How to do a truckie hitch to tie down your roof load
So you’ve bought some shelves from Ikea – excellent choice. Classic sticking point, though: when you get to your car with the boxes, you realise they’re never going to fit, no matter how many ways you configure your back seats.You could pay for delivery, but you’re a little light-on after grabbing some tea lights and pillow cases on the way out. Hmm, what to do?
If only you knew some way to secure the load to your roof racks (or, in a pinch, tie your hatch down because it won’t completely close)… Ikea sells rope, but who could teach you knots right there and then in the Ikea car park? The answer is no one. You are alone with only tea lights and Daim to keep you company.
Luckily, you’re actually where you are reading this and not at Ikea with a box and NFI. We’ve talked to some truckies about holding it down, and they’ve shared the aptly named ‘truckie’s hitch’ with us – and we’d like to share it with you. Even if you don’t go looking to buy Ikea furniture or you don’t have any roof racks, there will come a day when someone needs something fastened to something else and there you will be, looking very talented.
Key knot terminology
Before we get started, here are a few knot-tying terms worth knowing (because we mention them in this article):
- ‘Working end’ – the end of the rope that is active.
- ‘Standing end’ – the end of the rope that is fixed or inactive.
- ‘The line’ – the rope between the working and standing ends; more specifically, the area you are engaging.
- ‘Turn’ – when the rope makes a loop and the line folds over itself.
- ‘Bight’ – when you pinch the rope to make a loop but the line doesn’t fold over itself.
Step one: clove hitch and a half
The truckie’s hitch breaks down into three main steps. The first is the clove hitch: the first knot you’ll use to secure the rope to your roof rack.
Step two: marlinspike
The second step is the marlinspike, the loop that will act as a bearing for the line. How far up the line you make the marlinspike will depend on the size of the box/car/length of rope, so you might have to play around with it to get the distance right.
Note: If you need to start again while creating the marlinspike, pull from below the marlinspike (from the working end) and the marlinspike will unravel easily.
Step three: the final hitch
And now the hitch.
Secure the line tightly on your rack with another clove hitch and a half (refer to step 1) or the finishing knot of your choosing. We finished off with a clove hitch and a half, but it’s up to you – just make sure it’s secure.
If you have more than 100mm of over-hanging rope, tie it up so it’s out of the way. No two truckies agreed on how best to do this, so you can revert back to any novice knot since your load is already locked down.
Congratulations: you’re now ready to secure loads at will. Good luck!
Related: How to pack your boot like a pro
Related: Why packing your car correctly could save your life
Related: Porsche creates aerodynamically enhanced roof box
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
