The Bulldog Binder: Improving the Design of the Ratchet Binder

Out here in the country, people commonly haul heavy things around on trailers: Tractors, skid steers, back hoes. Safely securing these items to the trailer is a must. This is typically done with chains that are drawn tight using this thing, which is called a ratchet binder.

As you ratchet the handle, rotating the central shaft, it draws the threaded eyelets on each end closer together, tightening the chain.

As time-tested as this tool is, it has a couple of design flaws. The big one is that the handle's range of motion runs perpendicular to the chains. That means that as you pull the handle, the chain naturally wants to twist. This can build up a dangerous amount of tension, and should you lose your grip on the handle as the chain untwists, you've got a heavy bar of metal coming at you with extreme force. Long-haul trucker Justin Clein learned this the hard way: After getting whacked in the head with a binder, he needed 20 stitches.

The second design flaw is that the threads on the eyelets are exposed. These can get clogged with road gunk and are susceptible to corrosion over time.

Following his accident, Clein resolved to design a better ratchet binder. He enlisted industrial design firm Ingenuity Design Group, and together they came up with this Bulldog Binder.

They call it "The world's first linear ratcheting loadbinder," since the handle has now been placed in-line with the chains. (They achieved this by using helical gearing.) This arrangement eliminates the twisting problem.

Secondly they've concealed the threads within the body of the tool, which features a sealed housing.

Both Clein and Ingenuity Design Group are Australian, but Clein traveled to the 'States to unveil the tool at last year's Mid-America Trucking Show. The response was positive and Clein's company, Universal Restraint Systems, is in the process of setting up distribution.

Here's how the tool works: