kai_ramirez38•5d agoProlific Poster

Spent 6 years using a standard ratchet strap until a guy in Nashville showed me his cam buckle system

One trip hauling a bumper across town and I finally got why the cam buckle just locks tighter without fighting the slack, has anyone else made that switch and felt stupid for waiting so long?

4 comments

4 Comments

white.keith5d ago

The real shift nobody talks about is how cam buckles change the way you actually load the truck. With ratchets you're always fighting that last bit of tension, so you end up wrapping the strap around the load in a weird way to get a good bite. But with cams, you just pull it tight by hand and lock it, which means you can run the strap in a cleaner line. I've noticed my loads sit way more balanced now because I'm not creating these weird pinch points trying to get a ratchet to work right. That bumper you hauled probably sat different on the corners too, right?

the_faith4d agoTop Commenter

Kinda have to disagree here. A good ratchet gives you way more control on a heavy or awkward load than a cam buckle ever could, especially when you're trying to really cinch something down tight without it shifting.

xena_hernandez984d ago

Respectfully no way lol. Cam buckles on a heavy load like a bumper is just asking for trouble when that metal starts bouncing on the highway. Ratchets let you micro adjust the tension so you can actually feel when it's tight enough without guessing. I've had cam buckles slip on me mid drive with awkward loads and that's a lesson you only learn once. Plus with ratchets you can lock in that last half inch of slack without having to re do the whole strap path. Cam buckles are fine for light stuff but give me a ratchet every time for anything with real weight behind it.

grantc805d ago

Buddy of mine hauled gear for local bands for years using nothing but knots and basic straps. First time he borrowed my cam buckles he called me that night and said he felt like he'd been doing everything wrong for a decade. Pretty funny seeing a grown man get that hyped about hardware.