How much load can the tie downs handle

[vital04]

I have 4 tie downs in my fx4 2019 . What I would like to is this.. I have a ATV trying to push it up the ramp is a PITA because of the pitch and height of the bed. I want to use the ATV winch (total weight about 350 ish pds Raptor 660r) put a 1000 pound strap across the back two tie downs. Use the winch on the ATV to pull it up the ramp into the bed.. While searching for some infomration, I saw this pic in another thread and copied into my post for reference, but its the back lower tie downs as you can see in the pic. My bed has the spray on bed protector not sure if that matters much more for strength.
The question is...
If I have a strap rated for 1000 pounds connecting across the two tie downs.. Would they be able to take the load of hooking a winch to the strap and the winch pulling the ATV (350ish pounds) up the ramp into the bed? (wow mouth full lol) What do you'll think?

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[Rp930]

661 lbs.
From the Owners Manual:
Note: Exceeding the maximum load rating of the load retaining fixtures may lead to vehicle damage.
Note: The number of tie down points may vary depending on your vehicle model.
E131643
Load Rating of the Tie Down Points: 661 lb

 

[Jon Olivier]

Is the load rating based on the direction of the load as well? I would expect the tie downs to be most effective when the load being put on it is perpendicular to the wall that the tie down is mounted on, and any change in angle would lower the amount of force it could handle. Shouldn't matter in this case as the load rating is nearly double the weight of Vital04's ATV.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Is the load rating based on the direction of the load as well? I would expect the tie downs to be most effective when the load being put on it is perpendicular to the wall that the tie down is mounted on, and any change in angle would lower the amount of force it could handle. Shouldn't matter in this case as the load rating is nearly double the weight of Vital04's ATV.

My thoughts as well. The tie-downs will be the strongest when the fasteners are in tension (aka pulling straight out). Any out of plane load will decrease that capability. Pulling on a tie-down parallel to the bedwall it is attached to will probably not be much load (relatively), since the bracket will want to bend over and peel off the wall. If I knew what the little "u" shaped brackets are made off, I could actually figure out the true value (since that is my job in the aircraft industry).

 

[VAMike]

If I knew what the little "u" shaped brackets are made off, I could actually figure out the true value

metal!

 

[vital04]

Thanks All for the information!! The winch is wireless and slow so at least be aiding by pushing to help take some stress off the tie downs. Even though there is roughly about 260 LBs of load available for the tie does that is a little closer then I would like to be.

Could also at some point get a new tie down installed that has a greater load rating.
Maybe over thinking at this point.. But could also make a combination of straps to all four tie downs and spread the load equally across all four.. hmmm

 

[banerjek]

Aside from direction, don't forget about stresses caused by bouncing around.

I always assume ratings were given for idealized circumstances since there are marketing incentives to do so.

If I were in your shoes, I'd mount some tie downs positioned and chosen for your exact application. It's cheap, easy, and you get some extra peace of mind. FWIW, I don't use any of the provided internal tie downs for my camper. Rather, we made some that we know how they're anchored.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Thanks All for the information!! The winch is wireless and slow so at least be aiding by pushing to help take some stress off the tie downs. Even though there is roughly about 260 LBs of load available for the tie does that is a little closer then I would like to be.

Could also at some point get a new tie down installed that has a greater load rating.
Maybe over thinking at this point.. But could also make a combination of straps to all four tie downs and spread the load equally across all four.. hmmm

I guess I'm not sure if the rating is for the actual tie-down brackets themselves, or for the attachment to the bed wall. The bracket might be plenty strong, but the failure mode might be the bracket actually ripping out of the bed wall. So in that case a stronger bracket won't do any good because it would still fail at the bed wall. Again, not sure but something to consider.

Aside from direction, don't forget about stresses caused by bouncing around.

I always assume ratings were given for idealized circumstances since there are marketing incentives to do so.

If I were in your shoes, I'd mount some tie downs positioned and chosen for your exact application. It's cheap, easy, and you get some extra peace of mind. FWIW, I don't use any of the provided internal tie downs for my camper. Rather, we made some that we know how they're anchored.

Good point, the tie-downs are likely rated for static load, not a dynamic loading of jerking, jostling, and yanking.

At least in the aviation industry, the load ratings are for worst case scenarios. So usually there is plenty of margin because that worst case scenario never occurs for the majority of people. And there is also a safety margin on top of that, for unforeseen circumstances. I'm not sure what the safety factor is applied to road vehicles. For all we know, the tie-downs could be designed to 1322lbs each, but de-rated to only half that to cover their butts and give better insurance that they'll survive. Not saying anyone should test that though of course.

 

[vital04]

Starting to think its best to just have some one install a tie down in the back wall center or back center, that is rated much higher for load. I would really REALLLLLLY hate to see a tie down rip out of the bed.
I cant imagine that it would be all that expensive to have someone install a new, higher load rated tie down. Rather be safe then sorry in this case.

 

[Edibrac]

Maybe I missed this but can you drive the ATV up the ramps?

 

[vital04]

I thought about that.. But its a steep incline and the together weight would be right around 600 LBS and some change (gas gear and crap) was nervous that I could hurt the tailgate or do some unknown damage.
My buddy suggested the same and said the tailgate "should hold".. Didn't like the would should in that context lol

 

[banerjek]

I thought about that.. But its a steep incline and the together weight would be right around 600 LBS and some change (gas gear and crap) was nervous that I could hurt the tailgate or do some unknown damage.
My buddy suggested the same and said the tailgate "should hold".. Didn't like the would should in that context lol

Absolutely no way I'd put that kind of load on the tailgate -- I seriously doubt it can handle that much.

This thing comes off in literally less than a minute and can also be reinstalled in less than a minute. You'll lose more time than that futzing around trying to figure out how to work with it still on.

I guess I'm not sure if the rating is for the actual tie-down brackets themselves, or for the attachment to the bed wall. The bracket might be plenty strong, but the failure mode might be the bracket actually ripping out of the bed wall.

I'm pretty sure it's for the attachment. The carabiners I use for other activities are rated for 2500 lbs, but the devices themselves aren't that impressive.

I don't believe you're overthinking this -- it's worth figuring out. Worst case scenario if the tie downs are adequate is you waste a bit of time and maybe a few bucks. However, if a tie down lets go, metal and strap is going to fly very very quickly and a large heavy thing will get dropped -- extremely dangerous and expensive to boot.

 

[banerjek]

My buddy suggested the same and said the tailgate "should hold".. Didn't like the would should in that context lol

Your buddy wouldn't perchance be a "Hold my beer" type of guy?

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Starting to think its best to just have some one install a tie down in the back wall center or back center, that is rated much higher for load. I would really REALLLLLLY hate to see a tie down rip out of the bed.
I cant imagine that it would be all that expensive to have someone install a new, higher load rated tie down. Rather be safe then sorry in this case.

I would imagine as long as you have solid bracket and a nice big backing plate on the other side of the bulkhead, it should be able to hold quite a bit. I'm not sure how thick that area of the bed wall is though. At least with a large backing plate the bed wall would likely noticeably deform before it came loose, giving you some warning and time to back off.

I thought about that.. But its a steep incline and the together weight would be right around 600 LBS and some change (gas gear and crap) was nervous that I could hurt the tailgate or do some unknown damage.
My buddy suggested the same and said the tailgate "should hold".. Didn't like the would should in that context lol

I know there is rating for the tailgate load. Again, I believe it is a static load and not a dynamic load. Someone on here mentioned what it was. I don't recall, and I'm sure it's stated somewhere. I definitely wouldn't go with "it should hold".

 

[VAMike]

I would imagine as long as you have solid bracket and a nice big backing plate on the other side of the bulkhead, it should be able to hold quite a bit. I'm not sure how thick that area of the bed wall is though.

That would be my concern--I'm not sure if there's anything substantive in there. Maybe something secured at multiple points along the upper rail?

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