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Ratchet Straps vs Rope

JonJay

Well Known Member
I see a lot of folks switching away from traditional rope to ratchet straps. I did a quick search but did not discover any discussion about this.

I have stuck with rope for a couple of reasons, but I can always be influenced by others smarter and more experienced than me.

Here is what I see;

Ratchet straps are easier. They do weigh a bit more, but marginally.

Ratchet strap quality of the webbing and clamp vary widely.

Rope is pretty consistent.

Rope takes some knot tying skill.

Rope is elastic, allowing some shock absorbing, even when tight. Ratchet straps do not.

Normal tie down chains are not elastic. However, I was taught not to tighten the chains, leave some slack to allow the aircraft some movement.

What are your thoughts?
 
If there are chains available, I will use them.

I carry a set of ropes, with a carabiner attached for when I need to supply my own.
 
I have used the nylon straps for 10+ years, and most of that was with the plane stored outside. They do have some give, but I leave them a little lose to let the wings do what they will. - Never had an issue. They look better, are easier to use, and it is easier to know when they need to be replaced.
 
At the risk of igniting a flame war, may I suggest that having loose tie-downs may not be in the best interests of the airplane. Having stored many a small plane outdoors in cold, blustery, upstate NY and hurricane-prone Galveston, TX, I have seen such loosely tied-down planes rocking violently in the winds slamming taut their ropes/chains and stressing and sometimes breaking their tie-down attachment points. Loose chains are the worst - they have no give when suddenly snapped taut and can exert tremendous forces on the wing and tie-down attachment points. Give me a good rope, snugged-up (but not too tight) and properly knotted, anytime!

ps -- I am now hangared in quake-prone California where we don't always need tie-down ropes, but we always chock our planes while stored inside the hangar! :D
 
I used to have a Cirrus SR20 tied down outside. Originally kept rope loose, then read about a Cirrus where the wing attachments were ripped out by rocking in the wind. But a few other Cirrus at the same field were fine, but had very taught rope or ratchet straps.

Since then, I make sure everything is tied down tight, and ratchet is just easier to do that.

Tim
 
The snap tight action described is what is most worrisome. I use ratchet straps at all ramps. Yes, they come in different load ratings. Get a good set, with thicker webbing. They will hold a huge load with good nylon web. An interesting story about tie downs. I was in Anchorage for Iditarod dog sled race and a big wind came through in the night. (moved a cargo 747 across the ramp a bit) Planes tied on Lake Hood were all twisted up in the morning. Some on top of each other. A huge mess. Oddly, some were unmolested and rode out the wind with their anchors and ropes. Owners smiled and thought too bad for the other guy. Few weeks later the FAA came around with their cautions. Engineers had figured out the loads imposed on the wings and struts of those still looking just fine. Huge G forces.... way out of limits for even aerobatic planes. Suggested that a really close inspection be made before next flights. Anyway, ratchet straps are very strong mechanisms. They also provides entertainment if a non-trained pilot tries to help you get them loose. They can be a challenge.
 
I'm a snug rope person. A nice snug line with a bowline knot at each end. I guess it just carries over from sailing. I'm pretty sure I can tie a nice tight bowline (or two) just as fast as someone else can work a ratchet thingy. Plus, there is a certain pleasure in the utility of a beautiful knot that has been used for hundreds or thousands of years :). Yes, we coil our ropes too, not just a wad of spaghetti in the baggage compartment.
 
BOWLINE

The rabbit come out of the hole, around the tree and back in the hole.
 
Most airports I've flown into in California supply chains. You can tighten them after hooking them up by pushing the airplane backwards until the slack is gone, then chock the wheels.
 
Chains in the west, ropes in the east - seems to be the norm for environmental conditions.

I'm in the tight rope camp - why do you think we have the Taught Line Hitch? If I want 'em really tight, I'll take a bite in the middle and tie it with an extra reduction - nothing moves. This way, I am only carrying rope and a few 'biners - ratchets just take up a lot of space.
 
I have a J-3 Cub on floats I keep in my backyard all summer long. I prefer motorcycle tie downs for the ease of use, but if your going to use them, do not use the kind with the open hook. Use the kind with the spring loaded catch that you have to move out of the way to unhook. Several years ago at Sentimental Journey, a Cub get together, a storm came through and several planes using the open hook tie downs became unhooked and damaged not only their planes but others too. If all you can find is the open hook type, use ropes or chains, all the other people with planes around you will be happier.
 
Rope works for me

I use rope and a modified truckers hitch (uses part of the rope as a pseudo pulley) lets you get it tight, works great.
 
The sailing reference brings to mind something I have not thought of before. Has anyone used boat spring lines? No jerking, gradually increasing pressure.

Tim
 
Stay away from straps

While this may stir up the whole debate about touching someone else's aircraft, I'd like to share a quick story. While driving down the ramp on an exceptionally windy day, I noticed a Cessna 172 with only one wing tied down with a strap with a spring pressure button instead of the ratchet assembly. On the other wing was the upper half of a strap including the buckle assembly swinging wildly in the wind, beating the heck out of plane. I attempted to re-buckle the second strap, but the spring had failed and it wouldn't hold the strap tight. There wasn't enough strap to tie the two half's together and no one was around to notify. I ended up getting a spare tie-down rope and secured the plane. There were dents and scratches all over the plane from the swinging buckle.
I'll stick with rope, thank you!
And yes, when the plane disappeared a few days later, my rope apparently went with it.
 
The sailing reference brings to mind something I have not thought of before. Has anyone used boat spring lines? No jerking, gradually increasing pressure.

Tim

I'm guessing that what you're referring to is what I used to call a rubber ducky, with all the connotations :). Dock line wrapped around a large elastic element. Very heavy when sized appropriately, short term life, and needs pretty large (slow) inertia to work correctly. I would not call it a 'spring line' at all in proper terms at the dock.
But, if we wanted to do a very funny, big pain in the rear, certain shock absorbing tie down, we could certainly tie down an airplane just like Tanya and I did an eight ton vessel for years at the dock :). Now that is a girl that knows how to work a spring line and not go in the drink!
 
Back in high school, I worked on a river boat in the summers. There, it was cables, or ropes. While a cable was much stronger in absolute strength, it would not absorb shock and stretch. Let a 200 tons barge drift 10 feet and hit the end of a cable, and it snaps. Not so the rope. I believe chains, no matter how well tightened, can work into a slight amount of slack. They may not break, but they will put very high loads when they hit their limit, perhaps enough to do damage.

I had a Phantom ultralight tied down with ropes when a tornado lifted the hangar away. The 1/2" ropes were down to about 3/8" and stiff from stretching. No damage to the u/l. All the other planes in the row were destroyed or seriously damaged, and some were not tied down being inside. Ropes can't be beat. That said, I have switched to straps. They do have a slight amount of give, and can be tightened nicely. They are hard to beat for convenience. I rarely tie down outside (ALWAYS tie down in a hangar) but still prefer ropes there when I do.

Bob
 
Chains in the west, ropes in the east - seems to be the norm for environmental conditions.

I'm in the tight rope camp - why do you think we have the Taught Line Hitch? If I want 'em really tight, I'll take a bite in the middle and tie it with an extra reduction - nothing moves. This way, I am only carrying rope and a few 'biners - ratchets just take up a lot of space.

bight :D

although the image of you with a rope between your teeth.....:eek:
 
What's needed is stiffness and tightness. You don't want any slack, and springy ropes or straps are not desrable. Use ropes of polyester, not nylon or polypropylene. Climbing ropes are generally too stretchy. Marine ropes with a polyester cover and a Vectran or arimid core are ideal; a Dyneema core is good too.

Tie knots that can't come loose no matter what happens. Some knots can loosen if the rope goes slack and tightens, so don't use those. That means no open hooks, too.

Make certain there's no slack. Ropes that are very tight are best. The plane can handle that. It's the dynamic bouncing around that breaks the ropes and wrecks the planes.

I've seen too many aircraft broken after a storm event because their owners didn't follow these suggestions. Since I'm an aerospace structures engineer, it was pretty interesting to figure out what happened.

On my plane, I tie one wing as tight as I can. At the other wing, I try to tighten it as much as possible too. I'll actually hang on it to grt some tension. Then I loop a rope around the tailwheel assembly and pull the plane aft until it's as tight as possible. All knots are right at the aircraft or ground anchor.

Good tiedown equipment and techniques only really matters in severe conditions. So alwayes be prepared for those. Make it a habit.

Dave
 
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Taught Ropes

While it's always nice to have well-educated tiedown equipment, it's far better to have taut ones. Tight is good.

Dave
 
What's needed is stiffness and tightness. You don't want any slack, and springy ropes or straps are not desrable. Use ropes of polyester, not nylon or polypropylene. Climbing ropes are generally too stretchy. Marine ropes with a polyester cover and a Vectran or arimid core are ideal; a Dyneema core is good too.

Tie knots that can't come loose no matter what happens. Some knots can loosen if the rope goes slack and tightens, so don't use those. That means no open hooks, too.

Make certain there's no slack. Ropes that are very tight are best. The plane can handle that. It's the dynamic bouncing around that breaks the ropes and wrecks the planes.

I've seen too many aircraft broken after a storm event because their owners didn't follow these suggestions. Since I'm an aerospace structures engineer, it was pretty interesting to figure out what happened.

On my plane, I tie one wing as tight as I can. At the other wing, I try to tighten it as much as possible too. I'll actually hang on it to grt some tension. Then I loop a rope around the tailwheel assembly and pull the plane aft until it's as tight as possible. All knots are right at the aircraft or ground anchor.

Good tiedown equipment and techniques only really matters in severe conditions. So alwayes be prepared for those. Make it a habit.

Dave

I'm going with Dave on this issue. (Hard to argue with an aerospace structures engineer!) Tighter is better. Those of us who survived the Sun'n Fun tornado of a few years back learned a few things about tie down anchors as well. The corkscrew dog tie downs are great for dogs, not airplanes. Plastic tent pegs are for tents, not airplanes. Even "The Claw" tie downs failed when improperly secured. And slack ropes tore out the best of tie downs and sometimes pulled the anchor point from the wing of the airplane.

My own plane was tied down TIGHTLY with good anchors and stayed put. Two planes that were parked 50 feet away from me were yanked from their improperly secured anchors and were totally destroyed. The only damage I incurred was from blowing debris from other airplanes.
 
It all depends

on what you encounter. Here is a pic of a newly restored Beech 18 after a tornado came through during hurricane Wilma. It was anchored in CONCRETE and actually pulled the concrete plugs out of the ground. Notice the smaller aircraft tied down with ropes in the background. The hole in the foreground is where the tiedown was.
 
My own plane was tied down TIGHTLY with good anchors and stayed put. Two planes that were parked 50 feet away from me were yanked from their improperly secured anchors and were totally destroyed. The only damage I incurred was from blowing debris from other airplanes.

What kind of anchors did you use?
 
My oppologies to the Op as I am going a little of topic but.
I have not been happy with the tie-down kits I have seen available for aircraft. The SNF tornado year is a good example of what does not work in the Florida sand. I found what I think is the perfect set at Harbour Frieght for less than $20.
2sb261y.jpg
[/IMG]

You up North guys may laugh at trying to get these screwed down in your soil but they are perfect for our sand. I bought better dock lines and put it all in a $5 tool bag from Sears along with the canopy cover and tie-down rings and I am ready for SNF this year.
33w48x0.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Tight is good, IMHO.

I've experienced damage to an aircraft that's allowed to build up a good head of steam before slamming the end of a chain.

You would have to ask: Which is worse - the dog straining at the end of its rope trying to bite the mail man, or getting a good running start first?

Besides, has anyone considered how the US Navy ties their aircraft down? Seems like they'd be the experts.
 
My oppologies to the Op as I am going a little of topic but.
I have not been happy with the tie-down kits I have seen available for aircraft. The SNF tornado year is a good example of what does not work in the Florida sand. I found what I think is the perfect set at Harbour Frieght for less than $20.
2sb261y.jpg
[/IMG]

You up North guys may laugh at trying to get these screwed down in your soil but they are perfect for our sand. I bought better dock lines and put it all in a $5 tool bag from Sears along with the canopy cover and tie-down rings and I am ready for SNF this year.
33w48x0.jpg
[/IMG]
Mark,
my apologies for disagreeing with you but those tie downs look just about identical to what I used at the 2011 SnF tornado. They were totally useless in the loose sand that was masquerading as soil on the SnF grounds. You can see the tie-down dangling at the end of the rope tied to my tail in this pic:
tail%2520view%2520of%2520damage.jpg


I have tried many different varieties including the 'CLAW' and feel none have the potential holding power needed. Perhaps trying to protect against a tornado is an exercise in futility. However, since I have first hand experience now, I have been interested in at least attempting to find something that works. To that end I have been using these tie-downs since March 31, 2011:
Stormforce tie-downs
stormforce.JPG


P.S. I have no affiliation to the Storm Force company, just a satisfied customer.
 
Hey Steve,
I am sorry as it looks like you recieved some damage that year.
Any idea how deep you had the twist ins? It is true that if you don't get down into the solid wet stuff it would not be secure. But I can't imagine the spikes (large nails) that are supplied by most of the kits doing any better. I have used most of the kit ones available and the 15" twist ins are far superior. As you said protecting against a tornado is futile. However we do get plenty of afternon thunderstorms that will blow hard for a few minutes and I sure plan to try.
 
Hey Steve,
I am sorry as it looks like you recieved some damage that year.
Any idea how deep you had the twist ins?
They were buried to the hilt. the only thing above ground was the eyelet the rope was tied to. At SnF you could most likely dig to China and not find a hard enough surface to secure the tie-down. That sand was as compact as quick sand. In fact the rain was fierce Monday prior to the tornado. There was probably 8-10 inches or more of rain that fell between Monday-Thursday that year. The ground was absolutely saturated with water. The sand had the holding power of powdered sugar.

It is true that if you don't get down into the solid wet stuff it would not be secure. But I can't imagine the spikes (large nails) that are supplied by most of the kits doing any better. I have used most of the kit ones available and the 15" twist ins are far superior. As you said protecting against a tornado is futile. However we do get plenty of afternon thunderstorms that will blow hard for a few minutes and I sure plan to try.
I don't know if the spikes would do any better in that loose sand. Not sure if anything could. However, I disagree with you concerning the "twist ins are far superior." That twist in corkscrew is just stirring up that sand (loosening the already loose sand) exactly where you expect the holding power to be. That corkscrew plate is plowing through the sand and turning it up above it. The spikes on the Storm force are driven into the ground at a 45 deg angle into the ground and placed such that the rope angles out and away from the tie down ring on the plane. This puts the 4 spikes at a 90 deg angle to the pulling force of the rope. This allows for the entire length of the spike to be used against the pulling force. There are 4 of them per tie-down. FOUR separate spikes in the ground to pull against instead of ONE. I think when one examines the geometry of the 90 deg angles to the forces administered, one will find there is more holding force on 4 spikes angled into the ground perpendicular to the pulling force than would be in one twist in corkscrew tie-down.
 
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