Carrying stuff on roofracks

Quality ratchet straps for me!


Cheers, Baz - The Landy

Hello

I use ROK Straps for relatively light/low lying gear.

Have had a pair for a number of years and purchased another just recently. Can not say if they are the "best" but certainly very good quality and work well on my Rhino Rack Alloy Tray (i.e. lots of hook points).

Use racket straps for heavier/bigger stuff.

Cheers
Greg

As a motorcyclist as well as a 4wder, i have seen my fair share of crap on the road that has come from roof racks and trailers. Tents, chairs, ladders, fishing rods, construction stuff, furniture etc. If a motorcyclist has there front wheel taken out from them, they will almost certainly crash and maybe die if they hit something else.
Please tie eveything down with quality straps. Wont hurt anyone and you'll still have your gear when you need it.

Cheers
Wizzer

For lighter stuff I use camlock straps. Good for up to a wheel in weight (using two of them). Look at the load rating on the pack before you buy.

Get a rack bag. Fit more stuff, don't have to tie everything down individually, and it all stays dust free.
Seriously the best thing.
Mine's an old canvas one with torneau straps and torneau buttons on the roof basket to match. Since then they have invented rhino/MSA/etc bags.

Back in the dim dark ages, I carried a windsurfer on a roof rack well tied down with good ocky straps. No problems going down to the Bay at suburban speeds, but the first time I was on the open road at highway speeds and seeing the bow of it move up and down about 30 cm after being buffeted by trucks, I ditched the ocky straps in favour of ratchet webbing straps.
Have seen 3 lengths of 4 metre lengths of guttering move out of ocky straps and score the bonnet of a plumber's ute when he decided at the last moment that he shouldn't run the amber (signed camera) and hit the brakes very hard.
You could be pinged for having an unsecured (insufficiently) secured load if somebody felt so inclined, you can always go to Court and argue that an ocky strap is sufficiently rated to hold a 9 kilo gas bottle in an emergency stop.
I know there was a death recently in Victoria recently, but I couldn't find a reference on a quick google search, but this one in Tasmania did:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-09/north-west-tasmanian-man-avoids-jail-for-negligent-driving/7014488

is there such a thing as a good ocky strap
mechpete

A number of years ago the car I was driving was hit by a 44 gallon drum that fell off the back of a truck (hadn't been tied on properly). Just about destroyed the vehicle (Falcon Sedan) caught it on lip of the bonnet on the first bounce and on the top of the windscreen on the second, all but removed the roof of the car and ended up in the back seat. I was very lucky that it was empty or I'm sure it would have killed me, had no passengers or they would have been dead. So please be certin that whatever you carry on the roof of vehicles is secured properly and that means good quality ratchet straps.I still have nightmares about that day.

Guys,

A couple of days ago on Lachlan Valley Way near Boorowa, some stuff came off a trailer and went thru the windscreen of a ute, the driver was killed and his passenger is in hospital in critical condition. The driver of the vehicle who lost the stuff off his trailer has been charged with Neg Driving Occasioning death and having an unsecured load.

So I strongly suggest that an occy strap is not suitable for holding down anything more than an object which you would be happy to be struck in the face with at 200km per hour (closing speed).

Best you over engineer this solution than the alternative.

Gazza

Buy cheap.canvas bag .I seen some for 50 bucks online just google 4wd stuff

Occy straps are next to useless for load restraint and should be avoided at all costs.

Use a cargo net and ratchet straps that meet Australian Load Restraint standard AS/NZS 4380:2001 - because the law now states that the only restraints permitted for loads on vehicles, are those that meet that standard.

It has been bandied around that rope is no longer acceptable as a load restraint method.
This opinion is incorrect - you may use rope, provided it meets the AS/NZS 4380:2001 standard.

I might add that large numbers of retailers are selling ratchet straps that do not meet AS/NZS 4380:2001, and do not have a stitched label or indelible marking stating that they do.
If you find the ratchet strap or other restraint you are buying has no AS/NZS 4380:2001 markings, then that restraint is not legal for use on a road vehicle.

The National Load Restraint Guide 2004 - despite being aimed largely at commercial vehicles - gives good guidance as to satisfactory restraint methods.

National Load Restraint Guide

IMO, the Load Restraint Guide needs additional sections specifically covering roof rack loads and their restraint, because stuff falling off roof racks is a regular feature of road travel news, nearly every week.

Most people fail to understand the enormous forces placed on items on roof racks via being buffeted by 110kmh winds - which is precisely what is happening above your head at highway speeds.

Cheers, Ron.

Here's one bloke who thought that secure load laws only applied to other road users!

W.A. driver caught carrying goat on pallet wired to trailer drawbar

Cheers, Ron.

After having a load come loose and the hooks dislodging on corrugations with ratchet straps, I resolved to only use cam locks so that the load is secured with a continuous loop.
On my hard floor camper trailer I had dedicated quality cam lock straps for each item. They were simply located with cable ties where they went around the frame so that I didn't have to work out the tie down setup each time....just place and do up the cam locks.
Nothing came loose in 30.000km that included NT Savanna Way, Gibb, Karajini, etc.

Remember when the seat belts in cars (and aircraft) were cam locks?