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God bless the internet and all who sail in her.

Hang on then, how do you tie it off after you've given it a tug? This is probably the best video on learning to tie the trucker's hitch, anyway:

Steady on, Ghengis.

yes that works well i used that once after non payment on a fortnightly garden Maintenace job

Or a good sprinkling of Japanese knotweed seeds

CMC video on trucker's hitch Fun video on upgrading a few knots in the trucker's hitch to carabiners and getting a stronger, safer result. Potentially a bit quicker than setting up a 3-1, less risk of rope damage if you are expecting a heavy load than as a rope-only trucker's. https://www.cmcpro.com/learn-how-to-tie-a-truckers-hitch-knot/

Thought about doing domething like this myself once, but decided it could be construed as criminal damage. The much more discreet but satisfying alternative was a goodly dose of 34% urea nitrogen fertiliser at night, then spent next six months watching the poor prick furiously mowing his lawns, growing twice as fast as he could cut. Must have cost a fortune in fuel.😆

Do you know my wife?!

Ahh right, that makes sense, thanks.

Fascinating stuff, cheers.

The "old" or traditional way to tie what was once known as the lorryman's hitch (because in those days we had lorries not trucks) used half a sheepshank to form the loop for the running part, rather than the slippery half hitch favoured today. In this form it is usually necessary to twist the loop to prevent it collapsing before you can apply tension. This version works well with natural fibre cordage but not with synthetic and has consequently fallen out of favour. Using the slippery half hitch structure avoids the need for the twists but does mean the hitch won't simply shake out when released, which was a feature of the original form.

Long time ago customer refused to pay me, I sprinkle entire property with kerb granules , he still have no garden after 15 years, shit people must be treated like shit. I still have 40 kilo left and will use it with no hesitation if I meet another scumbag on my way, also they have cars ,windows, houses ,sheds and so on very easy to get paid if needed.

bloke keeps phoning me and singing stand and deliver, I've told him he must have the wrong number but he's adamant.

A woman is cooking eggs in the kitchen when her husband comes running in... Immediately, he sees the eggs and gasps in horror. "Be careful! CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh, my GOSH!" The wife, startled at her husband's violent reaction, dashes to the fridge to get some butter. "You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW!" The wife, concerned by the status of her husband's mental state, forgets about the butter and goes running to the eggs. "WE NEED BUTTER! Are you CRAZY??? Where are we going to get the butter? They're going to stick! HURRY!" The wife runs to the fridge. "CAREFUL about the eggs! CAREFUL. You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them quickly! Oh not that quickly, don't you know how to cook? Are you insane? Turn the DAMN EGGS" At this point, the wife starts crying, since she has no idea what to do. She gasps "What is WRONG with you? I know how to cook eggs." The husband simply smiles, "I just wanted to show you how it feels when I'm driving with you in the car".

Back to the truckers hitch, I know there is a version where you twist the bow, if that makes any sense. I never understand why you would or wouldn't do it. Any ideas on why twisting it makes a difference?

Unless its concrete u need one with offroad wheels.

This is why people use a bowline on a bight. They just work. I've been wanting a midline knot that can take a heavy pull and still untie and where the tail flows nicely towards the anchor so it can capture progress and have enough strength through the knot to withstand a winch failure. It's nothing you can't do with a bowline and another rope but then you need another rope.

Thank you Paul that is really helpful and just the kind of info I was after.

Add i just tried it, I managed to collapse it by pulling it in the 'wrong' direction'. Almost impossible in the other direction, though.

My first uses of it was glacier crossings, it only had to take one body weight. Haven't used it for big pulls. Maybe I have to revisit. Looking at it closely it seems to be in effect an alpine butterfly in one direction of pull but with an extra buffer in the other direction.

Alpines seize with any weight.

Can't have everything! It looks very close to being an alpine butterfly and has a directional aspect to it. And looks horrible. I'd be learning the alpine butterfly if I was you. It is an easy visual check

Not sure I'd trust that knot for pulling back leaners over with the tractor away from power lines. The bowline on a bight takes the same amount of time to tie and can't slip at all. We all use what we're comfortable with though.

I know quite a decent amount of knots, as one of my hobbies includes decorative nautical knotwork/marlinspike, and I often go thorugh Ashley's Book Of Knots lookcing up the history of knots and splices. Day-to-day though I use only a handful, including: Bowline / running bowline Bowline on a bight Alpine butterfly (with bunny ears) for SRT canopy anchor Quick hitch Clove hitch 2 round turns and 2 half hitches I used to often use VT and other friction hitch variants, but these have been replaced by mechanical devices. I could still tie 3-knot system, Blake's hitch, tautline hitch etc if needed, and the trucker's hitch has been replaced by ratchet straps.

Brilliant thanks guys. I do have a trailer with a ramp and a massive sack truck. Perfect. Saved a few grand. Thanks again.