Flatbed gear

i know nothing about extensions. i just keep seeing people on here post about em. first i ever heard of them.

i have 8 ft drops. and they're a real PITA. specially considering that 99 percent of our loads are less then 5 feet high. and half of those are steel which is only 1 foot high off the deck.

my tarps don't get soaked. but when you lay them out to roll em up. and it's raining. well, that's a lot of water piling up on your tarps.
snow wasn't bgad. you could always kick that crap off or shake it off or something. harder to kick water off.

 

I have 4' and 8' tarps plus 10' x 12' smoke tarp. I hate pullen them out but they do make me money so I just piss and moan to the old lady when I have to use them. But I smile when the check comes in. Plus there is a sense of satisfaction when you have a sharp lookin tarped load.

As for what gear to take with you, there are really good ideas in the forum and listen to other drivers that have more experience. Some of them old guys have some awesome ideas.

 

I pull alot of farm machinery and use T-Hooks with 4' chain extensions. Not so much on tarps (zero as a matter of fact) except sometimes over windshields to keep breakage down. Snap binders are OK but I use ratchet binders nearly all the time. Easier to tighten and increase tension when needed. Get yourself some old fire hose from the local volunteer fire department. Cut it into 3' lengths and 1' lengths. It's great for padding under a chain or thread your chain thru it. It doesn't slip and wears like iron. Good luck. Setdecking can be alot of fun, hard work and still alot of fun.