quick question (tarping)

It depends on what you are tarping. It can take as little as perhaps 30 minutes to several hours.

 

Are you tarping a load of plywood OR are you tarping a load of machinery that requires padding before the tarps go on to prevent tearing the tarps?

 

How long is a piece of string

 

i'm testing the new disposable tarps from saran wrap. there's a big roll at the front, and you just pull the plastic over the whole trailer. then you flip the electrostatic switch, and ZUP, the whole tarp sticks right down onto the load. to remove, you just flip the switch back and throw the plastic away.

 

Now thats a good idea!

 

Sounds expensive and a lot of waste.

some loads it may work very well for. Odd shaped and machinery with electronics in them may have problems with the electrostatic charge needed to stick the plastic

 

About ten minutes with the Quick Draw System

 

I can watch someone tarp for hours.

 

Depends on what you are tarping and your knowledge.

A first timer at a steel mill, you feel like the absolute slowest person on the planet. You are trying to figure out what you need and where you need to be and everyone else is blowing by you. People start cussing you, and you don't really understand why no one wants to chat. Finally someone comes up and tells you to pull outside and finish securing your load and tarp. Why do you have to go outside and everyone else tarped inside? Is it always windy like this up here? Why did everyone get so pissed off when I got my pen and paper and calculator and measuring tape to find out where I needed to load that coil and the secure meant for a 44000 lb WLL? My safety man needs to hear about this!

so you stay at it. You realize that under 25 k, you need 4, over 25, it's always 6. Before ou pull in the bay, you drag out 6 and place the coil racks and 1 tarp. When it's your turn to pull in, you back in, put your load paper at the end of your trailer underneath an old glove. Within minutes, they bring the coil over and set it on your racks. You pull your chains through, bind them down, throw your tarp over, secure four corners and pull out. 5 minutes outside, you have the tarp secured. Tap all your chains with your cheater bar, get your BOL, and your gone.

Steel mills are good for teaching you how to move, secure and tarp. I guess the closest thing I've done to hauling coils in recent years is windmill hubs. Same principles, just bigger. The small ones will be legal height, but 11'10 wide. You will be some where's, depending on your rig between 80-82000 with a 5 axle setup. They put this thing on your trailer, you tell them where, drag your chains, 6 to 8 point securement. Roll a tarp out and they drape it over the hub with the forklift. Button down 4 corners, tuck here and here, stitch it together. 45 minutes, you're ready to roll.

the worst ones are the greasy old production machines going to Mexico. Even if you don't rip your tarps to shreds, you will have a greasy mess on the insides of your tarps.