new flatbed owner

Ahhh yes, tape... Gorilla tape in particular since it will patch a tarp well enough in a pinch to really make a tarp repairer mad at you. A can of glue and roll of patch material is highly suggested too.

Have one of those nifty construction orange vests too. You'll need it for many shippers and receivers, and being visible is always better than getting run over on a job site. Get a decent one that zippers up, not the cheap velcro ones a company will give you. Make sure it's big enough to fit over your winter gear

 

Lol, I hear ya. Remember in summer though you'll not always want to be working in a raincoat.

 

Dang dieselgrl sounds likeyou know your stuff well Gorilla tape is the only duct tape I carry. Dont forget zip ties either, they come in handy in a pinch also

 

Lol, between the two of us I think we started a novel on flatbedding gear

 

Thanks to Poorboy1 for starting this thread and those that I have responded. I'm starting flatbed pretty soon also and was fixing to ask the owner for a list such as this... Now I dont need too

 

LOL @ Dieselgrl.. This thread has made me remember about some of my other little tricks too. When you replace old, worn out, cut, abrased straps cut the strap up and keep it for padding material under tarps or chain softeners. The softener is just padding between material and chain to keep chain from biting in when tightened and also can use when hauling equipment for same reason. A trick I use on some material when I have to use chains (on long rebar, hauling crushed bales of scrap) is to take an old D-ring strap with about 6 ft of strap on the d-ring and hook chain through d-ring and put it in binder to tighten down. You can also use a binder in conjunction with it to make tighter like on belly bands for long rebar.

 

Oh yes... and mudflaps. Walk the back row of any truckstop and pick up all the discarded mudflaps from the van drivers that pinched them on the curb they also make great chain padding, but I love them for sticking on the edge of a shotgun coil that needs to be tarped when I don't have any carpeting to prevent my tarps from shredding. I also used to take cut or abraided straps that still had a little length in them and just cut off the "bad" end, leaving the hook. These are awesome for strapping small items, or securing dunnage to the trailer landing gear if you have a ratchet end.