Good choices for a tie-down kit?

[dkkim73]

Hi All, 

I'm looking to put together (or buy) a tie-down kit for my Mooney. I'm hangared at both ends of my main route, and haven't stayed very long elsewhere. 

I see some pre-cut kits online with sliders, etc, and some anchor devices. I would imagine not using screw anchors except at a grass strip. Some of the fields I've passed through have bolts in the ramp. So I'm thinking to get some rope from a HW store and make some convenient lengths, with the idea to do sailing-type hitches to secure the plane (have to recall from muscle memory how to do that from training days).

OTOH I might imagine occasionally finding other situations. What kinds of simple, light "kits" have you guys found useful? 

Thanks,
David

PS. I was visiting a shop on my home field recently and saw planes tied down with cargo straps (flat webbing and ratchets). It's a windy place. So that's food for thought. 

 

[Hank]

I bought a screw-in set from EAA ar Sun n Fun. They held my Mooney in place when then tornadoes went down the runway, trashing planes and pulling many tie downstairs out of the ground (including The Claw).

Buy a 25' rope, put an eye splice in each end, then cut it in half. Put an end splice at the cut and you're all set.

I have a funny metal piece that came with heavy duty parachute cord (from Home Depot) for the tail, the little metal thing twists around to quickly join the rope without a knot. It comes in several sizes, I bought the largest one.

[EricJ]

I keep some nylon rope pieces in the hatch since they're light and don't take up much space.   They're mostly for if I get stuck someplace unexpectedly I'll have some way to tie it down.   If I'm travelling and I know I'll need to tie it down I have some ratcheting straps that were made for aircraft tie-down purposes, which mostly mean they have double hooks on the ends instead of single hooks.   A single hook can straighten out and let go if yanked on enough in gusty winds, so doubling it makes a big difference.   This is in contrast to just grabbing a normal ratchet strap from the aviation aisle at Home Despot or Tractor Supply or somewhere similar.   

I wish I remembered where I got them as they're really nice, but, alas...I've no idea.

[Z W]

I use a set of boat dock lines that I keep in a small bag in the plane:

https://www.amazon.com/Dock-Lines-Ropes-Boat-Accessories/dp/B08CDWG6Y8/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2N81A3QSSMOVI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1tROCSP2racoXpnDE_d0FpuUul5GW1rGKFreH4N30hP_A0o3pmF568v8C3HokssqMrM7RhngtAjxqA1DtD-JKFzClJLXXV_5rFhN-Lz6k8db66e35bz0b4FSnDIHP5KjkT_ucCC-hgJ4XWca2xRDs8kHr-OheQ1WWdGpbFy037kSlllonxPtfIqcvQj6kXumnN0ryQ03HBWW6UroQfZEDDuyAus94ujjz43P_pYXH7FFTOQ5Zw3K9Tew_7uxZ8-wmGAjR06pK-GH0JQ8-150zVBi_Z12NMVHqDrTQ27neq8.XE7NRC9VpSjwxwtTe-L7i4JdcucVSQqO9e85Vx8EQrg&dib_tag=se&keywords=boat%2Bropes%2Bfor%2Bdocking%2Bwith%2Bloop&qid=1715769807&sprefix=boat%2Bropes%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-5&th=1

They come with a loop in one end that will go around most tie-down setups on different ramps, or around the hoops in the plane.  Use a knot on the other end.  Very light weight and no metal hooks to worry about or scratch things up with.  You never know if you'll land somewhere without chains or ropes on the ramp.

For Oshkosh I got a "Claw" setup which seemed to work well on grass.  Have only used it there.

[Rick Junkin]

I keep a set of Tie Boss's in my cross country kit. Sporty's sells them for the best price for a set of three. https://www.sportys.com/tie-boss-tie-down-kit.html You can also find them on Amazon but make sure to get the 3/8" line variety. I can hook them up and secure them one-handed, which is important for an older fat man crawling around under the wing of his Mooney. The only complaint I have is mine came with 10' lines which have proven to be a bit too short on occasion. Most notably at VNC where the transient tiedown points are spread really wide. I may order a set of the 15' dock lines @Z W posted to replace the stock Tie Boss lines.

I got a set of Big Screw tie downs for use at Oshkosh. They're pricey and heavy at 10# but I like them and they got excellent ratings from Aviation Consumer. Easy in and easy out. They come with 9' straps that you could use with transient tie down anchors too. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/bigscrew.php

Cheers,
Junkman

[hubcap]

I bought a rope from the hardware store and threw in the luggage compartment.

Ratchet straps are probably more convenient and I have used them in the past.

I would buy some ratchet straps, but I always hangar Myrtle, if possible, when I travel.

[dkkim73]

On 5/15/2024 at 9:32 AM, Rick Junkin said:

 which is important for an older fat man crawling around under the wing of his Mooney

Wondering how The Junkman got a visual ID on me from so far away...  

All nice-looking solutions. I got a set of the docklines @Z W recommended as an inexpensive, versatile start. The Tie Boss shows out of stock currently. I think you could probable extend them easily with a few lengths of line and figure-8 follow-through knots on the end. Or match the original line and thread in a longer version. 

Nothing exceeds like elegance and excess, so I think at some point I will have to get The Big Screw solution for grass tie-downs. Haven't been anywhere more sporting than a 4000 ft paved runway so far. 

D

[McMooney]

I have a set of ropse but mostly just use a  set of homedepot tie down straps

[jetdriven]

2 hours ago, McMooney said:

I have a set of ropse but mostly just use a  set of homedepot tie down straps

You might as well leave it untied. This tie straps things have a breaking strength often less than 300 pounds which that plane will make 300 pounds of lift in a 35 knot gust.

[Fly Boomer]

2 hours ago, jetdriven said:

You might as well leave it untied. This tie straps things have a breaking strength often less than 300 pounds which that plane will make 300 pounds of lift in a 35 knot gust.

That's interesting.  I have always been afraid to use those ratchet straps because I thought they might pull the tie-down rings out.  I have seen things bent by those ratchet straps when securing things in the back of a truck.

[mhrivnak]

2 hours ago, jetdriven said:

You might as well leave it untied. This tie straps things have a breaking strength often less than 300 pounds which that plane will make 300 pounds of lift in a 35 knot gust.

The straps won't feel any lift until the total lift exceeds the weight of the airplane. So you first need enough wind to make the airplane weightless, then add enough additional wind to generate 300lbs of positive lift per tie-down. I'm not saying they're great, but 300lb tie-downs might be ok even into hurricane force winds.

[jetdriven]

What happens more than likely wind gets underneath of one wing or the other or weather vanes and then snaps the tiedowns or the straps and then it flips the airplane over or sends it across the ramp.  Otherwise why tie airplanes down at all, if they only become effective when the airplane lifts off of the ground.

[McMooney]

3 hours ago, jetdriven said:

You might as well leave it untied. This tie straps things have a breaking strength often less than 300 pounds which that plane will make 300 pounds of lift in a 35 knot gust.

actually looked it up, they are 1000lb straps.  I bet the lasar tiedown point will break LONG before the strap

Edited May 17, 2024 by McMooney

[201Mooniac]

I don't know about the home depot ones but the straps I got from Amazon were 1100lbs safe working load and 3300lbs breaking strength.  I'm not sure of the meaning of safe working load but that seems sufficient to not break before something else does.

[EricJ]

Here's what our local CAP squadron uses (and they're uber-anal about securing aircraft).    Mine are similar but I think mine are double-hooked on one end and have a secure locking hasp on the other.    You need something for hooks that won't fail by straightening out under repeated impulse loads, and that won't become disengaged or unhooked if the airplane is rocked repeatedly in strong winds.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/turcottetiedown.php

Most decent straps have break ratings well over 1000 lbs, and most are much higher, 3k lbs or higher.    This assumes they're in good shape and not frayed and haven't been exposed to the sun for years on end.

This looks a lot like what I have.   Actual ratchets (rather than river-strap locks) and a hook with a lock on one end.

https://store.ceebaileys.com/Aircraft-Portable-Tie-Down-Kit-p/tie downs.htm

 

 

[Joshua Blackh4t]

I don't tie mine down. I have a bit of rope that looks good for places that seem to expect it, but generally just leave her. I have seen some massive wind storms and she didn't move in the slightest, so I gave up worrying.

If I was leaving her long term in a hurricane prone place, I'd go all out with chains, (no UV deterioration) but I'm hoping I never do that. 

No tie down points most places I go, and it takes to long to do anything that isn't purely cursory 

[M20F]

Ratchet straps and when needed The Claw tie down (use straps with it).  Straps are easy. 

[BlueSky247]

Long time motorsports guy here weighing in with a few datapoints....

 

I've seen cheap ratchet straps used in an emergency as literal engine/vehicle hoists. I've seen them used to secure all sorts of unsafe loads travelling long distances.

 

I would have no problem using a decent set of beefy straps on a plane. Like any other aircraft system, I'd look them over carefully each time and I'd plan on replacing them every year or two depending on how often they are used.

 

My thought in all of this is that in a real storm situation, you are a lot more likely to have something blown into your plane than your plane breaking free. 

[Pinecone]

The way the ratchet straps are better is you can get them set with no slack.  With slack you get a shock load on the tie downs which can snap a strap that would have survived a steady pull.

I use ropes if they are there.  I carry a set of ratchet straps I bought from Spruce or Sporty's.

[Z W]

There's a technique for tying down with ropes with no slack.  You tie the front points first.  Roll the plane backwards until they are both tight, and tied forward of the front wheels.  Then go tie the tail tightly so it pulls the plane rearwards.  You have preload without ratchet straps.  

Ratchet straps are fine but I don't really like them for this.  Hooks bend and get rusty and may or may not fit in whatever system the ramp has built-in.  If the hook slips loose somehow, the plane becomes unsecured.  Extra weight for the metal parts not needed on most trips.  Some line guy might move your plane, re-use your straps, and crank them tight enough to bend your tiedown points.  The straps get frayed and damaged easier than rope.  Kind of a solution looking for a problem compared to good old fashioned rope and knots.

I keep a bag of straps in my truck and use them all the time.  They have their place but for me it's not tying down planes.

[NotarPilot]

Being a CB here, does anyone use a homemade set up using climbing rope and maybe a carabiner tied to each end? Assuming you get quality carabiners, and not ones from Temu, I would think you have enough strength to keep your plane grounded in strong winds. The carabiners could be used to attach to the airplane tie down loops, and directly to the eye bolts on the ramp and then just simply tie a knot in the middle of the rope to take out the slack. Would this be a bad idea?

[Hank]

10 hours ago, NotarPilot said:

Being a CB here, does anyone use a homemade set up using climbing rope and maybe a carabiner tied to each end? Assuming you get quality carabiners, and not ones from Temu, I would think you have enough strength to keep your plane grounded in strong winds. The carabiners could be used to attach to the airplane tie down loops, and directly to the eye bolts on the ramp and then just simply tie a knot in the middle of the rope to take out the slack. Would this be a bad idea?

I carry ropes with an eye splice in one end. Push the loop through the bolt in the ground (or your own screw in), pull the rope through. You can use a quality carabiner to attach the eyesplice to something in the ground also. Use the free end to tie to your tie down loop.

I would not tie a knot in the middle of a rope for any reason other than tieing two ropes together to make a longer one. 

[Jackk]

I like climbing line or dock line (west marine or a climbing shop), you don’t want dyneema or straps with zero give if you like your plane 

 

Tie a bowline  

 

 Done

 

 Weight wise I’d say half of full gross, but real world id wager the plane ends up a write off before even the lines with half that strength breaks 

 

 But the by far #1 failure is folks can’t tie a real knot 

 

 

For dirt there was a comparison on YouTube, can’t find it but I’m pretty sure the claw won and the screws (basically the things you see for dogs but marked up for aviation) did not do well 

 

 As far as the opened often rubber coated hooks, did a deep dive on this, the straps they come with fail before the hooks do and the WEAKEST tested hooks fail at like 1,625lbs EACH, so times 2 wings give you about 3,250lbs of lift you have to make to pop em, so your plane is probably a write off before the hook

As seen here around 11min mark  

 
 

 TLDR: dock line or climbing line with a bowline

Edited December 14, 2025 by Jackk

[SARNorm]

I like climbing rope. It can be 7mm rope that is used for prusiks. Light and small diameter, it has a breaking strength of 2700#. 8mm climbing rope has a breaking strength of about 3500#, so either works. Trucker's hitch to connect and tighten. I think that rope is less stressful to the airplane attachment points. I don't use carabiners as they can flop around in the wind if the rope becomes loose and scratch something. Also, quality carabiners are an attractive nuisance that potentially could be stolen. The bottom line is that there are many ways to secure the airplane against the wind. Strong, dependable, simple, and light are good goals when selecting tie down materials.

[midlifeflyer]

25 minutes ago, Jackk said:

Tie a bowline  

Up the rabbit hole, around the tree, and back into the hole

25 minutes ago, Jackk said:

 Done

 

 Weight wise I’d say half of full gross, but real world id wager the plane ends up a write off before even the lines with half that strength breaks 

 

 But the by far #1 failure is folks can’t tie a real knot 

Can't disagree with you there. Bowline aside, it's amazing how many can't tie one of the simple hitches that allow the ropes to be tightened. I cringe when we're going to have a real windy day.