Erickson 34416 Pro Series Black 2" x 10' Retractable Ratcheting Tie-Down Strap

awesome

It's worth understanding that unlike typical ratcheting straps, the handle has two "rest" positions. One of the jobs of the red tab is to jump the handle from one position to the other. In one position, the device works like a seat belt retractor, with the strap able to pay out or self-retract, just like seatbelts in a car.In the other position, the handle works like a typical ratcheting strap system. HOWEVER, even in this position, realize that these straps are made of seatbelt material, which is kind of slick, so the wound up material will slip over itself on the spool quite a bit before you get maximum belt tension.When you ratchet the belt down, keep tightening until all this "slip" or "slack" is pulled out. Then tighten it some more for good measure! And most importantly, when you're done tensioning, DO NOT return the handle to the "seat belt retractor mode" position, or you can lose tension all together. With normal ratchets, you're probably used to returning the handle all the way back down flat prior to hauling. On this product, that's bad, because putting the handle all the way down flat is the "retractor mode" position! You'll need to leave the handle slightly up for "locking-ratcheting mode". It will look funny, but it is the position it needs to be in.I can see a situation, in some applications, where the hustle and bustle of freight handling can cause the lever to be unintentionally whacked down flat into the "retractor mode" position, which may cause the belt to go slack. That is a risk. For my application, these are wonderful, and greatly simplify tidying up your straps.

These tie down straps are great. They are easy to use and hold tight.

I've had these for a few years now and just ordered my second set to replace my other more traditional tie down straps.Few things to note:They are heavy and sturdy. The hooks are large and the unit feels solid.It takes some getting used to using these. They will not lock in until you tighten the unit with the handle after pressing the red button for the release. If you just hit the release button, hook them to your bike and let the slack get taken up by the spring, THEY ARE NOT LOCKED IN. Apparently other people can't comprehend that. You MUST ratchet them at least a click to shut off the freewheeling/spring return mechanism.To release while under tension or not, you must push the red button and push the ratcheting handle down. Taking a bit of tension off the strap while doing so makes it easier.For me, this is my main tie downs for my 4 bikes. I'm about to do a 900 mile trip towing 3 bikes and insisted on getting more of these to replace other heavy duty ratchet straps.As a side benefit, my bag of straps in the bed of my truck is no longer a rats nest. When you are done using these, just hit the red button and it winds itself up. Even after 3 years of hard use, the spring still has enough tension to suck the strap up within 6" of the hook.My wife just bought me another pair of these exact ones at Tractor Supply today for our anniversary. She paid about $25 each. She was a little upset when UPS showed up with the same straps today, but now we get to return the other set and save a bunch of money. Thanks Amazon!

Update. I have had these for quite a while now and used many times. They are very sturdy and strong, but there is a trick to disengage them. The red button that you push to disengage them no longer works. You have to stick something in alongside the wound up roll and pry it free. I use the needle nose pliers on my leatherman. It's hard to explain, but if you just look at how it works, you;ll figure it out. Without something to pry it I cannot get it loose. I would buy these again. Very strong. BUT you have to know how to pry it to get it loose.These work as I hoped they would, but they just don't feel really strong. I'm afraid I'm going to break them using them as tie downs for my side by side. I like the auto-retract and there is no loose strap swinging freely in the wind. Makes tying down much faster and simpler. We will see if they stand the test of time. Under heavy loads it is difficult to disengage the strap and it feels like it is going to break. But it hasn't failed me yet so I really can't complain. THis is a very large strap so it really ought to be strong enough for my side by side. I use it often and will update if one fails.

Work great and heavy duty!

I think I own six of these now. They do a great job on my boat trailer and my ATV trailer. Rock solid, strong, easy to use.Edit/update: I recently had one of my straps fail to release. I had to take the ratchet apart to release the load so I could remove the ATV from my truck bed. Despite an hour's worth of trying, I could not repair the ratchet, so I contacted the company. Amanda at the Erickson company said she would send a replacement strap to me at no cost. The package arrived today. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a retail package arrived -- containing two new straps. I had expected just one. Although the product failure was an inconvenience, the company did a great job supporting their customers. I am still a big fan of the Erickson 34416!

These were great the first few uses, they made strapping items down an quick and easy one man job, and no more knotted up straps when storing. But, they quickly started having trouble after a couple of uses. Now they jam up almost every use and I usually have to fight to unlatch them and to get the cord to retract again. I would have given less stars, but the first few uses they worked perfectly and that was worth a lot in my circumstances (one of those times I was tarping a trailer in a blizzard). The smaller ones had the same issue.I would still recommend if you are buying for a one time use.I will try lubricant on them in the near future and update the review if it revives them.

Como siempre Ericson con productos excelentes.

Always have two of these for securing lumber and loads in the truck...easy to use and no issues after about 50-ish uses on each

Best thing since sliced bread tradie😬

Bought 4 of these straps in order to haul my side by side (Not a fan of hauling a sxs with a 1" wide strap so this give me ease of mind). Straps look great and feel sturdy to the touch, fully retracted they store great and you dont have to worry about them unrolling and getting tangled with each other as with standard straps.They worked fantastic for their first three trips but on the fourth trip I went down a pretty muddy trail to get to a staging area, by the time we got down the trail you could no longer see any off the straps. We cleaned them off as best as we could and unstrapped them but unfortunately the mud and grit had penetrated into the gears inside. After a full clean back home 3 of the straps went back to working perfect. The last strap still works but you need to give the handle a good hit to get the gears to release.Overall in about 50 trips so far they are great straps, just try not to get them caked in mud.

I like those straps especialy because they are retractable,no need to role them and they are very strong.