The popular tie down system on semi trailers are E track tie down system, which consists of E Tracks and e track tie downs, E tracks come in with a few different length, such as 2′, 5′ and 10′, and there are two different variations , horizontal and vertical. The E Track tie downs have quite a few varieties, such as rope tie off, D ring with E fitting, cam buckle straps with E Fitting, ratchet straps with E Fitting, wood beam sockets, wheel chocks which usually seen with E Tracks installed on the truck floor for bike or vehicle tie down and there e track cargo bars with e fittings at both ends. But any E Track tie downs need E Track to be installed to work, so the most important thing is to install the E Track properly.
When it comes to the installation of E Tracks, the safety is our top priority.
When you mount the E Track you will have to look for the wall studs on the trailer, we will focus on doing it on the wall but the same principle applies to the floor as well. The wall stud is basically a big channel with a couple of flat spots on top to attach the plywood to, we just have to do the same to the E Track and bridge two of them somehow, when you figure that out you can use screws to hold the E Track up, you will need deep threaded wood screws or tec screws to get the job done. Basically this is all about installing E Tracks on the wall, and you will have to make sure the E Track sit as flat as possible on the wood. For Safety reason, you’d better use deep threaded screws, put one screw into each hole on the e track, and run the track as possibly far as you can, the will spread the load across long distance and it’s safer. Remember that the there are only about 2 inch to outside wall, so don’t over assert the screws.
Before you call it a day, you will have to test your installation out a bit , just insert a 2”x16′ ratchet e track strap in the e track, use your hand or some other stuff to drag it hard to see if there are any loose spots or soft wall mount , if you do find problems please get them fixed before hauling away.
