Tarping Coils

[freedhardwoods]

Has anyone ever used a bag tarp on BIG coils?

I'm going to be hauling these 6 1/2 ft wide by 8 1/2 ft tall coils for the next several months. I'm using a regular tarp on them and even though it looks fairly neat when parked, the wind at 70 mph is whipping it pretty bad.

I'm thinking a bag tarp would cut down on the whipping and also be quicker to secure.

 

[389 Hood]

Watch your trailer with that coil in the middle. Make it wiggle just a bit and watch the whole deck bow side to side. It's wild to watch them.

I bought coil tarps near some steel plant in Smoke City, many years ago. There were of varying sizes and they slipped over the coil and you bungee corded them rear to front on the rub rails and then the front flap over the rears. They made for a nice tight cover with no flapping.

That thing you have looks to be about 48k. At least on a step deck, you have a little protection. I saw a coil once that rolled right into the cab like it wasn't there. The coil racks, headache rack and chains did nothing but slow it down a little.

 

[mndriver]

Tent tarp it…

 

[mndriver]

Buncha 1” electrical conduit…
Visit to an Awning shop…

 

[freedhardwoods]

Watch your trailer with that coil in the middle. Make it wiggle just a bit and watch the whole deck bow side to side. It's wild to watch them.

I bought coil tarps near some steel plant in Smoke City, many years ago. There were of varying sizes and they slipped over the coil and you bungee corded them rear to front on the rub rails and then the front flap over the rears. They made for a nice tight cover with no flapping.

That thing you have looks to be about 48k. At least on a step deck, you have a little protection. I saw a coil once that rolled right into the cab like it wasn't there. The coil racks, headache rack and chains did nothing but slow it down a little.

Those things are crazy top heavy. They are aluminum and run 53k to 55k. If the curve says 45 mph I slow down to 35 or 40. Regular coil racks are about 28" and made with 1/8" or 3/16" metal. I built some 39" out of 3/8 metal just for this job.

Tent tarp it…

When I used to haul steel coils all the time that is how I always tarped them. With these being so tall, I would need 8' drop tarps and it was a bear getting the lightweight 6' drops over these before I switched to 4' drops like you see in the pic.

Buncha 1” electrical conduit…
Visit to an Awning shop…

We have already talked to Timesaver. They won't build one this big.

 

[mndriver]

Those things are crazy top heavy. They are aluminum and run 53k to 55k. If the curve says 45 mph I slow down to 35 or 40. Regular coil racks are about 28" and made with 1/8" or 3/16" metal. I built some 39" out of 3/8 metal just for this job.

When I used to haul steel coils all the time that is how I always tarped them. With these being so tall, I would need 8' drop tarps and it was a bear getting the lightweight 6' drops over these before I switched to 4' drops like you see in the pic.

We have already talked to Timesaver. They won't build one this big.

Make your own…

All it is is a flip over icehouse brackets. Some conduit and a custom tarp any awning shop could make.

 

[freedhardwoods]

Make your own…

All it is is a flip over icehouse brackets. Some conduit and a custom tarp any awning shop could make.

We also considered that. but there are drawbacks to trying to use that system no matter who builds it. You have to keep in mind these things are massive. The tarp would have to be 25' or 26' wide by 27' long and then after putting 9' tall framework in it strong enough that side winds wouldn't shake it I'm pretty sure I couldn't lift it without a winch. Also, sometimes I bring 10k skidded coils home at the end of the week. That contraption would be so heavy I couldn't move it and they couldn't load me with it in the way.

 

[freedhardwoods]

The boss liked the bag tarp idea. He and I went to a (new) local tarp shop and gave them the details to build one.

 

[389 Hood]

How often do you pull big coils like this one? Will the cost offset the need over tent tarping? If the load is fairly consistent, your customer will like the fact that their product is being delivered dry. You may pick up more work from them.

 

[freedhardwoods]

How often do you pull big coils like this one? Will the cost offset the need over tent tarping? If the load is fairly consistent, your customer will like the fact that their product is being delivered dry. You may pick up more work from them.

This is pretty much all I'm going to do for at least the next six months, except for the occasional skidded load coming home. All I'm doing is shuttling these coils between points A. B. and C. I suppose someone knows what they're doing., but it looks like we're just rotating coils for the fun of it.

The customer is mainly concerned with keeping the coils clean. They sometimes have us untarp outside in the rain before we go in the building.
It is more work than the lanes we were running, but it does make a bigger paycheck. My boss is seriously considering buying another stepdeck so my son can haul these also.

 

[mndriver]

This is pretty much all I'm going to do for at least the next six months, except for the occasional skidded load coming home. All I'm doing is shuttling these coils between points A. B. and C. I suppose someone knows what they're doing., but it looks like we're just rotating coils for the fun of it.

The customer is mainly concerned with keeping the coils clean. They sometimes have us untarp outside in the rain before we go in the building.
It is more work than the lanes we were running, but it does make a bigger paycheck. My boss is seriously considering buying another stepdeck so my son can haul these also.

Road mist and crap plays hell on steel and exponentially raises processing cost.

It’s not rain or snow that is the issue, it’s road salt and oil spray off the cars.