How to tie a Trucker's Hitch

This is a quick and useful knot whether you are tying down loads on a truck, securing tarps or jobs around the house.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• trucker's hitch
• knots
• knottydan
• tying
• hitches

[zigenoony]

this is not a secure enough tie for a load. only appropriate for household needs, not for transportation.

[KnottyDan]

What's a good, convenient alternative?

[zigenoony]

Stay with the figure 8. Safety ALWAYS comes before convenience mate. My brother was killed because of an unsecure load.

[KnottyDan]

Whoa, sorry to hear that. You convinced me, but I live in an agriculture area and this knot is prevalent among the produce truckers here. Very common here with the number of half hitches increased as needed. Take care and watch out for those "funnel-web spiders"

[sendahojust1]

This is an awesome very easy way to tie and untie the truckers hitch, but there's even easier. Just form a slip knot by making a loop and pull another loop through that loop, but "be sure to" bring the second loop from the rope that is closest to the object that your tying/looping around, otherwise the slip knot will tighten down on your line that you poked through the loop and it will be very hard to untie.

[kensyootoob]

Dude! That little trick when you twist before making the loop is excellent! You've marked me for life. Thanks so much.

[christyh333]

A good quick truckers, seems good to me, will look at the other versions to see if they are better. Also good as a nautical knot. A knot is no good if it cannot be untied, but it should not untie under load either.

[ramanand15]

i agree with zigenoony. safety comes first . Under no circumstances the loop should come looose.

[Mmmyess]

@Brizzy55 I hear ya, I hear ya! I no longer disagree with you, but I *DO* have a solution! Video coming...eventually.

[Brizzy55]

@Brizzy55 (continued from nearby post)... allowing the slip knot to move. The unstable system would be best displayed by using pulleys instead of the slip knot and rail. This would take out the effect of friction. The system under heavy loads will slacken. Try it yourself. Tie the knot. Then help the slip knot get smaller. The system goes slacker.

[Brizzy55]

@Mmmyess nice video! I wish I could do the same... as describing things in text is pretty darn difficult. The point you make about the slip knot being unable to move because of the large loop being tied to it, is an illusion. The only reason why the rope doesn't slip is friction. As the slip knot gets smaller, the end that you state that is preventing it from moving, actually moves with it because the dwindling slip knot is feeding the large loop and... (continued next post)

[Mmmyess]

I see your point! Please see my video response (should be right under the video at the top of this page) that acknowledges your point but also shows how it's not a problem.

[Brizzy55]

@Mmmyess it doesn't matter how secure one makes the final knot of the tag end. The hitch shown can loosen/slacken when the slip-knot loop "slips' and becomes smaller under heavy load. When this happens, the larger loop lengthens and the rope tying down the load becomes looser. Try it for yourself. Make the hitch, then reduce the size of slip-knot loop and see what happens to the tautness of the rope. You can't reduce the size of the small loop with a figure 8 knot because it doesn't slip.