securing flatbed loads

I have to admit I don't put in any effort. In fact some days I could compete with the dry van door slammers for work load.

Normal days I pull a conestoga....


on the exceptionally lazy days I pull the coil trailer. (those are the days that if the TV remote is just out of arms reach you just watch whatever channel the TV is already on) If steel mills would allow slippers/flip flops and sweat pants the 400# door slammer could do it!

 

That's a pretty sweet setup you have there.

What does that rollkit do to your mpgs? We have some on flats and drops but I quit pulling them b/c it cost me almost a full mpg.

They're also 108 in wide, that can't help.

 

i usually use dental floss and string

 

For that hand who is shredding tarps, the edges of lots of coils are razor sharp. I carry several pieces of old carpet. Good for coils and anything else jagged or irregular. Also on those smaller coils, like 7 or 8 thousand I use two chains on front coil, two on back, two on middle and run a stap thru the eye of the rest.

 

Going to assume you're hauling them suicide? I always throw a stick of dunnage over the front of my excess tarp and strap it down to keep it nice and snug over the slope of the coil to prevent flapping and pad, pad, pad those edges. Carpet is by far the best, but I've used heavy duty mudflaps and left over coil mats in a pinch. Make sure the tarp is actually down to the deck of the trailer on the sides.... one time I thought I was "close enough" and there wasn't much left of my tarp by the time I got to the consignee

 

Quick rule of thumb---if your tarp is flapping or moving very much its wearing. Using dunnage front and rear of load is a good trick.. Try rolling up excess tarp on board and then tie it down. Another trick that works sometimes is take a rope and tie all around the tarp close to bottom of the load just aove boards.

 

I've done the tie method...what also works in a pinch are bungees strung together to provide tension on the tarp.... word of warning though, WRAP THE HOOKS in duct tape before doing that!

 

Yeah, I think this tarp is just trash. None of the other trucks are having to use any edge protection at all and I've tried tying it down exactly like they have theirs. It still rips, even with edge protection all over it. The edge protection itself has worn through it in places. In fact, it got a 3 inch tear in it on the side where it was impossible for it to be touching anything. It just pulled apart like tissue paper. On the last one I threw a cheap plastic grey tarp over it with the coil tarp over it. Neither one was damaged. So this coil tarp is so pathetically cheap that a cheap plastic walmart tarp is tougher. I'll have to ask the boss where he got it.

 

Just a note on coil secure....

Last Thursday I came upon a wreck at Exit 111 on I75 in Ohio; a rack kit deck laying right on it's side with the front axle complete laying on the road beside it. As I slipped past the front I noticed somebody had cut a big X in the tarp and there hung a big coil.... solidly in place.

Could your coil go through this?

The driver might suck at maintenance and pre-trip but he sure knew his securement.