Dirt Chronicles Review: Trader Tim’s Tie Downs
Dirt Chronicles recently obtained several sets of Trader Tim’s Tie Downs. Strong and sturdy, these tie downs can be used to safely secure everything from large objects, boats, bikes, UTVs, ATVs, snow mobiles. Of course outside of the obvious motorsport vehicles, these tie-downs can be used for countless uses. You name it, these bad boys can tie it down securely. As long as once you finish strapping down you give the obligatory “That’s not going anywhere”, and it won’t.
Trader Tim’s 1” Series Tie-Downs
The Trader Tim’s collection comes in quite a variety of sizes, colors, and uses. Ranging from the 1” Camlock series with a maximum rated weight of 1500lbs made from a sturdy nylon, which will secure just about any light load just fine outside of a large vehicle. Not bad for their lowest rated tie-down. Their 1” series also comes in a ratchet option boosting your maximum load rating to 2500lbs, with the “S” hook connecting point, and only gets better from here.
SWL: 800lbs, MRC: 2,500lbs*
*SWL = Safe Working Load *MRC = Maximum Rated Capacity
We tested the tie-downs down a full size bike – and no issues were found. We didn’t expect to find any either.
Trader Tim’s 1.5/1.75” Series Tie-Downs
Trader Tim’s version of the 1.5/1.75” ratchet tie downs are the perfect choice for the job. Made from 4000lb nylon webbing, you’ll be impressed by the strength. These tie downs are the perfect application still for securing smaller loads like bikes, or even UTV/SXS vehicles.
SWL: 1,333lbs, MRC: 4,000lbs*
*SWL = Safe Working Load *MRC = Maximum Rated Capacity
Trader Tim’s 2” Series Tie-Downs
The crew at Trader Tim’s have worked hard, and engineered a 2” tie-down they are very proud of with no corners cut at all. The 10,000lb rated ratchet is married with an incredibly strong strap and snap hooks. The entire 8’ unit is sewn and assembled locally in Southern California.
SWL: 3,300lbs, MRC: 10,000lbs*
*SWL = Safe Working Load *MRC = Maximum Rated Capacity
What we liked about the products are the variations. As consumers we like to have choices whether it be color or latching points. Most of Trader Tim’s Tie Downs offer the option of gray, black, red, or blue with latching from “S” hooks to Snap hooks, but to be totally honest we hoped the “J” hook option was also available, making it easy to attach to the sides of trailers.
So what did we think overall?
Overall these are very well built American Made tie-downs, and we are confident they would suit your needs nicely. The stitching is extremely beefed up and incredibly strong, with competitive pricing points.
For more information on their full product line visit: http://www.tradertimstiedowns.com
A little about Trader Tim
Truck roots run deep for Trader Tim. Over the years his successful business ventures have run the gamut from tie-down straps and UTV parts to customized apparel for trade and consumer conventions. But his first love—and his first business—was trucks.
His father and a friend founded Unique Truck Accessories in the late 1960s to make and sell accessories for big-rig diesel trucks. Tim literally grew up in the business, helping where he could. Family vacations were spent on the Colorado River, where Tim became infatuated with high-performance boats. It was a natural fit, then, for him to develop accessories for the crew-cab dually tow rigs he saw on the river and add those products to the family business. He eventually struck out on his own and launched Accessory Mart, a retail outlet for his and his family’s truck accessories, and Dually Headquarters, which focused purely on lowering kits, cab extenders, wings, and other parts for the tow rigs he loved so much.
In 1988, General Motors kick-started the whole sport truck industry with the introduction of its GMT400-series pickups, and Tim was ready to jump into this hot new market. Trader’s Truck Accessories was among the pioneers in the sport truck aftermarket, offering high-end accessories and upgrades for a new breed of truck enthusiasts. His growing customer base eagerly awaited the latest Trader’s catalog and the cutting-edge sport truck that would grace its cover. At its peak, Trader’s Truck Accessories occupied a massive facility in Whittier, California; employed about 75 staff members; offered mail-order and retail sales; and performed sport truck conversions on hundreds of trucks for customers as well as local-area dealerships. Tim indulged his love for racing by building a Chevrolet 454SS pickup for drag race exhibitions, and Trader’s also outfitted the NHRA Safety Safari rigs for a number of years.
Along with Trader’s Truck Accessories, Tim also founded Street Scene Equipment, which offered accessories like electric sport mirrors and a patented line of Speed Grille products. For a time, Tim operated both companies’ side-by-side.
Tim’s contribution to the sport truck industry “was far greater than I ever anticipated it would be,” he admits, but by the late 1990s he was ready to move on to new opportunities. His diverse business ventures at the time included launching Trust Me Tie-Downs and buying Beard Racing Seats, which opened a whole new market for him: the off-roading industry. As was the case with sport trucks a decade earlier, his timing was perfect. The UTV market was just starting to take off, and he capitalized on the opportunity by offering seats, roll cages and other accessories.
Over the years, Tim would help promote each of his businesses through branded apparel—T-shirts, jackets, hats and the like. Seeing a new opportunity there, in the late 2000s he began to manufacture specialty branded apparel and worked with SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, to make and sell SEMA-branded merchandise at its annual trade show. As that business grew, he was able to offer the same services to other conventions and trade associations, and the Piston Driven event branding business was born.
Tim has been fortunate to bring the hobbies he loves to his various businesses, and vice versa. He calls himself a “boat guy,” saying, “there’s just something about a powerful boat that I love.” He’s a racer and hot rodder at heart too, having grown up in the San Gabriel Valley, Southern California’s hotbed for rodding and drag racing. Through his connection with Beard Racing Seats he fell in love with off-road racing and competed in the desert, even winning the Parker 400 in a JeepSpeed car.
Photos: Dirt Chronicles
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