Straps & Rigging Guides

Winter Hauling: What Cold, Salt, and Ice Do to Webbing and Chain

Winter does not weaken polyester — but ice, road salt, and frozen hardware change how your securement behaves. What actually happens to straps and chain below freezing, and...

Why Tie-Downs Never Lift: The Line Between Securement and Rigging

A 3,300 lb tie-down strap and a 3,300 lb lifting sling are not interchangeable, and the reasons are built into the gear. Where the line sits, why it...

When to Retire a Strap: The Inspection Checklist

A worn strap counts as zero at an inspection and worse on the road. The pre-trip checks that take thirty seconds, the damage that ends a strap's life,...

Web Sling Types Explained: Eye-and-Eye, Twisted Eye, and Endless

Three sling styles cover almost every web lifting job. What each type is for, how the eyes differ, and how to pick the width, ply, and length for...

Wear Shield: Why Every Sling Eye We Sew Ships Protected

Sling eyes are where web slings die first — so we stopped selling eye protection as an add-on and made it the standard build. What Wear Shield is,...

V-Bridle Tow Chains Explained: Setups, Hooks, and Ratings

The V-bridle is the wrecker's handshake: two chain legs, one pull point, hooks matched to the casualty. How bridles are built, which hook ends do what, and what...

Transport Chain Sizes Explained: 1/4" Through 1/2" With Real Ratings

Grade 70 transport chain comes in four working sizes. Here is what each one is rated to hold, what it weighs to drag around, and which size actually...

Tie-Down Math: Aggregate WLL Worked Examples

Three real loads, worked start to finish: count the tie-downs, add the ratings, check the aggregate. The arithmetic every driver should be able to run at the trailer...

Flat Hooks, J-Hooks, S-Hooks, and Snap Hooks: Picking Strap End Fittings

The hook decides whether a strap works on your trailer at all. A plain-language tour of the common strap end fittings and the anchor points each one was...

Sling Angles and Capacity: Why 45 Degrees Changes Everything

The same sling carries less the flatter its angle gets — at 30 degrees, half its vertical rating is gone. The simple trigonometry every rigger runs, without needing...

Securement Rules of Thumb: The Habits That Keep Loads Boring

The one-strap-per-ten-feet rule, the fifty-mile re-check, the weakest-link add — the short list of habits experienced haulers run automatically, and the reasoning behind each one.

Recovery vs. Towing vs. Securement: Different Jobs, Different Ratings

The strap that ties a car down, the chain that tows it, and the strap that yanks it out of a ditch are three different tools with three...

Made in Missouri Since 1993: The Mid-Mo Strap Story

Three decades of cutting and sewing tie-downs in Cuba, Missouri — why the shop stayed small on purpose, stayed domestic on principle, and ended up building straps one...

How to Measure Webbing Width and Strap Length Before You Order

Two minutes with a tape measure saves a return. How strap length is actually measured, what the fixed end and fold-overs mean, and how to size a custom...

How Ratchet Straps Are Made: Inside Our Missouri Shop

From a roll of American-made webbing to a finished, rated tie-down: the cut, the fold, the stitch patterns, and the checks a strap passes through before it ships...

How Many Tie-Down Straps Does DOT Actually Require?

The federal minimums are simpler than most drivers think: a length rule, a weight rule, and an aggregate strength rule. Here is how to count your tie-downs before...

E-Track Fittings 101: Securing Loads in an Enclosed Trailer

E-track turns a bare trailer wall or floor into anchor points every few inches. How the track works, which fittings click into it, and how to build straps...

DOT Roadside Inspections: The Securement Violations That Park Trucks

Securement violations are among the most common ways a truck goes out of service at roadside. What inspectors actually check, the violations they write most, and the five-minute...

Custom vs. Off-the-Shelf Ratchet Straps: When Custom Pays for Itself

Stock straps cover the standard jobs. Custom pays off the day your trailer, your anchor points, or your cargo stop being standard. Here is the honest line between...

Corner Protectors and Wear Sleeves: Making Straps Last

Sharp edges are the number one strap killer, and the cure costs a fraction of the strap. How edge protection works, where to use it, and why it...

Chain Grades Explained: G30 to G100 and What the Numbers Mean

The grade number on a chain link is a strength class, and it decides what the chain is legally allowed to do. The whole ladder from hardware-store G30...

Cam Buckle vs. Ratchet Strap: Which Tie-Down for Light Loads

One tensions by hand, one tensions by lever — and that single difference decides which loads each strap belongs on. The honest split between cam buckles and ratchets.

Behind the 3D Strap Builder: How Custom Gear Gets Configured Online

The builder renders your exact strap, chain, or sling in 3D, prices it from live components, and sends the spec straight to the sewing bench. What it does,...

Axle Straps and Wheel Nets: Tying Down Vehicles the Right Way

Vehicles get secured by their axles and wheels, not their bodywork. What an axle strap does, why the wear sleeve matters, and how a four-point vehicle tie-down actually...

American-Made vs. Imported Webbing: What Actually Differs

Same width, same color, different strap. Where imported webbing cuts its corners, what consistency means when your rating depends on a seam, and why we sew American webbing...

Grade 70 vs. Grade 80 Chain: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Grade 70 is the gold transport chain the DOT expects on your trailer. Grade 80 and up are alloy chains rated for overhead lifting. Which grade fits the...

Working Load Limit vs. Break Strength: What the Numbers on Your Strap Actually Mean

Break strength is the number that sells; Working Load Limit is the number that keeps your load on the trailer. What each one means, why the gap between...

How to Choose the Right Ratchet Strap: Width, Length, and Working Load Limit

Width sets the muscle, length needs a tail to spare, and the Working Load Limit on the label is the number that matters. A plain-spoken guide to picking...