An early effort . A dodgy load with oil lamps. Phil.
Bewick:
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Long before fly sheets were invented Eh, This is one of my late Great Uncles wagons Isaac Smiles, Regards Larry.I just hope it wasn’t you that sheeted and roped that 8 wheeler Larry
Cheers Dennis.
Plus roping over the Fly sheet into the bargain 
Cheers Dennis.
VOLSCADAF:
Boyze:
Before i went in the office and started pushing a compoooter about i still wonder how some of the new boys could cope with proper loading… I dont mean that in a nasty way but there are loads of blokes who come into my yard looking for work until they realise that we still do proper general and heavy haulage work which needs a good knowledge of how to keep it on the trailer. I spend a good amount of time teaching blokes to rope and sheet and am convinced that it should be something that every driver should know how to do. With out making me out to being supertrucker i was just wondering weather everyone else feels the days of stripping tilts and putting two canvas and the fly should be bought back… In all fairness it was only the brits who did it properly and all of the europeans wher [zb]!!!
In this policical correct world i know its all wrong now but mate i do miss the blokes who know what there doing!!!
A few pictures of before i came of the road.
Really if you can rope and sheet you are a better driver than someone who cant ■■ ( yes I can and was shown by my Dad when I was a kid ) , sick of hearing this time and time again ,reason most don’t do it now is because of technology has moved on i.e. curtainsiders and not a great deal of requirements for flats due to not as much heavy industry these days as in machinery movements etc. but it does not make you a better driver because you CAN rope and sheet , if most drivers coming in to this game had too rope and sheet they would do , this always reminds me of old time Army veterans saying in the recent past " hope these young uns don’t have to fight any wars like we did as they would run a mile " , looks like they were proved wrong as well seeing as how many young men have been just as brave as any other ex soldiers , one last thing I am neither young or an ex soldier but please all this rope and sheeters are the elite has rock all to do with how good a driver you are.
Dont get so worked up VOLSCADAF no one is really saying if you can rope and sheet you are a better driver but remember which forum you are on and many older drivers like to reminisce . Still i bet many present day drivers would not be fit enough to do it any way.
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Long before fly sheets were invented Eh, This is one of my late Great Uncles wagons Isaac Smiles, Regards Larry.
Come on Dennis, If you have a close look at it IMO, Its a main sheet folded & put on double, But of course it was a little bit before I started driving wagons, But I did ride around with Smilers lads when I was a boy, Regards Larry.
Dennis I know you don’t approve of the way this is roped up , But not too bad for a 22 year old lad just starting out on artics, Who is now 50 years old this month & still driving to-day, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Dennis I know you don’t approve of the way this is roped up , But not too bad for a 22 year old lad just starting out on artics, Who is now 50 years old this month & still driving to-day, Regards Larry.
Taboo to rope over the skin but it does make it tidier on a lumpy load. regards
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Dennis I know you don’t approve of the way this is roped up , But not too bad for a 22 year old lad just starting out on artics, Who is now 50 years old this month & still driving to-day, Regards Larry.
You don’t think for one minute that I would ever critisise anything connected with you Larry, I was taught one way,the right way,by a Master and of course the equipment improved over the years so that prior to Curtainsiders taking over fromroping over sheets,any sheets,became the norm so visually there’s nowt wrong with the load 'wor Nigel has sheeted and roped so No,I wouldn’t have fired the Lad 
.PS just drained the last dram of a bottle of Black Grouse which was one I was given “LAST” Christmas (2012) by an old pal that passed away last back end.Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Dennis I know you don’t approve of the way this is roped up , But not too bad for a 22 year old lad just starting out on artics, Who is now 50 years old this month & still driving to-day, Regards Larry.You don’t think for one minute that I would ever critisise anything connected with you Larry,
hiya,
At least he’s included the trailer headboard into the equation which was always
a must when I created my “masterpiece” even on the rare occasion I got myself
a pallet load which during my working lifetime was as rare as chickens teeth.
thanks harry, long retired.
harry_gill:
Bewick:
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Dennis I know you don’t approve of the way this is roped up , But not too bad for a 22 year old lad just starting out on artics, Who is now 50 years old this month & still driving to-day, Regards Larry.You don’t think for one minute that I would ever critisise anything connected with you Larry,
hiya,
At least he’s included the trailer headboard into the equation which was always
a must when I created my “masterpiece” even on the rare occasion I got myself
a pallet load which during my working lifetime was as rare as chickens teeth.
thanks harry, long retired.
Your only after sympathy “H”,but you’ll get none,or very little 
,on this thread Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
harry_gill:
Bewick:
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Dennis I know you don’t approve of the way this is roped up , But not too bad for a 22 year old lad just starting out on artics, Who is now 50 years old this month & still driving to-day, Regards Larry.You don’t think for one minute that I would ever critisise anything connected with you Larry,
hiya,
At least he’s included the trailer headboard into the equation which was always
a must when I created my “masterpiece” even on the rare occasion I got myself
a pallet load which during my working lifetime was as rare as chickens teeth.
thanks harry, long retired.Your only after sympathy “H”,but you’ll get none,or very little
hiya,
Just like any former driver Dennis my sideboard has two drawers both filled
to the brim I may add, one with promises tother’ with sympathy.
thanks harry, long retired.
Who remembers trying to sheet a head board high load with bottle sheets , trying to keep the fold in on a windy day was difficult some days.
Retired Old ■■■■:
Volscadaf,
I can see where you’re coming from but I have to add a bit of a rider-
If a driver was of the type to do a bit of roping and sheeting PROPERLY, it was quite a good indication that he would be of the mindset to do the rest of the job properly, too.
Just a personal observation, of course.
Retired Old ■■■■ you can "see where I am coming from " as I am literally very very close to your neck of the woods !! lol , it was just I was getting a bit bored with the " I can rope and sheet can you ? " brigade , personally I wouldn’t as I am getting to be a bit of a lazy Barsteward these days and long in the tooth so I do understand your " mindset to do the rest of the job properly " comment .
ardennes:
Dont get so worked up VOLSCADAF no one is really saying if you can rope and sheet you are a better driver but remember which forum you are on and many older drivers like to reminisce . Still i bet many present day drivers would not be fit enough to do it any way.
[/quote Well I agree with you on the fitness bit as I usually get out of breath changing a trailer these days !!! lol]
VOLSCADAF:
Retired Old ■■■■:
Volscadaf,
I can see where you’re coming from but I have to add a bit of a rider-
If a driver was of the type to do a bit of roping and sheeting PROPERLY, it was quite a good indication that he would be of the mindset to do the rest of the job properly, too.
Just a personal observation, of course.Retired Old ■■■■ you can "see where I am coming from " as I am literally very very close to your neck of the woods !! lol , it was just I was getting a bit bored with the " I can rope and sheet can you ? " brigade , personally I wouldn’t as I am getting to be a bit of a lazy Barsteward these days and long in the tooth so I do understand your " mindset to do the rest of the job properly " comment .
So I surmise that you are driving one of those “girly” curtainsiders that are becoming all the rage? They’ll never catch on you know. Sorry, I meant, “Tha knows”.
I can’t believe it, four pages about tying a bloody knot 
Charles
PS, hope you noticed the winks.
Bewick:
hiya,
That’s the way to do it.
thanks harry, long retired.
I was just about to say the same.
However, it IS one of those “easy” loads which not many of us Southern Softies were privileged to haul!
Retired Old ■■■■:
I was just about to say the same.
However, it IS one of those “easy” loads which not many of us Southern Softies were privileged to haul!
