I have been reading some of the early posts on the “Roping And Sheeting” thread.
It brings back many memories. When I started at Robert Baillie in early 1970,
their trailers were 28ft,30ft,32ft,&33ft length. Our main work was Guernsey
Tomatoes, and Cauliflowers from Brittany, and the sheets were “Tailored” to
suit these loads. Each trailer had 1 sheet, with a rectangular 10ft x 5ft piece
at each end,we called them “Flap Sheets”. Toward the end of 1970, Mr Baillie
purchased 10 Crane Fruehauf spread axle 40 footers,with 5ft high headboards.
The new sheets for the 40 footers were,as above, 1 piece,with a flap at each end.
They were very heavy,and even more so when they were wet. After complaints
from the drivers, they were returned to the supplier,who cut them in half,
and added a 5ft length to 1 sheet,to allow for the overlap when sheeting up.
Regards, Ray Smyth.
