The popular tie down system on semi trailers are E track tie down system, which consists of E Tracks and e track tie down straps or cargo bars, E tracks come in with a few different length, such as 2′, 5′ and 10′, and there are two different settings , horizontal and vertical. The E Track tie downs have quite a few varieties, such as rope tie off(e fitting one end, D ring at another end with a short strap), D ring with E fitting(no strap), cam buckle straps with E Fitting, ratchet strap with E Fitting, wood beam sockets, wheel chocks which usually seen with E Tracks installed on the truck floor for bike or vehicle tie down and there e track cargo bars with e fittings at both ends. But any E Track tie downs need E Track to be installed to work, so the most important thing is to install the E Track properly.
When it comes to the installation of E Tracks, the safety is our first priority, do it the right in the very beginning will be crucial.
When you install the E Track you will have to look for the wall studs on the trailer, we will focus on doing it on the wall but the same principle applies to the floor as well. The wall stud is basically a big channel with a couple of flat spots on top to attach the plywood to, we just have to do the same to the E Track and bridge two of them somehow, when you figure that out you can use screws to hold the E Track up, you will need deep threaded wood screws or tec screws to get the job done. Basically this is all about installing E Tracks on the wall, and you will have to make sure the E Track sit as flat as possible on the wood. For Safety reason, you’d better use deep threaded screws, put one screw into each hole on the e track, and run the track as possibly far as you can, the will spread the load across long distance and it’s safer. Remember that the there are only about 2 inch to outside wall, so don’t over assert the screws.
When finish installing E Tracks, you will need to test it, just put an rope tie off into the E Track, drag it all you want, see if there are any weak spots, loose ends or whatever feels not well secured, if there are any problems fix them before you put the system into real use. Now you need to get e track tie down straps from local dealers or get these e track straps online, the ratchet or cam buckle straps come in 3 popular sizes, 2”x12′ color yellow, 2”x16′ color gray and 2”x20′ color blue, it’s pretty easy to tell the length of the assembly.
