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Whether you are looking for 4 foot drop tarps for a load of steel, or 5 foot drop tarps for a slightly larger load, we have many sizes in stock and available for you!
Here’s our selection of 4 foot drop tarps:
4 foot drop tarps – 2 piece set
4 foot drop tarp 16′ long
4 foot drop tarp 18′ long
We also manufacture custom flatbed tarps in several different colors and any configuration you want, whether 2 piece or 3 piece sets, with D-ring rows only on the sides, or on the sides as well as the ends.
If you are looking for tarps for your hotshot loads, we can certainly assist with this as well. Just let us know what your typical load height is, and we will either have a set of tarps in stock that will suit you, or we would be happy to build a set to suit your needs. While they are called Steel Tarps since they typically cover a load of steel 4’ tall and 8’ wide, a Trison Flatbed Steel Tarp can be used to protect virtually any load that needs to be protected from the weather.
Trison Tarps are proudly made with the highest quality materials including: Fabric: Trison Advantage 16oz vinyl coated fabric (Waterproof). Whether protecting your load from snow, ice, rain, or other debris, our waterproof fabric is great for covering your loads.
All D-rings are sewn on with a tough, wear-resistant 2” seat belt web loop.
D-Ring Rows: We use tough, wear resistant 2” seat belt for all D-ring rows – the strongest webbing in the industry.
Branding: We can accommodate a vast array of logos, so you can put your steel tarps to work advertising your company as you drive down the road. There is usually a nominal, one time only, fee to create the logo in the right format, and then you only pay for the logo installation each time you place an order after that.
Cold Crack: Our Trison Advantage Vinyl is rated for minus 40 degree (Celsius and Fahrenheit) cold crack. We often get feedback from customers who exclusively use Trison Tarps because of how manageable they are even in extreme cold temperatures. Colors Available: We have Black, Red, Blue, and Green available.
If your company has a specific color configuration, please feel free to let us know as well, and we can see how we can take care of any custom requirements. It can also be helpful to use different colors to distinguish between various sized tarps. For example, in a set of 3 the two end tarps are identical but the center tarp is different. In this case, ordering black tarps for the end tarps, and blue (or red, or green, etc.) for the center tarp can ensure you don’t have to handle the tarps more than necessary.
All Steel and Lumber Tarps are made with our trademark Trison Advantage 16oz vinyl coated fabric, which has the tensile strength of the commonly used 18oz fabric without the extra weight.
This keeps steel tarps as lightweight as possible while still being waterproof, durable, and high quality.
If you are looking for lighter options, we have a couple additional options if you are looking for a tarp set with 4’ Drops:
Steel tarps can be heavy, especially when they are used in cold weather and harder to roll up neatly.
One way the weight issue can be alleviated is to purchase a Set of 3 Steel Tarps instead of a set of 2. We can make this custom to order.
Another way we have helped the trucking industry with this issue is by developing our Trison Advantage 16oz Vinyl.
18 oz Steel tarps are pretty common, but we found that the 16oz vinyl is just as durable as 18oz, but you get a tarp that is 11% lighter.
This happens because tarp vinyl is made from a strong woven fabric that is coated on both sides with vinyl. 16oz vinyl uses the same strong woven fabric – and the woven fabric is the strong part of the material. This is what prevents your tarps from ripping easily. The vinyl of the tarp material is used to make the strong woven fabric waterproof. In effect, if you add more vinyl you are making the tarp heavier without making it hard to tear; so there is very little if any advantage to adding more vinyl.
16oz vinyl is fully waterproof, lighter weight, and more flexible when used in colder weather. We often get feedback from customers who say they will never get tarps anywhere else, because no tarps roll up as nicely as a Trison tarp in the cold weather.
We make the top of the tarp and the flap with our typical Trison Advantage 16oz, but then use a 10oz vinyl for the sides of the tarp. This means the sides are 38% lighter in weight than the typical tarp. Since the top bears the most wear typically, it is made out of the heavier 16oz; since the sides don’t usually take the brunt of the wear and tear, the lightweight vinyl is suitable and still waterproof. See our Lightweight Set of 2 Steel Tarps here.
For super lightweight flatbed steel tarps, the entire tarp and the flap are made with our Trison Advantage 10oz.
This means the tarp is 38% lighter in weight than the typical tarp, a hige weight savings. See our Lightweight Set of 2 Steel Tarps here.
Steel tarps are commonly used for covering loads of stacked steel, but can easily be used for flatbed loads other than steel. They can be used to cover bricks, machinery, pallets, and virtually any other type of load depending on the dimensions.
It is common to refer to load height as “Drop”. For example, if you commonly haul a load of steel that is 4 foot high, then a 4 foot drop set of steel tarps would be ideal.
A 4’ drop flatbed steel tarp is typically 16 feet wide by 27 foot long, and has a 4 foot by 10 foot tail flap.
This is calculated in the following way:
The typical trailer allows a load of 8’ wide.
If your load is 4’ high, then: 4’ high + 8’ wide + 4’ high = 16’ wide tarp required.
If you are hauling steel on a 48’ flatbed, then the typical length for your tarp is 27’.
This way, with 2 tarps that are 27’ long, you have 54’ of tarp to cover your 48’ long trailer, leaving plenty of room for overlapping the two tarps in the middle to ensure it stays protected. So, hauling a 4’ high load on a 48’ flatbed requires 2 tarps, 16’x27’ with Flap. Check here for our Two Piece Steel Tarp sets. Note: If you are pulling a 53’ trailer, you can still use a set of 2 tarps, 16’x27’ with Flap; there will be less room for an overlap in the middle, but still 12” to 24” of overlap if your load fits on the deck of the trailer. If you are at all concerned about not having enough overlap on a 53’ trailer, we can certainly make you longer tarps and in this case 2 tarps 16’x28’ with Flap would be suitable.
4 foot drop Steel tarps are available here; they are available in two configurations: 1) 2 tarps, 16’ wide x 27’ long, with end flap. 2 D-ring rows on the sides, at 2’2”, 4’4” high on each side.
2) Same sizes as #1 above, but with 10’ Trison Advantage 16oz Vinyl in the middle and 10oz on the sides. 10 foot through the middle is done so that your 8’ top is covered as well as 1’ down each side so the corners are protected with the heavier material; then, the remaining 3 feet on each side are 10oz vinyl (38% lighter).
If you are looking for 4’ drop tarps that aren’t 27’ long, we are happy to give you a quote for custom length. We usually turn around custom sized tarp orders within 1 week.
5 foot drop Steel tarps are available here; they are available in one configuration: 2 tarps, 18’ wide x 27’ long, with end flap. 3 D-ring rows on the sides, at 20”, 40”, and 60” high on each side.
If you are looking for 5’ drop tarps that aren’t as long, we are happy to give you a quote for custom length. We usually turn around custom sized tarp orders within 1 week.
The best way to tie down Steel Tarps is using rubber tarp straps either hooked onto the D-rings on the D-ring rows, or else looping the rubber strap through the D-ring and then back down to the rub rail.
Sometimes a driver will throw ratchet straps or winch straps over the tarp to help hold the tarp down too; this is not recommended if you are fastening the hook on the ratchet or winch strap to a D-ring, or putting undue stress onto the tarp. But, when done in such a way that it simply holds the tarp to the top of whatever material you are carrying, this can be a good way to hold the tarp down, but in most cases you don’t need anything more than a box of rubber tarp straps.
It is important when tying down your tarp that there isn’t any piece of the tarp, like a corner or anything else that isn’t tied down. If your tarp is flapping while you drive down the road, it will drastically reduce the life of your tarp. The tarp can get “wind whipped” and be destroyed in a very short amount of time. If everything is tied down tight with no room for flapping, you will get a few years out of your tarps!
There are 3 main ways to repair Steel Tarps.
Heavy Duty Tarp Repair Tape is one of the best ways to repair rips and tears in your tarps since it doesn’t require glue or a heat gun. You simply lay out the repair tape over the rip so you can get the right size, and then cut it to length and width. Before applying, for best adhesion simply clean the area where the patch will stick with clean, soapy water. Once the tarp is fully dry, peel the backing off of the repair tape and apply the tape to the tarp. Then, put pressure on the patch to ensure the tape bonds to the tarp and you are all set! It can be easier, although not strictly necessary, to use a roller in order to put pressure on the patch.
To patch a tarp in this manner, lay out the patch vinyl over the rip so you can get the right size, and then cut it to length and width. Before applying, for best adhesion simply clean the area where the patch will stick with clean, soapy water. Once the tarp is fully dry, apply some HH-66 vinyl cement to both the tarp and the patch vinyl. Before putting the patch with glue on the tarp, let the glue air dry for about 30-45 seconds or until it becomes a bit tacky. Then, put the patch vinyl onto the tarp in the torn area and apply pressure. It can be easier, although not strictly necessary, to use a roller in order to put pressure on the patch.
This way takes a bit of practice, but if you are doing a lot of repair on a regular basis, it’s the most cost effective and fastest. First you will need a heat gun, a roller, scissors, and patch vinyl. To repair steel tarps this way, lay out the tarp (in a non windy area) and methodically go over the tarp looking for holes or tears. Bring the patch vinyl with you and cut patches to the right size and shape by each hole or tear; make the patches about 1” or 2” bigger than the hole or tear. Once you have the patches laid out, heat seal each patch down with the heat gun, using the roller to apply pressure once the patch vinyl is sufficiently melted and ready to apply.
We do NOT recommend airbag or parachute material, sometimes called Kevlar or ballistic material unless you are tarping a load that can get wet, or you don’t plan to use the tarp often.
These are not waterproof materials, so are not recommended for long-term use on loads or items that cannot get wet.
Trison Tarps does not manufacture or sell these types of materials for this reason.
Airbag, ballistic, and parachute materials also tear quite easily, and are not easily repairable.
In most cases, patching will need to be sewn on which creates more holes in the fabric and increases your repair bill due to being labor intensive. Vinyl is much easier to repair since patches can be heat sealed on the damaged area, or you can use adhesive tarp patches that are designed to bond to vinyl.
