Looking to hear from anyone who’s experienced in this work for any tips and tricks.
I’ve only done curtain siders since I started then got sent on a job with a flat bed with a load that needed sheeting, and no idea what to do. Fortunately a driver there kind of did it for me, but I didn’t really see what he was doing he was doing it so fast due to being out of time.
Should you strap the load and then out the sheeting over? Or should you put the sheeting on first then strap it over the top so you’ve got the straps also holding the sheet down? I’ve seen this before but sure whether it’s right or not.
What do you do to properly secure your strap ends? I coiled mine up and tried to put them under the strap before fully tightening it but the pressure of the strap seemed to make them pop out quite a few times.
How do you secure the sheet itself? Is it this dolly knot business? Any particular way of doing it or is it nothing more complicate than throwing it over and tie the ropes to the hooks under the trailer?
Sorry I sound totally clueless, but I guess I am! And next time I get sent on this type of job (doesn’t happen often) I don’t want to look like a total ■■■ for not knowing what to do!
Rowley , you are not clueless or made to look like a ■■■ , no harm in asking .
The last time I roped and sheeted, I was rubbish, the sheet nearly blew off over Dartford bridge on a windy day.
The boss showed me how to do it, but the folding corners and knot tying is a form of art .
Although I used to be a strap the load rope the sheet kind of gal, the odd ■■■■■■■■ the sheet wont have you ostrocised from truck club, just make sure you know what the straps pulling down on, ropes in the spaces to keep sheet tighter can be usefull, dolly knot wizardry can work miracles.
[This completes my one post a day without any ■■■■■■ innuendo mission].
if its one sheet start at the front - if its 2 and a drip start at the back , wear gloves if you can and look for an image of a dolly its actually a very easy knot to do.
Take your time to get the sheets draped in the right place to start with. A few moments getting them centralized and square can save a lot when it comes to tying down.
toby1234abc:
Rowley , you are not clueless or made to look like a ■■■ , no harm in asking .
The last time I roped and sheeted, I was rubbish, the sheet nearly blew off over Dartford bridge on a windy day.
The boss showed me how to do it, but the folding corners and knot tying is a form of art .
hi rowley,sorry to disagree with toby but you are clueless and because you are clueless you may also make yourself look a ■■■ and may be a danger to both yourself,other road users and the general public , however this is not your fault on one hand because you have never done it before and have recieved no training whatsoever,on the other hand you agreed to do it and yourboss should have known better than to send you on that job ,i can’t teach you to rope and sheet on here and i can’t teach you to operate tankers on here etc etc , its a hands on proccess and it takes as long as it takes ,i agree with the other posters but because i have roped and sheeted for over ten years i can close my eyes and visualise what they are saying but you cant do that ,evil keeps saying on here that he is a newbie,but he is experienced at what he does and would be better than an old ■■■■ like me if i was to start at his place of work tomorrow,every day is a learning curve in transport ,and i enjoyed roping and sheeting [but not in high winds or rain]you should tell your boss and help,ask questions with somebody who is experienced before putting yourself in that situation again,hope this advice is of help,good luck
Well I didn’t put myself in the situation. I was told to go there and that someone there would be able to help me. Which they did, but I didn’t learn anything because there was no time left for both of us, which is why I’m asking here for future reference.
I did start to type a post to show you how to do it but the knots are something you need to be shown by someone and they’re pretty much the most important part. Tried to find a Youtube video but they seem to be for Americans/Asians who do it differently to us.
Roping and sheeting is something that is best taught in person rather than trying to do it over the net or by Youtube.
Tbh its more sheeting and strapping now, theres not much call for ropes nowadays, you cant use them to secure a load without getting a pull and if you have put the sheet on nice and tight you wont need rope to hold it down, here i have straps on the coils and the sheet nice and tight so it doesnt billow, only time i would use ropes is for a big sheeted load like board or timber for a cross over the back
chaversdad:
Tbh its more sheeting and strapping now, theres not much call for ropes nowadays, you cant use them to secure a load without getting a pull and if you have put the sheet on nice and tight you wont need rope to hold it down, here i have straps on the coils and the sheet nice and tight so it doesnt billow, only time i would use ropes is for a big sheeted load like board or timber for a cross over the back
The old way was the sheets hold the load on and the ropes hold the sheet on, however ropes are frowned upon now, so straps should really replace the ropes, personally I would strap the load onto the trailer, then sheet and rope it as before.
newmercman:
The old way was the sheets hold the load on and the ropes hold the sheet on, however ropes are frowned upon now, so straps should really replace the ropes, personally I would strap the load onto the trailer, then sheet and rope it as before.
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That’s ok so long as it’s not a load that will require the straps to be tweaked on route .
Sent via the steam coal operated computer in the cellar.
Ahh yes, if you have the spanset type straps, I’m thinking of the fixed ratchet types that are attached to the chock rail. With the way things are going with load securement regs, that is the way I would kit out my flatbeds, I’m not a fan of the spanset type, they’re a bit too fragile for my liking, a four inch strap and a fixed ratchet with fixed anchor points on the opposite side is a far better way of doing things.
My job or loads vary too much for fixed straps ,I use pull down ratchets as my side rail is 5 ft high ,I know a lot who won’t use them as drivers go too tight and damage the goods .
You can get sliding winches too, then you can put them wherever you want. I’ve not much experience of spanset type straps on flat work, I’ve used them in tilts and as I said, I’m not a big fan, a rope was my weapon of choice when I did flats and then later I used the fixed winch type and found them good to work with, it’s all academic now though as I pull box vans around now, so my load securement consists of shutting the back doors and attaching a seal.
When I did a day for a metal company they had me running in a 7.5 tonne flatbed.
My hat goes off to people who can getting it looking like the above picture.
When I was strapping it down sometimes id look and see a peice flapping about in the wind. Other times again once strapped down it was all secured. I didnt think I was doing anything differently.
It is a skill and I think one that clicks after a while.
