Are connestoga's really worth it?
 

This last round of storms and wrestling with wet tarps and slippery decks, has made me seriously consider buying a used trailer with a tarp system. What do you guys think of think of these systems?

They are great if you are setup to haul coils etc. that will fit inside them. The only drawback is there are so many potential loads you want be able to use the connestoga on. I would have one in a second, if were gonna haul mainly coils. Most of the guys I see running them are pulling coils all the time! Other than that you have to look at the cost of one of em. I think they run about 20k for a good one. Definately less work!

The advantage of a Conestoga or any other type of curtain system is that you don't have to tarp. There are some maintenance issues which should be considered. I have seen a lot of owner operators and drivers use them who haul lumber as well as steel. You can also haul some van loads. The down side is that you won't be able to do any over-sized loads and will need to make sure that more care is given when loading. Otherwise you could have a torn tarp or damaged railing, which would prevent the canopy from closing. If you haul mostly steel and lumber they could work well for you. You will need to decide whether the added cost is worth it to you or not.

Could someone post a picture of the trailers you are talking about please?
I,m fascinated to see what they look like

Snowing here in Denver again, my mind is made up. Come next week I'll be losing my tarps and pulling a connestoga. Found one for $20,000 including trailer (2000 transcraft). this trailer's deck looks close to new, from being covered for the last year and a half. GMAN, you re right about maintenance. Went to the manufacturers website and found a monthly schedule on required maintenance. Mostly involve making sure all the bolts are tight and inspecting the system in general. Not a bad trade off compared to time and effort involved with climbing on and off loads to tarp. :D Hated pulling anything that only went a few hundred miles, knowing that those tarps were waiting for me at the end of the day. I rarely pull over sized loads, so that won't really be a problem.

I considered buying a Conestoga at one time, but since I do some over-sized loads, it would not work for me. I do like my side kit, however. You might give that some thought if you just want to avoid tarping. Very little maintenance unless you punch a hole in one of your panels or tarp.

Thanks. Nice trailer