How to Use Axle Straps to Secure Vehicles Safely
Published on 01/23/26
Did you know that axle straps have become one of the most popular and reliable choices for professionals securing a vehicle to car haulers, rollbacks, or trailers? One of the reasons the straps are so popular is that they are incredibly easy to use for all experience levels and work great for securing cars, trucks, vans, SUVS, ATVs, UTVS, SxS, and more.
When axle straps are used correctly, they can help prevent damage to your vehicle’s paint or metal wheels compared to alternative car hauler tie downs, such as over-the-wheel tire straps or wheel nets.
In this blog, we will cover the basics of axle straps and explain how they can make vehicle securement not only easier but also improve safety. Let’s get started.
What Are Axle Straps?
Axle straps are heavy-duty tie-down straps that are used to secure vehicles by their axles during transport. Unlike traditional car hauler straps, which secure the vehicle from looping around the tires or securing to the vehicle’s frame, axle straps connect directly to the axle to provide a strong, safe, and stable hold until you reach the next location.
One of the reasons that securing from the axle is ideal is that it helps to reduce the chances of the wheels, paint, or suspension getting damaged from either the metal hardware making contact or from overtightening damage. For professional car haulers, this can reduce costly insurance claims, negative reviews, and loss of repeat business.
Axle straps are made from heavy-duty polyester tie-down webbing. Polyester is the go-to choice for securing a vehicle to a trailer, as it offers excellent strength, durability, and minimal stretching. This combination helps ensure that once the car is strapped down, it remains secured in place for the entire trip.
There are several options available for axle straps, including flat d rings, round forged d rings, or manufactured with 3-inch loops that minimize the need for metal hardware. Deciding which combination works best for your setup comes down to personal preference, but each option delivers a working load limit rating of 3,335 lbs per axle strap.
Axle straps are additionally equipped with a black Cordura protective sleeve that safeguards the webbing from coming in contact with sharp edges. This also helps add extra durability and lifespan to your axle tie-down straps, while improving the safety of your vehicle’s securement.
If you have any questions or need help finding the ideal axle strap for your application, call our experts today at 800-444-0956. We would be happy to provide you with recommendations, receive a quote, or help with placing an order.
How to Use Axle Straps To Secure A Vehicle Instructions
Before securing a vehicle or using a tie-down strap for any cargo control situation, always visually inspect the strap to ensure it is safe to use. Look for signs of damage such as cuts to the webbing, fraying, burn marks, discoloration, hardware damage, or damage from mold or mildew. All of these issues can weaken the tie-down strap, making it unsafe to use, and it should either be repaired or replaced with a new condition strap. Inspecting tie-down straps should always be done before and after every use.
For further information on how to inspect a tie-down strap for damage, check out our in-depth blog post about How To Inspect Tie Down Straps For Damage.
1. Start by looping the axle strap around either the front or rear axle.
2. Next, connect to the axle straps hardware or loops using ratchet straps. Then attach the other end of the ratchet strap to the trailer’s installed anchor mounts. Installed anchor mounts can include D-rings, recessed D-rings, frame-mounted tie-down rings, tow pockets, or integrated tie-down spots.
3. Continue tightening down all four corners of the vehicle until each strap has even tension. Add additional tie-down straps if the vehicle requires extra support or if you want added security. Remember to follow and never exceed the safe working load limit rating for which your tie-down straps are rated.
4. After hitting the road, we recommend re-tightening your tie-down straps after approximately 5 minutes of drive time. This helps add additional load safety and ensure the vehicle has not moved out of place. After the first stop, we recommend re-checking and re-tightening if needed every 90 minutes or 75 miles. When re-tightening the straps, take a couple of extra seconds to make sure the straps are still safe to use and do not have any visible signs of damage.
If you have any questions, our experts are here to help and can be reached at 800-444-0956. We’re happy to answer any questions or provide product recommendations on what works best for your vehicle security application.
Custom Made Axle Tie Down Straps
Often, one-size-fits-all solutions for tie-down straps do not fit every load or setup. At Trucking Depot, we manufacture custom tie-down straps in the United States at our facility in Bellville, Ohio.
We custom-manufacture each strap in-house, allowing us to offer multiple colors and lengths of webbing to ensure your axle tie-down straps are exactly how you want them. If you don’t see the exact length you are looking for, we can design one with the options that fit your application needs.
If you are interested in learning more about our custom tie-down strap capabilities, call our experts today at 800-444-0956 or via email through our contact form. We look forward to helping you find the ideal custom axle strap that works best for your automotive hauling needs.
2 Inch Axle Strap and Ratchet Strap Kit
Automotive hauling tie-down straps can be confusing when it comes to selecting the right straps for the job, especially for first-time haulers. Many setups available on the market require mixing parts from different sources, which leads to guesswork and wasted time. To help solve this issue, we created our 2-inch axle strap and ratchet strap set as a kit that contains everything you need to begin securing vehicles.
This kit also offers several custom options to tailor it to your trailer or vehicle. You can choose the ratchet strap length, axle strap length, hook hardware style, D-ring options, and ratchet type. These options help you narrow down which straps work best with your trailer anchor points, axle sizes, or vehicle.
This kit includes:
– (4) 2 Inch Ratchet Straps – choose color, length, and hardware
– (4) 2 Inch Axle Straps – with your choice of Flat or Round D-Rings
– (1) Heavy Duty Ratchet Strap Carrying Bag
– (1) Pair of Jersey Gloves
Our 2-inch ratchet straps and axle straps are made from heavy-duty 2-inch polyester tie-down webbing with a breaking strength of 12,000 lbs. Polyester is the webbing blend of choice for vehicle securement applications as it provides excellent strength, minimal stretching compared to nylon blends, and offers great durability and protection against moisture and direct sunlight.
Once assembled, both the ratchet straps and axle straps have a safe working load limit rating of 3,335 lbs. These straps also follow the general rules and regulations of the FMSCA and are DOT-compliant.
Whether you are securing a vehicle on a car hauler, rollback, or enclosed trailer, these tie-down straps can help keep your vehicle securely in place from one location to the next without damage.
If you have any questions or need help placing an order with an option not listed on our website, call us at 800-444-0956 for more information. We look forward to helping you find the perfect all-in-one kit that takes the guesswork out of securing your vehicle.
Shop Our Popular Car Tie Down Straps
Frequently Asked Axle Strap Questions
How Many Car Tie Down Straps Do I Need?
Our general recommendation is to use at least four tie-down straps from four different corners (Front left, Front right, Rear left, Rear right). This helps to spread the vehicle’s weight evenly and reduces the strain on each car tie-down strap. If a strap were to fail on the road, the remaining straps could help keep the vehicle secure until you find a safe location to pull over.
It’s also extremely important to always follow the working load limit ratings and pair the weight of your vehicle with the correctly rated car hauling straps. If you ever feel your securement is unsafe or could use another tie-down strap, it is never a bad idea to do so. If you need help finding what works best for your vehicle’s securement, call our experts at 800-444-0956, and we would be happy to provide further product information or recommendations.
Are Axle Straps Safe For All Types of Vehicles?
Axle straps are safe to use with most common makes and models of vehicles with accessible axles. This includes cars, trucks, SUVs, Side-by-Sides, ATVs, UTVs, Jeeps, and more. However, for vehicles with low clearance, it may be better to use over-the-wheel tie-down straps as the axles may be harder to reach.
Are Axle Straps Better Than Wheel Tie Down Straps For Transporting Vehicles?
One reason axle straps are among the most popular automotive tie-downs is that they attach to a solid metal axle instead of a tire. This helps to prevent overtightening damage to the vehicle’s wheel or suspension. This also allows you to tighten the straps much more tightly around the axle to ensure the vehicle does not move out of place or shift while traveling on the road.