Tiedown ratchet straps

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michael.g.miller
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Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by michael.g.miller »

Looking to get some ratchet strap style tie downs for my DA42. Anyone have recommendations? The aircraft spruce selection seems to be too short. I measured tiedown bolt to anchor as 124” on my DA42!
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mhoran
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by mhoran »

We have the slidedown hooks from this thread: viewtopic.php?t=5807. They're great, and I recommend them over ratchet hooks. The only trick is getting the tail hook working, which we've never done. There are some workarounds in the thread.
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by michael.g.miller »

The slide downs look good, but will they reach the 124” from wingtip to tiedown anchor on a DA42?
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by mhoran »

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. But you could probably rig something up if not. That's what I've seen done with the ratchet hooks for the 42s at Take Flight.
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Diamond_Dan
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by Diamond_Dan »

He will make them to any length, just ask.

https://slidedown.com/
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Soareyes
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by Soareyes »

Diamond_Dan wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:25 pm He will make them to any length, just ask.

https://slidedown.com/
I have a set of these that came with a previous plane. The tail skeg on my 2020 DA42 is wide such that the hook will not go through and make the bend. The tail tie-down has gone through design changes over the years. It might work on some.
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by MarkA »

I just use a set of these ratchet straps from amazon.com - they come with 4 loop straps one of which can be used to loop through the tail hole.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY ... UTF8&psc=1

I also have a "claw" aircraft anchor that I carry only when I know there are no tie downs available on the ramp.
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by photoSteveZ »

Why doesn't Diamond just put the tie down rings at a reasonable, 'normal' distance from the fuselage instead of way out at the tips?
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Re: Tiedown ratchet straps

Post by vnehess »

This same issue arrises in sailplanes, the tie-downs are located at hard points in structure so that force is well distributed to the wing thru the threaded insert. I believe the wing tip bulkhead holds the tie-down and is is a logical location for good load transfer and minimum extra reenforcement weight required.
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