Bungies...

When using bungies or bungie rope use the rings that are the closest to the rail. Putting your bungies up high give the tarp two areas to flap from. The one above the rings and the one below. I know its a pain do one end at a time. Roll out the rear and secure the front with a bungie on each side pulling so the rear is just short. Then go to the back and pull your flap and bring the sides in. rinse and repeat for the front. pull your bungies towards the rear on the front tarp and towards the front on the rear tarp. Doing this will help keep it in place not allowing the rear to shag loose over the next how ever many miles you have. Also using bungie rope is what i have found that is far better than bungies. Darn bungies any way. last time one got me was right under the left eye. ########################. Using rope is good if you don't have anything else. It doesn't have any pull. Once you pull it tight you drive 50 miles its loose. Just stretches and doesn't return. Really hate having to do the same job twice. 2cents

 

2tone I'm wondering what we did differently as far as using the highest d ring? You said it flaps in two places when you've done it, I've never had an issue that way as long as you get a solid pinch on the trailer frame.

 

Sometimes allowing a tarp to flap in a particular safe manner just so allows the tension to ease from the other part that will really FLAP and perhaps jump from the trailer.

 

The rail is what we do differently. I go behind personal preference. I prefer the way it looks. Not saying that I haven't ever had it flap. There are some loads no matter how much rope bungie or anything you use it just won't get tight. I have hauled super sacks stacked two high that were a foot back from the rail on both sides and 48' long and it's kinda like hauling a long triangle those you just had to settle for what you could get. Other things you have to take into account for is that when you see these glass haulers and jet engines specific loads. Those tarps are made for it. There is a certain way they go on and the always bungie the same. So for the rest of us that get the weird sh##. We do the best we can. Sometimes it's the perfect job other times we look like we need a handicap placard. It happens. A bungie breaks we don't catch in time it cascades into another and another. #€£€€£#!€#!€}€. It would really help if more people would take the couple of seconds get off their phone put there foot down from the dash turn their radio on and say hey man your stuffs flapping or looks like you may have broke a bungie. But nope the ignorance is more acceptable.

 

I love me a flatbed wrapped carefully like a Present.

However if 2Tone 379 is correct, We drivers need to start working on one another, when a tarp corner gets flapping or a strap loose perhaps slack chain. Lives depend on it. By the same token eyeball each others reefer tank gauges *(Im a nice guy...) and let em know when that tank is getting thirsty. Generally look out for one another more.

 

Or just do what I did. Get yourself a sidekit or conestoga set up, and pitch those durned tarps!

 

Yeah maybe we use different bungee lengths too. Like you said...a few ways to skin a cat. Couldn't agree more on policing each other down the road. I was real big on that at one point but it gets frustrating to call somebody up on the radio and not get an answer. My truck is governed so most of the time I can't go catch them only flash them down or radio somebody else going by to see if they can catch them. Most people just ignore it though so I gave up lol. Loose straps is one I'll call out from the other side of the interstate if I can

 

I tried several different ways to do my bungees. No one way is right for everyone or every load. Just experiment with it. One thing I did is whenever I was in the truckstop I would walk by other flatbed loads and look at how they did things. I learned a lot of what to do and what not to do that way.

 

That's basically how I learned. And letting other people load ahead of me

 

I don't have any issues. bungees are crimped to the o rings (we don't have d ring tarps) we have one bungee at every o ring. I just make sure the seams are even do my flap on the rear then start from the middle and work my way to the rear it turns out alright for me.

I just basically pull my bungees straight down behind the run rail then towards the back of the trailer so everything looks uniform.

I included a picture for your viewing pleasure I ain't the greatest with flaps as you can see