Editing Trucker's hitch (section)

==Variations==
The portion of the trucker's hitch which differs in the following variations is the method used to form the loop which the [[working end]] slides through to produce the [[mechanical advantage]].  The different methods of forming the loop affect the ease and speed of tying and releasing, and the stability of the final product.

The variations are presented in order of increasing stability.

===Sheepshank style loop===
This version of the knot uses a [[sheepshank]],<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBh7_cw2-1s |title=5 ways to tie a Truckers hitch including how to do the fastest way to tie and untie it |date=2023-07-25 |last=Outdoor Academy Australia |access-date=2024-07-26 |via=YouTube}}</ref> in this kind of application also known as a ''bell ringer's knot'', to form the loop.  It is quicker to make than a fixed loop, but is less dependable.<ref name="pawpock"/><ref name="ashley344">{{citation |last=Ashley |first=Clifford W. |title=The Ashley Book of Knots |year= 1944 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |page=344 |quote=A quicker but less dependable lashing is based on the Bell Ringer's Knot #1148.}}</ref> It is avoided in critical applications (such as securing a load on a truck) as it can fall apart under too little load or too much load, and can [[knot#Capsizing|capsize]] if not dressed properly.<ref name="perryknots"/> However, this knot may be made secure by adding a Half Hitch to the top bight of the Sheepshank. This form of the trucker's hitch is least likely to [[Knot#Releasability|jam]], coming apart easily once tension is released. Different sources show slight variations in the way the sheepshank portion is formed and dressed.

Versions popular in East Asia use variations of sheep shank using either a simple half hitch<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTiGUYhW1A8 |title=南京結びを教えてもらいしました |date=2017-06-27 |last=Osamu Fukumoto |access-date=2024-07-26 |via=YouTube}}</ref> or a double turn self crossing half hitch<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y4xcd-e6rA |title=トラック　ロープの縛り方　アメリカン |date=2014-04-07 |last=B-LUCKS |access-date=2024-07-26 |via=YouTube}}</ref> or a triple turn self crossing half hitch.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_yT8HJF64 |title=트럭 로프묶는방법-yepoon- |date=2017-10-23 |last=Yepoon |access-date=2024-07-26 |via=YouTube}}</ref> A sheep shank with two consecutive half hitches i.e. a [[clove hitch]] to secure the upper eye and to form the lower eye is more popular in the west.

===Slipped overhand loop===
The loop formed in one version is a simple [[Overhand knot with draw-loop|Slipped Overhand Loop]]. This version is good for light to moderate loads

===Simple friction loop===
Another version uses a multiply twisted bight to pass a bight of the working end to form the eye of the loop. This version tolerates higher load.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvgFyqFZK54 |title=The Truckers' Hitch - tied 3 different ways |date=2013-10-05 |last=Repairs101 |access-date=2024-07-26 |via=YouTube}}</ref> 

===Fixed loop===
The most reliable common variation uses a fixed loop, such as an [[alpine butterfly loop]], [[artillery loop]], [[figure-eight loop]] or [[directional figure-eight]] loop, or another of many suitable loop knots.<ref name="perryknots"/><ref name="ashley271">Ashley, p. 271</ref>  If a fixed loop is used repeatedly for tying the trucker's hitch in the same portion of rope, excessive wear or other damage may be suffered by the portion of the loop which working end slides against.<ref name="pawpock"/>

If extra loops are used to form the eye it tends to ease untying. In order to prevent the closing of the loop under load, the loop must be formed by the working end of the rope (which will later pass through the loop). If the standing end goes through the loop, it will close under load.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Truckers' Hitch With Simple Slip Knot.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Simple [[Slip knot]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Twisted Slip Knot.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Twisted [[Slip knot]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Figure Eight Slip Knot.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Figure-eight knot|Figure-eight]] slip knot / noose as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Half Hitch Sheep Shank.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Half hitch]] [[sheep shank]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Double Half Hitch Sheep Shank.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Double [[Half hitch]] [[sheep shank]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Triple Half Hitch Sheep Shank.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With Triple [[Half hitch]] [[sheep shank]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Clove Hitch Secured Sheep Shank as upper loop.jpg|A version of the trucker's hitch based on the [[sheep shank]] using two consecutive half hitches i.e. a [[clove hitch]].
File:Truckers' Hitch With Figure Eight Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Figure-eight loop]] as upper loop. A [[directional figure-eight]] loop could be more suitable.
File:Truckers' Hitch With Overhand Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Overhand loop]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Artillery Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Artillery loop]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Span Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Span loop]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Bowline On The Bight.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Bowline on the bight]] as upper loop
File:Truckers' Hitch With Anglers Loop.jpg|Truckers' Hitch With [[Angler's loop]] as upper loop
File:TruckHitch 027.jpg|A double friction loop version of the trucker's hitch with even more mechanical advantage
File:TruckersHitchUsingAlpineButterflyAndSlippedDoubleHalfHitch.jpg|Trucker's hitch using [[alpine butterfly loop]], finished with a [[slipped loop|slipped]] double [[half hitch]]. 
</gallery>