Flatbed Trainee Update

I always hated tarping paper rolls I'm scared of heights and the unevens spots really messed with me

 

If u got the harness . Before u hook it up to the wire. Give a quick tug to the wire and make sure it works . Its supposed to lock if it gets jolted down. Kinda like a seatbelt locks if u hit the brakes hard enough. If it doesnt lock up then it wont save u if u fall. Also make sure u climb down from the deck slowly or that harness will make sure u never have kids again. Did that my first time , jumped off the back and the wire caught me mid air cuz it thought i was falling and i had a stomach ache for the rest of the day lol

 

LOL i did it when i was with my trainer with swift. He about fell on the ground laughing at me . Yep im an idiot

 

There is an easier way.

If you can get a forklift to help you, roll a tarp out on the ground. Have the forklift come to the middle of the tarp, with the forks set out as wide as they can. Pull the tarp edge closes to the forks all the way onto the forks. Take the opposite side of the tarp and pull it onto the forks, and then back to the tips of the forks, and then back...kinda like an acordian. Forklift will lift the tarp over the load, you assist by grabbing the ends of the tarp and pulling it over the load. From the opposite side of the trailer from the forklift, pull the tarp. It should fall over the load like a waterfall. Quick, easy tarp job, and you didn't have to worry about heights.

 

It's not the fall that will hurt you....... it's the SUDDEN STOP!

 

Personally I prefer to do free climbing. The harness can really be a nuisance since it's always pulling up to the rail, and it makes navigating the top of uneven loads tedious as you have to slow down your steps even between things you can usually step down to easily. I've done tyvek wrapped lumber with ice on top with gaps and mixed square and pyramid loading in the dim evening light and just going slow as hell I managed. The only time I've ever fallen off the trailer was due to my own stupidity. I was in a hurry and rolled the winch bar off the edge of the trailer where I had put it. Just watch your footing, go appropriately slow, and don't be an idiot and you can keep from ever falling.

One suggestion I might make is to get comfortable at the edge of the trailer deck itself so you can deal with any vertigo in a safe position before you're 13'6" above a straight drop in the wind.