More from: truck driver

Top 4 Reasons to Buy Cargo Control Equipment Online

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When Mytee Products first began operating more than 30 years ago, online shopping wasn’t a thing. Yes, there were small numbers of retailers forward thinking enough to offer their products online, but the vast majority of retail still took place in local stores and shops. How things have changed.

Today there is virtually nothing you cannot buy online. Even the most obscure products have an online home. As a truck driver, you can get your cargo control equipment directly through our website.

We welcome those truckers who stop in and see us at our Aurora, Ohio facility. If you are ever in town, we invite you to stop in yourself. Meanwhile, there are some particularly good reasons to buy what you need online. Here are just four of them.

1. Online Shopping is Convenient

We would wager that the number one reason people shop online is convenience. Without our e-store, you would have to plan to make a trip to visit our warehouse whenever you needed new tarps, winch straps, etc. That is not a bad deal if you are a planner who normally thinks ahead. It doesn’t work well in emergencies, though.

Online shopping lets you buy the products you need whenever you have the time to shop for them. Turn on the computer and shop just before you bed down for the night. Shop for those new tarps while you are having lunch at the diner. Shopping online is shopping on your schedule.

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2. Buying is Immediate

Hand-in-hand with convenience is the ability to purchase immediately. Let’s say you’re unloading and you discover that one of your tarps has a hole in it. In the old days, you would have to wait until you could stop by the store to purchase a replacement or a tarp repair kit. But who knows? You might forget before you ever reach the store.

Online shopping lets you purchase that tarp or repair kit the minute you know you have the need. Buy it right away and there is no chance you will forget it.

3. More Time to Browse

For our money, one of the unsung heroes of online shopping is the person willing to spend a couple of hours just browsing. At the end of the day, the retail world is highly competitive. Even in cargo control, you’re going to find a wide range of prices from one supplier to the next. The wise shopper shops around rather than just buying the first thing that pops up.

Shopping online affords you the opportunity to browse at your own pace. If you’ve a couple of hours to kill at the end of the day, you can pull out your laptop or mobile device and browse for all of the supplies you know you’re going to need in the next several months. Take your time and look around. You aren’t going anywhere anyway.

4. Opportunities to Read Reviews

Finally, shopping online gives you access to customer reviews. You don’t get these kinds of reviews when you’re standing at a retail counter talking to a sales associate. Of course that associate is going to tell you that his products are great. Wouldn’t you rather hear it from a customer who has already purchased those products? That’s what customer reviews are for.

We love the fact that people can purchase Mytee Products online. We still invite you to visit us in Ohio, but we understand that it’s not possible for most of our customers. So just pop online, browse our inventory, and purchase exactly what you need from the comfort of your own truck.

What To Do When You Don’t Have a Winch Winder

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We at Mytee Products believe that winch winders are simple but ingenious tools. Winch winders certainly qualify as those little things that make truck drivers jobs easier. It could also be coincidence that they are a popular product with our experienced truck drivers.

A winch winder is essentially a tool you attach to your winches in order to wind up straps post-delivery. It makes strap winding so easy that you can get a strap wound up and secured in under a minute. If you are not using a winch winder, then what? What are your other options?

A Winch Bar?

Let’s assume you use a standard winch bar to tighten down your straps when securing cargo. Winch bars are pretty common. You could, at least in theory, use that same bar to wind your straps back up again. But that would take forever and a day. Not only that, your arms would be pretty tired by the time you get finished. Even a ratcheting winch bar is not all that great for winding straps.

A winch bar is a good tool for tightening straps over the top of cargo. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to get straps tight enough without a winch bar. But it’s not the right tool for winding straps no longer in use. A winch bar is just too inefficient for this sort of thing.

Winding by Hand?

Your second option is to wind the straps by hand. You place your hand over the reel and rotate it while you guide the strap with the other hand. This gets old really fast. A lot of drivers will only do this for so long before grabbing a screwdriver and sticking it through the pinhole in the winch axle. The screwdriver solution certainly works, but it’s not a whole lot better than using a winch bar.

Detaching and Rolling?

There are some truck drivers who don’t like to leave their straps attached to winches when not in use. They prefer to detach the straps, roll them up, and store them in their toolboxes. This is obviously an option if you don’t want to leave your straps exposed to the weather and driving conditions. But once again, it is terribly inefficient.

Detaching straps and rolling them manually takes time you just don’t have. Furthermore, there’s no need to worry about the straps being exposed to weather and the elements. They will do just fine. You are still better off keeping your straps attached to your winches and winding them up when not in use.

Ratchet Straps Instead?

Lastly, there are some truck drivers who do not use winches on their trailers at all. Instead, they use ratchet straps run through the rails. Yes, it works. No, it is not the best option. This sort of arrangement requires a lot more manual labor than you really want to expend on cargo control. It’s a good option only if your flatbed work is limited and you’re not using a trailer for which you have permission to install winches.

At the end of the day the winch is still the most efficient way to use webbing straps as a way to control cargo. And as long as you’re using winches, you might as well wind your straps and store them in place. A winch winder makes winding a snap. Just attach the handle, crank it for a minute, and you’re all done. You can wind all of your straps in less time than it takes to get a cup of coffee.

Are Parachute Fabric Tarps Good for Lumber Loads?

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We were talking about some of the past conversations we’ve had with truck drivers when we remembered one particular conversation from about seven or eight years ago. The topic was parachute fabric and whether or not it was a good choice for truck tarps. Believe it or not, parachute fabric tarps were available back then. They were just not very popular.

This particular discussion was more about whether or not parachute fabric was appropriate for lumber loads. The driver in question didn’t know much about the fabric, nor did we at the time. His concern was that it was too light to withstand over-the-road travel. He also questioned whether the fabric would flop around enough to damage the load.

We did not have the answers back then, but we do have them now. Are parachute fabric tarps good for lumber loads? Absolutely. Like anything else, it is simply a matter of using them the right way.

How Parachute Tarps Are Constructed

Let us first discuss how parachute tarps are constructed. They are made of a ripstop material, generally nylon, chosen for its weight and strength. The material is designated as ‘ripstop’ because of the special weave pattern that prevents small holes and tears from continuing to grow.

Note that ripstop nylon will not hold back water forever. As such, most parachute fabric tarps still rely on a vinyl top panel to keep out moisture. Only the drops are made of the ripstop fabric. You still get a lighter tarp without sacrificing water resistance on the top.

Using Edge Protectors

Next, it’s important to use edge protectors when you’re deploying parachute fabric tarps. Even though these tarps are made of ripstop fabric, they are still susceptible to being punctured on sharp edges. There is no point in risking the integrity of a tarp based on the notion that ripstop fabric makes it stronger than vinyl.

Should you end up unintentionally puncturing a tarp, you can repair it. There is less risk of that puncture becoming a major problem due to the ripstop nature of the fabric.

Securing the Tarp

Finally, it is true that parachute fabric will flop around in the breeze more readily than vinyl. It has two things working against it in this regard. The first is its lighter weight. Second is a weave pattern that is specifically designed to catch the air. What does this tell truck drivers? To secure a parachute fabric tarp all the way around the load.

Some drivers go around the perimeter using webbing straps or a series of bungee straps. Others use long lengths of rubber rope. Still other drivers attach bungees at each grommet and secure them to the trailer. How you go about it is entirely up to you. The point is to secure the tarp in such a way as to prevent as much movement as possible.

We Carry Parachute Fabric Tarps

At the end of the day, parachute fabric is an appropriate material for lumber loads. It is also great for steel, cable, machinery, and just about anything else you could carry on the back of a flatbed trailer. Just know that you have to be a little more careful at deployment and removal. Parachute fabric tarps are easily caught by the wind, so you have to be more deliberate in order to maintain control while you’re tarping.

We are happy to say that Mytee Products carries a selection of parachute fabric tarps. We invite you to look over our inventory whether you’re looking to add to your existing tarps or replace those that are worn out or damaged.

You’re a Good Candidate for Parachute Tarps If…

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A typical week here at Mytee Products sees us answering questions about parachute tarps from at least one flatbed truck driver. Sometimes we get half-a-dozen or more inquiries. One of the things drivers ask is why they should buy parachute fabric instead of vinyl. Maybe it’s because truckers have been so used to vinyl for so long that they just have no idea there are alternatives.

There is no single thing we can point to that says parachute fabric is better than vinyl or canvas. It has been our experience that truckers prefer different kinds of tarps for different kinds of jobs. The best we can do is offer a few suggestions that might help them figure it out.

Let us try that here. You are a good candidate for parachute tarps if…

1. You’re Not As Young As You Used to Be

It has been said that truckers never die, they just downshift. Whether or not that’s true, truckers do get old like everyone else. And with age comes aches and pains. We say that you might be a good candidate for parachute tarps if you are an older driver who no longer has the strength and stamina to wrestle with vinyl.

The biggest benefit of a parachute tarp is its weight. Parachute fabric is lighter, so you have a lot less weight to throw over the top of a load with a parachute tarp.

2. You’re an Expert at Tarping

It’s not unusual to caution new truck drivers against using parachute tarps given that they don’t offer the same kind of protection against moisture. By the way, that’s why parachute tarps have vinyl tops. The vinyl will hold back standing water where parachute fabric won’t.

Be that as it may, parachute tarps might be right up your alley if you’ve been trucking long enough to be a tarping expert. You know what works and what doesn’t. You don’t have to practice tarping overkill to protect your loads.

3. You Have a Tendency to Rip Vinyl

Next, you might also be a good candidate for parachute tarps if you have a tendency to rip vinyl. This is not to say that parachute fabric never rips or tears; it does. But parachute fabric is ripstop fabric. That means it is made with a special weave pattern that prevents rips and tears from growing.

Bear in mind that using edge protectors is still a wise idea even with the tarp made of ripstop nylon. But at least a minor tear or rip will not become a major disaster before you get your load to its destination. You cannot necessarily say the same thing about vinyl.

4. You Want to Try Something New

You’ve been on the road now for decades. In all your years you have used nothing but vinyl and canvas. Now you’re looking for something new, something that will shake things up a bit. Perhaps it’s time to give parachute tarps a chance. Parachute fabric certainly does take some getting used to, and you might welcome the challenge of tarping with a lighter material that can sail away in the wind.

Please note that all of our parachute fabric tarps offer the same quality and durability as our vinyl and canvas tarps. Parachute fabric tarps come in a variety of sizes and styles designed to meet the needs of the modern trucker. If you have any questions about our parachute tarps, don’t be afraid to ask. And if you need something you don’t see in our inventory, let us know. We’ll do what we can to get it for you.

A Grille Guard by Any Other Name Is Still a Grille Guard

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The grille guards we sell to truck drivers are based on an idea that has been around for decades. In other words, grille guards are not new technology. But today they constitute one of the hottest trends among American truckers. Larger numbers of truckers are sporting grille guards to protect the front ends of their trucks and make them look better at the same time.

Did you know that the term ‘grille guard’ is not the only term used to describe these devices? There are other terms as well, used interchangeably around the country. We will look at some of those names in this post. If you are looking for a grille guard for your truck, we invite you to check out our inventory. We may have just what you’re looking for.

Grille Guards

The name ‘grille guard’ has really become a generic term that covers all the different kinds of guards you could mount on the front of a truck. This is what causes some confusion among consumers. Technically speaking, a grille guard is any kind of guard that covers the grill area of a four wheeled vehicle. However, the existence of some of the other names for this product has led to ‘grille guard’ being a bit more specific.

A grille guard, as opposed to a bull or cow guard, tends to go across the entire front area of the truck. It protects the grill, bumper, and front lights.

Bull and Cow Guards

Two other names for the grille guard are bull and cow guard. No one knows for sure where these names came from, but many speculate they come from ranching. The idea here is that you put a guard on the front of your truck to protect it against minor collisions with bulls and cows in the field. Given that pickup trucks have replaced horses on many modern ranches, this makes a lot of sense.

The one thing to note about bull and cow guards is that they may not cover the entire front area of the truck. Smaller guards cover only the grill area. Some even come with skid plates that protect the underside of the truck from things like rocks and tree stumps.

Brush Guards

The term ‘brush guard’ is another with unknown origins. It is believed that the term originated as a way to describe a piece of equipment that would protect the front of the vehicle as it moves through tall grass and brush. A brush guard may or may not cover the entire front of the vehicle on which it is mounted.

The Name Doesn’t Really Matter

At the end of the day, the name of the guard you choose doesn’t really matter. What matters is that your grille guard fits your truck properly and provides the kind of protection you want. To that end, note that grille guards do not require cutting or drilling to install.

Grille guards are designed for specific makes and models of vehicles. As such, a guard manufactured for one type of truck may not easily mount on another without modification. That’s why we recommend only buying a grille guard manufactured for your make and model.

If you have any questions about our grille guards, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would be more than happy to help you find a guard for your truck. And while we’re here, we would like to offer you a full selection of truck tarps, rigging supplies, towing supplies, and more. We are your one-stop shop for all your cargo control needs.