Best Way To Quickly Remove A Tarp From A Flatbed?

OK all you flatbedders, I need some advice: what is the best method for removing a tarp both quickly and safely? Drag it down from one side? From the front/back? Get up on top of the load and pull one side up then throw it over the other side? I'm looking for the quickest and easiest technique that will minimize the chances of damaging the tarp...

This really depends on what your load is like. But if you want to avoid damaging your tarp your best bet is to get up on top and pull one side up and over onto the top. Then you can get down and pull it on down to the ground. I use this method a lot because I'm almost always hauling aluminum extrusions now and they tend to have sharp edges or corners that will cut my tarps.

It's not so bad getting up on top of a load right now, but come mid January and you are in Wisconsin you will have to be very careful.

Here's a tip if you are hauling loads with sharp edges. You can go to a U-Haul place and purchase some cheap moving blankets and put them over the sharp edges underneath your tarps. Not only does that keep them from getting cut through, but it also makes it easier for you to just pull on your tarp from one side and have it slide right off the load without getting cut in the process.

This really depends on what your load is like. But if you want to avoid damaging your tarp your best bet is to get up on top and pull one side up and over onto the top. Then you can get down and pull it on down to the ground. I use this method a lot because I'm almost always hauling aluminum extrusions now and they tend to have sharp edges or corners that will cut my tarps.

It's not so bad getting up on top of a load right now, but come mid January and you are in Wisconsin you will have to be very careful.

Here's a tip if you are hauling loads with sharp edges. You can go to a U-Haul place and purchase some cheap moving blankets and put them over the sharp edges underneath your tarps. Not only does that keep them from getting cut through, but it also makes it easier for you to just pull on your tarp from one side and have it slide right off the load without getting cut in the process.

That sounds like great advice, thanks! Tomorrow I'm picking up a load of steel grating and I'm not sure if it will have sharp edges or not. I don't think I'll have time to get those blankets, what about old straps? I have a couple of those with me. I also have some metal edge protectors, would those help? I'm nervous because this will be my first time picking up a load by myself. In training all I did was load lumber.

I'm not sure what to tell you on that. Whenever I have hauled something like steel grating it didn't need to be tarped. I have also used large sheets of cardboard folded over the edges of sharp edged material, but you would have to try and find that at the shipper which might be unlikely. You can always ask the shipper what other flat-bed drivers use, or better yet pay close attention to what the other drivers there are doing with their loads.

One thought I have for you is if you are using multi tarp setup (most companies use 2 or 3 tarps mainly because of weight of the tarp to handle), try to pull the tarp off towards the front or back away from the sharp edges. Also, as you are starting to move the tarp, flip it up a few times to get some air under it to help. Once you do that (depending on how tight the tarp is to the load), it should just roll off like it was on a slippery surface.

Not sure on how the load is going to look, but those ideas work on lots of different loads, so you can keep them in the back of your head for future reference as well.

Ernie