. They never broke (1").
Something's wrong with you...or your straps.
Think about it. Is it better two 20$ a month a 40$ strap for 1 year?
But check out where they go...I never broke any strap.
Posted by: Farmr123
Try hooking the tie downs somewhere high enough on the machine so they pull down, compressing the suspension somewhat. I thing Treefarmer may be onto something. Get the thing bouncing and there is a lot of weight on the ends of each bounce. Also if the webbing is touching anything at all, the bouncing will tend to cut it. You can get protectors if it does. I always use a minimum of 2 per machine in the back of a pickup, one pulling forward & down, one pulling backwards & down. I prefer to use 4 on a trailer without a railing, 2 pulling forward & down, 2 backwards and down. If your suspension isn't halfway down, it might not be pulling down enough. I stretch the bejeezus out of my straps and have yet to have even one fail.
Posted by: FKNA
DM1,
Are the straps going across any edges? I use heavy duty 1" straps (two) to tie down my Kodiak and haven't had any problems. So if you keep breaking them I would have to assume that the straps are rubbing against something.
Posted by: DM1
I've had a new trailer for only 2 months, and I've already had (3) 2" heavy-duty nylon tie-down straps (not the cheap 1" light-duty straps)
holding our quads break while hauling. Fortunately, none of our quads were left in the road.
My trailer is a flatbed, with rails in the front and on the sides in front of the wheelwells only (they're also the removable ramps), so if a tie-down breaks, it could mean a machine dropped on the highway, a lot of damage and maybe someone badly hurt driving behind us. Not to mention these ratcheting tie-downs are about $30 apiece.
We haul either two or three machines at a time, sideways if three,lengthwise if two.
There must be a great tie-down system somehwere out there, but I haven't found it yet.
Considering steel cable? Chain? Something else?
Please help if you have any ideas on great tie-down systems!
Posted by: DM1
Hot Shoe, It's the STRAPS that are breaking, and they are fastened so that the quads' suspensions are compressed, but have only been using 1-front and 1-rear tie down per machine, and maybe that's the problem. Needless to say, doubling the number of tie-downs reduces the load on each one by 50%. Also think I will try the Ancra tie-downs if I can find them. Thanks to all who gave their good advice!
Posted by: DM1
Farmer, I do tie them with downward compression, but have been using only 2 straps per quad, and that might be the problem. With HD 2" straps, I ASS-umed that that would be enough, but . . .
Thanks for your help!
