Forged from Experience. Built for the Road.

From Frustration to Fabrication

The idea for the StrapWinder Pro wasn't born in a quiet workshop, but right on the deck of a flatbed. Fresh out of my CDL program, I quickly learned that professional driving involved more than just miles—it involved countless minutes wrestling with straps during the time-sensitive windows of loading and unloading. Winding them by hand was a frustrating time-sink, and even with a manual winder, the process was still tedious and slow. It was clear the industry needed a far better tool, one built from real-world experience. That's where the journey of Open Deck Innovations began.

My first attempt to solve the problem was a 3D-printed winder. I went through several designs, trying to find a balance of strength and function. But the reality of the road is harsh. The plastic prototypes would inevitably fail after a week or two of normal use, and the summer heat could warp them in an instant. The feedback from fellow drivers was unanimous: "If this was made of steel, you'd really have something."

A Return to the Forge

That feedback was the turning point. Before I ever got behind the wheel of a rig, I spent 15 years as a structural and miscellaneous steel fabricator and welder. I was no stranger to working with metal. I knew I could build a tool that wouldn't just work, but would last a lifetime.

The vision for the StrapWinder Pro expanded based on direct industry experience. While working for another company, our team frequently dropped and swapped trailers, with instructions to leave the straps on the winches for the next driver. This common practice highlighted the need for a dual-purpose tool—one that could not only wind straps for storage but also operate the winches to quickly wind in the excess strap. This led to the integrated 2-in-1 design.

I traded plastic for high-strength steel and prototyping for professional welding. The result was the StrapWinder Pro—a tool designed with the precision of a fabricator and the practical knowledge of a seasoned driver. It's not just a product; it's the solution I wished I'd had from day one.