Tarping Question

Discussion in 'Flatbed Trucking Forum' started by Ford L8000, Feb 26, 2014.

  1. Ford L8000

    Ford L8000 Medium Load Member

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    I'm planning on going to work doing flatbed and have a couple of questions about tarping.
    Have you ever set up the tarp on the flatbed and had the shipper set the load on top of the unfolded tarp and then wrapped the tarp from bottom to top vs top to bottom? I think this would be a better way to tarp, especially loads that need to stay dry. Would this setup work with most tarps and/or shippers?
     
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  3. Aireal

    Aireal Medium Load Member

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    I could see some issues with doing it that way, 1st you would have to know exactly how tall/wide/long the load is going to be before they even start to load it. Securing the tarp so it doesn't slip would be even harder. Plus the wear on the tarp would be greater. With Some loads the tarp's barely fit "draped" over the load ( lumber comes to mind) I can't see how you could use the same tarp wrapped. D.O.T. ever want's to check your load, you might have issues on the road-side re-wrapping it. ( safety issues if nothing else)

    Those are off the top of my head, I am sure their are other problems....
     
  4. Macneil

    Macneil Heavy Load Member

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    And the forks from the fork lift would tear the crap out of the tarp if it were wrapped from the bottom.

    I would much rather pull down on a tarp to move it around if needed then get on top of a load and try pulling it up to move it around.
     
  5. bbmyls2go

    bbmyls2go Medium Load Member

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    no, just think it through, it makes no sense. First, you would need a tarp that is 8 feet wider in order to cover the underside. Secondly, the primary way water would get under the tarp is from the end flaps and wrapping from the bottom does nothing to change the need to securely seal the ends of the load. Lastly, from a practical standpoint, once you wrap one side up and over the top, and then you wrap the second side, the first side is now inside the other and there is no way to secure it to the flatbed surface.
     
    281ric and ramblingman Thank this.
  6. Ford L8000

    Ford L8000 Medium Load Member

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    That makes sense, guess it was definitely a newbie question to ask. Thanks for the input.:biggrin_25519:
     
  7. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    I have. Had an oversized machine that was open top and bottom, gears and electronics on the inside. Shipper wanted fully tarped. Had to belly tarp it. Rolled a 30x30 tarp out into the well of the trailer. Brought the machine nearby. Put carpet pads down on the corners pulled all sides up and secured. Chained 4 corners, threw 3 straps over the top to support the tarp. Used the overhead crane to pull the other 30x30 tarp over the top. Buttoned her up, flagged tagged and bannered, ready to run.
     
    baby Thanks this.
  8. Flightline

    Flightline Road Train Member

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    It can be done, but lots extra work for almost no gain.
    The normal way is enough work. Once you've tarped a load, you'll be looking at ways to save time and work, not ways to more seal the load.
     
    TwinStickPeterbilt Thanks this.
  9. passingthru69

    passingthru69 Road Train Member

    I have had to bottom tarp a few lds. Charge more money. Trying to tie the bottom tarp up can be a pain. Then dropping the top traps down and keeping things tight.. Like it has allready been said. It's a pian, but sometimes you have too.
    Just remeber. Charge more money....
     
  10. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    Everybody clear on that? Be sure to charge more money for fancy tarp jobs.

     
  11. SHC

    SHC Spoiled Rotten Brat O/O

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    I have had to bottom tarp a load only once. The shipper supplied the bottom tarp. By the time I got it from Chicago to Idaho, the bottom tarp had huge holes in it where the product sat on it. Unfortunatley, they just threw it away. I thought about keepig it and having it made into some smaller 12x12 or 16x16 tarps but it did not have any D rings on it so the cost would have been about the same as buying a new one basically.
     
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