Thread: Bike hoist?
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Old 02-02-2011, 05:45 PM   #36
Amber Lamps
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 14,556
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple View Post
Something in the ratcheting/locking mechanism let go. The strap itself was fine. There was tension on the strap at all times; somehow, after three days of being in the same position, it unwound in an instant and down I went. Inspection of the strap after the fall didn't reveal any defects.

It wasn't attached directly to me; I was using it to pin a ladder to the steep incline of my roof. Perhaps me moving up and down the ladder was enough to jostle the strap loose over time. When it let go, there was no warning, and the ladder and I slid off the house like a rollercoaster.

This was one failure among thousands of times I've used ratchet straps without incident. It only takes one, however, to totally fuck up your life (or your bike), so now I just don't take the chance.
I normally tie a "knot" just behind the ratchet just in case personally...
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