Tarps?
 

Went to pick up load of lumber, got loaded and tarped, forklift driver comes and says cant leave because some wood is showing, so i have too unload. Very frustrating!
Apparently i needed 8ft drop lumber tarps and only had 6ft tarps.

Said i was the third truck to have too unload because of wrong tarps!

Is there a one size fits all? Seems like the weight keeps going up? so i cant keep carrying steel, lumber and smoke tarps.



So, my question is will 8ft lumber tarps work for everything. I NEED TO BE ABLE TOO SCALE 48 THOUSAND#.

When I pulled flat for WH out of Wausau, WI, we had two lumber tarps with 8' drop. two steel tarps, and a half tarp.

When I pulled flat for J & R Schugel, we had one lumber tarp with 8' drop, and two steel tarps that could be turned sideways and cover an 8' drop. For a full load of lumber, that meant using the one lumber tarp, and both steel tarps to cover the load. For a smoke tarp, we'd fold one of the steel tarps in half. Never ran out of tarp, but crossed my fingers a couple of times.

If you have your tarps made just put on extra rows of d rings. The new lumber tarps we have ordered have 6 rows, that is a row every 16 inches down the side. You can cover a small load with a big tarp if you have enough rings to keep them tight.

You can use the 8' drops for most things, but it can be a lot of extra work for smaller freight. Like windwalker, I used to carry one lumber tarp and 2 steel tarps. It offers some versatility. If you are concerned about weight that would be your best bet. I now carry 5 tarps on my step deck. I would not worry too much about tarps and weight. An extra tarp or two won't make that much difference in the grand scheme of things.

I have 6 tarps, four do a full load (two lumber and two steel) all with 8 foot drops, one smoke tarp, and a "farmer tarp" for grader blades.

I think 8 foot drops is standard nowadays. A lot of shippers request them.

when i was flattbedding i carried 2 8 foot drop lumber tarps and 2 steel tarps, lumber tarps are a huge PITA for tarping small loads like steel.

if you get an all aluminum flatbed, you should easily be able to scale 48 000, i could do it with a heavy pete 379 and also carried a couple thousand pounds of log hauling bunks.

i bought a 53 ft combo transcraft for half the price of all aluminum trailer.
didnt wan to spend 40 thou in this economy. my 379 pete flat top an trailer weighs 32140 with tanks half full.
trailer has outside aluminum rims so i want too replace inside wheels if i can findem.
maybe take spoiler off roof.

if i wanted to go with three what are the best sizes? two lumber one steel?
THANKS!

Mabe four would be better 2 lumber two steel.

Man, I thought I was heavy. I have a 359 Pete, 63" bunk (with an entertainment center built from birch plywood and it's heavy), Fontaine combo flat, all steel wheels on trailer, one tool box, one set of 8' tarps, 10- 3/8 chains and binders and I'm 31,500 full of fuel.

Lumber tarps are a definite pain for smaller loads, I'd like to get a set of 4' drops but I also am leery of the extra weight.

When you say you have to scale 48000, is that for a regular run that you have or just personal preference?

Trying to haul steel! they sent a memo out saying not allowed on yard unless you can scale 48 thou.
wonder why im so heavy.

89 flat top pete 3406b model ?

Pretty much the same as me. B model cat. 18 sp. Maybe the difference is in the trailer. I also carry 12 4x4's for dunnage. I know my 31500 gets on my nerves so I feel your pain.
When it's feasible I'll be getting an all aluminum trailer.

You might just have to look elsewhere for freight.
How big are your fuel tanks? Maybe that's where some extra weight is. Mine are 110 gallons.

Heh, I've got an all aluminum East and I'm still over 32k. By the time I get the toolboxes I need, and tire chains, I'll be close to 32.5k or even a little more.

for a 53' step:

(1) 8'drop with flap for the upper deck
(1) 10' drop with D all the way up to 13'- 6" for the middle
(1) 10' drop same as above except it has a rear flap.

also have a 2 pc 4' steel tarp

Then there are the 12' drop tarps for the 53 double drops....wanna talk heavy?

always have to have more than the next guy don't ya. :D

I carry 5 tarps on my step deck. I started with a flat and had 2 steel and 1 lumber tarp. I didn't have trouble hauling anything with those three tarps. Unless you haul lumber all the time you should not need 8' tarps most of the time. Many people order 8' tarps and sometimes don't even need 4' tarps. I picked up a load a couple of weeks ago and was told that they needed 8' drop tarps. When I picked it up the load was less than 2' tall. I rarely use 8' drops, even on my step deck. Of course, there have been times when 10' would be good, but that is rare and on a step deck. When I pull my flat bed I only have the 2 steel tarps and 1 lumber tarp. That is all you should need unless you want to have an extra lumber tarp. However, if you are concerned about weight you can just turn the steel tarps sideways and cover the load with a single lumber tarp and 2 steel tarps.

I also carry three of those blue throw away tarps. Can't remember the sizes but it's enough to go from front to back on the trailer. I have a frequent load that I use them on, saves a lot of time. Just run them underneath the straps and go.

Think ill go with 2-steel 1-lumber, but kevlar or something. Thanks for the replies!

Unless you plan on doing a lot of LTL freight or lumber that should be all that you need.