Haulin' Paulin

This week we had our entire tarping system replaced.  Well, not the hardware, just the tarping material.  The tarp was original, came with the trailer when we bought it from another driver in 2013, and although Ed has done some repairs over the years they've only been small holes or rips, nothing major.  The average life on this kind of tarp is two to three years and this one, being the original tarp that came with the trailer, had lasted almost ten.

Recently, though, he started to notice more spots that were wearing.  The trailer has a series of ribs inside, which slide along a rail, allowing it to open and close like an accordion to make loading freight easier.  The tarp along the ribs on the top had worn through enough to let some water in.  And we can't have that since one of the main functions of a tarp is to protect the freight from inclement weather.

Earlier this year I helped Ed repair some of the velcro closures on the back flap which involved hand sewing.  I had to buy a heavy duty 5" needle and coated heavyweight thread and then wear canvas gloves and use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through each hole.  It was a slow process and Ed helped, as there was no way I could have done it alone.

It was probably the hardest sewing job I've ever had, which includes the one time I helped my brother make a fitted cover for my nephew's sandbox in the backyard - my sister-in-law was worried that the cat was going to shit in the sand and contaminate the entire thing, so she wanted it covered somehow.  We installed snaps on the cover and on the sides of the sandbox so my brother could just snap the thing in place at the end of the day and take it off the next time my nephew wanted to play.  It was a big sandbox, at least 5' by 8', and looking back now, I think it was a genius idea!  But still not as hard as hand sewing heavy tarp material.

Quick Draw Tarpaulin Systems are the makers of the tarping system and they're the ones who did the repair.  It took them less than three days and it looks beautiful.  Well worth the money!



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2017: A Tree Sort Of Grows In Tucson
2016: And It Shows
2015: A Little Pizza Local Tastes
2014: The Longest Shortcut 
2013: The Only Way To Enjoy Texas
2012: Bleu Evolution
2011: They May Look Pretty, But They’re A Bitch
2010: Food, Family, Fun, And Poker Winnings
2009: Ring Of Moving Fire
2008: Everything Is Weathered In Weatherford
2007: Eddie The Professional Tourist Friday
2006: East Coast Tag
2005: Float And Set