When you go fourwheeling, you should be properly prepared. You should have recovery gear handy in case you get stuck. You should have tools handy to handle trailside repairs. You should have an onboard air source to air up your tires before hitting the pavement. The list goes on and on. These items add up and take up considerable space inside your vehicle. These items are also very heavy and can easily cause property damage or personal injury if they are not properly secured.
Don't think this can happen to you? Think again. Secure your cargo.
Sometimes the amount of items you must carry can become almost overwhelming. These ancillaries are usually large, bulky, and heavy, and must be properly secured to prevent damage to your vehicle or, even worse, injury to your vehicle's occupants. Always secure your cargo properly.
To attach your cargo straps, Mac's Custom Tie Downs makes the Anchor Plate Assembly. Quickly and easily attach and detach your cargo straps with the Anchor Plate Assembly Kit. Each Anchor Plate Assembly Kit includes a quickly detachable tie-down ring, machined and black anodized aluminum anchor plate, stainless steel backing plate with two PEM captive nuts, and two 1/4" stainless steel mounting screws. The dome-shaped aluminum anchor plate is 1.75" in diameter, and the two mounting holes are 1.0" apart, measured center-to-center.
The tie-down ring attaches and detaches quickly and easily without tools, and when attached is free to rotate in any direction to accommodate different applications. When mounted, the mounting screws are countersunk and sit flush with the aluminum anchor plate.
When properly mounted with the backing plate, each Anchor Plate Assembly has a 2000 lbs. capacity.
Here is but one of an infinite number ways to mount the Anchor Plate Assemblies. The Pelican 1650 Protector Case is securely held inside this Defender 90's cargo area.
When desired, the Anchor Plate Assembly detaches easily.
When not in use, the dome-shaped aluminum anchor plate sits almost flush with this vehicle's rubber cargo mat.
An alternative to the Mac's Anchor Plate Assembly Kit is the Land Rover Genuine Parts Tie-Down Loop. This loop is standard fitment on the Disco2, but is suitable for use on all off-highway vehicles. The Tie-Down Loop can also be partially hidden under carpet, with only the D-ring showing above the carpet for a clean appearance.
The D-ring is hinged and is free to swing a full 180 degrees. Mounting bolts not included, since the Tie-Down Loops may be mounted in so many different ways and different methods of mounting will dictate different fastener lengths and styles.
For tying down large and heavy items, we like the the Mac's Custom Tie Downs Stainless Steel Ratchet Straps.
The Mac's Stainless Steel Ratchet Straps feature an easily operated, stainless steel ratchet that will not bind or corrode from exposure to the elements.
To release the load on the Mac's Stainless Ratchet Straps, pull the slider on the ratcheting mechanism to disengage the ratcheting lever from the locking teeth. Then hinge open the ratcheting lever.
In the fully open position, the ratchet unlocks completely and releases tension on the nylon webbing. In the fully open position, the points of the ratcheting lever will depress the lock and release tension on the ratchet teeth and nylon webbing. Just pull the ratchet strap open.
The 4,000 lb. nylon webbing is 1" wide and black in color. The completed ratchet strap has a 2,800 lb. rating. The end hooks are coated with rubber to minimize scratching of your anchor points, but we recommend using this strap with the Mac's Custom Tie Downs Soft Loop Extensions for best results.
The 6' length is suitable for the majority of vehicular uses. The 12' length is suitable for doubling up over larger cargo items as well as having sufficient length to meet unanticipated uses. The photo above shows both lengths in use. The Pelican Products 1610NF Protector Cases on the front of the Safety Devices Highlander Roof Rack are secured with 6' Ratchet Straps. The two 1650NF Protector Cases are secured with 12' Ratchet Straps.
On longer trips, spare fuel and water are must-haves.
These six Wedco Jerrycans are secured with Mac's Stainless Ratchet Straps. There is a strap over the top of the jerrycans and a second strap around the sides of the jerrycans.
The Safety Devices Roof Racks use 1" tubing, which small enough to fit inside the end hooks of the Mac's Stainless Ratchet Straps.
What do you do if your desired anchor point is too fat for the end hook to fit?
One way is to hook the end of the ratchet strap around itself like in the photo above. We don't like this.
The Mac's Custom Tie Downs 18" Soft Loop Extensions are ideal for looping around bars on your vehicle and preventing damage to your vehicle or ratchet straps. The 4,000 lb. nylon webbing is 1" wide and black in color. The Soft Loop Extensions are sold in pairs.
There is no metal-to-metal contact with these Soft Loop Extensions in place.
If what you want to hook your ratchet strap to is too wide for the hook, the Soft Loop Extension will make your rigging possible. Many other possible anchor points will be inaccessible to large hooks but will accommodate a Soft Loop Extension. If you face a situation where your existing ratchet strap is too short, the Soft Loop Extensions may give you sufficient reach where otherwise you would be unable to use your ratchet strap. These loops serve a great many purposes.