Patent ID: 8430612

Claim:
A vehicle tie-down system comprising: (a) first and second spaced apart rails parallel to each other for attachment to the bed of a truck or trailer and parallel to a longitudinal mounting axis; (b) each of said rails having an L-shaped cross-section with horizontal and vertical walls, said horizontal walls having a plurality of holes to accept bolts for securing to the bed; (c) said vertical walls having a plurality of vertically oriented slots for accepting bolts for attachment to first and second chocks; (d) said first and second chocks each comprising; i. opposing side plates having openings to accept bolts for attachment to said rails; ii. a plurality of cross members extending between said side plates and secured thereto to establish and maintain a predetermined distance between the side plates; (e) one of the cross-members in said first chock having a slot therein to accept a flat hook of a flexible web; (f) a rotatable cross-member mounted on the second chock extending between and journaled in the side plates thereof to permit rotation about a rotational axis perpendicular to said longitudinally mounting axis; (g) said rotational cross-member having a slot extending therethrough to receive said flexible web and permit said flexible web to be wrapped around the rotatable cross-member; (h) a rotational locking device, mounted on a side plate of the second chock, to inhibit, when activated, the rotation of said rotatable cross-member; and (i) said flexible web having said flat hook secured at one end thereof for insertion into the slot in a cross-member of said first chock and having another end thereof adapted for insertion into the slot of said rotational cross-member of said second chock to be wound thereon.