Tips and Tricks of flatbedding

Don't get hurt and take care of your knees. Quit jumping off the trailer while your young

 

Those flags with the wire at the top seem to shred on me all the time so I decided to try something new today. I took my jersey flags with the bungee in them and added a grommet to the center of them.

 

I use regular 18" square orange flags with the wooden fowl for a staff. I cut the stick off flush with the flag, then slice a slit in the middle wrap a zip tie through the slit around the stick and a tarp strap worked for me for years. I don't have any close ups on my phone if I remember I'll snap one.

 

I understand what you are saying but I don't tarp anything and I have a specific purpose for the way I did this. 1.25" drywall screw and a fender washer....

 

That works to, I used to flag tractors like that at one time. Now on a truck like that I take my flags and hook one end on the outrigger or something in the side of the deck and the other end on that wedge that holds the bead ring in (you can see it in your pic at the top of the wheel just before the 1 o'clock position) sometimes I need an extra tarp strap if the wedge is high like that. I flag everything we have on rubber tires that way I can always fund something to hook it to and o find it quicker than screws. It doesn't make one way right and one way wrong, to each his own. I don't tarp either but I find lots of uses for tarp straps.

 

ratchet winch bars are absolutely worth the investment. The one I purchased already has the padded grip points on the bar.

 

I work as a crane operator/riggor you should look for 1/2" horse shoe shackles they are more versatile clevises have hooks on them¿????

 

I don't know if anyone posted this in the Tips and Tricks thread, but I will.

Saw a flatbedder today, pulled over on the side of the road, 53 ft flat with what looked like a 60 ft monopole on his wagon. He had his dunnage walking all over the place and now sticking a half a ft past the rub rail. His straps were spread every 10 ft down the length of the monopole.

I don't know if anyone ever told you guys, but you don't want to load and secure a structural piece ( monopoles, crane booms...etc) like this. The structural piece is rigid, and your trailer flexes and bounces. If you have straps and dunnage going down the entire length of the structure, when the trailer bounces, your straps get loose and your dunnage can walk.

Instead, put your dunnage at the ends of the structure, and all of your securement at the ends too. That way, your securement is not effected by the trailer bouncing, and your dunnage will not bounce and walk and your straps will not come loose on the highway.

" But Six, don't we have to put the straps every 10 ft?"

No. You have to have 2 within the first 10 ft and 1 FOR (not at) every 10 ft and fraction thereof.

If you need verification, look at the pictures that @cnsper posts in the heavyhaul section with the big structural beams.

 

Wouldn't putting your straps over the boards work too? I've not had boards walk on me then I do that.

 

You really don't want to secure a structural piece like that anyways. Damage can occur.