I certainly do remember the hemp ropes Dave, before the days of nylon ones.
Very difficult to stay clean in those days, in fact impossible when roping in wet weather aye.
As already mentioned,i remember the joys of folding sheets when windy, especially with the size of sheets we had
in the 70,s when on for Smith of Maddiston. Large enough to cover a double stacked load of bottles and
still the sheets touched the ground both sides. Plus a bottle sheet plus fly sheet. Happy days indeed.
I have,nt roped and sheeted for 20 odd years, but could still do it no problem.( well apart from maybe needing
a hand to lift the sheets now ) 
Well none of us are gettin any younger. 
Bit like riding a bike i guess, you never forget.
Looking like a dalmation after ropeing in the wet & mud mappo 
Scotchbaz:
:idea: I don’t know if it has been mentioned but a tip I was given for r&s is, when you get a new rope (especially nylon) you need to “weather” it. Take the rope to a muddy puddle in your yard (just make sure that there’s no fuel or lubricants in it first), drop it in and dance on it. This roughs up the rope, making purchase easier.
You definitely need to break them in. New ropes are a bloody nuisance if you’ve got a tricky load to sheet; I used to hang a couple up on the headboard for a few weeks before using them.
I don’t claim to be an expert on the matter, and I certainly wouldn’t win any prizes for my R&S skills, but as others have said there is a feeling of “job well done” about a nicely sheeted load.
Here’s one I made earlier. 
renaultman:
timmo:
I do like the feeling i get when i’ve got a well sheeted load on. I even take a bit of pride in folding the sheets back up again! Knowing that you’ve put that extra bit of effort in to do a good job increases the job satisfaction and makes you feel proud to do the jobI was just gonna comment on that I became border line OCD wrapping my sheets up tight so they were easier to lift and store.
In a way, although the work was harder, they were better times. Certainly more social, with drivers and even sometimes warehousemen helping to wrap sheets and sheet up.
Or is that nostalgia
i have to do it on a daily basis and the amount of drivers who watch you struggling in the wind to fold them up is unbelievable!
FWIW.
I’m not convinced as you can use ropes on loads of steel …
Would anyone even want to ■■?
Chains and Dogs only would be my thoughts…
Rachet straps only ever lasted for the first few miles then
ended up on the road getting in everyone’s tyres…
It used to be that you couldnt travel through Hampshire with timber
using straps, had to be chains and dogs or you’d get a “tug”…
For one I’m well pleased to see the end of ropes and sheets,
a right pain in the ■■■■ IMHO.
Done it for too many years and dont hanker for it any more…
Admitted it looks good but so did the horse and cart,
but it never stopped us from moving on…
Imagine the ear ache you’d get taking that time to do the sheets
on someones yard, and the time spent with the truck stood still while you
roped and sheeted a 13.5m trailer.
How long would it take u to get a flt hound to put the sheets up on the top
for you ■■?
Sadly everyone is too short of time, those days are long gone…
Just my own personal views…
Joe C:
Imagine the ear ache you’d get taking that time to do the sheets
on someones yard, and the time spent with the truck stood still while you
roped and sheeted a 13.5m trailer.
How long would it take u to get a flt hound to put the sheets up on the top
for you ■■?
Good valid points there Joe. Our mill won’t even load flats (on Elf & Safety grounds of course) it’s not the flatbeds themselves they object to but the drivers standing on the load to put the sheet on.
The fact that it’s lost us half a dozen customers who would have collected feed after delivering a load of straw seems to be of no consequence. 
Joe C:
FWIW.I’m not convinced as you can use ropes on loads of steel …
Would anyone even want to ■■?Chains and Dogs only would be my thoughts…
Rachet straps only ever lasted for the first few miles then
ended up on the road getting in everyone’s tyres…It used to be that you couldnt travel through Hampshire with timber
using straps, had to be chains and dogs or you’d get a “tug”…For one I’m well pleased to see the end of ropes and sheets,
a right pain in the ■■■■ IMHO.
Done it for too many years and dont hanker for it any more…
Admitted it looks good but so did the horse and cart,
but it never stopped us from moving on…Imagine the ear ache you’d get taking that time to do the sheets
on someones yard, and the time spent with the truck stood still while you
roped and sheeted a 13.5m trailer.
How long would it take u to get a flt hound to put the sheets up on the top
for you ■■?
Sadly everyone is too short of time, those days are long gone…Just my own personal views…
Yeah, chains and dogs on the steel, but a lot of steel has to be kept dry, therefore you need to use ropes to secure the sheets on top of the load.
Scotchbaz:
Yeah, chains and dogs on the steel, but a lot of steel has to be kept dry, therefore you need to use ropes to secure the sheets on top of the load.
I did this for 16 years - sheet steel chained then sheet over the top - the sheet had a run-through rope do it could be looped around the side hooks and the excess was tucked under the front of it just behind the headboard - none of that single tieing of each loophole - the corners did have the single tie so as to secure it better.
Ironic, isn’t it, that flatwork is dying out over there while it is at least as strong as ever here.
My first job in the UK was on flat, so I learned how to secure things early, then I went on to Artic flats and learned more. I was the only one on the firm could pitch a rope the length of the trailer on a load of straw, and was bang on accurate with the rope between the bales. And I could bootlace a load of fertiliser on a six wheeler and flysheet it in about 15 minutes. I always took pride in it, too, particularly the tying down.
Then I got slack and went on curtainsiders, fridges and tankers for many years.
When I emigrated, I went onto flatwork again, and have stuck with it. But you say about the sheets in the winter… try them at -30 with a prairie windchill down to -50! The tarps get so solid that you have to kick them into submission to flatten them, and they really will get solid, then you can’t get them to roll smaller than about 3’ in diameter. Also, our sheets are either 2 piece or 3 piece. They are 24’*28’ and weigh in at about 80lbs each. But they don’t believe in ropes here, all 4" straps!!!
Thing is, someone says you are never too old to learn, and that is so true. Neither is there anything wrong with asking, or being asked. I share tips I have learned and am always willing to learn more.
If you are a novice at roping and sheeting then there is no shame in it, but learning how to do it right is a valuable skill and it should never be considered outdated or old world.
My sheeting is getting alot better
lucky this load I had a sheet with rope on
I am getting better but finding a decent sheet in our place or straps and rope is trying to find a needle in a haystack
Did you reach lift off? That must have been flapping ready to take off.
Do you have an after the before photo?
is this any goodHERE
brit pete:
is this any goodHERE
That’s a great link Pete. 
It’s a bit different to the way I was taught, but it looks to be simpler to tie and just as effective.
Here’s the more typical Britsh way stage-by-stage with pics: 
CLICKY
(This can also be accessed from the really useful ‘jargon’ sticky in the Newbies’ Forum. )
On the subject of R&S, I just forget how many times I’ve ended up on my arse trying to tie dolly knots, cos I’m left-handed. 
Dave, that link leads to ZZAR BEAN’S WORLD - anything to do with one of this sites memebrs I wonder - if not, [ZB] it
When it comes to the large sheets , put the back one on 1st tie off the end in the middle of the trailer, then tie off the other end cross the back corner pulling tight using dollies. do the same with other ends of back sheet envelope the end neatly. If the sheet is too big for the load now that it is tight , use they middle and upper eye-lets to secure the back sheet. Do the same process on the front sheet, rope from back to front using dollies and double dollies where necessary. Then put flysheet over the top. Remember flysheet is to keep water from going through 2 main sheets. If necessary whilst learning to sheet you may rope back and front of flysheet. This is how I was taught by my father to sheet up sugar when I was on Frank Tuckers a few years ago.
To be honest I think I would prefer rope and sheet when carrying reels, having those 2500 width ones on end in a curtain sider does not make for a comfy drive, no matter how well you strap them in, or how carefully you drive, the buggers walk on the bed, so the straps come loose, gimmee reels on the roll on a flat bed any day…
used to load steel out of corby minium 6 straps or they wouldnt let u out of the place
Bloody Corby last time in there lost my temper bloody Hitler on the Gate had chains on under sheet then 3 starps over top wouldn`t let me out some useless little torag making rules up, sitting in the office knows more tham me after 30 odd yrs on flats 
brit pete:
is this any goodHERE
I think that’s the way the Dutch or Germans do it. It’s the type of knot I would come across when doing tilt traction work out of Felixstowe/Ipswich. Not one of those bloody foreigners could tie a proper Dolley. With this type shown in the video, you can untie the main loop but would always end up with a knot in the rope. So when using the rope to secure the return load, the bloody thing had knots in it at all the places you didn’t want one.
When I use a Dolly, assuming a rope is over a load and I’m left with a piece of rope hanging down in front of my face. I grab the rope with my left hand, just above my head height and pull it down taught. I slide my right hand down the rope and bring a piece of rope from about three foot apart and form a loop as I lift it to head height. I wrap the rope I have in my left hand, twice around the loop formed by the piece I have in my right hand. On the second turn around the loop, I cross it over the first and pull it down tight. I now have a rope coming over the load, to a kind of knot with a loop and a rope hanging down. I twist the loop half a twist and pull the rope through the lower end of the loop. I only pull enough through to reach a trailer hook though and hook on. I now have a rope with a pulley effect. Pull on the loose end and tie off to a trailer hook using a double half hitch.
The good thing about doing it the “proper” way, is it comes apart easey and doesn’t end up with all those knots.
Thats the way to do it george.
regards dave.