What are the Differences Between Tie Down Straps and Tow Straps?
During the business and communication with our customers, some of them questioned about what’s the difference between tie down straps and tow straps. Today, we are going to solve these questions and see which is the best strap to use when you want to tie down your cargo or towing.
The biggest difference between tie down straps and tow straps is the type of webbing blend, the tie down strap uses polyester webbing, and the tow strap uses tow strap webbing, their stretch is different.
Polyester tie down webbing – polyester is used in the straps that are used for cargo control. Such as ratchet straps. E track straps, hunting straps, car tie down straps, tent straps, winch straps, and some other custom tie down straps, these straps are used in trucks, trailers, and moving vans, these straps are fit for outdoor use.
Tow Strap Webbing – tow strap webbing stretches more than the tie down webbing because this is used to recover the vehicle which is stuck in the snow, water, or mud, and this strap should pull the vehicle out of the bad situation and need stretch to take the tension off of the vehicle.
Things to Pay Attention in a Tie Down Strap
Before you tie down everything, you should know if your tie down strap has enough strength to hold the cargo in place and this is what we said, working load limit. According to USA Transportation Department, the standard tie down straps should have a label sewn on the webbing and clearly mark the working load limit on it. Never purchase the strap without the working load limit information, because this is unsafe.
Another thing about tie down straps is the webbing blend, as we talked above, these straps are used for cargo control and only allow very little stretch. If your cargo control strap stretches a lot, you put your cargo in a dangerous condition, they have the risk to fall down. So, if you find the strap is much cheaper than the market price, the quality may be bad. After all, you get what you pay off.
Things to Pay Attention in a Tow Strap
The most important thing to buy a tow strap is the stretchiness, you should buy tow strap from a reputable manufacturer. Before every use, you should check the breaking strength that is marked on the label on the strap.
What Will Happen If We Use Ratchet Straps for Towing Purpose?
Most of the users know that the ratchet straps can not be used as the tow strap. But, there is a special condition, like if you pass a driver stuck in the snow or the sand or somewhere else that needs your vehicle’s help to pull his car out of the stuck. You only have ratchet straps in your car, so then you may consider using this tie down strap to help him. We have to say your intention is good, but your action may cause a headache.
We suggest customers keep a tow strap on their vehicle to support the emergency, especially in the Winter. There are 2 common types of recovery tow straps and which to use is depend on the weight of the vehicle. 1 ply tow straps are made with 1 ply of tow strap webbing and used for rescuing the lightweight vehicle and lightweight applications. 2 ply recovery tow straps are made with 2 plies of tow strap webbing and this is much durable and used for heavy-duty applications, such as lawnmowers, tractors, farm equipment, cars, trucks, and more.
FAQ about Tie Down Strap and Tow Strap
What is the service life of your tow strap?
In fact, this depends on how you use it and how frequently you use it? If you just keep the strap in your car and only use it only a few times a year, your tow strap may last longer than 5 years. But if you use the strap frequently, like if you are a road adventurer, then the service life of your tow strap will be shorter.
How do Cordura Eyes help the tow straps while working?
Cordura Sleeves and Cordura Eyes help to improve the durability of your tow strap. When you are trying to pull the stuck car out of the mud, the connection part may be sharp, and rusty, this Cordura Eyes help you to add extra protection to your tow strap webbing.
How long can you make the tow strap?
We offer 30 feet long tow straps in most. But, as the manufacturer, you can customize any in our company.
What is the service life of tie down straps?
This also depends on how you use it? For example, if you are in the business of cargo securement and very busy, you will use the tie down strap frequently and the lifespan will be shorter. If you rarely use it, definitely the service life will be longer. You can also use the heavy duty webbing instead of the normal tie down webbing since webbing is the weakest part of the tie-down strap. Also, the webbing protect sleeve and corner protector will help to increase the durability of the strap.
How many tow straps do I need to rescue?
In most cases, only one piece. Unless the stuck vehicle is too heavy and you may need to call the professional roadside assistance.
