What would you have done differently??

[Chamberpains]

(11-09-2019 )LRT1549 Wrote:  I personally feed my hook through the rub rail with the hook facing me then up and back down through the rub rail and hook it on the bottom thus wrapping the rub rail. What I believe and was taught was that by going through and then hooking the hook to the top of the rub rail pulls the rub rail out at the top and down essentially ripping it off the trailer. I have seen this with my own eyes after accidents. By doing it as I do and going through the rail then up and back down with the hook makes it pull from the bottom in and up. By pulling inward on the rail you are pulling it towards the welds and not ripping it out and away from them.

Doing this exposes the strap to abrasion. Defeating the whole purpose of the rub rail. You get the same exact effect of pulling down when you simply go thru the rub rail and back to it. You are adding one extra wrap that just leaves the strap exposed to road debris and potential to be cut and fail should you happen to scrape something. This is what the Connecticut DOT officer warned me about not doing all those years ago.