Flatbed Tarps, Straps and Chains: Clean, Inspect, Reuse

On a flatbed, the trailer deck gets most of the attention and the securement gear gets the least. Tarps, straps and chains spend their lives in mud, diesel, wet concrete and road film, then get thrown in a box until the next load. Nobody notices the damage until a strap lets go on the interstate or an inspector writes up a chain with a stretched link.

Cleaning securement gear is not about appearances. Dirt hides cuts, abrasion, chemical burns and cracked welds, and grit works into webbing and wears it from the inside. This post covers how to wash tarps, straps and chains without shortening their life, what to look for once they are clean and how to build the job into a routine for flatbed operators in Austell and across West Metro Atlanta.

Why Dirty Securement Gear Fails Early

Nylon and polyester webbing looks tough, but it is a woven material, and grit acts like sandpaper inside the weave every time the strap is loaded or flexed. A strap that has been dragged through red clay and tossed wet into a toolbox will wear faster than one that is rinsed and dried. The fibers break one at a time, and the strap loses strength long before it looks damaged.

Chemicals matter as well. Battery acid, hydraulic fluid, solvents, fuel and some cleaners can weaken webbing without changing its color much. A strap that has been in contact with a chemical should be treated as suspect until it is cleaned and examined.

Chains fail differently. Dirt and moisture start corrosion in the link joints, pits form on the surface and mud packed into the links makes it hard to see a stretched, bent or nicked link. A chain that cannot be inspected is a chain that should not be used.

Washing Tarps Without Ruining the Coating

Flatbed tarps are usually vinyl-coated polyester, lumber tarps and steel tarps are heavier, and all of them rely on a surface coating that sheds water and resists UV. Aggressive pressure strips that coating. Keep the pressure low, around 500 to 1,000 PSI, use a wide fan tip and hold the nozzle 18 inches or more from the surface. Stay away from seams, grommets and stitching, where a high pressure stream can push through the thread holes.

Use a mild detergent, a soft brush and plenty of rinse water. Avoid solvent-based cleaners, strong degreasers and anything with a high pH unless the tarp manufacturer says it is safe. Rinse until the water runs clear, because soap left on a tarp attracts dirt and breaks down the coating as it dries in the sun.

Dry the tarp fully before folding or rolling it. A tarp stored wet will grow mildew within days in Georgia humidity, and mildew leaves black stains that no later wash will remove. If the yard has no space to hang or spread tarps, lay them flat on a clean, dry area in the sun and turn them once.

Cleaning Straps and Winches

Straps should be washed in cool or lukewarm water with a mild soap and a soft brush. Hot water and high pressure can damage the fibers and the stitching, and bleach or strong cleaners can weaken the webbing. Rinse thoroughly and hang the straps to dry away from direct sun, because ultraviolet light degrades nylon over time.

Wet concrete, tar, paint and oil are the common contaminants on a flatbed. If a strap has been soaked in oil or fuel, the safest choice is to retire it. Cleaning can remove the visible stain but cannot tell you how much the chemical weakened the fibers.

The ratchet or winch is part of the strap assembly and needs the same attention. Flush out mud and grit with water, work the mechanism through its full travel and apply a light lubricant to the pawls and the pivot points. A seized ratchet leads drivers to overtighten a strap with a cheater bar, and that is how webbing gets damaged.

Chains, Binders and Hooks

Chain cleaning is a rinse and scrub job. Use a pressure washer at moderate pressure to blast mud and clay out of the links, then scrub with a stiff brush where deposits remain. Clean the chain end to end, not just the part that was in contact with the load, and clean the hooks, grab hooks and binders.

Once the chain is clean, inspect it link by link. Look for stretched links, nicks and gouges, bent or twisted links, cracks, heavy pitting and any sign of heat damage. Check that the working load limit marking is legible on the chain and that the hooks are not opened up or distorted. A chain with a stretched link or a deformed hook should be removed from service.

Chains should be dried and stored off the ground. Wet chains in a toolbox rust within days, and a light coat of oil on the links after drying slows corrosion. Wipe off the excess so the oil does not transfer to the next load.

What to Inspect Once Everything Is Clean

A clean strap shows its flaws. Look for cuts, nicks, tears, melted or charred areas, frayed edges, broken stitching and fading that suggests UV damage. Check that the label with the working load limit is still legible, because a strap without a legible tag is hard to defend at a roadside inspection.

On tarps, check the grommets, the D-rings, the seams and the straps that tie down the tarp. Look for tears, delamination of the coating, worn spots where the tarp rubs against sharp edges on the load and any sign of daylight through the fabric. Patching a small tear early is much cheaper than replacing a tarp.

Inspect the trailer hardware too. D-rings, winch tracks, stake pockets and edge protectors collect the same grime as the gear, and a clean look shows cracked welds and bent hardware. Our guide to cleaning conspicuity tape and placards covers another set of items that inspectors check from the ground.

Building the Job Into Your Routine

The simplest approach is to wash securement gear at the same time as the trailer. A flatbed that comes in after a job can have its tarps and straps pulled, rinsed and hung while the deck is washed. This takes an extra 20 to 30 minutes per unit and prevents the cumulative damage that comes from storing dirty gear.

Keep a written inspection record. A short log with the date, the unit, the items checked and anything removed from service shows an inspector or an insurer that the equipment is managed, and it helps decide when to replace gear before it fails rather than after.

Replace gear on a schedule, not just on failure. Straps used daily in abrasive conditions may need replacing every few months, and chains with visible wear should come out of service sooner than seems wasteful. The cost of a new set is small compared with a load coming off the trailer.

Clean Gear Is Safe Gear

PBD Pressure Washing washes flatbed and heavy haul trailers for operators in Austell and across West Metro Atlanta, and we can clean decks, tarps, straps and chains on your schedule at your yard, with wash water contained and recovered. The business carries the standard of Paul Benjamin Dunbar Sr., who hauled heavy equipment for 25 years and knew that a load is only as secure as the gear holding it down.

If your securement gear is stiff with mud and nobody has inspected it in a while, request a quote or call (404) 933-8559. We can include fleet washing for the trailers and the gear in one visit.

FLATBED TARPS, STRAPS AND CHAINS: CLEAN, INSPECT, REUSE