Cat Strap Install March 04, 2021, 06:37:42 pm Finally got around to this project. For those that don’t mind crawling around under your rig and have the physical ability, you should be able to do this yourself. Time to install was a little over an hour.The manufacturer strongly recommends adding hard exhaust clamps to supplement the stainless steel zip ties. I did not do that but agree that it is a good idea, anything to act as another deterrent to make a thief move on to the next vehicle is good. I intend to add clamps in the near future.Honestly, I don’t have a lot of confidence that this product will much deter a thief in this (motorhome) application. The fact that there is so much room under our rigs makes the product easier to install, but also suggests that a thief could get a saw above the strap and just cut downward. I see this product being more useful in a regular car application where there is no choice but to cut upwards from underneath the exhaust piping. That being said, I hold out hope that the thief will just see the strap and move on.Some install notes: I had to do some twisting of the strap in the front of the converter to get it to continue past one of the exhaust flanges. It gets a little tight in the front because of the driver side header coming into the main pipe. The back half was pretty easy. Cat Strap recommends you run the strap under any heat shields but the strap was too thick and I found there wasn’t enough room to do so under the converter shield. It might be possible if the shield is removed first but I didn’t have the metal ties to reinstall the shield so just passed the strap over the converter shield.It would of been nice if the manufacturer gave you longer zip ties. The stainless steel ties provided were only 12” long and there were a couple instances where 14” or 16” would have been better. Probably not an issue if installing on a vehicle with smaller diameter pipes. The backside of the strap has a bonding agent that will fuse with the metal pipes once heated up.Here are some photos: 6 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #1 – March 18, 2021, 05:05:15 pm Added a couple of 3 inch exhaust clamps to hopefully annoy a potential thief. 2 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #2 – March 18, 2021, 08:22:34 pm Timely post. I just received my kit today. I don't understand the use of the exhaust clamp. From the pics it looks as though the clamp is under the strap. What additional deterrent is achieved by this addition? I'm probably not seeing it correctly.ThanksBob
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #3 – March 18, 2021, 08:34:06 pm Quote from: rprice - March 18, 2021, 08:22:34 pmTimely post. I just received my kit today. I don't understand the use of the exhaust clamp. From the pics it looks as though the clamp is under the strap. What additional deterrent is achieved by this addition? I'm probably not seeing it correctly.Bob, you are correct. I was having trouble getting the clamp over the cat strap so I installed it on the piping near the joints where a thief might cut. If nothing else it is a visual deterrent. In retrospect, 3 1/2” clamps might work better. Let us know if the larger clamps work better if you try it. The idea of the exhaust clamps is recommended in the install instructions.
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #4 – March 18, 2021, 08:36:07 pm OK. I'll try a couple of 3 1/2" clampsthanksBob 1 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #5 – March 18, 2021, 08:40:41 pm "a thief could get a saw above the strap and just cut downward."This is pure speculation, but... I'm not sure that would be so easy.The drawback I see with the competing cage-of-wires approach (CatClamp) is that a bolt cutter would make short work of those cables. Granted, a converter thief might not be carrying bolt cutters, expecting to do his dirty work with a Sawzall, but then again he might. Bolt cutters are a popular tool for stealing things.The Catstrap gets around this vulnerability in a clever way. The strap itself can be cut through with a power saw, but even if it's completely cut away, the cables hidden underneath are not slack enough to get a bolt cutter's jaws around them... yet they are loose enough that a saw blade will just jiggle them back and forth, rather than cutting through them. And even if the thief takes the time to saw away the strap and all the cables, he will still then have to cut through the exhaust pipe. I suspect most thieves would look for an easier target.The company's demo video makes a fairly convincing case. An unprotected exhaust pipe is cut most of the way through fifteen times, while in the same amount of time the Catstrap cables show cut marks, but have not yet failed, and the saw blade is pretty much ruined.Again, I'm just speculating based on what I've read... but the Catstrap looks like a pretty smart design.
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #6 – March 26, 2021, 04:05:50 pm Yesterday, I finally had my agile mechanic install my Cat Strap & Cats Eye on our ‘15 RB. Better him than me. I climbed underneath the rig just now to take some pics of the installation. It was a tight squeeze for me and my poor ol’ back constantly reminded me that I’m not so limber or slender as I once was.I was very happy to pay him for all his hard work. There is no way that I would do the job myself without standing in a pit. 😖 Here are some pics. Red arrows on the undercarriage pics show the location of the clamps. Under the hood arrow shows the location of the alarm horn. I couldn’t see the Cats Eye sensor but my mechanic assured me of its installation. The fob is for setting the Cats Eye to activate the motion detection.While I had the rig in for the install, I had him check my brakes. 26,000 miles and just like new. That was good news. Kent 5 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #7 – March 26, 2021, 04:21:42 pm Nice job, Kent, hats off to your mechanic! I've ordered some slightly larger exhaust clamps (3 1/2") and will be installing them on ther RV when they arrive. I looked under the Outback the other day and don't think a Cat Strap would fit very easily as the converter is way up forward close to the engine. Maybe your mechanic could find a way, though. Still need to look under the Forester to see if that's a possibility.
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #8 – May 05, 2021, 04:53:46 pm It just baffles my mind that we have even to worry about such a thing! 😱 I didn't even know what it was until I watched the demo video! Juanita 1 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #9 – May 05, 2021, 05:25:25 pm It turns out that the “Cats Eye” does not sense motion. It monitors the rise in ambient heat. Setting the cats eye after the engine has heated the exhaust system the alarm will sound due to the heat of the system. So I wait to set the cats eye until the system has cooled. That being said, the alarm will still sound if someone actively attempts to remove the catalytic converter even though the sensor is not activated.A side benefit of setting the cats eye sensor, as far as I can tell, is that an animal as small as a cat will set off the alarm for a few seconds in the event that one trespasses the area and scare the critter away. It may do the same thing for squirrels but I can’t be certain. I haven’t dared to set the cats eye while camping. I think it would become fairly annoying in camp. Lots of squirrels around Big Bear and the alarm is very loud. 🙀Kent 1 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #10 – May 05, 2021, 06:21:19 pm I need to post some photos of our Cat Strap, it was an interesting installation, the strap is very stiff and doesn't lay flat against the catalytic converter or exhaust pipes. I used a lot of u-bolts and bailing wire to secure it while the adhesive heat cured.I also ran two additional steel cables through the heat shield around the cat and secured them on the other side of the muffler.Hate to think about what to do if the cat ever needs replacement, it's going to be a job to remove it.Larry 3 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #11 – May 05, 2021, 06:23:37 pm Larry, how did you secure the additional cables?
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #12 – May 05, 2021, 06:39:16 pm Quote from: HiLola - May 05, 2021, 06:23:37 pmLarry, how did you secure the additional cables? I used exhaust clamps, along with a bag of cheap 3" U-bolts from Amazon.Larry
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #13 – May 05, 2021, 06:43:47 pm Quote from: Larry W - May 05, 2021, 06:39:16 pm I used exhaust clamps, along with a bag of cheap 3" U-bolts from Amazon.I see, good idea. I found that the 3" exhaust clamps were a bit difficult and limiting for placement. I also used 3 1/2" clamps and they worked better for areas where the catstrap is pulled away from the exhaust piping.
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #14 – May 06, 2021, 09:11:14 am I recently added the 'Cat Strap' to our Jeep Cherokee without the electronic alarm. Since there was an abundance of strap (7') I chose to wrap the strap around the converter and pipes. The strap came with several metal tie straps which I added several places along the way and 3" 'U' bolts at each end of the strap locking the nuts with Threadlock red. There was more than enough sections of the strap's glue to bond it to the converter and pipe. Even I would have a lengthy time standing under the car trying to remove the converter. 2 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #15 – May 07, 2021, 08:15:56 pm Had my Cat strap installed on my Honda CR-V today. Took them less than a hour and they recommend rapping it around and using heavy duty clamps. 5 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #16 – May 18, 2021, 05:36:11 pm Cat strap is still on my Toyota Sequoia but barely. Just noticed the Rats tried to once again steal my converters off of my truck.Noticed my exhaust leak this afternoon. Strap bands were cut loose and adhesive pried loose on both converters. One pipe was cut on one converter. Straps were hanging loose.I’m at the muffler shop now having my pipe welded closed and pipe clamps installed. What the heck? Going to get a Cats Eye for the Sequoia and reglue the straps back on.Here are several pics of the “hanging strap” on one converter.Stay safe,Kent 2 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #17 – May 18, 2021, 07:40:05 pm Wow, sorry to hear that, Kent. Well, looks like the Catstrap did it’s job though, huh? Did the Rats just give up or did you run them off?
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #18 – May 18, 2021, 08:11:34 pm Quote from: Kent Heckethorn - May 18, 2021, 05:36:11 pmCat strap is still on my Toyota Sequoia but barely. Just noticed the Rats tried to once again steal my converters off of my truck.Noticed my exhaust leak this afternoon. Strap bands were cut loose and adhesive pried loose on both converters. One pipe was cut on one converter. Straps were hanging loose.I’m at the muffler shop now having my pipe welded closed and pipe clamps installed. What the heck? Going to get a Cats Eye for the Sequoia and reglue the straps back on.Here are several pics of the “hanging strap” on one converter.Stay safe,KentWhere is your Toyota parked when this is happening?Chris
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #19 – May 18, 2021, 09:16:03 pm Chris,My home is a corner lot. The sequoia was parked on the street corner about 15’ from the house.Ordered the “Cats Eye” alarm. That’ll get em. Right?Curious about the LD which is parked in our driveway just outside the kitchen window which has the Cats Eye set “on” 24/7, I started the engine. The alarm shrieked to life. When I turned off the engine, the alarm silenced itself. That’s a sweet anti vehicle theft deterrent of the rig on top of the catalytic converter. I spoke with the Cat Strap designer today. He confirmed that the Cats Eye alarm is a Motion Sensor and not Heat Sensor. The good thing is that the dirty scoundrels gave up and ran away. I also got the end of the converter welded where they attempted to cut it off before they head back and try their hands at it again. I also got the heavy duty muffler clamps installed. Quite an ordeal today. Having a cold adult beverage now. Ahhh...Kent 5 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #20 – May 19, 2021, 12:52:23 am Kent,I used to wire my galvanized garbage can (set up on plastic foam feet) to an electric fence transformer to discourage raccoons and coyotes. It zapped both Cyndy and me when we took the garbage out late in bare feet. That was noisy. One evening while drinking with my brother, I convinced him to go barefoot and touch the can. YeeHaw!How about a nice sheet of aluminum under your Lazy Daze for a ground and then put the hot side on the rig, just to discourage raccoons and rats at night? It won't kill anyone, but as a guy who has felt it, it ain't fun. It works on cattle, horses, raccoons and coyotes. Maybe it will work on catalytic rats. Buy it at a feed and grain store.Disconnect it during the daytime to avoid shocking a kid... or you.Harold 2 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #21 – May 19, 2021, 01:44:20 am Quote from: Blueox25 - May 19, 2021, 12:52:23 amDisconnect it during the daytime to avoid shocking a kid... or you.Maybe wire in a photosensor? Assuming the 'catcoons ( Cat converter thief + raccoon) ' only work in the dark 1 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #22 – May 19, 2021, 10:20:32 am "I used to wire my galvanized garbage can (set up on plastic foam feet) to an electric fence transformer..."I've had some experience with that. I once met a trail crew in the back country of Yosemite who were using a generator powered electric fence to discourage bears.Oh, and a bit of advice... never pee on an electric fence! 3 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #23 – May 19, 2021, 03:13:07 pm Oh great! You’ve reminded me of days long gone (new thread?).I’m the youngest in a family of four siblings. ONE DAY: My eldest brother invited me over to a neighbors house for FREE lemonade. Wasn’t he kind? Being a hot summer afternoon and me being six years old, I wandered next door, barefooted, for a cold drink. I love lemonade.“OK”, my loving big brother said as he lead me to the man door of my neighbor’s garage. “Just stand on this mat” (wet as it was I didn’t think much about it, after all I was getting free lemonade) “and pull on this (pointing to a dangling copper loop of wire) to ring the bell so Micky will know you’re here”.“Hey Mickey”, my dear brother called out. “Give him some EXTRA juice. He likes it tart”. Standing on the wet mat and tugging on the copper loop of wire, I was ready for my cold drink. It was a hot day. A second later, I was greeted with an electric shock that went through my feet and my finger and met somewhere near my brain. I swore like a drunken sailor. Being six I had learned the importance of voicing my feelings in no uncertain terms. I dropped everything, swore a bit more and ran home as quick as a wink.Turns out that my dear brother had gutted an old crank telephone and created a generator that while it pleased him to no end had me screaming and no doubt wetting this six year old’s britches. He was good at devising torture for me and to this day denies everything. After all, what are little brothers for? TORTURE!Thanks for the memories,Kent 3 Likes
Re: Cat Strap Install Reply #24 – May 19, 2021, 06:30:08 pm Kent, That is a somewhat plausible idea about setting up a fence charger to your vehicle. Tractor supply has a 12VDC powered one that is good for 25 miles of fence. Power it from the vehicle battery (takes little power). It would be better to send the red (Hot) charger wire to a brass rod stuck the earth and the black charger ground to the vehicle chassis. If that was reversed the pulsed high voltage pulse could damage electronics in your vehicle even though the amperage is minimal. It is the high voltage that hurts. Keep it wet around the vehicle and the positive charge would come from the earth ground back to the vehicle frame. Back in my high school days I did something similar to my red '58 CJ-5 Jeep (6-volt batteries back then) using a Ford model 'A' spark coil (in a wooden box). I ran the spark cable wire to earth ground with a brass rod that just laid on the dirt and the negative was the Jeep body. I used a doorbell button to temporarily energize it when someone would touch the Jeep. Had a lot of fun with that. Now I use a 50-mile rated fence charger for the 3 miles of 6 strand fence wire around and through our ranch property (see photo). The 7000 volts (no amperage) does hurt. The cows touch it once and no more. I, on the other hand, can't seem to learn that lesson. :-) 2 Likes
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