Town East Ford Collision Center

How to Safely Tie Items to Your Car's Roof

When we have to move or do projects around the house, for example, we often need to lash things to the roofs of our vehicles. Sometimes it goes well while other times it does not. If you see things like dressers, desks and other items on the side of the road in Mesquite or anywhere throughout TX, then you know it did not go seamlessly. So, all of us at Town East Ford Collision Center are offering you a list of simple directives about how to properly and safely ties things to the roof of your car:

■ Utilize a roof rack: If you have a roof rack, please use it. It's best if it's padded, to protect strapped-down items from any movement. You can purchase rack pads, but if you're handy, you can also fashion them out of pipe insulation foam and duct tape.

■ Use a blanket: Pad your load for safety and you won't go wrong. Please note that blankets can tarnish your car's paint job and placing objects directly on the roof can dimple it. So, in the end It's better to use a rack if you have one.

■ Bind objects to something solid: In most instances, that means a roof rack, but if you don't have one, you can secure objects with ratchet straps by looping the straps through your car's doors. If this is the technique you decide to go with, please keep in mind to open the doors first, because otherwise you'll be climbing in through the windows to achieve this.

■ Make sure load movement is restricted: Once you tie down an any object, make absolutely certain that it doesn't shift in any way. If there's a little wiggle room, it will become magnified when you're driving down the road at highway speeds. Remember that items moving on your car's roof are your enemy, so do everything you can to keep them completely stationary before you embark.

■ Use nylon straps if possible: Ratchet straps are fairly inexpensive and easy-to-use, so use them whenever appropriate. These flat nylon straps are sturdy enough to secure any load that's not too heavy to strap to the roof. Flat nylon straps with a spring-loaded connection at one end work very well and are less drama-free to use than ratchet straps.

■ Check, and re-check yet again: When you're ready to hit the road, check your work. Are your straps mounted so that they won't slide to a new and looser position? If so, you're safe and secure and good to go wherever you're going!

We will continue to bring you relative information from Town East Ford Collision Center in Mesquite  TX .

Sources: MSN, AARP and NHTSA