Hand Truck and Safety Straps

One of the most basic pieces of hand truck safety equipment is the cargo strap. Despite the benefits of adding straps for safety, they are considered additional safety equipment. Therefore, not all hand trucks are sold with straps and the consumer will have to buy them separately. A load may seem secure enough on the hand truck, but a forceful bump or a careless trip down a ramp could dislodge the load and cause plenty of damage.
Straps are not only useful for keeping heavy loads in place, but also for protecting fragile items that may suffer if they are bumped and shaken during transport. If these items fall off of a hand truck, it could be a big problem. It is worth taking a little bit of time to tie on the straps and secure those items.
Place the item you are about to move onto the hand truck so that it is pushed back as far as it will go and it is centered and balanced. With a box this move is easy: the back of the box should touch the back of the hand truck. With a misshapen item this can be more difficult, but the farther back it can go, the better the balance will be.
Now you can attach the straps. Some straps will come with a buckle to tighten while others are tightened and tied at the same time. The straps with the buckle are better because they allow you to adjust the tightness of the strap even after it has been threaded through the buckle.
Start at the side of the hand truck and work your way around so that the strap surrounds the item. At the side of the hand truck find the buckle and thread the strap through it, just like you would do if you were putting on a belt.
Once you have slipped the strap through the buckle, you should be able to make adjustments. Pull on the end of the strap as much as you can. If you are moving sturdy item, like a box, pull to your heart’s content – the tighter the better. If the object is more fragile, however, pay close attention to how tightly it is pressing against the back of the hand truck. Use a moving blanket to protect the item from rubbing against the straps.
Objects that are heavy or fragile need more care and attention when you prepare to move them with a hand truck. Cargo straps will keep the items in place during a move, as long as they are properly attached. You can benefit using cargo straps to hold any item in place on a hand truck. The time it takes to attach a strap or two is quicker than the time it takes to reload the displaced items.