Ste Burrow:
Maybe not the smartest sheeting and roping but this is my attempt. Well when I said “my” attempt there was three of us. The load is 2 large computer panels from Mardix Electrical in Kendal worth a few quid. They had to be loaded on flats as they were hiab’d off. In total 3 sheets were used but I was glad of the experience (as I’m only 25) and learnt frpom my dad when I was a kid.
I’d be well happy to take it down the road ( or should I say up the road as I live in East Anglia ) Cheers, Haddy.
10 out of 10 nice and tidy, Better looking than your bog standard curtainsider and it is secure more than can be said for some of the Heros hopeing the curtains alone will hold the load on.
hiya,
Tell you what for someone who doesn’t do much r and s that’s a cracking bit of work glad your “old fellah” taught you to sheet over the headboard and right up to the tail end of the trailer, I am a bit jealous when I roped and sheeted I was on my own apart from my very early days when driving wags and drags when I had a trailer boy and some of them was like a “man off”, anyway well done and keep up the tradition you never know it might make a comeback and pigs might fly.
thanks harry long retired.
Thanks for all your positive comments lads. As I said there was 3 of us at least that shows commradship is still alive and well in the job. Id done some sheeting of feed before with just a flysheet and the only time i did use the main sheets was on pulp. I just hope i can get more loads like this as long as the weather stays good. I might not have been that cheerful if it was raining!!! Looking back at those photos of a load from Chirk brought back a lot of memories for my dad. He really liked sheeting loads from Chirk as you could make a tidy job of it.
Here’s a shot I found on the web of my dad’s handy work at roping and sheeting back when I was a little nipper. You can sort of see the hard work not a shot of the full load. Off in the lorry on Sunday with dad, Can’t wait to be honest Camera will be ready to go
Certainly wouldn’t mind learning this fine art certainly looks tidy when it’s done right
Probably a late 70’s shot of A Series NEC299P stood in the depot at Milnthorpe ready for the night trunk to Daventry,the trailer would be loaded with Bowater Scott tissue products ex Barrow and bound for their RDC in West Thurrock.The trailer that the ERF would return with from Daventry would be loaded with woodpulp from Tilbury for the Henry Cooke mill at Beetham.
that’s a tidy job of sheeting those upright reels dennis , it was always awkward sheeting staggered loads . the only way was to take your time and work at it and make sure it was well roped . it gave me a good feeling when i got it finished properly . those loads were carried in curtainsiders with no restraints , just relying on the curtains to hold them in ! cheers , dave
Bewick:
A load of tissue reels from Disley after Bibbys sold the mill to French Canadians Kruger,a bit awkward to sheet but it’s still a tidy job!
Had a lot of loads of these tissue roll off chatham docks yrs ago bound for frannie lees in bolton[now long gone]some were as your pic,others were on end+9 on the roll on top.They were awkward to sheet with putting the fly down one side first but good to stand back and admire when a neat result was achieved,happy days.
regards dave.
Roping and sheeting is nice to look at when done properly , but when the time comes to take those sheets off again when the rains coming down and the winds blowing or the ropes are frozen its a different story.Its a dieing art but still neccessary in some transport operations.We used to load glass for Aldridge, rope and sheet it inside the factory then deliver it down to Aldridge where they tipped it outside and stored it outside without cover.But if you went in there without the load sheeted they would send it back.
Aye, timber off Blyth Harbour had to be fully sheeted, one of the gatemen was a right A/T, he wouldnt let you out if he could see a 1/2 inch gap on the chock rail, And the place at Birmingham stored it outside, just like your glass firm.
ramone:
Roping and sheeting is nice to look at when done properly , but when the time comes to take those sheets off again when the rains coming down and the winds blowing or the ropes are frozen its a different story.Its a dieing art but still neccessary in some transport operations.We used to load glass for Aldridge, rope and sheet it inside the factory then deliver it down to Aldridge where they tipped it outside and stored it outside without cover.But if you went in there without the load sheeted they would send it back.
hiya,
Yes Ramone maddening wasn’t it load of steel to a ship yard or even a steel stockholder " must be sheeted" get it there and it’s added to piles of red rusty previously delivered loads some of the stock having lay there since Adam was a lad.
thanks harry long retired.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Aye, timber off Blyth Harbour had to be fully sheeted, one of the gatemen was a right A/T, he wouldnt let you out if he could see a 1/2 inch gap on the chock rail, And the place at Birmingham stored it outside, just like your glass firm.
Aye did you ever here the excuses for that,customers used to say to me,yea drive we know you pick it up wet outside but if you dont sheet it grit off the road will get in it and damage the wood lathes OR if its not sheeted the wind will dry the ends and cause warping OR when the dock wont let you out without sheeting you get to customer ,and they say what you sheeted that for drive we stack it outside,used to drive me mad
regards dave.
Bewick:
A load of tissue reels from Disley after Bibbys sold the mill to French Canadians Kruger,a bit awkward to sheet but it’s still a tidy job!
Bit of a pain for me Dennis being a short arse trying to climb up & down on a 3 sheet job like that, same with them big reels out of Otteram Quay for Hartlepool when you had the odd reel on top I used to have to run at it & hope I made it on to the top reel
Bewick:
A load of tissue reels from Disley after Bibbys sold the mill to French Canadians Kruger,a bit awkward to sheet but it’s still a tidy job!
Bit of a pain for me Dennis being a short arse trying to climb up & down on a 3 sheet job like that, same with them big reels out of Otteram Quay for Hartlepool when you had the odd reel on top I used to have to run at it & hope I made it on to the top reel
Bewick:
A load of tissue reels from Disley after Bibbys sold the mill to French Canadians Kruger,a bit awkward to sheet but it’s still a tidy job!
Bit of a pain for me Dennis being a short arse trying to climb up & down on a 3 sheet job like that, same with them big reels out of Otteram Quay for Hartlepool when you had the odd reel on top I used to have to run at it & hope I made it on to the top reel
You should have got kitted out with one of those static line “sky hooks” that started to come in in the 90’s,wouldn’t fancy your chances though if you fell off,you’d defo be back singing in the boys choir Weeeeeeeeeeee!!! The HSE 'elf and safety lot started a right purge on sheeting and roping in a couple of mills we ran out of,which were built for horses and carts origionally and they were right “■■■■■■■ when they couldn’t impose their H & S “■■■■■■■■” on us! IIRC in all the years we operated we only had two instances of drivers falling off loads and they were both due to carelesness,fortunately they recovered 100% and were paid their average take home pay while they were off.One thing the HSE cretins refused to answer was while they thought it fine to hound the paper mills they just “blanked” it when said OK what happens on a dark afternoon at say a Waste merchants in Birmingham when our motor has to pull out of poxy little yard and sheet and rope on the roadside? Best response I got was “Birmingham is not on my patch so its nothing to do with me” So it was OK by him if our driver fell off in Brum as long as it wasn’t in Radcliffe!!! It was becoming a mad world then and is probably a lot worse now,glad I’m out of it!! Dennis.
gunnerheskey:
Saw this a few weeks ago in corley services nth bnd. One of Wm Walkers of Aberdeen still flying the flag for ropers and sheeters…
I must admit very neatly roped and sheeted, but he’s committed the cardinal sin, should have sheeted over the headboard and down over the back of the trailer tut, tut, his next load may have been on the floor and most firms won’t load on a wet or damp deck.
Camera will be ready to go 
