3 Ways To Take Care Of The Tarp System On Your Construction Vehicle

If you have a construction vehicle that you have put an automatic tarp system on, you are going to want to make sure that you protect this investment. You can protect your automatic tarp system by inspecting the arms, rolling up your tarp when not in use, and avoid overfilling your truck.

#1 Check Out the Arms

Every day you perform a quick visual inspection of the arms of your tarp system. When you check the arms, make sure that the arms are parallel to each other as they move. The arms need to be in proper alignment. When the arms are misaligned, it can wear out your tarp system's motor.

Misaligned arms are generally caused by worn out springs. You can check and see if the spring is worn out by watching it as you open up the tarp. If the spring compresses all the way before the arm is fully extended, then the spring needs to be replaced.

#2 Keep The Tarp Rolled Up When Not In Use

You don't need to keep the tarp extended all the time. The point of a tarp is to protect the loads that you carry around in your construction truck. For example, if you are moving a load of gravel to a construction site, the tarp will cover the gravel and keep it from flying out of your truck while you are transporting it.

Keeping your tarp rolled up when you don't have load in your truck will help extend the life of your tarp. Driving with your tarp extended wears it down, which is fine when you are carrying a load in your truck, but unnecessary when your truck bed is empty.

#3 Don't Overload Your Truck

Finally, make sure that you don't overload your truck bed. If you overload your truck bed past the top edge of your tarp, your tarp will have to stretch over that material in order to keep in in place. This will unnecessarily stretch out your tarp. If you are carrying material that has sharp edges, such as really course gravel, the material you are carrying could weaken your tarp and eventually cause it to tear. Overfilling your truck bed and then extending the tarp could also cause the arms on your system to become bent and damaged.

Take care of your tarp system by keeping an eye on the quality of the springs. Make sure to roll up the tarp when you are not using it, and never overload your truck and extend the tarp over the load to prevent unnecessary wear and damage.