Two notes: - I forgot to put the names on screen. The latches are called Pawls, the axle is called a Windlass and the rounded inside corners are called Fillets - Someone correctly called me out on the 2 hours of work per second of video. I recalculated it. Today is the 229th day of 2024. A full time job in the Netherlands is considered to be 1720 hours per year. That gives 1079 work hours so far this year. I've put out around 1200 seconds of new content this year, so that gives 0.899 hours of work per second of video. Apparently the last time I did this calculation I was in a little bit of a rut. My excuses.
But did you work 1079 hours to make those 1200 seconds? The quality of the videos is great, but the math isnt mathing on an "efficiency vs result" standpoint. I am not complaining or saying you need to work more, just saying the metric is odd, and to base it off average citizen work hours seems disingenuous. Some people work all those hours while doing an engineering degree, some people work those hours and make a lot less than you, some people work less hours and make more. Ultimately, it doesn't matter at all (as in, I'm not mad about this), but the claim doesn't sit well with me. You can do what you want with your life and obviously it is working. But the claim *feels* off.
Oh, I forgot you did the 9 minute animated compilation video, I assume that was the **vast** majority of the time worked metric? Because that video alone would add a great deal to the expected amount of time worked. Sorry about that.
1:56 if it was that natural, no one would ever use it the wrong way. Still 3/4 people around me send the strap through the middle towards the other end, instead of taking it back the same end. The video is correct. But a vast majority of people use it wrong around me.
A lot of great engineering went into optimizing ratchet straps. Amazing strength, highly functional, great reliability at a low cost. The epitome of design. Kudos to the bloke who did the work.
Yes! I almost expect that it evolved, more than it was engineered at one time. I wouldn't be surprised if every little thing I talked about was thought of by a different person
@@KnowArt Understandable. But it's very much like the first time you realize how thin of a gauge steel wire rope/twining you need to carry absolutely massive weights, even moreso if there's a few pulleys in the system. It might be scary the first time you put it into practice, but after that you probably never think about it in those terms again.
@@KnowArtThe strap tail needing to slide past the tensioned strap is only part of the story though, a minor part at that! When using a capstan, the tension before slipping is exponentially proportional to the number of turns around the capstan. Tge effect is so great that a 10kg weight attached to a steel cable wrapped just 6 times around a steel bollard is rough to support the weight of the Earth in Earth's gravity!
@@dougaltolan3017 yes although there's one key difference! A strap is rolled upon itself after the first turn, while a rope around a capstan keeps increasing it's contact surface with the stationary material
@@lohikarhu734 my dad and brother are both huge saltwater fishermen, and we moved almost every year as a kid. I had to learn how to use both ropes and straps growing up.
We use them all the time to tie down snowmachines or side by sides on our trailer. Ive used and broke many hauling materials to build an off-road cabin. In the summer they’d get muddy and in the winter covered in ice and snow.
Very neat! If I may provide a bit of feedback, it would be very helpful to have onscreen text for each of the crucial parts you bring up by name, perhaps along with an arrow pointing to the part on the mechanism. For example, at 0:42, when you say "The latches, officially called the pawls," it would be helpful to have "Pawls" on screen, with arrows to the two of them. Excellently made video, thank you for creating this! I have a new appreciation for ratchet straps.
Amen, came here to say this. Esp when watching videos sped up so they are at a comfortable level of comprehension, following the speech is fine, but when you're suddenly trying to find and identify components on a diagram (which in this case aren't entirely straightforward), it becomes very difficult to follow. Even just arrows to match the speech would be a big help, text for technical terms esp would be great too. Great video! Won't look at ratchet straps the same way. Even if I'm not sure which bits the pawls are lol
4:33 You can also apply the latches and pull the handle to relieve the tension in the lower latch, then use your thumb to pull back the lower latch while firmly holding the handle, then gradually and smoothly close the handle again. With long, stretchy, very tight straps, using the cams can be violent, this technique makes it smooth.
That is, a notch (or two) at a time let down? You need to position the handle several notches away from closed. Take up tension, release the lower latch, ease the handle toward closed (which unrolls a little strap and relieves some tension), then re-engage the lower latch for a second cycle.
@@meganw6007 It’s his passion for learning (and in this case physics) that is absolutely contagious. It’s the same thing with his laminar flow, supersonic baseballs, and space travel videos 🧠
A brilliant design and brilliantly explained and if more people understood how they work, they might struggle less with them. I have found that a little lubrication at friction points is VERY helpful.
True sophistication. Directly applied principles to accomplish the task with the least apparent ‘engineering’… unlike so much automotive ‘engineering’.
For the curious while in typical cases the maximum friction force that a surface can provide is just proportional to the force that is pressing the object against the surface providing the friction, for ropes wraping around something the wrapping angle actually makes it increase exponentially! Something like Fr = F * e^(phi*mu) if I remember correctly, where Fr is the maximum friction force, F is the traction force applied to the rope and phi is the wrapping angle. So lets say mu = 0.3 then for just one turn the maximum friction force that can appear is F*e^(2*pi*0.3) which is around 6.6 times more than the force applied! So yeah, the friction that a rope and such can provide is nothing to laugh at
This is what RUclips is for, short clear explanations of things with fantastic graphics and clarity of communication. I love ratchet straps too! And I have learned what the hole on the bottom is for 👍New sub, going to look at what else you have……
I've used watched straps for years. And I understood the general concept of them. This video was very interesting to me because of the detail you put into it. All of the points you mentioned made perfect sense to me and the way you put it out was perfect. Great job.
I have worked in construction for over 10 years and use these all the time, I still learned a couple of things about these straps. Also i laughed out loud at the bonus fact! Thank you!
You and me both. The unlocking one was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one to be sure. There's often a tiny new thing to add to your understanding even after years of use and practice.
Are you gonna actually make ratchet straps that have it even just adding the writing to the back of existing ones although still ideally make your own so are you? 6:06
i've never needed ratchet straps to this degree before, but HOLY HELL BATMAN, I had no idea the full level of power and holding these simple devices could achieve!
The cutouts you refer to as Fillets are usually called "Reliefs" and are not only there to prevent stress concentrations, but also to avoid issues while bending the sheet metal. Other than that, great video - it's always amazing how much thought goes into seemingly mundane everyday objects :)
Great video! It'd be great to show the latch first and what it does. Until the end, I had no idea what you are talking about - as YT showed me this video randomly. This would be really helpful for the ones searching for how the strap works and the animation is amazing!
TIL you over rotate the lever to release them. Massive face palm moment! I was tensioning a little further with the lever to take the tension off the latch to release it manually. Truly genius design!
Great job! I love people, to imagine someone went to all this trouble to learn how they work, so complex and elegant; AND someone somewhere created that from nothing.
Fantastic breakdown. I’ve done something similar to mechanical interviewees using a multi tool screwdriver, asking them to describe all the features and why/what they are for.
I'll keep an eye out for one of those "Rare" ratchet straps. 🤣 I use them almost every day, they are clever and I thought so even before I saw your video. Wonderful how quickly slack can be taken up and then tightened at any length.
As a trucker, one thing I love about these is when one jamms / won't open, is it easy to see where in the mekanism it has jammed. Making it easy to troubleshoot and potentially fix.
Those "fillets" are also reliefs for the bending process. The prevent the material from cracking or splitting while it's being bent during manufacturing.
ngl at work i realized all of this myself and i was always kinda fascinated how well engeneered it is (appart from the screwdriver hole i never noticed it)
When you state "some ratchet straps have this writing on the back..." I was thinking "wait, what?? I've never seen writing on mine." But then, patreon. Well played. Subscribed!
Your other videos have much more music and wacky sound effects and transitions which I really enjoyed. There were times when it made sense for you to cut back on it a bit (e.g. the closeup on your mouth was a bit much after a while), but I feel that with this video you have cut out all of it and it hardly feels like the "Know Art" style anymore. It's still a great video, I just wanted to share my feedback. I hope you're doing well!
thanks for the feedback. Yes I noted that I put waaaay too much time into the long videos compared to their quality / the views they are getting. Largely because I need to learn a lot about making interesting long form videos. So I decided to downgrade the production quality a little bit to learn faster when it comes to long form scripts/hooks/titles/thumbnails/etc. It's a different beast and I need to learn what works, for which I need more videos than I can produce with music and sound effects and 100 different filming locations. But I'm glad to hear that it doesn't go unnoticed! I'm a musician by trade, so the music and sound effects will slowly make a return once I get the hang of these long videos
You have no idea how much I want to show this video to people I used to work with. I feel like I was the only one who knew it was possible to press the bottom latch to release it if the cam wasn't pushing it far enough. I'm not sure how many times I've opened a stuborn one only to turn around to see someone preparing to cut the strap.
Thumbs up for the Smarter Every Day reference, lol. Bam! Snatch-block! But really, nice breakdown on the ratchet strap mechanism. It's easy to take the mechanism's complexity for granted since it is so well designed it seems 'simple' :)
I love this - and the animations are gratuitously well-done, especially when showing the strap flapping about with near life-like movements (@1:52). My only gripe is that you didn't cover the REAL reason they stay put: after tightening them, some bloke plucks the strap and says "well *that's* not going anywhere" 😂
Fantastic video! A ratchet strap is something so easy to overlook, but it's great how you explain the subtle engineering details that make it what is. It's something I use fairly often, without any thought to it's sublime utility. Here's some things I've used ratchet straps for: hold downs of everything that can possibly be towed or fit on the roof rack of a vehicle: canoes, kayaks, motorcycles, sofas, fridges, lumber, plywood, pvc pipes, and reclining chairs; secure tarps and covers; hold down tents and canopies; compress motorcycle suspension to change shocks; add pressure to cabinets and picture frames for woodworking assembly. For those using a strap on trailer, I used to carefully lay the straps so they would be flat, but I found that having a few twists in it makes the strap vibrate less in the wind at highway speeds. To any entrepreneurs: years ago a company sold a nylon cover with velcro edges that you would cover the ratchet body with. Just a simple rectangular piece of cordura fabric with velcro edges. They were great for keeping the ratchet body from scratching the surface it was against, as well as holding a small length of excess strap. The company stopped making them, but they were a very useful product. I thought if more boat and jet ski people knew of the product they would appreciate them. When you like to kayak, camp, motorcycle, and make repairs on your house a lot, you get to know your ratchet straps!
thanks for the great comment. Compressing suspension is... brave! But I guess it's possible. Many bones have been broken by working on suspension without the proper tools though, so it made me pause.
@@KnowArt Hi, you're correct about being careful and using the right tools and not compromising safety. For anyone doing repairs, if you don't fully understand what you are doing, don't do it! And even then, be careful, and take the right precautions! In my particular case, using the ratchet strap (to work on a motorcycle suspension) allowed me to keep pressure on the motorcycle swingarm while I replaced a part. It was not a lot of weight, and no different than just sitting on the bike. Using the ratchet strap allowed me to put just the right amount of pressure on the swingarm to install the part, and made the job go easy once I figured out how to work smarter and not harder. But there is a lot of pressure on suspension components, so you really have to be careful and think about what you are doing. You are 100% right to point out the need for caution and proper use of the tool. Your video is fantastic. Thank you! Rednecks like me tend to push the limits of any tool or piece of equipment, but due caution is needed.
Good trick... ought help a marriage or two. Whose wife doesn't hate it when you ask her to sit on something for her weight to do the work? @@benlake710
Ratchet straps are great. The only downside is that they're too powerful to be used by clueless people - many break their boats by overtightening the straps. That's why I supply all my paddling friends with cam straps, which are faster to put on and nearly impossible to overtighten unintentionally. Yes, I always sew a piece of double thickness webbing under the buckle, sometimes with an elastic retainer for the strap tail. And yes, I sew that piece onto my ratchet straps, too. No, I have no idea why commercial manufacturers don't.
I have one small improvement to suggest for sporadical users like me and most the people I know : little arrows on the side indicating in which direction the strap must go. I draw these arrows with a sharpie on every set that goes through my hands.
There is another feature you missed - when assessing tightness, you give the strop a pull and declare "that's not going anywhere" and it fully secures the ratchet mechanism and prevents failure.
If, due to dirt, rust, etc., the strap doesn’t turn the windlass freely when the pawls are released, the slot in the end can be used with a handy thin piece of metal or such (flat blade screwdriver inserted from side?) to turn it for loosening. To unwrap the strap on a recalcitrant mechanism enough to slip it through the slot and adjust it for the load, with the handle fully open to release the lower pawl often just wrapping your fingers around the windlass strap and pushing with your thumb on the wrapped center of the windlass will provide enough torque to turn the windlass.
Two notes:
- I forgot to put the names on screen. The latches are called Pawls, the axle is called a Windlass and the rounded inside corners are called Fillets
- Someone correctly called me out on the 2 hours of work per second of video. I recalculated it. Today is the 229th day of 2024. A full time job in the Netherlands is considered to be 1720 hours per year. That gives 1079 work hours so far this year. I've put out around 1200 seconds of new content this year, so that gives 0.899 hours of work per second of video. Apparently the last time I did this calculation I was in a little bit of a rut. My excuses.
Thanks for the update this makes more sense, cheers
Apologies 🙂
Yeah mostly your terminology is spot on but sorry, a "fillet" _fills_ a void, it isn't the void. Those little notches are stress relievers.
But did you work 1079 hours to make those 1200 seconds? The quality of the videos is great, but the math isnt mathing on an "efficiency vs result" standpoint.
I am not complaining or saying you need to work more, just saying the metric is odd, and to base it off average citizen work hours seems disingenuous. Some people work all those hours while doing an engineering degree, some people work those hours and make a lot less than you, some people work less hours and make more.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter at all (as in, I'm not mad about this), but the claim doesn't sit well with me. You can do what you want with your life and obviously it is working. But the claim *feels* off.
Oh, I forgot you did the 9 minute animated compilation video, I assume that was the **vast** majority of the time worked metric? Because that video alone would add a great deal to the expected amount of time worked.
Sorry about that.
that snatch block reference was gold
Destin is the goat
immediately went to the comments lmao
@@KnowArt Balkan here who doesn't know the joke.What show is he from?
@@BrunoMaricFromZagreb smarter everyday. A video about snatch blocks
cant be unseen
Fine engineering. Maybe the highest praise for engineering is when nobody notices because it works so naturally.
"So good that no one noticed it," is the highest praise.
1:56 if it was that natural, no one would ever use it the wrong way.
Still 3/4 people around me send the strap through the middle towards the other end, instead of taking it back the same end.
The video is correct. But a vast majority of people use it wrong around me.
I’m an engineer. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told colleagues that good solutions are practically invisible to the end user..
It's also the highest praise you can give anyone who works in CGI🥰🖥🖌🎨
Not the 9/11 reference when you talk about aviation lmao 😭
huehue
the WHAT now???
oh
I didn’t notice until I checked this comment, hilarious
This man is absolutely unhinged.
Find someone that talks about you the way this guy talks about ratchet straps
fr tho lol
Cheap, bent, self defeating friction?
@@mudmug1 Yes. you seem to know me well
I'm not worth that kind of love.
0:05 "Sir, another ratchet strap has hit the blocks"
no way he said "aviation is cool and everything" as he mimics 9/11 lol
Lyle LYLE TURN ON THE TVTHEYHITTHEPENTAGON
A lot of great engineering went into optimizing ratchet straps. Amazing strength, highly functional, great reliability at a low cost. The epitome of design. Kudos to the bloke who did the work.
Yes! I almost expect that it evolved, more than it was engineered at one time. I wouldn't be surprised if every little thing I talked about was thought of by a different person
Agreed. And it is optimized for sure as when you exceed the strength spec - pretty much all the parts fail simultaneously...
i really like how friction is the key principle behind how the strap is literally locking itself in place
yes! kinda scary that it's just friction, but once I noticed that the straps try to move in opposite directions it felt a lot better.
@@KnowArt Understandable. But it's very much like the first time you realize how thin of a gauge steel wire rope/twining you need to carry absolutely massive weights, even moreso if there's a few pulleys in the system. It might be scary the first time you put it into practice, but after that you probably never think about it in those terms again.
@@KnowArtThe strap tail needing to slide past the tensioned strap is only part of the story though, a minor part at that!
When using a capstan, the tension before slipping is exponentially proportional to the number of turns around the capstan.
Tge effect is so great that a 10kg weight attached to a steel cable wrapped just 6 times around a steel bollard is rough to support the weight of the Earth in Earth's gravity!
@@dougaltolan3017 yes although there's one key difference! A strap is rolled upon itself after the first turn, while a rope around a capstan keeps increasing it's contact surface with the stationary material
@@KnowArt Yup, however the same principal applies.
Subsequent wraps increase the normal force for the lower ones.
I'm retired from 30 years of towing and transporting heavy loads and have used these straps. Thank you for explaining how they work 🍀
It's amazing how few people can use these.
indeed, they have more features and 'modes' than most people recognise...i had to get by, 50 years ago, with ropes and loops and knots.,,
@@lohikarhu734 my dad and brother are both huge saltwater fishermen, and we moved almost every year as a kid. I had to learn how to use both ropes and straps growing up.
We use them all the time to tie down snowmachines or side by sides on our trailer. Ive used and broke many hauling materials to build an off-road cabin. In the summer they’d get muddy and in the winter covered in ice and snow.
Finally someone that appreciates the greatness of simplicity in manufacturing, yet the complex design behind everyday items
if you appreciate the design of the simple things, life is actually amazing
Very neat! If I may provide a bit of feedback, it would be very helpful to have onscreen text for each of the crucial parts you bring up by name, perhaps along with an arrow pointing to the part on the mechanism. For example, at 0:42, when you say "The latches, officially called the pawls," it would be helpful to have "Pawls" on screen, with arrows to the two of them.
Excellently made video, thank you for creating this! I have a new appreciation for ratchet straps.
Totally forgot! thanks. Yes, the latches are called Pawls, the axle is called a Windlass and the rounded inside corners are called Fillets.
Same for "Windlass" I had to rewind to double check whether I heard that right. (knew about that term from old crossbows)
@@Trenjeska dey don make our windy lasses liak dey used to bak in my day
Amen, came here to say this. Esp when watching videos sped up so they are at a comfortable level of comprehension, following the speech is fine, but when you're suddenly trying to find and identify components on a diagram (which in this case aren't entirely straightforward), it becomes very difficult to follow. Even just arrows to match the speech would be a big help, text for technical terms esp would be great too. Great video! Won't look at ratchet straps the same way. Even if I'm not sure which bits the pawls are lol
4:33 You can also apply the latches and pull the handle to relieve the tension in the lower latch, then use your thumb to pull back the lower latch while firmly holding the handle, then gradually and smoothly close the handle again. With long, stretchy, very tight straps, using the cams can be violent, this technique makes it smooth.
That is, a notch (or two) at a time let down?
You need to position the handle several notches away from closed. Take up tension, release the lower latch, ease the handle toward closed (which unrolls a little strap and relieves some tension), then re-engage the lower latch for a second cycle.
3:58 Oh man, the Destin Smarter Every Day snatch block reference just made my day 😆
Absolutely
But Destin really did do a beautiful video on that (as he does in all his videos)
@@meganw6007 It’s his passion for learning (and in this case physics) that is absolutely contagious. It’s the same thing with his laminar flow, supersonic baseballs, and space travel videos 🧠
The simplification, integration, and optimization of every part to do one or more critical jobs is a thing of beauty.
Forgotten Weapons videos for this:
- PPS 43
- Brazilian 'Uru'
Maybe there's more
You got me with the writing on the bottom of the ratchet strap. Subscribed.
haha great. welcome
A brilliant design and brilliantly explained and if more people understood how they work, they might struggle less with them. I have found that a little lubrication at friction points is VERY helpful.
Didn't expect to see the person behind the voice. But I love the enthusiasm for an otherwise "simple" mechanism. Simple yes genius
True sophistication. Directly applied principles to accomplish the task with the least apparent ‘engineering’… unlike so much automotive ‘engineering’.
This whole time I thought the voice behind the shorts was a derpy nerdy guy; but, nope, he's quite dashing. Omg, more long form content please!
The showmanship in this video is just inspiring.
For the curious while in typical cases the maximum friction force that a surface can provide is just proportional to the force that is pressing the object against the surface providing the friction, for ropes wraping around something the wrapping angle actually makes it increase exponentially!
Something like Fr = F * e^(phi*mu) if I remember correctly, where Fr is the maximum friction force, F is the traction force applied to the rope and phi is the wrapping angle.
So lets say mu = 0.3 then for just one turn the maximum friction force that can appear is F*e^(2*pi*0.3) which is around 6.6 times more than the force applied!
So yeah, the friction that a rope and such can provide is nothing to laugh at
Absolutely random but intriguing !
This is useful info about a tool that can save your life.
This is what RUclips is for, short clear explanations of things with fantastic graphics and clarity of communication. I love ratchet straps too! And I have learned what the hole on the bottom is for 👍New sub, going to look at what else you have……
welcome! glad you liked it
I've used watched straps for years. And I understood the general concept of them. This video was very interesting to me because of the detail you put into it. All of the points you mentioned made perfect sense to me and the way you put it out was perfect. Great job.
A long form vid
Totally unexpected
If this is "long form content", then what are the 3 h podcasts? 👀
@@lindhe Only three hours? I know a group that "short form" content is still five hours.
I wouldn't call 6 minutes long form
As someone who doesn't use ratchet straps often enough to know how they work, this was really cool and informative!
Did not ask for this but now it got me interested.
Taking material away to make the part more resilient is the most engineer solution I've ever heard of
I have worked in construction for over 10 years and use these all the time, I still learned a couple of things about these straps. Also i laughed out loud at the bonus fact! Thank you!
I really enjoy these animations, and videos. I even fell asleep once to them 🫠
haha thanks
Okay, it was twice
that patreon segue was brilliant
thanks!
I love these ratchet straps. Thank you for all these genius revelations! I will look it with more brilliant eyes next time
I prefer these long form videos. Your other videos always leave me wanting to know more!!!
thanks :) good to know
Omg, I love that you're making long form vids too now! Can't wait for the next one!
thanks!
amazed by the work that went into the animations and the attention to details. got me subscribed instantly.
welcome :)
TIL: i haven't been opening ratchet straps correctly
You and me both. The unlocking one was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one to be sure. There's often a tiny new thing to add to your understanding even after years of use and practice.
I love your channel, you manage to perfectly explain things in such a simple way, it's incredible
Are you gonna actually make ratchet straps that have it even just adding the writing to the back of existing ones although still ideally make your own so are you? 6:06
that'd be hilarious. Once I have a proper merch thing setup I might actually do that
i've never needed ratchet straps to this degree before, but HOLY HELL BATMAN, I had no idea the full level of power and holding these simple devices could achieve!
The cutouts you refer to as Fillets are usually called "Reliefs" and are not only there to prevent stress concentrations, but also to avoid issues while bending the sheet metal. Other than that, great video - it's always amazing how much thought goes into seemingly mundane everyday objects :)
I have never paid much attention to ratchet straps, but now I love them
mission accomplished
babe wake up, long form know art vid just dropped
That’s seventeen more things I now know about ratchet straps. Very interesting 👍
Great video! It'd be great to show the latch first and what it does. Until the end, I had no idea what you are talking about - as YT showed me this video randomly. This would be really helpful for the ones searching for how the strap works and the animation is amazing!
thanks for the feedback
I didn't play to watch the whole video but it was so well done and intriguing. I also love the Patreon prank at the end 😅
I love how some simple looking, products can be packed with knowledge! Engineering is so clever!
exactly!
TIL you over rotate the lever to release them. Massive face palm moment! I was tensioning a little further with the lever to take the tension off the latch to release it manually. Truly genius design!
Glad I could save you from that barbarism
I had no idea there's so much engineering in a ratchet strap!
Thanks Johnny Depp, your videos are amazing just like your roles in movies👍
you're welcome, Orlando Bloom
Great job! I love people, to imagine someone went to all this trouble to learn how they work, so complex and elegant; AND someone somewhere created that from nothing.
humans are pretty great indeed
Fantastic breakdown. I’ve done something similar to mechanical interviewees using a multi tool screwdriver, asking them to describe all the features and why/what they are for.
thanks! that's cool
I'll keep an eye out for one of those "Rare" ratchet straps. 🤣 I use them almost every day, they are clever and I thought so even before I saw your video. Wonderful how quickly slack can be taken up and then tightened at any length.
Such a "simple", yet elegant design.
I rely on these clever creations, with my heavy machines, here on the farm :) .
This video is sooo good. In quality and everything. Idk why there isnt a million views already
thanks! :) that's really nice
Finally I understand rachets!
As a trucker, one thing I love about these is when one jamms / won't open, is it easy to see where in the mekanism it has jammed. Making it easy to troubleshoot and potentially fix.
Those "fillets" are also reliefs for the bending process. The prevent the material from cracking or splitting while it's being bent during manufacturing.
Only thing better than a ratchet strap is a self-retracting one. Not having to take up the slack is life changing.
I've seen a few comments about them already. I guess I should try them sometime
i have had so many ratchets fall apart and had no clue how to put them back together. and here you are just doing it. XD love it.
Love the long format detailed explanation of ordinary, everyday things!! Keep it coming!
Ratchet straps were always mysterious to me... until now. Good show, sir!
Thanks! And super thanks for the super thanks
the patreon plug was brilliant
ngl at work i realized all of this myself and i was always kinda fascinated how well engeneered it is (appart from the screwdriver hole i never noticed it)
I've only seen your shorts til now, really like this format!
Very cool design and an excellent review of it. I have more respect for ratchet straps thanks to you!
the smarter every day cameo was excellent
When you state "some ratchet straps have this writing on the back..." I was thinking "wait, what?? I've never seen writing on mine." But then, patreon. Well played. Subscribed!
haha welcome
amazing friction/pressure ratio on that patreon transition
I never expected someone to explain to me ratchet straps in such a posh way.
Glad I could do the unexpected
I always used two fingers. That is Amazing.
Actually fascinating engineering, and quite the informative video.
Your other videos have much more music and wacky sound effects and transitions which I really enjoyed. There were times when it made sense for you to cut back on it a bit (e.g. the closeup on your mouth was a bit much after a while), but I feel that with this video you have cut out all of it and it hardly feels like the "Know Art" style anymore. It's still a great video, I just wanted to share my feedback. I hope you're doing well!
thanks for the feedback. Yes I noted that I put waaaay too much time into the long videos compared to their quality / the views they are getting. Largely because I need to learn a lot about making interesting long form videos. So I decided to downgrade the production quality a little bit to learn faster when it comes to long form scripts/hooks/titles/thumbnails/etc. It's a different beast and I need to learn what works, for which I need more videos than I can produce with music and sound effects and 100 different filming locations.
But I'm glad to hear that it doesn't go unnoticed! I'm a musician by trade, so the music and sound effects will slowly make a return once I get the hang of these long videos
Amazing video, it's really interesting how simple and cheap components as so many thoughts on it.
These 348 seconds were very well invested. *goes off to find a ratchet strap and inspect it
can recommend to take one apart and put it back together!
ratchet straps have always been an enigma to me. this longer vid helps me to understand!
An ingenious design that still has SOOOOO much room for improvement. Specifically the technique for making the release easier.
go ahead, please. The world needs more engineers
I had no idea there was so much genius design incorporated into a common ratchet strap! Amazing! Awesome video!!!
thanks
You have no idea how much I want to show this video to people I used to work with. I feel like I was the only one who knew it was possible to press the bottom latch to release it if the cam wasn't pushing it far enough. I'm not sure how many times I've opened a stuborn one only to turn around to see someone preparing to cut the strap.
Cut the strap??? Blasphemy!
This guy REALLY likes ratchet straps
YES! they are the best
Thumbs up for the Smarter Every Day reference, lol. Bam! Snatch-block!
But really, nice breakdown on the ratchet strap mechanism. It's easy to take the mechanism's complexity for granted since it is so well designed it seems 'simple' :)
thanks
"Snatch Block!!" I got that reference, EveryDay.
Never knew about the hole in the back. Thanks.
What a wonderful video appreciating the fine details of an every day tool that is easy to take for granted.
I love this - and the animations are gratuitously well-done, especially when showing the strap flapping about with near life-like movements (@1:52). My only gripe is that you didn't cover the REAL reason they stay put: after tightening them, some bloke plucks the strap and says "well *that's* not going anywhere" 😂
Hahaha thanks
Absolutely fascinating, thankyou for the breakdown... I learned so much😁
that's so cool.
ive never heard of nor used a ratchet strap in my life.
still really cool tho
Fantastic video! A ratchet strap is something so easy to overlook, but it's great how you explain the subtle engineering details that make it what is. It's something I use fairly often, without any thought to it's sublime utility.
Here's some things I've used ratchet straps for: hold downs of everything that can possibly be towed or fit on the roof rack of a vehicle: canoes, kayaks, motorcycles, sofas, fridges, lumber, plywood, pvc pipes, and reclining chairs; secure tarps and covers; hold down tents and canopies; compress motorcycle suspension to change shocks; add pressure to cabinets and picture frames for woodworking assembly.
For those using a strap on trailer, I used to carefully lay the straps so they would be flat, but I found that having a few twists in it makes the strap vibrate less in the wind at highway speeds.
To any entrepreneurs: years ago a company sold a nylon cover with velcro edges that you would cover the ratchet body with. Just a simple rectangular piece of cordura fabric with velcro edges. They were great for keeping the ratchet body from scratching the surface it was against, as well as holding a small length of excess strap. The company stopped making them, but they were a very useful product. I thought if more boat and jet ski people knew of the product they would appreciate them.
When you like to kayak, camp, motorcycle, and make repairs on your house a lot, you get to know your ratchet straps!
thanks for the great comment. Compressing suspension is... brave! But I guess it's possible. Many bones have been broken by working on suspension without the proper tools though, so it made me pause.
@@KnowArt Hi, you're correct about being careful and using the right tools and not compromising safety.
For anyone doing repairs, if you don't fully understand what you are doing, don't do it! And even then, be careful, and take the right precautions!
In my particular case, using the ratchet strap (to work on a motorcycle suspension) allowed me to keep pressure on the motorcycle swingarm while I replaced a part. It was not a lot of weight, and no different than just sitting on the bike. Using the ratchet strap allowed me to put just the right amount of pressure on the swingarm to install the part, and made the job go easy once I figured out how to work smarter and not harder.
But there is a lot of pressure on suspension components, so you really have to be careful and think about what you are doing.
You are 100% right to point out the need for caution and proper use of the tool. Your video is fantastic. Thank you! Rednecks like me tend to push the limits of any tool or piece of equipment, but due caution is needed.
Good trick... ought help a marriage or two. Whose wife doesn't hate it when you ask her to sit on something for her weight to do the work? @@benlake710
Ratchet straps are great. The only downside is that they're too powerful to be used by clueless people - many break their boats by overtightening the straps. That's why I supply all my paddling friends with cam straps, which are faster to put on and nearly impossible to overtighten unintentionally.
Yes, I always sew a piece of double thickness webbing under the buckle, sometimes with an elastic retainer for the strap tail. And yes, I sew that piece onto my ratchet straps, too. No, I have no idea why commercial manufacturers don't.
sparked your love for ratchet straps
I have one small improvement to suggest for sporadical users like me and most the people I know : little arrows on the side indicating in which direction the strap must go. I draw these arrows with a sharpie on every set that goes through my hands.
Exceptionally high quality video
Amazing video! I've used ratchet straps very much in my work, and it was so much information here, that I had no idea about.
I will subscribe now!
welcome
Simply fabulous video. I would love to have a ratchet strap with your Patreon link on the back 😂
After watching I'm 100% still going to spend 15min figuring out how to use it the next time, just like I have every single time 😂
haha many such cases
There is another feature you missed - when assessing tightness, you give the strop a pull and declare "that's not going anywhere" and it fully secures the ratchet mechanism and prevents failure.
If, due to dirt, rust, etc., the strap doesn’t turn the windlass freely when the pawls are released, the slot in the end can be used with a handy thin piece of metal or such (flat blade screwdriver inserted from side?) to turn it for loosening.
To unwrap the strap on a recalcitrant mechanism enough to slip it through the slot and adjust it for the load, with the handle fully open to release the lower pawl often just wrapping your fingers around the windlass strap and pushing with your thumb on the wrapped center of the windlass will provide enough torque to turn the windlass.
best patreon plug I've seen 😆
Now I finally understand how to use the ratchet straps.
A very good explanation.
Glad it was helpful!
All these years of using ratchet straps, and I've never seen one with a patreon link. Guess I need to keep look! Great video. Subscribed!
3:58 that’s Destin of the awesome Smarter Everyday channel.
Surprising notification but perfectly helpful. I use the rachets a lot and always wondered how to open it without hurting my fingers.
Excellent Video on an everyday engineering marvel!