Flatbed vs Conestoga

Will a bottle torch work or is the fabric too much at risk?

 

I agree 100%. It is a wonderful system. For me, it was either going to be a Chameleon or Quik Draw, and after I found out they were comparable in cost, it was a very easy decision. Much faster and smoother, and I feel it's greater bang for your buck when you put it up against some of the others. In my opinion, superior to the 4 different systems I've had the chance to try.

If I could do it again (or for the next one, someday) I will order it with the air actuated "rear flap push 'er up on top" dealy. It hasnt been problematic running the rope setup, just one of those coulda shoulda woulda things.

Im glad the first one worked out as well as it did, considering the circumstances. And congradulations on #2! Maybe Chameleon can get excited to do it there with a "there or not at all" conversation (half joking)

I'm sure a steady hand could get it done, I never considered it though to be honest. I don't think I'd want to risk it. I caught my tarp on a load stand when a section folded inward and tore a 3" gash in it on the maiden voyage... I curse at that patch every day!

 

They both have pro’s & con’s.

For speed you can’t beat a conestoga, as long as you’re not doing 40’+ stuff all the time, or wider plates......

 

If it’s a load that needs to be fully tarped, I should have been more clear on that.

I’ve hauled 39’ material that had to be worked up inside the conestoga with a forklift. Loading with a crane is better in that situation. With the conestoga all the way to the front on mine, 39’ material would overhang if not worked up inside the conestoga a little....

 

I ran a Connie as a company driver for a couple of years.

When I bought my own truck, I switched over to a sidekit. Since then, I yanked the sidekit off and tossed my tarps onto the deck.

Connies and sidekits HAVE advantages. But they limit flexibility in freight. And with Connies in particular, there are loading issues. Plus, a few places I go to won't load or unload a connie due to damage liability. The darned buggers are EXPENSIVE to fix!

For now, I'll keep my tarps. Harder to work with in cold weather? Yes. Cheaper to fix or replace? Definitely YES!

 

Lot of truth here....^^^^^


1st truck / trailer I ever bought in 1987 had a sidekit. At times it’s more forgiving than a conestoga, but you’re limited on height. These plates were wider than my sidekit stakes, if I had been using a conestoga I may have had to cancel this load. The conestoga I own is good for about 99-100” wide.


I threw tarps years ago and would today if I “had to”, but I try to steer clear of it lol....

 

In my opinion, machinery is one of the main reasons to go conestoga. Machinery can be a real pain to tarp, cuts up tarps, and can also damage machines. We have gotten to where we move all our legal size machinery loads on conestogas.