Modern consumers are curious. We have a penchant for buying specialized gear for nearly every activity. For example, you cannot go bike riding without special pants and gloves. You cannot store things in the attic without expensive plastic storage totes. Even truck tiedown straps are in play here.
Truck tiedown straps prove their worth whenever you need to secure cargo to the back of a truck or inside a trailer. Whether you use cam straps, ratchet straps, or some other type of tiedown, your tiedown of choice keeps cargo in place while you drive. But you can actually use them around the house, too.
There is nothing wrong with repurposing truck tiedowns for other reasons. Just because you don’t have any cargo to secure doesn’t mean you have to store your tiedowns away and never use them again. There are lots of household jobs you can do with them.
Tiedowns in the Workshop
Truck tiedowns are fantastic tools for the workshop. Maybe you are building a custom furniture piece for the house, and none of the clamps in your current selection is big enough to hold two sections of wood you are trying to glue. No worries. Break out the truck tiedowns.
I personally recommend Rollercam’s cam buckle straps. The Rollercam brand features a cam buckle with a rotating cam that reduces friction. You need very little pulling effort to tighten one of their straps down. And because friction is reduced, you can get them just as tight as ratchet straps without having to pull extremely hard.
Truck Tiedowns in the Yard
I am not a handyman, so I don’t have a workshop. I do have a yard, and I have found multiple uses for truck tiedowns while outside working in it. Years ago, we lost a couple of big trees in a severe thunderstorm. They fell on the side of the house where our yard was most narrow. I needed to get them out in order to cut them up.
I wrapped a tiedown strap around the end of one tree and hooked the other to my tractor. Then I pulled the tree away from the house and into the back yard. Repeat process; problem solved.
I have also used truck tiedowns to temporarily hold fence posts in place while I poured concrete around the footers. I have used them to support a flagpole, hold a birdfeeder in place while I fastened it to a tree, and even act as a temporary laundry line.
Truck Tiedowns in the Garage
I’m running out of space for this post, so I’ll wrap things up by talking about how I’ve used truck tiedowns in the garage. Bear in mind that I don’t like clutter. I like to keep things off the floor so that I can use my garage for its intended purpose: parking my car.
Both of my ladders are fastened to the garage wall with tiedowns. Along one wall, I ran an old tiedown from end-to-end and fastened it in the corners. Now I can place garden tools, like rakes and shovels, in between the studs. The strap holds them in place. I even use a tiedown strap to keep the propane tank securely anchored to my gas grill. It works a lot better than the flimsy hook installed by the manufacturer.
I could continue, but you hopefully get the point. Truck tiedown straps are incredibly versatile. If you bought some to help you move and haven’t used them since, look for other ways you can deploy them around the house. You might surprise yourself.
