How to choose the right wheel chocks

A wheel chock is a solid block or wedge placed against a tire to stop a vehicle from rolling. Simple concept, high stakes.

On a trailer, your motorcycle or ATV has no parking brake holding it in place. Once you disconnect from the tow vehicle, nothing is holding that load in place except your straps and your chocks. Relying on straps alone is a mistake because straps can loosen over time, especially on long hauls. A wheel chock gives you a physical barrier the tire cannot roll past.

In a shop or garage, wheel chocks are just as important. Any time you’re working under a vehicle or doing maintenance on a lift, a chock on the tires not being lifted is a basic safety step that prevents movement while you work.

The National Safety Council has flagged “trailer creep” (the unintentional forward or backward movement of a trailer during loading and unloading) as a real injury risk. Wheel chocks are designed specifically to prevent that from happening.

How to choose a wheel chock? Follow below 5 steps.

1.Tire Diameter

Tires with larger diameters will require chocks that are rated for those larger surface areas. The size of the tires on your equipment or vehicle will also have an impact on the size and slope of the chock; chocks should be one fourth the diameter of your tire. So, if your truck has 60” diameter tires, the chocks you need will be roughly 15” high.

2.Gross Vehicle Operating Weight
The heavier your vehicle, the heavier-duty chocks you will need! The gross vehicle operating weight encompasses the vehicle’s empty weight plus the driver, passengers and cargo. An empty pickup truck will require very different shocks than a 400-ton haul truck with a load in the back. For extreme industrial use, industrial wheel chocks are designed specifically for the heavier weights of those specialized vehicles.

3.Parking Surface
Where the vehicle will be parked is important because different surfaces have different levels of traction. A truck parked on slick concrete might respond better to rubber chocks, whereas if it was parked on dirt then aluminum chocks with teeth might work better. The grade of the surface, aka its steepness, will have an impact in how many chocks are needed for your vehicle. For instance, flat surfaces require a different chock configuration than parking backwards on a steep slope.

4.Material
Rubber has traditionally been the go-to material, however the harmless off-gassing odor can sometimes be a little much. Laminated rubber is also used as a heavy-duty option, with multiple layers of rubber providing a very durable, strong chock surface. Polyurethane is touted for its high resistance to oils, fuels and solvents, and plastic is an affordable choice in regular commercial applications. Aluminum is a high-strength, lightweight choice, and might provide the dig-in power to prevent vehicles from rolling on loose surfaces.

5.Number of Chocks
The number of chocks you will need is going to vary based on the gross operating weight of the vehicle and the surface on which it’s parked. For example, a pickup truck parked on flat pavement may only need two chocks for the front driver’s side tire, while that same truck parked on a paved uphill slope may need four chocks, buffering the back of all four tires. Larger vehicles will also require more chocks than a regular pickup, so make sure you purchase enough chocks to suit any scenario.