Tarping a tall load

Here's the bad thing about the situation your now in. If the slabs are loaded against eachother, they will know you didn't tarp. Because when they get wet, they are hell to get apart. Like two pieces of glass that got wet......they are impossible to get apart. It just depends how they loaded it. If you want to tarp it, that's on you. I honestly don't have good advice for this situation. Think of it as a teachable moment. Learn from it and don't repeat it.....and I don't mean that in a negative manner. We've all been there and anybody who says otherwise is a liar or hasn't done a thing worth doing in life. I would petition your company for padding.....like now. What I have done in these situations is put my ladder against the front of the frame. Then unroll your tarp. Then lightly fold it right behind your ladder. This way your not dragging a bunch of tarp behind you. Then walk up the ladder with the leading edges over your head and work it over the top of the frames. Then do what you have to from there. That is what works for me. You control the tarp that way and it's not dragging across the leading edge of the product trying to tear a hole the whole time. The straps on the load will help give the tarp shape. I would toss some old shirts or whatever you have over the top of the load and under the tarp after you tarp. If you do it before....they won't stay. Because those tarps will get torn up before you can even imagine. It doesn't take long.....at all. Then Bungee the crap out of it. That way you take out as much Slack and movement you can. It's the slack flapping that will tear them up. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

If they don't care about it getting wet. Tell them to bust out the garden hose when you get there. That would be cheaper than tarping.
Seriously though, your call. Depending on how far your going, the shirts are gonna get tore up pretty fast. That might be a night before kinda thing.

 

In that case just check the weather and make sure ur not running thru any snow.. It sounds like the guy just doesnt want it to show up dirty

 

If your gonna do the rope thing, use your ladder on the other side. Get on top of the ladder and pull. You lesson the angle and amount of drag that way. Then when they get to the top, just grab them and pull them up and over.


You do have a ladder right? I just assumed and never asked.

 

Where are you parked? Truckstop? Terminal? Side of the road? Are there any other flatbedders around that can help you? Don't be afraid to walk up to another driver and ask for help. I've never met a flatbedder who would refuse to help someone in your situation.

Also, whoever is in charge of handing out equipment at your company needs a kick in the arse.

 

It will not help for this trip but watch for the compressed paper protectors that sheet metal and others use to edge protect and toss after.
Save them and you can position them with a strap to overhang a corner to protect a tarp as well as protecting straps from abrasion on sharp edges.
I collected 35 or 40 8 to 13 inch pieces and used them on most loads during my flat/step times and even found them useful protecting chains when hauling machines and machine parts. They wear out and sometimes come apart when wet so I was always watching for more.

 

If you have the plastic edge protectors they make ropes slide over edges a lot easier.when pulling heavy loads up