Thank you Sooo much! Just bought a kayak and it took longer to figure the ratchet straps and how to thread and release them (yes, I had them backwards) than to learn the kayak, until I saw your video. So helpful.
I just got a delivery driver job hauling autobody parts this week and the 1st 2 days on the job have given me FITS all day, but this video will do the trick as I now understand the mechanics of ratchet strapping from the doctor of ratcheting........youtube's very own dablingtime! LOL! This video explanation is a job saver for me!
I appreciate the honesty at the start. I've worked for trucking companies and rental companies where we use them for anchoring down big tents. Very rarely do you use brand spanking new straps. Older, more weathered ratchet straps NEVER operate quite as smoothly as they do on most of these videos. Nice job bud keeping it real.
Good concise instruction. The lube and the position of the ratchet on the load were things I always seem to overlook. Thanks for the great video. It is nice to see a youtube video with substance and purpose instead of just entertainment. Thanks you!!
Thank you!!!! Couldn't figure out if we'd set up the strap right as we couldn't undo it. Just had to pull harder knowing how the gear worked. I teach and love your phrase of "understanding how something works is 3/4 of using it".
I feel enlightened -- thank you for taking the time to make this vid! I was one of those who struggled with these things trying to manually disengage the teeth from both ends WHILE trying to pull the cord loose. Never knew the secret was just opening it up a little more! :)
Thank you ! was going to buy a box of six ratchet straps then the boss said to me today to throw all 15 away ! a few were jamming but after watching your video i now have a better understanding on ratchets!
Man your video is fantastic. Everyone else is completely USELESS at explaining what really wasn't that difficult to explain. Nobody explained how to release the strap - thats all I ever wanted to know with these bloody things. I had no idea you had to have it fully flattened out. I was messing around with the stupid thing for half an hour before googling it and after your video it took 10 seconds to sort out.
Problem with the alternative threading he showed is useless due to the one way the pawl moves, go ahead and take a strap and thread in from front to behind and you will see what i mean, it can be done, but wicked awkward. Besides, it would keep the handle in the folded locked position like with the proper thread for when you velcro strap the excess above the handle.
I cannot thank you enough! How I ended up being a 48 year old woman and not be able to figure this ****** thing out. The grease " works like a dream' lol. Ive bought them and thought I just bought cheap ***stuff. Now I found myself having to sit down and figure it out because I need to use one. I didn't know how to thread it and couldn't get it all the way open. tThank you for the details! Seriously, I was too embarrassed to ask anyone. Your video was about 5 or 6 in and nothing was clicking. No pun intended, until your video. I was able to step by step, sit with the damn thing in front of me go through it.
Thanks for a great video. Wish I'd found it before spending an hour cursing the thing and throwing it a couple of times. Guys like you make TH-cam a great educational tool. Keep up the good work
Best ratchet strap video! Only problem is using any petroleum based lube will break down polyester straps. Try graphite ! Thanks for the tooth demo too
Good video. There have been times when opening the ratchet to 180 degrees was problematic so I released the catch manually. It really does help understanding how things work. You can tell a ratchet strap is cheap by the thickness of the webbing and the steel stampings. Thin is junk because, ratchets that distort so the cam won't release the tension are worthless. One point you left out, don't get the grease on the straps.
Yes, a lot of folks have said oils will wreck straps but I've never really noticed it. As for metal thickness true again and it's usually you get what you pay for. BTW, have you watched the how I store them video? Takes a minute to do but I never fight the mess anymore. I keep one in the bed of the truck to hold lumber in. Gets beat around and never comes undone untill I need it. Thanks for watching.
@@dablingtime I wouldn't use the word "wreck". I just know that grease on fabric attracts a gritty dust and the straps are supposed to hold friction. It's not the end of the world. I just try to take care of my tools. I keep telling the greenhorns "never underestimate the power of lubrication". Appreciating quality seems to be almost a dying art these days. Everyone just wants cheap stuff. My family grew up in hard times before I showed up. They taught me cheap costs you double or more when you have to take extra time and money to buy a replacement, while quality is a bargain that pays dividends over time. I haven't seen the other video yet. Used to roll up my straps around the ratchets but lately I have just left the straps on dedicated tie offs in the truck bed and the excess is wrapped in long lengths around tie off points along the edge of the bed. If I'm in a hurry then the excess is bundled into a milk crate or a bucket in the corner. I plan on doing a video on how I have my truck rigged for hauling eventually. There just so many other things to do. Thanks again for the video.
Thank you so much! I watched video after video, and didn't quite understand how to do this, until I saw your video. Now, I know how to use mine. Thank you!!!!!
A well done video. I can relate to being pissed off when they do not work. I work in pretty extreme cold conditions where during the winter the average can be -25 degrees below zero. I find that for these extreme conditions I use a graphite lubricant over a silicone or lithium based lubricant. Just something to consider if you are using in extreme colder weather.
Thank you! omg I thought I was going nuts after trying all four in a pack they simply would not pull the strap through. I sprayed them a little and bingo! Thanks much!!
Thanks! I learned something very very useful! Those darn straps have bested me so many times..... and when they wouldn't unwind I always thought I had loaded it wrong. Yep, thanks.
Thank you, very informative video for us newbies! Funny story, I clearly need more patience because I smashed my thumb 3x before the video got to you explaining how to unroll it safely. Haha. lesson learned.
well, thank you very much!! I've been fighting with this contraption for years! now (other than a lap full of WD-40) my ratchet clamp works like a dream!
At last, an answer to a question I have asked of colleagues many times!! Thought I was doing something wrong every time those straps would'nt undo. THANKS...'ll get some grease.
Thanks. I'd been unable to get my strap to release for a while. Turns out all it needed was some lubrication. I never even thought about lubing these things.
This helped me. I couldn't get one unwound to save my life. Mine has a notch that one side needs to fit into to start unwinding. And it needed some lubrication -- though it was nearly new and had never been used.
I've only used these &%$#$% things 3-4 times and twice I've got them jammed and had to spend an hour or so each time unwinding them from the inside with a screwdriver. As some one else said, no one has ever explained that they release only when flat. I'll get some Lithium grease at CT tomorrow! Thanks a lot.
I call that mishap a binding cincher due to the way it gets to the point you experienced, if you catch it before it gets that bad it is not as hard to undo.
Use these everyday and just sent this to a customer who did not know how to release them. If I were to do a video, the only thing I would add is that people don't take up the slack before they begin to ratchet and roll waaaay too much strap on the roller. Also you need to keep BOTH straps getting rolled straight! Once you twist or bind them and they bind in the edge of the roller it's game over for the poor sucker trying to undo it. Otherwise, great video!
Really good and done cinchers are NOT going to be easy at all, was fortunate to catch and undo many of them before getting worse to where it was dang near impossible to undo.
Don't use them very often but it's a battle every time. Not any more! Thanks for the great tips. Anything on how to get the old lady to mow the lawn? lol
Thanks for this info. I just bought 2 inexpensive strap clamps to re-glue a cello neck and the clamps come with no directions. It's not easy to undo the strap when you don't know how it's supposed to work.
This has good information in it. We all need to oil our mechanical parts of the ratchet strap to make sure it is easy to work. I would like to send you a product that I invented so you could put it to the test and share with the followers here on you channel. My product is made to make working with tie down strap easy and help them stay clean and ready for the next time you need to us it. Just let me know where I need to send the product to and I will get one out to you to try. Thanks for the info.
I was embaressed the first time I used mine. Got the load nice and secure and when I made the delivery I had to ask the forklift driver to undo the bloody things! Easy when you know how. Thanks buddy.
They do not grease the ratchet for a few reasons, makes a mess in the packaging and some types of grease are not friendly to the nylon or poly strapping.
Just a friendly advisement, be careful spraying the ratchet mechanism with any type of grease, it can harm the strap material eating away the strength by breaking down the chemical structure, please remove the strap BEFORE greasing and wipe away the excess from where the strap will be, Lithium is great for cool temps but in colder weather where it starts to freeze, go with Graphite lubricant and again wise the excess to keep the strap clean as it and lithium will also cause the strap to slide. Also make sure you ratchet the strap enough it folds back into itself or it WILL NOT HOLD properly and will come loose. leave enough for at least 5 full pulls on the handle.
Oh and if you thread it the other way as he showed with the tail underside, you are not going have and easy time getting it tightened properly due to the one way the ratchet goes and it also leaves the handle open and unsecured to where it can be possibly damaged from a falling object, The right way allows you to fold up and with a velcro strap can attach it over and above the handle to protect it from being opened and damaged.
I remember someone else noting that lubricants breakdown the straps. I just figured any mild hydrocarbon product probably would react with another, but I'm probably wrong. I'll blame my ignorance on being a backyard mechanic. Thanks for the reminder and watching. Good points on the winding direction also.
Your comment prompted me to make a video on how to tighten something down using a rope, or rather what knots to use if you don't have a ratchet. A tight rope is the only way to effectivly hold something in place. You just need to know how to do it. Thanks for the comment
Lithium grease is wonderful stuff, but if you are going to use it, I would unthread the strap first and wipe off any excess before rethreading the strap. The grease can degrade the strap webbing. As missorlando2000 notes, a graphite lubricant is probably a better choice.
f you can ensure you get the dogs disengaged from the ratchet it will unwind you either have to anchor the loose end to a stationary object so you can really pull on it or somehow manually keep them disengaged and use a channel lock plier that will open wide enough to grab the ratchet and rotate it. If you can get a turn out of it it will probably unwrap as usual then, good luck
Thanks for the simple, straightforward instruction. Pros often forget that a novice needs clear basics. Beautiful job. Thanks again.
Brilliant. Many thanks for real world , weather issues on old straps. 👍🏻
Thank you Sooo much! Just bought a kayak and it took longer to figure the ratchet straps and how to thread and release them (yes, I had them backwards) than to learn the kayak, until I saw your video. So helpful.
I just got a delivery driver job hauling autobody parts this week and the 1st 2 days on the job have given me FITS all day, but this video will do the trick as I now understand the mechanics of ratchet strapping from the doctor of ratcheting........youtube's very own dablingtime! LOL! This video explanation is a job saver for me!
I appreciate the honesty at the start. I've worked for trucking companies and rental companies where we use them for anchoring down big tents. Very rarely do you use brand spanking new straps. Older, more weathered ratchet straps NEVER operate quite as smoothly as they do on most of these videos. Nice job bud keeping it real.
Finally! After years of suffering silently in anguish, someone explains the theory behind how these things release!
Excellent. As you rightly say loads of videos showing you how to tighten them but not how to release and pull the strap loose. Thanks.
Good concise instruction. The lube and the position of the ratchet on the load were things I always seem to overlook. Thanks for the great video. It is nice to see a youtube video with substance and purpose instead of just entertainment. Thanks you!!
Thank you!!!! Couldn't figure out if we'd set up the strap right as we couldn't undo it. Just had to pull harder knowing how the gear worked. I teach and love your phrase of "understanding how something works is 3/4 of using it".
I feel enlightened -- thank you for taking the time to make this vid! I was one of those who struggled with these things trying to manually disengage the teeth from both ends WHILE trying to pull the cord loose. Never knew the secret was just opening it up a little more! :)
Great video, explained by someone who understands engineering rather than someone who just wants to be on you tube
The advice of someone with experience versus the advice of someone without is always a vast difference. Thank you.
Thank you ! was going to buy a box of six ratchet straps then the boss said to me today to throw all 15 away ! a few were jamming but after watching your video i now have a better understanding on ratchets!
Tell the boss you'll take the old ones and let him buy new ones. Thanks for watching, check out the strap storage video also.
the most superior of all ratchet strap tutorials.
Thank you!. I have had these for years but now know how useful they are when you know how to use them.
Hey thanks for taking the time to record and post this. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, and this helped a lot. I appreciate it, thank you.
Man your video is fantastic. Everyone else is completely USELESS at explaining what really wasn't that difficult to explain. Nobody explained how to release the strap - thats all I ever wanted to know with these bloody things. I had no idea you had to have it fully flattened out. I was messing around with the stupid thing for half an hour before googling it and after your video it took 10 seconds to sort out.
Thank you so much!! I watched so many videos until I found yours, and yours was the clearest.
Thanks so much for posting this! The 2" straps I ordered by mail had no instructions, and I must say, I was baffled. You saved the day!
I had questions about properly threading these things and you answered them. Thank you, sir, for a great video.
Problem with the alternative threading he showed is useless due to the one way the pawl moves, go ahead and take a strap and thread in from front to behind and you will see what i mean, it can be done, but wicked awkward. Besides, it would keep the handle in the folded locked position like with the proper thread for when you velcro strap the excess above the handle.
I cannot thank you enough! How I ended up being a 48 year old woman and not be able to figure this ****** thing out. The grease " works like a dream' lol. Ive bought them and thought I just bought cheap ***stuff. Now I found myself having to sit down and figure it out because I need to use one. I didn't know how to thread it and couldn't get it all the way open. tThank you for the details! Seriously, I was too embarrassed to ask anyone. Your video was about 5 or 6 in and nothing was clicking. No pun intended, until your video. I was able to step by step, sit with the damn thing in front of me go through it.
Good thing I checked this out, I was too chicken to try the straps. Was going to go the rope route. Would have been a mess doing that! Great demo!
Best video on the use of ratchet straps by far. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for a great video. Wish I'd found it before spending an hour cursing the thing and throwing it a couple of times. Guys like you make TH-cam a great educational tool. Keep up the good work
By far the best Ratchet Strap videos on TH-cam. Thank you very much for saving my time! :)
Appreciate the walkthrough on how the components interact and at what times.
Thank you! Seemingly so straightforward, but I couldn't figure out how to release the mechanism. You saved me having to call my brother!
Sarah LaPlante Awww that's cute ;)
Compared to other videos, this was a lot better. Thanks for posting.
Best explanation I have seen!! Great Job!! Thanks!!
the direction through the spool was something I hadn't paid attention to .. thanks 👌🤠👍
Best ratchet strap video! Only problem is using any petroleum based lube will break down polyester straps. Try graphite ! Thanks for the tooth demo too
Thanks none of the other vids helped me get my head around it, simple but complicated at first!!
Good video. There have been times when opening the ratchet to 180 degrees was problematic so I released the catch manually. It really does help understanding how things work. You can tell a ratchet strap is cheap by the thickness of the webbing and the steel stampings. Thin is junk because, ratchets that distort so the cam won't release the tension are worthless.
One point you left out, don't get the grease on the straps.
Yes, a lot of folks have said oils will wreck straps but I've never really noticed it. As for metal thickness true again and it's usually you get what you pay for. BTW, have you watched the how I store them video? Takes a minute to do but I never fight the mess anymore. I keep one in the bed of the truck to hold lumber in. Gets beat around and never comes undone untill I need it. Thanks for watching.
@@dablingtime I wouldn't use the word "wreck". I just know that grease on fabric attracts a gritty dust and the straps are supposed to hold friction. It's not the end of the world. I just try to take care of my tools. I keep telling the greenhorns "never underestimate the power of lubrication". Appreciating quality seems to be almost a dying art these days. Everyone just wants cheap stuff. My family grew up in hard times before I showed up. They taught me cheap costs you double or more when you have to take extra time and money to buy a replacement, while quality is a bargain that pays dividends over time. I haven't seen the other video yet. Used to roll up my straps around the ratchets but lately I have just left the straps on dedicated tie offs in the truck bed and the excess is wrapped in long lengths around tie off points along the edge of the bed. If I'm in a hurry then the excess is bundled into a milk crate or a bucket in the corner. I plan on doing a video on how I have my truck rigged for hauling eventually. There just so many other things to do. Thanks again for the video.
Great explanation! I always bunch up the strap because I don't pull it through far enough or I start it going down instead of up.
Beautiful lesson! Just bought 4 today!
Thank you so much! I watched video after video, and didn't quite understand how to do this, until I saw your video. Now, I know how to use mine. Thank you!!!!!
Now I understand the process and how it works. All the other videos just made it confusing. Thanks
A well done video. I can relate to being pissed off when they do not work. I work in pretty extreme cold conditions where during the winter the average can be -25 degrees below zero. I find that for these extreme conditions I use a graphite lubricant over a silicone or lithium based lubricant. Just something to consider if you are using in extreme colder weather.
Great information , like your Columbia jacket , couldn't get by without Columbia shorts too.
Excellent Advice. Was getting myself in a right mess.
Thank you. This helped me a lot.
I tried using one on my truck and got it so fouled up I had to cut the thing off LOL
Thank you! omg I thought I was going nuts after trying all four in a pack they simply would not pull the strap through. I sprayed them a little and bingo! Thanks much!!
Thanks! I learned something very very useful! Those darn straps have bested me so many times..... and when they wouldn't unwind I always thought I had loaded it wrong. Yep, thanks.
Thank you, very informative video for us newbies!
Funny story, I clearly need more patience because I smashed my thumb 3x before the video got to you explaining how to unroll it safely. Haha.
lesson learned.
well, thank you very much!! I've been fighting with this contraption for years! now (other than a lap full of WD-40) my ratchet clamp works like a dream!
Best video EVER! Thank you! Just got my jammed straps released!
Ann-Marie Gargano, you are welcome! Thank you
Thank you very much indeed for explaining this - very helpful and clearly presented.
At last, an answer to a question I have asked of colleagues many times!! Thought I was doing something wrong every time those straps would'nt undo. THANKS...'ll get some grease.
Thanks. I'd been unable to get my strap to release for a while. Turns out all it needed was some lubrication. I never even thought about lubing these things.
I have no clue why im watching this but now i have this information, thanks
This helped me. I couldn't get one unwound to save my life. Mine has a notch that one side needs to fit into to start unwinding. And it needed some lubrication -- though it was nearly new and had never been used.
Thank you very much, best explanation on the web.
Thank you. was wondering why I couldn't release the strap. I just need a little elbow grease! great video
Exceptionally well done, and immensely useful. Thank you!
I've only used these &%$#$% things 3-4 times and twice I've got them jammed and had to spend an hour or so each time unwinding them from the inside with a screwdriver. As some one else said, no one has ever explained that they release only when flat. I'll get some Lithium grease at CT tomorrow! Thanks a lot.
I call that mishap a binding cincher due to the way it gets to the point you experienced, if you catch it before it gets that bad it is not as hard to undo.
Thanks so much for a thorough explanation. Now I can get mine to use before hurricane Irma hits.
HzG8rGrl thanks, good luck, stay safe
Use these everyday and just sent this to a customer who did not know how to release them. If I were to do a video, the only thing I would add is that people don't take up the slack before they begin to ratchet and roll waaaay too much strap on the roller. Also you need to keep BOTH straps getting rolled straight! Once you twist or bind them and they bind in the edge of the roller it's game over for the poor sucker trying to undo it. Otherwise, great video!
Really good and done cinchers are NOT going to be easy at all, was fortunate to catch and undo many of them before getting worse to where it was dang near impossible to undo.
Don't use them very often but it's a battle every time. Not any more! Thanks for the great tips. Anything on how to get the old lady to mow the lawn? lol
Thanks for this info. I just bought 2 inexpensive strap clamps to re-glue a cello neck and the clamps come with no directions. It's not easy to undo the strap when you don't know how it's supposed to work.
I ratcheted two of mine too tight and could not get the Web back out. Thanks to your video I was able to.
James Shaw, thank you!
This has good information in it. We all need to oil our mechanical parts of the ratchet strap to make sure it is easy to work. I would like to send you a product that I invented so you could put it to the test and share with the followers here on you channel. My product is made to make working with tie down strap easy and help them stay clean and ready for the next time you need to us it. Just let me know where I need to send the product to and I will get one out to you to try. Thanks for the info.
Great explanation and demonstration, thank you very much!
This is a GREAT VIDEO!! Excellent instructions. This really helped me. Thank you so much!
Brilliant, like others mine came without instructioss, but now I know and I have lithium grease in the shed! Thanks.
Best teacher. Thanks a bunch.
Thank You for helping me with that. I bought one of these at Home Depot and there were no instructions.
Great tip, thanks for watching
So good, I have to go look at what else you've posted... Thanks!!
Huge help. Thank you for the great video.
Thank you for making this video! I really really appreciate it.
Silly question.... does spraying this void any warranty or add liability for the user?
I was embaressed the first time I used mine. Got the load nice and secure and when I made the delivery I had to ask the forklift driver to undo the bloody things! Easy when you know how. Thanks buddy.
Thanks really helpful. Saved me some time.
just bought new ratchets and figured it out quick, but it wouldn't release. just needed lube :) Thanks man
Really useful demo, thanks.
One great and understandable video! Thanks.
Excellent explanation! Thank you!
I always wonder if the left over slack was on top or bottom I know now thankyou
Thanks for watching
Repeat after me :-)
If it doesn't move and is supposed to, use WD40
If it does move and is not supposed to, use duct tape
+deasttn Do you work for NASA?
And if it doesn't move and it's not supposed to, paint it.
CJ, you use that when it stops working properly, let out some pent up anger.
Good info. I sprayed lithium grease, and it loosened up enough. Funny, tho. The ratchet was new. Guess it doesn't hurt to give it a shot. Thanks.
They do not grease the ratchet for a few reasons, makes a mess in the packaging and some types of grease are not friendly to the nylon or poly strapping.
Excellent tutorial!
great video. thanks for putting it up.
Thanks, that's a good explanation.
thank you I actually understand what is going on now, always had fumbled my way through using them
Thank you!!!! Will WD40 work?
You had me at “Pissed Off.”
Just a friendly advisement, be careful spraying the ratchet mechanism with any type of grease, it can harm the strap material eating away the strength by breaking down the chemical structure, please remove the strap BEFORE greasing and wipe away the excess from where the strap will be, Lithium is great for cool temps but in colder weather where it starts to freeze, go with Graphite lubricant and again wise the excess to keep the strap clean as it and lithium will also cause the strap to slide.
Also make sure you ratchet the strap enough it folds back into itself or it WILL NOT HOLD properly and will come loose. leave enough for at least 5 full pulls on the handle.
Oh and if you thread it the other way as he showed with the tail underside, you are not going have and easy time getting it tightened properly due to the one way the ratchet goes and it also leaves the handle open and unsecured to where it can be possibly damaged from a falling object, The right way allows you to fold up and with a velcro strap can attach it over and above the handle to protect it from being opened and damaged.
I remember someone else noting that lubricants breakdown the straps. I just figured any mild hydrocarbon product probably would react with another, but I'm probably wrong. I'll blame my ignorance on being a backyard mechanic. Thanks for the reminder and watching. Good points on the winding direction also.
Thank you for the video, it helped a lot!
Ruth Verstegen , you're welcome, thanks for watching.
Your comment prompted me to make a video on how to tighten something down using a rope, or rather what knots to use if you don't have a ratchet. A tight rope is the only way to effectivly hold something in place. You just need to know how to do it. Thanks for the comment
Lithium grease is wonderful stuff, but if you are going to use it, I would unthread the strap first and wipe off any excess before rethreading the strap. The grease can degrade the strap webbing.
As missorlando2000 notes, a graphite lubricant is probably a better choice.
Both have their messiness, but graphite is better due to it does not suffer from deep freeze.
Great video sir, thank you.
Thank you sir.
Lithium grease will attract dust , a dry graphite also comes in a spray can and may work better .
Great video learned something thanks
Thanks for watching.
You are welcome, thanks for watching
EXCELLENT!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Make sure to say hi to Mr. Ed.
Great video
I wound too much strap and now it is stuck. Cannot loosen. Any ideas? Thanks.
f you can ensure you get the dogs disengaged from the ratchet it will unwind you either have to anchor the loose end to a stationary object so you can really pull on it or somehow manually keep them disengaged and use a channel lock plier that will open wide enough to grab the ratchet and rotate it. If you can get a turn out of it it will probably unwrap as usual then, good luck
You made my day
Love ratchets, I lubricate a batch in a tub of old chip fat haha.