Patent ID: 7311484

Claim:
A cap for use on palletised loads, the cap being of the type having at least two strapping strands retractable into housings through openings at opposite sides of the cap, spring means within the housings for retracting the strapping strands, hooks on free ends of the strapping strands for engagement with the underside of a platform of a pallet, tensioning means within the housings for tightening the strapping strands between the cap and the pallet after interposing a load between the cap and the pallet, and stop means for limiting retraction of the hooks into the housings when not engaged with a pallet, characterized in that each tensioning means comprises a slotted crossbar through which a respective one of said strapping strands passes, a lever pivoted within the respective side of the cap and movable in a plane parallel to a general plane of the cap between an operative position and an inoperative position, and a linkage between the lever and the slotted crossbar such that movement of the lever from said inoperative position to said operative position causes rotation of the slotted crossbar to wind the strapping strand round the slotted crossbar, thus enabling tension to be developed in the strapping strand after its hook has been engaged with a pallet, together with manually releasable spring-loaded latch means for securing the strapping strand in tension.