Crash course on tarping.. Experienced tarpers please chime in

A few inches too short. (That's what she said.)

 

You can do both actually. Run your bungee from the middle row of D rings to the grommets on the bottom. Tarping is all about jury rigging: as long as it keeps the tarp on the load and from flapping all over, it works.

 

I carry two lumber tarps with 6 foot drops and flaps, plus two steel tarps with 4 foot drops. I mainly use the steel tarps. As for tarp straps, I have 100 21" and 50 31". I keep the straps (bungees) in plastic containers out of the sun so they last longer. Also, Kenedyne makes a synthetic rubber strap that will last much longer than natural rubber, but I am sure they cost more.

You can get good tarps from Tarp Stop or Harp's Tarps. When you order, also get the repair kit which is another $20, but well worth it.

 

I get paid by the day on these loads regardless of what I'm doing, be it tarping, driving, sitting etc. I don't know what the company gets paid for tarps but it all pays me the same. At first I was kind of put off by the pay thing and not getting paid to tarp but when it all averages out I still make decent money. And yes, it's in a box, it's shrunk wrapped inside the box then the box itself is kind of sealed but the customer says it has to have tarps much like this load here which is also shrunk wrapped then crated and shrunk wrapped again but still requires tarps.


Then there's these animals which are solid steel but require tarps as well (although they are usually only 12' to 15' wide so we get paid mileage and tarping)


And of course the loads that there is no good way to tarp

 

If your asking me why I carry 150+ bungees, look at my post right above this one. When you haul stuff that's 14' to 20' wide and up to 80' long that requires tarps, 50 bungees won't even get you started. I rarely use more than 100 even on the biggest but I always have spares. If you've ever got caught in a severe storm and had it get under your tarps and start popping bungees you'll wish you had a lot of spares. On the very rare occasion that I haul a legal tarp load I rarely use more than 1 bundle of bungees which I keep bundled in 25's. But in the last year I have only hauled 2 legal size loads that required tarps and both times I dropped my open deck and grabbed a quick-draw so problem solved, used ZERO bungees. Since January 1st this year I haven't hauled a legal size load except deadheading back with my empty specialized trailer. In fact the smallest I have hauled was a 10' 6" wide jet engine, everything else has been 12' to 20' 6".

 

Oh and BTW leadfoot80, your first tarp job looks great. I've seen so called veterans (including myself) with over 20 years of tarping experience that can't make it look that good.

 

Kenedyne! That's the name I was trying to think of. Best bungees I've ever used.

 

2-50 count boxes of 21" bungies will leave you with a few left over on a 48' -8' tall load. Take 16 and hook then together in pairs for the end flaps and to wrap around the tarps when they are rolled up.

I like the Sri- Lankan made bungies. Cheap and they last about a year before the sun dries them out. Then I just toss them and buy new ones.