Tips for Using Portable Carport and Storage Buildings

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Mytee Products is proud to have added portable carport and storage buildings to our inventory of valuable products. We believe these structures are perfect for a variety of needs ranging from hay storage to protecting your car or truck. At the same time, they are affordable and easy to setup and cuse. We currently have four different models in our inventory.

As with anything else, there are right and wrong ways to use a portable carport or storage building. Below is a selection of tips designed to help you, make the best use of your structure, for as long as you own it.

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Quality Materials and Craftsmanship

The first and most important tip is to make sure you invest in a product made of quality materials and craftsmanship. Remember, your carport or storage building will have to withstand all that Mother Nature throws at it. This is not something to take lightly as every season has extremer conditions. Mytee Products has chosen an inventory line made with durable components such as galvanized steel and heavy duty, UV resistant fabrics. Aluminum is another option, but we believe steel makes the best material for a rugged and sturdy frame that will not rust.

Consider Positioning Carefully

Avoid the temptation of positioning your carport or storage structure based solely on convenience. Convenience is a factor, but there are other things to consider as well. For example, consider a property in a lightning prone state such as Florida. Any location visited by frequent lightning is a location in which you should avoid placing your structure near a tree. The last thing you need is for lightning to strike your favorite oak tree and crush your carport at the same time. Be sure to account for wind as well.

Anchor Your Structure Firmly

A heavy-duty hay storage structure may seem weighty enough at more than 700 pounds. However, you would be surprised at how easily such a structure can be picked up by a stiff wind. Every portable carport and storage building needs to be firmly anchored according to manufacturer’s instructions. The structure you choose may only need anchors at the four corners, or it may need to be anchored around the entire perimeter. Be sure to follow all the recommendations found in the owner’s manual that comes with your structure.

Be Aware of Roof Concerns

A high-quality carport or storage structure should be able to withstand the elements under normal conditions. Nevertheless, there are times when owners need to do a little extra to protect their units. For example, an unusually heavy snowstorm consisting of wet, heavy spring snow could be enough to collapse your structure if you don’t make an effort to remove any accumulated snow. Fortunately, carports and storage structures tend to have slanted or rounded roofs that make snow accumulation difficult. You should not have a problem most of the time. Nonetheless, if snow does accumulate, clean it off quickly.

Local Planning Approval

Depending on where you reside & where your structure will be located,you may or may not require local planning approval for a carport or storage structure. Before you make any kind of investment, check with your local planning board or zoning office. If approval is needed, it is usually a relatively simple matter involving submitting a simple diagram and paying a planning fee. If planning approval is not required in your area, you have lost nothing by asking.

Portable carport and storage structures are an excellent way to make use of outdoor space without investing in permanent structures. We invite you to look at our entire inventory of high quality, portable structures.

Tires and Tire Chains: Time to Get Ready for Winter

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The beginning of the football season means something outside the sporting world – that winter is just around the corner! In some places like Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado and northern California, the snow will not even wait until the official start of winter in December. Truckers need to begin planning for winter driving now. Those plans include key components – tires and tire chains.

Owner-operators and large carriers, need to examine truck tires to make sure there is sufficient tread to make for a safe winter season. Just a trace of snow can be treacherous when tires are worn. As for tire chains, much of the planning centers around where your trucks normally travel and the various state laws having to do with chaining up.

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Truckers who operate from I-80 north should seriously consider carrying chains on board at all times. The same goes for many parts of Colorado between high I-80 and I-70. Weather can change rapidly enough that chains may be needed at a moment’s notice. Furthermore, the states are not necessarily cooperative in maintaining consistent laws across state lines. Below are two examples: California and Colorado.

California Law and Chain Announcements

The law in California does not stipulate specific times of the year when chains are necessary. Chaining is a decision left entirely up to Caltrans. If the weather does necessitate chain use, officials from Caltrans will send out a bulletin and activate signs located along the affected roadways. It is then up to drivers to make sure their vehicles are in compliance.

California has three different requirements depending on weather conditions and vehicles. For truck drivers, there is a choice between chains, cable chains, and spiders. However, cable chains are not permitted on some roadways under some weather conditions because they are not deemed reliable enough.

Affected roots in California include Interstate 8, Interstate 15, U.S. Highway 50, Interstate 5, and a few others. The law in California is significantly different compared to other states, like Colorado for example.

Colorado Chaining Laws

The chaining law in Colorado applies to every state, federal and interstate road in the state. Colorado has two levels of chaining requirements, depending on the severity of conditions. Furthermore, there are specific stretches of I-70 on which truck drivers are required to carry chains with them at all times from September through May.

Colorado does offer chaining banks where drivers without chains can pick them up as needed. However, drivers are better off buying their own chains if they regularly pass through Colorado on I-70. Otherwise, it is too easy to arrive at a chain bank only to find there are none left. Drivers found in violation of the law could face fines of up to $500. Blocking traffic as a result of not chaining up could double that fine.

Mytee Products carries a full line of tires and tire chains for America’s truckers. Our tire chains come in a variety of sizes, in both single and double configurations. If you do not see the right chains for your tires on our website, please contact us directly for more information. We may still be able to provide what you need.

We also carry a full line of tires for drive, trailer, and all positions. Once again, you may not see the particular size you need for your rig on our website. Nevertheless, we can likely still provide what you need if you give our sales department a call.

Winter is on its way so don’t get caught off guard by not having the right tires and tire chains. Prepare now before the first signs of snow fall.

Sources:

  • OOIDA – http://www.ooida.com/EducationTools/Info/chain-laws.asp

The Science behind Flatbed Truck Tarps

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Flatbed truck tarps are one of the most important tools a flatbed trucker can own. However, the tarps in the trucker’s toolbox are more than just randomly manufactured pieces of fabric in different colors. There is actually a science behind their design, science you may not be aware of. Flatbed truck tarps are designed in such a way, as to provide maximum cargo protection in a package that is affordable and relatively easy to use.

The science behind flatbed truck tarps begins with the shape. Obviously, steel tarps are long and rectangular where machinery tarps tend to be squares or smaller rectangles. Lumber tarps combine long rectangles with additional flaps that come down over the sides of the trailer.

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Rectangles Are Extremely Flexible

Rectangles are the preferred shape for flatbed truck tarps because the rectangle offers maximum flexibility. A rectangle allows significant coverage for loads of all kinds, but with a narrow profile that makes it easy to handle across the back of a flatbed or a dump truck box. You can still get very good coverage with a square, but squares need to be bigger to cover the same area. This makes them less flexible and harder to work with. It is for this reason that square tarps are usually reserved for covering machinery or acting as smoke protection. Rectangles are still the preferred shape for most flatbed loads.

Flat vs. Shaped Tarps

Campers and hikers are known to prefer shaped tarps because their catenary cuts and curves provide durability and strength, especially along seams. A good shaped tarp has a very strong spine that makes it ideal as a shelter or hammock. Nevertheless, shaped tarps do not work well for most flatbed applications.

A shaped tarp is limited in coverage by the shape it takes. On the other hand, a flat tarp has no such limits. It works equally well whether the truck driver is covering a set of steel coils or a load of construction materials. The tarp will conform to whatever shape it is applied to with maximum protection at all times. Not so with the shaped tarp. That is why you don’t see shaped tarps used by truckers except in very rare and specialized circumstances.

Material Choices Equally Important

The science behind flatbed truck tarps even covers the materials manufacturers choose to use. For example, all of the tarps we carry at Mytee Products are made with heavy-duty vinyl or canvas manufactured as a woven product. It is the weaving that gives the materials their incredible strength.

A woven vinyl material is as strong as any other commercial or industrial fabric yet still lightweight enough to be easy to handle. Woven canvas is somewhat heavier, but it offers the added benefit of breathability for applications where moisture is a concern. In either case, the fabrics are woven according to detailed specifications that make them ideal for tarp manufacturing.

Grommets and D-rings

Lastly, grommets and D-rings are built into flatbed truck tarps to make securing them to trailers as easy as possible. Nonetheless, neither grommets nor D-rings are placed randomly. Grommets are sewn into the outside edges at specific intervals that offer the maximum number of securement options without sacrificing material integrity. The same is true with D-rings. Designers also place extra D-rings on specific kinds of tarps that make covering loads easier. The D-rings found on your average lumber tarp are a good example.

Tarp design is anything but haphazard. There is a lot of important science behind flatbed truck tarps that make them the perfect tools for their intended purposes.

Proud Owner of a New Trailer Tool box ? Here’s How You Fill It

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That shiny chrome tool box on the back of your neighbor’s pickup truck may very well be entirely for show. However, you are a professional trucker. You have a trailer tool box because you need to carry tools, not because you want to look good traveling down the highway. So fill it up. You have the space; use this space to assemble a collection of essential tools that could save you both, time and money out on the road.

We cannot stress enough the importance of having a well-stocked tool box for saving time. Even the smallest breakdown can leave you stranded on the side of the road for hours if you do not have the proper tools. Moreover, if your wheels are not moving, you are not making money. You will make more money by making an investment in tools.

tool box

Below is a short list of essential tools every truck driver should have in his/her trailer tool box. This list is by no means exhaustive; you will likely add more tools as time goes by.

Flashlight/Shop Lighting

The trucker never realizes how valuable a flashlight is until the first time he or she needs one. Some truckers buy heavy-duty flashlights similar to the ones used by law enforcement. Others purchase shop lighting that can be plugged into a truck’s electrical system. Still others use a combination of both. You are going to need adequate lighting if you break down at night.

Tire Tools

A selection of tools relating to tire care should be on board in every trailer toolbox. For starters, a tread depth gauge is essential. A pressure gauge is also a cheap and wise investment. Better yet, a compressor with a built-in pressure gauge that can be powered from your truck’s electrical system serves dual purposes. Lastly, a robust tire thumper made of oak or another hardwood is a good idea. That tire thumper could be your best friend if you need to quickly check inflation in adverse weather conditions.

Pliers and Screwdrivers

The most basic of hand tools, such as pliers and screwdrivers, can be most handy when you break down. Your screwdriver collection should include a full set of both Philips head and flat screwdrivers. Use a ratcheted screwdriver with multiple heads as an alternative. As for pliers, make sure you have needle nose, standard, and the all-important vice grip pliers. Vice grips could very well be the most important tool in your box.

Spare Parts

Veteran truckers know how frustrating it can be to be taken off the road for hours by a problem requiring only a minor fix. You can mitigate the downtime associated with these sorts of problems just by keeping a handful of spare parts on board. Keep some extra fuel line, some hoses and clamps, spare fuses, bulbs, wiper blades, and nuts and bolts of various sizes.

It is also a wise idea to carry extra rubber bungee straps and a vinyl tarp repair kit as well. The repair kit is especially important for flatbed truck drivers who have no interest in spending money to replace a tarp every time there is a small tear or puncture. A quality repair kit offers a lot of value for a little bit of money.

There may be other tools you believe necessary for your trailer tool box. It is entirely up to you. Whatever you do, do not invest in a great tool box and then leave it half empty. Load it up with everything you need to keep yourself moving down the road and making money.

Choosing the Right Truck and Trailer Tires for Your Rig

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Trucking companies and owner-operators don’t have the luxury of choosing a single tire the way car owners do. In other words, car owners choose a specific make and model of a tire that is installed uniformly on all four wheels. Truckers have to consider different options based on drive position, traction position, and trailer position. They have to make their choices based on the kind of handling and traction they want as compared to how much they can afford to spend.

truck-tires

Mytee Products carries a range of tires in the All Position and Drive Position categories. Below is a brief description of all four tire categories offered by manufacturers of truck and trailer tires:

1.Steer Position – The steer position includes the two front tires of the tractor. This position takes its name from the fact that steering is the domain of the front axle. Tires made specifically for this position typically utilize a ribbed tread design to move water away from the tire as it rolls down the road. They provide the best handling under all weather conditions.

2.Drive Position – The drive position includes the four wheels at the rear of the tractor. This is where engine and transmission power are transferred to move the tractor forward. Traction is paramount in all conditions, but especially important in rain, snow, and ice. These tires tend to be wider, and they are manufactured with either lug or siped treads for maximum traction.

3.Trailer Position – The trailer position includes all of the free rolling wheels on the typical trailer. These tires do not necessarily need great traction performance, but they do need to withstand the heavy stresses of weight and braking. A good trailer position tire has a reinforced sidewall that can handle maximum lateral forces while withstanding the shock of coming in contact with curbs.

4.All Position – All position tires are manufactured to provide excellent handling, traction, and durability regardless of the position at which they are mounted. The all position tire is to the trucking industry what the all-weather radial is to passenger vehicles. It is a multipurpose tire that works very well under most driving conditions.

Is it possible to use all position tires across an entire tractor and trailer combination? In theory, yes. Practically speaking, however, reality is a bit different. Most American truckers prefer to stick with steer position tires on the front of their tractors in order to maximize handling. They may use all position tires on the rest of the rig depending on what is available and what they want to spend.

Larger trucking companies are more likely to use all position tires for financial reasons. As with anything else, a company can get a discounted price if they are willing to buy in bulk. Using all position tires at every position other than the steer position enables trucking companies to purchase large volumes of tires at more affordable prices.

Choosing Tires for Your Rig

Choosing the right truck and trailer tires for your rig does not have to be complicated. Choose your tires in the same way you would purchase tires for a pickup truck or passenger car. We believe it is better to spend a little more on a quality brand name, by the way. The most trusted names like Double Coin and Roadmaster offer very good quality at an affordable price.
Consider the wear and tear you are likely to put on them, the types of weather conditions they will probably be exposed to, and your overall budget when purchasing your truck and trailer tires.