As I mentioned in my previous post, as soon as I got the trailer, I began looking for cheap /easy solutions for a cover. Not really a requirement, but it would be nice to have your haul dry.
I sought ebay first. I found "custom M416/M101" tarps for sale by a gent in CA. Based on his description, the tarps were of heavy duty canvas, treated for water resistance, and dimensionally accurate for said trailers. So, I ordered.
The canvas arrived very quickly. The grommet spacing was spot on accurate, and each grommet was reinforced for load. The canvas was definitely treated - heavy chemical smell, and residue on hands after handling. Definitely to be used outside only.
So, on the trailer it goes. My excitement soon became “are you kidding me…?” In summary, the canvas is short. Ideally, there would be a 2-3 inch overhang on each side of the trailer to facilitate good tiedowns, block water, etc. As received, the canvas was 77”x57”. As you see in the pics, <1”of overhang in length and about 1.5”in width. It seems he orders a stock 5x7 tarp and punches in the grommets (read lessons below).
You can see the width is only 1.5in wider than trailer
and length is about .5" in overhang. No way to seal the trailer.
Notified seller (miregresso on Ebay). Very good to work with. He would gladly accept the return, but I had other uses for it (kid’s sandbox).
More research found Tarps - Canvas Tarps, Vinyl Tarps, Heavy Duty Tarps, Blue Tarps, Flame Retardant Tarps - Tarps Wholesale. In short, a Heavy Duty (18mil) nylon core, vinyl coated tarp, custom made (dimensions) with 12”grommet spacing cost about $40 with a 48hr turnaround. I called them, as they never replied to my inquiry via email. I spoke to a lovely lady, told her what I wanted, gave her my CC number, and had the tarp in 48 hours.
Lesson:
-When ordering a canvas tarp, pay attention to the FINISHED SIZE. A 5x7 canvas tarp is not 5x7. That is the dimension before the edges are folded back.
-A 5x7 FINISHED SIZE works perfectly for this trailer.
-5x7 allows room for some “bows” to be added
-if used with "bows" need to address bunching in the back
Cannot comment on durability. The grommets definitely need to be reinforced. I plan on doing so with extra fabric and shoe-goo (each grommet and each corner).
Tows well without bows. No flapping (behind Suburban).
In summary, very positive experience with Mytarp. I’ll post reinforcement pics, pics of “bows” and any durability failures in this thread in the future.
I sought ebay first. I found "custom M416/M101" tarps for sale by a gent in CA. Based on his description, the tarps were of heavy duty canvas, treated for water resistance, and dimensionally accurate for said trailers. So, I ordered.
The canvas arrived very quickly. The grommet spacing was spot on accurate, and each grommet was reinforced for load. The canvas was definitely treated - heavy chemical smell, and residue on hands after handling. Definitely to be used outside only.
So, on the trailer it goes. My excitement soon became “are you kidding me…?” In summary, the canvas is short. Ideally, there would be a 2-3 inch overhang on each side of the trailer to facilitate good tiedowns, block water, etc. As received, the canvas was 77”x57”. As you see in the pics, <1”of overhang in length and about 1.5”in width. It seems he orders a stock 5x7 tarp and punches in the grommets (read lessons below).
You can see the width is only 1.5in wider than trailer
and length is about .5" in overhang. No way to seal the trailer.
Notified seller (miregresso on Ebay). Very good to work with. He would gladly accept the return, but I had other uses for it (kid’s sandbox).
More research found Tarps - Canvas Tarps, Vinyl Tarps, Heavy Duty Tarps, Blue Tarps, Flame Retardant Tarps - Tarps Wholesale. In short, a Heavy Duty (18mil) nylon core, vinyl coated tarp, custom made (dimensions) with 12”grommet spacing cost about $40 with a 48hr turnaround. I called them, as they never replied to my inquiry via email. I spoke to a lovely lady, told her what I wanted, gave her my CC number, and had the tarp in 48 hours.
Lesson:
-When ordering a canvas tarp, pay attention to the FINISHED SIZE. A 5x7 canvas tarp is not 5x7. That is the dimension before the edges are folded back.
-A 5x7 FINISHED SIZE works perfectly for this trailer.
-5x7 allows room for some “bows” to be added
-if used with "bows" need to address bunching in the back
Cannot comment on durability. The grommets definitely need to be reinforced. I plan on doing so with extra fabric and shoe-goo (each grommet and each corner).
Tows well without bows. No flapping (behind Suburban).
In summary, very positive experience with Mytarp. I’ll post reinforcement pics, pics of “bows” and any durability failures in this thread in the future.
