If your business doesn’t do the kind of high-volume banding that justifies the purchase of a baler, using a manual banding tool may be your best bet. These tools are affordable, reliable, and easy-to-use. With just a little practice and help from the information below, you should be comfortable using your strapping tool in no time. Here’s how to use a metal strapping tool.
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Get to Know Your Strapping Tool
Before you jump right in and try to use your new tool for the first time, take a moment to get to know its various parts. In general, there are four key components to note:
- The handle. This one is pretty obvious, even if you have never seen a metal strapping tool before. The handle is the long piece coming out of the top of the strapping tool, and it will be used to add tension and secure the load.
- The gripper. A small piece under the handle, the gripper holds on to the strap so you can use the handle to keep adding tension without having the strap slide back and wipe away your progress.
- The tension wheel. As the name would indicate, this is the wheel that allows you to add tension by allowing the handle of the device to move up and down smoothly.
- The cutter. Finally, once tension is sufficiently added to the strap, you’ll use the cutter to trim the excess and finish the job.
Prepare for Action
To get started tightening a load, you’ll need to have the load prepared and have some strapping available, along with your tool. Wrap the strapping or banding around the load that is to be secured. One end of the strapping is going to be fed under the gripper and below the cutter assembly. Then, take the other end and feed it through the cutter and through the tension wheel.
With both ends of the strap now running through the tool, you’ll be ready to add some tension and tighten things up. To do so, simply move the handle up and down, pulling more and more strapping through the tool as you go. Depending on how much loose strapping you had around the load initially, it may take a few pumps of the handle to reach the desired tension.
Add a Seal
If necessary with your type of strapping, you may need to add and crimp a seal to secure the tension that has been added to the banding. It’s best to have plenty of seals on hand and close by, just to make sure you aren’t tripped up by this step. Once the seal is firmly attached, you can use the cutter to remove the excess banding—and you’re finished.
Trust Vulcan For Your Strapping Needs
In addition to knowing how to use a metal strapping tool, you’ll also want to make sure you purchase a quality model from a reliable supplier. At Vulcan Wire, we sell strapping tools that are built to last. We also have all of the other items you will need for this job, such as strapping, seals, and more. Please contact us today with any questions and thanks for visiting!
