Commercial Tie Downs in the Semi Trailer: E Tracks and Accessories

E Track tie down system usually has two parts, the E Tracks and the logistic straps or hardware connector, aka E Track straps or tie downs. The E Track will be installed inside the box trucks , the most used are 2 flavors , horizontal E Track and vertical E Track, popular sizes are 5' section and 10' section. E Track tie downs have some varieties, there are e track cargo bars with e fittings at both ends, ratchet e track straps, cam buckle e track straps, rope tie offs, wood beam socket, they all have e fittings at the ends, and on the floor we have chocks for stop vehicles from moving. Of course all of these need to have E Tracks installed and secured on the trailers, let's see how do we do that.

How to install E Tracks and install them safely? Here are some tips.

When you mount 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.

The last thing of the installation or say the first thing before getting the truck on the road is to test your e track installation, you can insert a 2''x12' ratchet e track strap into the e track, drag it, ratcheting it all the way, make sure every piece of e tracks installed are mounted safely , any weak spots have to be eliminated.

Rudy Young