The journey begins - purchased a truck.

I wasn't that impressed by the work the canvas place did on patching the tarps last time, so I've been working on them sporadically when time permitted. I'd spread them out on the trailer, half a side at a time - but the grooves in the deck - and wind , didn't make it easy.

So - I pulled them all out and spread them out one at a time in the shop to do them. Only downside is not having light from the bottom so you can see the holes easier, but with some careful inspection you can find them.




Probably could do with a decent pair of scissors - but these work well.



Round your corners. Doesn't take long. Then there's no corners to catch.



Took me back to patching bicycle tires as a kid. Clean the area to be patched with thinners on a rag. Vinyl cement on the patch first, then over the tarp. Blow on the patch to dry it off a bit, and slap it on. Shimmy it around a little then stand on it, or press the edges on till it's nice and tacky.

I know this is pretty basic stuff - but I didn't know any of this flatbed stuff when I started. So it may help somebody.

I've ordered some paint pens - 4 colors. The white will be to mark on the tarps once rolled, what size they are, and the other colors for marking hoses and wires and such before disassembly - to make sure things go back the same way. Nothing worse than rolling up tarps and thinking "Is that the 6' or the 8' ? "

I've changed the way I roll the tarps up a bit - the 2 machinery tarps that are closer to a 4 foot drop, I roll up to about 3' wide, and they go side by side on top of the headache rack. The 6' drop gets rolled into a 4'6" sausage and goes in the side box. I've decided if somebody really wants to risk climbing up on my trailer and stealing the machinery tarps - then they're either really stupid, or they really want to tarp stuff more than I do - so they can have at it. And the 8' is getting sidelined for now. Too bulky and always too much drop.

If what I have lined up becomes a regular deal, I may take the 8' drop lumber tarp and have it modified to suit the job better. Yes - what I have lined up involves tarps, so I'd better get used to it. I've gotten a lot quicker at it. I managed to untarp 2 tarps, unstrap, tidy away - and reload, strap and use 1 tarp in less than an hour the other day. Consolidating movement seems to be the key, the less trips I make around the trailer the better it goes. I guess everyone finds their own system.

 

Yes - slipped my mind, the remote start. That's OK, I can live without it. I simply copied a buddy's set up this time.

You'd be surprised. I'll explain.

They're just cheap little single pot 160 something CC motors.

Exactly - and read on . . .

Hi Jack ! Yes - box - todays little project.

OK - You're all on the right frame of thought. I'd already bought the Honda suitcase generator before I saw my buddy Steve had this setup. We both had the same thinking - idling was noisy, a waste of fuel, and not that great for the engine. The Espar bunk heater covers Winter, Breezeway screens for spring and fall, just leaves 12 weeks of uncomfortable heat in a truck. @Skate-Board

So - the Honda was a pain. The extended fuel tank had me fouled up for a long time. The little fuel pump wouldn't be able to overcome the suction on the line if the line wasn't primed, or lost prime - I thought it was the carb. I'd had the bloody thing off so many times I could do it in the dark. The .9 gallon capacity would only run 5 hours if the extended tank was having an issue. Storing it was a hassle. @Skate-Board Chained and padlocked on the deck with a strap and a garbage bag over it - then it would get in the way of a load and need to be moved. So I'd put it in the passenger seat well.

Yeah - it was quiet. But SO WHAT !? My nice quiet little generator in a sea of noisy generators and reefers - what was the point? And Honda over the years has annoyed me enough to probably never buy another Honda product. Yes - it's a good product, most of the time - but I've found @Skate-Board them most unhelpful, slow, and expensive for parts and service. A bit like KW actually.

So - I see Steve. He used the cheap Champion for 3 or 4 years straight, until his aluminum brackets that he had hastily made broke, and the thing bounced down the road in Michigan one day. (He retrieved it for safety purposes). So he bought another one, and went on. He also admitted to never having changed the oil in it.

Then I meet another guy. Cunning - he would buy one, with the extended warranty, use it 2 or 3 years till it quit, take it back in to be sent off for repair, and then buy another one and put the repaired one in his shop when it finally came back. Said he had 2 or 3 in the shop at home and used them round the farm.

So - cost wise? $340 Champion 3500W vs. $1100 Honda 2000Wm. Seems if I replaced it every 3 years I'd still be better off.

Noise? As you can see I've mounted it roughly half way down the unit - behind the landing gear. Where are most APU and reefers situated? That's right - right by the sleeper. @Skate-Board So - even though it's a little noisier, its further away from sleeping drivers.

Protection from the elements? Yes. I'll take some pics today. Steve simply bought a plastic tote from Wally world, cut one side out, and slipped it over the unit and secured with a bungee. I'm fabbing up a simple box to keep the grit and rain out of it.

@Skate-Board - I inserted your name throughout this one so you'll be sure to read and absorb the entire content, and won't skip read and drift off elsewhere only to ask something I've already covered later on, and have me politely re explain through clenched teeth. I hope this helps.