Ratchet strap issues

cletus

This might be a slightly storage question, but here goes.

A friend of mine gave me a ratchet strap that he claimed he couldn't open. He was going to bin it, so I took it home.

When I sat down to have a look, it turns out that he figured the best way to store it was to put the strap into the ratchet and tighten it down on itself until the centre bar of the ratchet was full. I can't pass the free end through because of the hook, and I can't pull against the other end to release the tension because it's wrapped onto itself. I've been trying to partially work out each loop to see can I free the end inside the ratchet, but it's a pain in the hole tbh.

So question is, does anybody have a handy hint to free up the strap, or should I just feck it in the bin

_Brian

There’s a piece that bridges across the cooled strap, it has two tongues which latch the ratchet gears both side, it’s spring loaded to keep it engaged on the ratchet gears.
If you use a large flat screwdriver or better a narrow chisel, you should be able to drive it between the coiled strap and this piece, the piece should move back and release of the ratchets.

_Brian

Bit like this guy is showing.

https://youtu.be/guTf_NvWzAE

cletus

Thanks for the reply. It's not actually the ratchet that's stuck.

Essentially he put the end of the strap into the ratchet bar, and wrapped the strap around itself on the ratchet bar. I can release the ratchet, but there's no way to pull on the strap because the end of it is wrapped into the middle of it

Calahonda52

cletus wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. It's not actually the ratchet that's stuck.

Essentially he put the end of the strap into the ratchet bar, and wrapped the strap around itself on the ratchet bar. I can release the ratchet, but there's no way to pull on the strap because the end of it is wrapped into the middle of it

Pictures?

_Brian

Pictures definitely

Maybe release the ratchet and drive a flat screwdriver in between the layers of strap, lever it about, it has to give.

cletus

So I went at it with a flat head screwdriver, I've managed to pry up some of the layers, but am now at an impasse. This thing is getting close to the fück it bin

studdlymurphy

cletus wrote:

So I went at it with a flat head screwdriver, I've managed to pry up some of the layers, but am now at an impasse. This thing is getting close to the fück it bin

Cut tge strap and just keep the ratchet or am i missing something?

cletus

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Cut tge strap and just keep the ratchet or am i missing something?

You're missing nothing, except I'd like to keep the strap too...

funkey_monkey

I've had to resolve this once or twice before due to cack handed people not releasing it correctly.

You are almost at the correct starting point.

From memory, what you have to do is to wriggle out all those loops until you get to the innermost one. When you get to it you can the pull through end that initially when into the ratchet. Then keep repeating this process for each loop until you have it all free.

There is definitely no need to scrap this.

Melodeon

Remove the pin through the two semi-circular ends of the centre 'axle'.
Drive the two axle parts through the frame and the whole thing should fall apart.

Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly

cletus

Finally got back to this, job oxo

Fair play Melodeon

my3cents

cletus wrote: »

Finally got back to this, job oxo

Fair play Melodeon

Does the ratchet work correctly now? I've found that some of the cheap Aldi/Lidl ones give constant problems and while they will ratchet down they are always problematical to release. Never had the problem with better quality ratchets.

cletus

my3cents wrote: »

Does the ratchet work correctly now? I've found that some of the cheap Aldi/Lidl ones give constant problems and while they will ratchet down they are always problematical to release. Never had the problem with better quality ratchets.

The ratchet wasn't working incorrectly, simply, the last fella to use it made a shïte of putting the strap in