Ratchet straps for tarps?

All depends on co. rules and what your hauling, 2in. strap at ft./ center over the overlap willkeep the 2 sections of tarps tight, then the rear 2in willhold the back from the balloon look, they will help bunge straps at bottom of tarp pulling to the rear will keep them laying flat

 

I am no expert... but it seems to me the ratcheting straps would be more time consumjng then the bungies or cord...
I have found that to keep your tarp from billowing.. you need to get a good tight wrap in the front...

Working with the bungies gets easier... you just gotta get a rhythm and system... then it goes pretty easily and quickly...


I do always throw a couple straps over my tarp... I always have one up frontt to help keep it from billowing... and another trick an old timer taught me... was to take 2 bungies, remove the S hook from one end of one, and connect the two bungies together... so I now have a long bungie that I can hook on a D rin g one one side and stretche it around the front to a D ring on the other side... that really helps keep my front tight... sometimes it isnt about adding 10 more bungies, but just adding a couple more in the right place...

 

There really is not "one way" per se to do tarping. To keep the tarp from flapping in the breeze it needs to be as close to the load at all points as possible. Using a combination of bungees and straps ( you may have seen this) will solve a lot of tall loads from billowing out. Think of wrapping a christmas present (without the bows). Also keep in mind any points where wind will catch the tarp and act like a sail. Square rectangular boxes are the easiest to tarp. When you get to the sharp peaks then valleys then where there is something sticking out from a side is where it becomes a challenge. There is a stretchy rope like material you can loop a hook to (tarp places should know what I am talking about) you basically wrap around the parts that stick out so that the tarp stays as close to the load as possible (therefore no flapping).

Having a tarp with a flap-end will help keep the tarp from catching the wind. One flap for the front,one flap for the back,and if needed just a regular square or rectangular tarp for the middle (with whatever length drop-4foot,8 foot,etc.). These are refered to as lumber tarps. The ones that are usually rectangular are called machine tarps. Then there is the ever popular coil tarp(for coils of steel or aluminum).

Practise is the best teacher. Pay attention to how you tarp (pictures as in step by step might help). When you are done and they flap try something else if they still look tight after 50 miles--repeat next time. You Tube videos are out there but time consuming to find what you are looking for-so when you have time/data plan allowing let your fingers do the walking on the internet.
So no easy answer sorry. I hope this helps.

 

Ive tarpped several loads over the past 2 weeks with my trainer, It seems the biggest culprit for tarping and air under the tarp, is not getting the tarp tight or even enough. take a look at the picture. That was my first tarp job. It took a total of 45 minutes. Under it is, 4 skids of industrial grade quick cement, 4 skids of concrete sealer, and 12 50gal barrels of concrete curing agent. That load traveled 1029 miles and never once had a loose tarp.

And that has 2 steel tarps on it.

 

Looks good Gunner75.
Question to the flat bedders : What about rope (you can pull it tight)? i remember using it (about half rope half bungees) it wasn't that hard to tie it off and it was normally left on the tarps if i remember correctly.
Is that way to "Flintstones" or do some still use it?

 

I use bungee rope. Come in rolls 50' to 1000' long. Also called rubber rope.
I cut some in approx. 20' lenghts and stretch it around and over the load. It streches 2-3 times orginal lenght. Quick attach hooks on each end.
Using bungee rope, I use very few regular bungees and rarely have tarp bellow or blow.
You can find this stuff on ebay.

 

You can keep the wind out by rolling the extra forward flap in a 2x4x8, then tighten a 4" strap across it.

Also try to use 2" rachet straps to pull the tarp into drop offs to fill voids.

Spend some time looking at other tarped loads and see what others are doing. Pickup on the little details and think about it.

TMC, Melton, COTC drivrrs do a pretty thorough securement and tarp job. Go talk to those guys or watch them.

 

Hello cliffster21, I was flatbedding for 12+ years and like you had a lot of questions but they rarely got answered by those I worked with. I am now pulling a 53 ft dry but have some ideas you may like. At first I was using the bungees like all the other drivers, but got tired of pulling my shoulder muscle or getting slapped across the face when the "POS" bungees broke. So I went to ropes! I used to do a lot of rock climbing and rapelling so I had an old rope laying around the garage, figured if it could hold my weight and keep me from splatting on the ground then it had to be good enough for a tarp. Well, I was right, and it worked so well I bought another one, only it was a cheapo from Wal-Mart. $25 for 75 ft. I would still use 6-12 bungees but just for the ends. I also bought some Caribeeners for the ends and they worked great. Hope this helps you out. I used 2" ratchet straps to secure multiple tarps when one was overlapping the other and for added security on the load. I kept at least 6 with me all the time. But always remember: if you are unsure or not satisfied with the load being secure, do it again BEFORE you start going down the road!

Be good and be safe on the road!