Help with tie-downs.

Those hooks may have a particular name if so I am unaware of them, but typically in my experience those will drop in the slots that are pre-cut in the bed of most rollback or landoll type trailers. Seeing as how they are auto tie downs they are made to fit the common parts of the industry.

 

From the 12:00 position, counter clockwise, those would an r, t, and j hook. The r and t go into special holes, they're oval, about 1/2" x 2"'. Almost all older cars had them, but few newer ones do. The j could be used in tow hooks and receivers, heavier metal structures. They concentrated the load in a small area and could rip holes if you weren't careful.

 

On the frames of vehicles, there are small oval holes that those different style hooks fit into depending upon the orientation of the hole and the direction you need to pull the strap.

The R-hook, twist it 90 degrees and slip the big end through the hole...then rotate it back 90 degrees and put the small end through. It pulls towards the small end, with the big end preventing it from pulling out.



The T-hook is a little simpler...rotate it 90 degrees so it fits through the hole, then rotate it back 90 degrees to lock it in.



The J-hook is the easiest...just stick it through the hole.



With all of these, you want to make sure you're using the proper holes in the frame (or on unibody cars, the slots provided for towing the vehicle). You don't want to just use any old hole they fit in...ESPECIALLY on unibody cars...because the hole may not be oriented in the direction you need for the hook to be retained (should be pulling against the short end of the oval, not the wide side), or worse yet, the sheet metal won't be sufficiently strong and you'll tear it.

 

There are many without which is why over the wheel straps have become industry standard. If you have E-track low enough on your van wall you could use a modified K strap over the wheel and secure it in the E-track. It would be better to have E-track in the floor, then you could properly tie down the cars with over the tread straps. The K straps I mentioned above grab the sidewall and there is some debate in the car haul world as to if they damage the tires. I personally say no, have used them on my flatbed carriers for years without issue.

You can try these resource links to see all the different types of straps available, maybe you will find a set you like for your application. Glad you are asking questions, that is half the battle!
https://www.autohaulersupply.com/
http://www.truckntow.com/auto-hauler-supply.html

And this is my favorite, they are good people.

 

I like you tutorial, complete with pictures. Thanks for taking the time to explain it properly to the new crowd, bravo.

 

Been a while (15+ years) since I drove a wrecker, so I'm a little rusty on where you'd find them on today's cars. Some will be at the ends of the cars...in front of the front axle, and behind the rear axle. Other cars, it'll be in the center (behind the front axle, and in front of the rear). I'd imagine every car would still have SOME way for a wrecker to hook to it, and that is essentially what you're looking for to use.

 

Not really, it is now common for wreckers to use nylon straps to wrap around the lower control arms since they are aluminium and then use over the wheel straps to secure it. Some manufacturers will still have T slots in the front, behind the axle (usually near where the A pillar would align), but rear T slots are becoming increasingly rare. The only major manufacturers that still have reliable tie down slots are Ford and Honda. GM still has some on a few models with older engineering, but for the most part the T slots have gone away. AAA used to have a good resource for tie down slots, but not much anymore. Tow Spec does have the locations of the tie down slots that are available and rated for use, as well as the estimated curb weight and dimensions of most vehicles in North America. That may be handy for planning your load weight?
https://www.towspec.com/

 

T J R hooks and there used to be a Chrysler hook that hooked into a round hole on the frame, looked like a pinky finger with a block at the base, completely useless because if the chain twisted at all they would fall out.

T and R hooks have to pull in the direction the oblong hole is, if you can't get a chain to pull that way they can fall out hence using a J hook is simple, omnidirectional except it doesn't put the stress on the frame where it was designed for. FoMoCo used to used J hooks back in the day.

The main thing about using a frame hole, they're not created equal, some of the oblong holes are just there, not intended for any hook and you will rip them out when you tighten them down, you have to look for a welded area around the hole or one that is a thick part of the frame, most pick ups have these.

Used vehicles frequently have the oblong holes plugged with rubber stoppers, you can punch them out to get a reliable tie down sometimes.

Use your head for more than a ping pong ball between close frame rails, look for the tie down holes before you put it on the truck.