Tie down system with winch and grate overlay panel

A tie down system for securing a vehicle tire to a wire grate having a plurality of first parallel grate wires and a second plurality of parallel grate wires transverse to the first grate wires, comprising:

• a slotted overlay panel for resting on top of and being secured relative to said wire grate, said overlay panel having a plurality of rectangular slots arranged in rows and columns;
• a clevis assembly having one end of a tire strap assembly attached thereto;
• a winch assembly having a winch with a mandrel for receiving an opposite end of the tire strap assembly;
• and
• each of said clevis assembly and said winch assembly having a T hook with a rectangular T portion at one end, and an upper shaft portion received and retained in a retaining aperture at a floor portion of a frame of said winch assembly and said clevis assembly.

A method for securing a vehicle tire to a wire grate having a plurality of first parallel grate wires and a plurality of second parallel grate wires transverse to the first grate wires, comprising the steps of:

• providing a slotted overlay panel for resting on top of and being secured relative to said wire grate, the overlay panel having a plurality of rectangular slots arranged in rows and columns;
• providing a clevis assembly having one end of the tire strap assembly attached thereto;
• providing a winch assembly having a winch with a mandrel for receiving an opposite end of the tire strap assembly;
• providing each said clevis assembly and said winch assembly with a T hook having a rectangular T portion at one end, a rectangular portion upwardly from said T portion, a rounded portion upwardly from said rectangular portion, and an upper shaft portion received and retained in a retaining aperture at a floor portion of a frame of said winch assembly and said clevis assembly;
• and
• attaching said clevis assembly to said wire grate by inserting the T hook through a respective slot of said wire grate adjacent said tire, rotating the clevis assembly by substantially 90 degrees, positioning said strap assembly over said tire and also inserting said T hook of said winch assembly through a respective slot adjacent said tire and rotating the winch assembly by substantially 90 degrees, then engaging an end of the strap assembly to the mandrel and then winding the mandrel to tighten the strap assembly.

A method for securing a vehicle tire to a wire grate having a plurality of first parallel grate wires and a plurality of second parallel grate wires transverse to the first grate wires, comprising the steps of:

• providing a slotted overlay panel for resting on top of and being secured relative to said wire grate, the overlay panel having a plurality of rectangular slots arranged in rows and columns;
• providing a clevis assembly having one end of the tire strap assembly attached thereto;
• providing a winch assembly having a winch with a mandrel for receiving an opposite end of the tire strap assembly;
• providing each said clevis assembly and said winch assembly with a T hook having a rectangular T portion at one end, and an upper shaft portion received and retained in a retaining aperture at a floor portion of a frame of said winch assembly and said clevis assembly;
• and
• attaching said clevis assembly to said wire grate by inserting the T hook in through a respective slot of said wire grate adjacent said tire, rotating the clevis assembly by substantially 90 degrees, positioning said strap assembly over said tire and also inserting said T hook of said winch assembly through a respective slot adjacent said tire and rotating the winch assembly by substantially 90 degrees, then engaging an end of the strap assembly to the mandrel and then winding the mandrel to tighten the strap assembly.

A tie down system for securing a vehicle tire to a wire grate having a plurality of first parallel grate wires and a second plurality of parallel grate wires transverse to the first grate wires, comprising:

• a slotted overlay panel for resting on top of and being secured relative to said wire grate, said overlay panel having a plurality of rectangular slots arranged in rows and columns;
• a clevis assembly having one end of a tire strap assembly attached thereto;
• a winch assembly having a winch with a mandrel for receiving an opposite end of the tire strap assembly;
• each of said clevis assembly and said winch assembly having a T hook with a rectangular T portion at one end retained at a floor portion of a frame of said winch assembly and said clevis assembly;
• and
• a grate interlock assembly for locking together first and second grate sections of said wire grate at abutting ends, said grate interlock assembly comprising a first grate interlock assembly member and a second grate interlock assembly member, the first grate interlock assembly member being attached to a wire of the first grate section and the second grate interlock assembly member being attached to a wire of the second grate section.