Post flatbed load photos here V2.0

And both of those last pics are 8ft drop tarps. I just roll the excess to meet the bed.

To DD:

Everyone has their own method that works for them. You'll figure it out with some practice. Believe me,.. my first few tarp jobs were rough. I would toss my 2 inch ratchet straps over the bulging areas that would sail out like a balloon,.. LOL

On basic tarp jobs like the last 2 pics,.. here is the method I use.

I first roll out the tarp and get it as even and tight as I can,.. pulling each end and corners to get the slack and wrinkles out,.. let the sides and the flap lay where they are. I then grab 4 bungee and start on a corner,.. I hook a ring from the side near the front and pull it toward the bed,.. hook it. Not pulling down on tarp,.. only with a slight forward pull,.. just enough to keep the tarp taught. Then go to the rear and repeat,.. the goal is to keep the middle tight and smooth. I do the same on the other side.

Once that is done I then roll up the excess tarp hanging down the sides. Again,.. start in the front,. use a temporary bungee to hold it. Then go to the rear,.. pulling tightly to get the slack out,. this process might need 4 more bungee per side. Realizing that the excess on the ends will be folded around the front and rear once I have the sides pulled down.

Once I have the ends and length where I want it. I then start the process of pulling the sides down keeping in mind that I'm also needing to keep the top tight,.. I wont do an entire side all at once. Doing so usually results in pulling the opposite side up and you end up create uneven areas that will balloon once going down the road. So I do 3 - 4 bungee on one side,.. then I go to the other to balance it out. Then I work from front to rear or rear to front (It doesnt really matter,.. as long as you keep it even on both sides),.. pulling and tugging the tarp along the way to keep it tight and even as I go.


Once the sides are done,.. I then remove the temporary bungee I was using to keep the sides pulled apart,.. (Front to rear). For the flap,.. I keep it laying on top of the load. There will be excess tarp on the front sides,.. you string them from side to side,.. sometimes using 2 bungee together and over lapping on the ends to help keep the tarp from sliding out. The idea is to continue the front to rear taughtness that you created on the sides,. and carry it to the front and rear of the tarp. Once the area under the flap is tight,.. I then lay the flap down,. and pull the sides tight,.. roll up the excess at the bottom,.. you can use bungee or a strap to hold it down. The side to side pull must be even and tight.

For an end with out the flap,.. I pull the tarp down over the end and make it so the entire area is flat,.. leaving the excess tarp to the sides. I fold this underneath the part of the tarp that I want to lay flat across the back. I do this by stringing the bungee across from side to side and to the deck if needed,.. Right side of deck to the left,.. left side to the right,.. keeping the sides pulled tight across. Then the part of the tarp I intend to be flat on the end (front or rear,.. depends how you rolled out the tarp,. this is for a single tarp situation) I use both downward,.. and try to wrap it around the load pulling tight and flat as best I can. Rolling up the excess on the bottom,.. and again,.. bungee or a strap to keep it tight.

I find that most of the ballooning wants to happen at the rear,.. the bottom wants to sail like a flag. I found that laying the bottom out a little bit and then putting a strap over it with a few bungee to keep it tight from side to side helps prevent any kiting.

Hope this was understandable,.. I know with out seeing it in person,.. its difficult to describe.

Hurst

 

Ok lesson time again. Dunnage dunnage dunnage. I don't know why I didn't think of it before but I will use it on loads like this from now on. It is lightly oiled tubing.

No sharp turns and after the first load check the straps remaind tight. I always check them with the bar now because I can't see or touch them.

I think the best thing I could have done different is to use dunnage between the second and third layers. Second best thing I could have done is used choke straps or belly strapped every layer like a load of pipe.

Thoughts?

 

I would have used 3-4 belly straps, and six over the top. One thing that I see that I would never have allowed was for the 2x4's to be stacked on each other, not all of them are, but that is a sure fire way for a load to shift. Loads that are banded with wood like that need to be alternated.

I'll try to explain, the first bundle goes on the deck as it is, the second bundle's 2x4's would sit directly behind the 2x4's on the first bundle, then the 3rd bundle's 2x4's would sit directly ahead of the 2nd bundles. It's a lot like laying bricks, just keep alternating.

 

That makes sense too Oscar. I'm not sure it's better then dunnage going accross the load but better then what I had.

 

The only time I've had a load shift that caused me to go back and have it fixed was when banded boards around pipe were stacked on each other.

Their normal loader guy was busy when they originally loaded me. When I came back he was their to fix it. He said that was a no no to stack them like the original guy did.

Lesson learned.

 

Even with the pcv pipe we haul that has banded boards, i wont go wood on wood. Alternate everything every time...

 

Felt much better with the securement suggestions you made @MJ1657



Only problem was bending that low after the big plate of Pad Thai I had for lunch.

My new way to secure using only 4 points and getting the attachment at the same time.

 

Good luck that wouldn't fly around here.

 

Glad I could help.

 

Why not?