strapping the car down

[x-ring]

I use a 2” ratcheting 10000# strap (Home Depot, $15) on each of the front OE tow hooks to a D ring on the front of the trailer. On the rear, I do the same thing ...

Are those the yellow nylon straps? I'd be careful with those, if they are the ones I'm thinking of, the kind truckers use to strap loads down to a flatbed.

There are two problems with that kind of strap. The hook doesn't have a safety catch, so if the strap goes slack for a moment the hook can fall off your car or out of the D-ring. Second, although the UTS of those nylon straps is plenty high, they will stretch more than real polyester car straps.

How do I know this? I used to use those (yes, from H-D) at all four corners of my car. Years ago I was towing up a rural highway near my house. A vehicle entered the highway in front of me, going realllly slow (not uncommon in a farming area), and I had to get hard into the brakes. The rear straps stretched enough to allow the front straps to unhook. When I released the brakes the car rolled backwards and the car's rear wheels fell off the trailer. Fortunately the car stopped there, instead of completely leaving me, crossing the double yellow and hitting a minivan head on (which is what went through my mind afterward).

Now I use three real car straps (like this: http://www.mrproducts.com/index.php?...tchet%20Straps ) and one 3/8" chain. The chain has a lower UTS than the straps, but it won't stretch.

FWIW