'lectric Roll Tarps...

[RowdyRebel]

Company I'm leased to is starting to get 'em in. Up until now, I've been able to pull & operate any and every trailer in their fleet...which makes me the only truck they have with that capability/versatility. Right now, the electric roll tarp trailers are the only ones I CAN'T pull & operate.

Anyway, I'm wanting to wire up my truck so that IF one of them becomes available, I'll have a chance to get it.

I asked at the local Mack dealer...they called up to their other store (who is a Shurco dealer) and I guess either the relayed message about what all I needed got mixed up...they told me $2500 Clicking around the Shurco site, that looks like the cost to equip BOTH the truck AND the trailer...

Anyway, the truck end looks to be fairly simple...

A rocker switch (or I assume ANY on-off-on type switch would work) on the dash, wired up to to control a solenoid.

A 40 Amp circuit breaker on the power lead to the solenoid from the battery.

And the solenoid controlling the direction of current flow back to the motor on the trailer.

Now they (Shurco website) sell

"Cab Wiring Kit - Rocker Switch" for $192.01

"Cab Wiring Kit - Remote Box" for $96.60

"Electrical Parts Kit w/ Rocker Switch - 40 Amp Modified" for $84.48

Would any of those suffice? What's different in each of 'em to cause the price to be that much different?

They also list the

40 Amp Breaker for $7.02

Solenoid for $42.38 (cover is another $8.86)

Rocker Switch for $12.02 (mounting bracket is another $3.82)

Could I just buy those individual items, wire in my own on-off-on switch & plug, and save some cash?

If I get set up and manage to snag one of the electric tarp trailers, it'll mean at least an extra turn per day. If I can do it for less than $100, it'll pay for itself within the first week I put it to use. $2500 would be kinda steep, though...don't think I'd spend the money until I was guaranteed to be hooking to one of those trailers...and even then, it'd be a hard sell.

If anyone knows, the curiosity is getting to me. Already shot an e-mail to the folks at Shurco, but it'll be Monday at least before they get there to respond. If nobody posts up anything before then, I'll post their answer in case anyone else finds themselves needing to wire up their truck...

[HK Trucking]

Here's how I set up the dump trucks where I work:

http://www.aeroindustries.com/literature/easycover/rev_dc_contactor.pdf

All you'd have to buy is the circuit breaker, rocker switch, the DC contactor, and enough wire of the proper gauge to hook it all up. Then you'd just need to put a plug compatible with your customer's trailers on the 2 wire cable that goes to the tarp motor.

Or, you could do it cheaper with this "old school" setup:

http://www.aeroindustries.com/literature/easycover/aero_ecpowerplus_install.pdf

you'd need the circuit breaker, rotary switch, and wire to hook it all up, then just put the trailer plug on wires "A1" & "A2".

$2500.00 must have been a quote on the installed price of an entire tarping system.

Hope this helps.

.

[RowdyRebel]

Here's how I set up the dump trucks where I work:

http://www.aeroindustries.com/literature/easycover/rev_dc_contactor.pdf

All you'd have to buy is the circuit breaker, rocker switch, the DC contactor, and enough wire of the proper gauge to hook it all up. Then you'd just need to put a plug compatible with your customer's trailers on the 2 wire cable that goes to the tarp motor.

Or, you could do it cheaper with this "old school" setup:

http://www.aeroindustries.com/literature/easycover/aero_ecpowerplus_install.pdf

you'd need the circuit breaker, rotary switch, and wire to hook it all up, then just put the trailer plug on wires "A1" & "A2".

$2500.00 must have been a quote on the installed price of an entire tarping system.

Hope this helps.

.

That's kinda what I was thinking too...just sounded steep to me.

When I bought the truck, it had been set up for just about anything I could think of...so I've got the plug with a heavy cable already on it...although that stuff is cheap & easy enough to replace w/ new that I wasn't too worried about it. Heck, if I get out there and really search, I may even have the relay already mounted SOMEWHERE on the truck

On my dash, I have a "blank" that I was considering either using to mount a switch, or trying to find a switch that would work and would snap in place for a "clean" look to the install. I'm a little surprised that schematic doesn't have the 14 gauge power wire to the switch fused at 30 amps or less...only protection on the circuit comes from the 40 amp breaker, and 14 gauge wire is only rated to 32 amps...just doesn't seem too "safe". I suppose 12 gauge wire could be used instead of the 14, but if I'm not fusing the lead to the switch, I'd probably run 10 gauge wire up to it with a switch rated for at least 40-50 amps...no sense in burning anything up.

The schematic is definitely helpful...confirms what I already thought would work. Still wondering what the difference between the three kits are, though...that can wait 'til Monday, though. I think I'll make a few phone calls, too...one to the dealer to get the price mix-up sorted out, and the other to the yard manager who I talked to about getting a price on the install kit through them. Then, when Shurco gets back to me, I'll have their price for buying what I need direct.

Then it's just a matter of dropping the dimes to get what I need.

[Gambi80]

The electric tarp control I have on my truck cost me about $140 altogether. It has a rocker switch "remote" (I know no electrical terminology, although I know enough to get me in trouble) in the cab, going down to a breaker I have in the battery box. If you want pictures, let me know.

The bogus thing about electric tarps is that there are 3 different types of plugs going to the trailer. So I hope all your company's trailers have the same plug.

[RowdyRebel]

The electric tarp control I have on my truck cost me about $140 altogether. It has a rocker switch "remote" (I know no electrical terminology, although I know enough to get me in trouble) in the cab, going down to a breaker I have in the battery box. If you want pictures, let me know.

The bogus thing about electric tarps is that there are 3 different types of plugs going to the trailer. So I hope all your company's trailers have the same plug.

I'm guessing when you say rocker switch "remote", you mean the switch is on a low-amp circuit and controls a relay/solenoid which sends the big power to the motor. They do the same thing with the ignition circuit...otherwise you'd have 4-gauge wire from the battery to the keyed ignition switch, down to the starter. Much easier to run the big cables to a remote solenoid and have the little wires going to the dash to control the solenoid.

I had a company driver with one of the trailers unplug it for me to see while waiting for the quarry to open the other day...matches the plug that came with my truck. Going to try to clean it up for re-use, but if I can't, it's not like they are all that expensive.

I used to wire industrial control panels during summers & any other breaks from school...got a pretty good understanding on how things work and am pretty good reading a schematic. I can wire up just about anything and can usually get it working the way I want it to...I just hate tracking down electrical problems in OTHER people's wiring jobs (i.e. OEM wiring harnesses). When I'm staring at a wiring harness with 50 wires that all look alike bundled together and I need to trace 1 of them to find where it goes, my eyes roll back in my head

Main thing you have to watch out for in ANY electrical job is the amp requirements of the lights/motors/etc. you are trying to power, the amp rating of the wires you are using, and the amp rating of the fuse or breaker. The fuse should be higher than the peak current draw of the light/motor/etc., but lower than the rating of the wire or any switches....and keep the fuse/breakers as close to the batteries as possible, since any "short" before the fuse has no protection....so if your breaker is in the battery box, it's in the right place.

[HK Trucking]

That "DC Contactor" shown in this schematic:

http://www.aeroindus...c_contactor.pdf

.....is actually a reversing relay. It reverses the polarity of the 2 wires to the tarp motor depending on which way the rocker switch is pushed, in order to roll up or unroll the tarp.

Yes, I agree, that 14 ga. feed wire to the rocker switch should have a 15 amp breaker right where it connects to the hot terminal of the DC contactor.

.

[RowdyRebel]

That "DC Contactor" shown in this schematic:

http://www.aeroindus...c_contactor.pdf

.....is actually a reversing relay. It reverses the polarity of the 2 wires to the tarp motor depending on which way the rocker switch is pushed, in order to roll up or unroll the tarp.

Yes, I agree, that 14 ga. feed wire to the rocker switch should have a 15 amp breaker right where it connects to the hot terminal of the DC contactor.

.

That's how I figured it worked...DC 'lectric motors tend to run backwards when ya goof up the wiring...so if ya WANT it to run both ways, you just need to have a way to change the direction of the current flow.

[Gambi80]

I'm guessing when you say rocker switch "remote", you mean the switch is on a low-amp circuit and controls a relay/solenoid which sends the big power to the motor. They do the same thing with the ignition circuit...otherwise you'd have 4-gauge wire from the battery to the keyed ignition switch, down to the starter. Much easier to run the big cables to a remote solenoid and have the little wires going to the dash to control the solenoid.

I had a company driver with one of the trailers unplug it for me to see while waiting for the quarry to open the other day...matches the plug that came with my truck. Going to try to clean it up for re-use, but if I can't, it's not like they are all that expensive.

I used to wire industrial control panels during summers & any other breaks from school...got a pretty good understanding on how things work and am pretty good reading a schematic. I can wire up just about anything and can usually get it working the way I want it to...I just hate tracking down electrical problems in OTHER people's wiring jobs (i.e. OEM wiring harnesses). When I'm staring at a wiring harness with 50 wires that all look alike bundled together and I need to trace 1 of them to find where it goes, my eyes roll back in my head

Main thing you have to watch out for in ANY electrical job is the amp requirements of the lights/motors/etc. you are trying to power, the amp rating of the wires you are using, and the amp rating of the fuse or breaker. The fuse should be higher than the peak current draw of the light/motor/etc., but lower than the rating of the wire or any switches....and keep the fuse/breakers as close to the batteries as possible, since any "short" before the fuse has no protection....so if your breaker is in the battery box, it's in the right place.

Yea, I have a loose grasp with electricity. I can start from scratch or completely re-do just fine. Diagnosing is a different story...

[techdog68]

Company I'm leased to is starting to get 'em in. Up until now, I've been able to pull & operate any and every trailer in their fleet...which makes me the only truck they have with that capability/versatility. Right now, the electric roll tarp trailers are the only ones I CAN'T pull & operate.

Anyway, I'm wanting to wire up my truck so that IF one of them becomes available, I'll have a chance to get it.

I asked at the local Mack dealer...they called up to their other store (who is a Shurco dealer) and I guess either the relayed message about what all I needed got mixed up...they told me $2500 Clicking around the Shurco site, that looks like the cost to equip BOTH the truck AND the trailer...

Anyway, the truck end looks to be fairly simple...

A rocker switch (or I assume ANY on-off-on type switch would work) on the dash, wired up to to control a solenoid.

A 40 Amp circuit breaker on the power lead to the solenoid from the battery.

And the solenoid controlling the direction of current flow back to the motor on the trailer.

Now they (Shurco website) sell

"Cab Wiring Kit - Rocker Switch" for $192.01

"Cab Wiring Kit - Remote Box" for $96.60

"Electrical Parts Kit w/ Rocker Switch - 40 Amp Modified" for $84.48

Would any of those suffice? What's different in each of 'em to cause the price to be that much different?

They also list the

40 Amp Breaker for $7.02

Solenoid for $42.38 (cover is another $8.86)

Rocker Switch for $12.02 (mounting bracket is another $3.82)

Could I just buy those individual items, wire in my own on-off-on switch & plug, and save some cash?

If I get set up and manage to snag one of the electric tarp trailers, it'll mean at least an extra turn per day. If I can do it for less than $100, it'll pay for itself within the first week I put it to use. $2500 would be kinda steep, though...don't think I'd spend the money until I was guaranteed to be hooking to one of those trailers...and even then, it'd be a hard sell.

If anyone knows, the curiosity is getting to me. Already shot an e-mail to the folks at Shurco, but it'll be Monday at least before they get there to respond. If nobody posts up anything before then, I'll post their answer in case anyone else finds themselves needing to wire up their truck...

> Before you go trying to 'rig' this up you need to know the switch is not just a switch , it is made for that purpose . If you take a minute to think about it , there is two wires going to the tarp motor . so in order to reverse the motor you have to reverse both wires. do not hook this up with anything less than 6ga wire . match the wire to the amp rating of the breaker on the power feed . the relay is desighned for this use . do not assume these parts are run of the mill pieces. the price is high not because they want to rob you but because they are not 'just' a buy anywhere switch or relay. Also when you buy the proper parts you will get a schematic showing you how to properly wire it . do not cut corners with this or you wont make a dime if it doesnt work and you could also screw up the part thats on the trailer for someone who has the right stuff.your boss spent 2500 for his part you cant spend 250 for yours?

[RowdyRebel]

> Before you go trying to 'rig' this up you need to know the switch is not just a switch , it is made for that purpose . If you take a minute to think about it , there is two wires going to the tarp motor . so in order to reverse the motor you have to reverse both wires. do not hook this up with anything less than 6ga wire . match the wire to the amp rating of the breaker on the power feed . the relay is desighned for this use . do not assume these parts are run of the mill pieces. the price is high not because they want to rob you but because they are not 'just' a buy anywhere switch or relay. Also when you buy the proper parts you will get a schematic showing you how to properly wire it . do not cut corners with this or you wont make a dime if it doesnt work and you could also screw up the part thats on the trailer for someone who has the right stuff.your boss spent 2500 for his part you cant spend 250 for yours?

I've looked at the schematics and understand what is needed to wire 'em. I used to wire industrial control panels to pay for college. The way the company has it, there is a reversing relay that is remotely mounted somewhere in the cab (usually behind the driver's seat). This relay reverses the electricity.....+/- to roll the tarp one way, -/+ to roll it the other. That relay has the 6 gauge wire from the battery, and 6 gauge wire to the trailer. There is also a normally open rocker switch, which can be located anywhere in the cab (usually near the dump controls). This is wired up with 14 gauge wire, as it is a low-amp circuit that only controls the reversing relay, NOT the high amp motor on the trailer. ANY on-off-on switch rated for 15 to 20 amps will work, but should be the type of switch that returns to the open position you release it.

Since I made the OP, I found the 'lectric roll tarp controls that came with the truck when I bought it. The reversing relay and switch are the same component...turn the switch one way, it directs the power +/-...turn the switch the other way, the power to the trailer is -/+. It even has a 50 amp breaker and a light to indicate when the trailer motor is engaged. I also found the plug end that works with the company trailers. All I need now is the 6 gauge cable, because the knuckleheads at the dealership that disconnected everything I didn't need at the time decided to CUT the cables instead of merely disconnecting them. Cheapest I've found so far is through my former employer, but it's still pushing $3/foot. If I buy another female and another male plug, I can make do with 3 sets of 6 gauge jumper cables.

What I can't figure out is how you can buy 16' of 6 gauge jumper cables, cut to length, with some pretty nice clamps attached to each end for $24...so it is $72 for 48' of 6 gauge 2 conductor fine strand cable in 16' pieces with some nice clamps...but for a 50' roll of JUST the cable, they want nearly $150

I'll probably be going the jumper cable route...

[RowdyRebel]

Welp...got it hooked up. Looks good, too

[randyp]

Company I'm leased to is starting to get 'em in. Up until now, I've been able to pull & operate any and every trailer in their fleet...which makes me the only truck they have with that capability/versatility. Right now, the electric roll tarp trailers are the only ones I CAN'T pull & operate.

Anyway, I'm wanting to wire up my truck so that IF one of them becomes available, I'll have a chance to get it.

I asked at the local Mack dealer...they called up to their other store (who is a Shurco dealer) and I guess either the relayed message about what all I needed got mixed up...they told me $2500 Clicking around the Shurco site, that looks like the cost to equip BOTH the truck AND the trailer...

Anyway, the truck end looks to be fairly simple...

A rocker switch (or I assume ANY on-off-on type switch would work) on the dash, wired up to to control a solenoid.

A 40 Amp circuit breaker on the power lead to the solenoid from the battery.

And the solenoid controlling the direction of current flow back to the motor on the trailer.

Now they (Shurco website) sell

"Cab Wiring Kit - Rocker Switch" for $192.01

"Cab Wiring Kit - Remote Box" for $96.60

"Electrical Parts Kit w/ Rocker Switch - 40 Amp Modified" for $84.48

Would any of those suffice? What's different in each of 'em to cause the price to be that much different?

They also list the

40 Amp Breaker for $7.02

Solenoid for $42.38 (cover is another $8.86)

Rocker Switch for $12.02 (mounting bracket is another $3.82)

Could I just buy those individual items, wire in my own on-off-on switch & plug, and save some cash?

If I get set up and manage to snag one of the electric tarp trailers, it'll mean at least an extra turn per day. If I can do it for less than $100, it'll pay for itself within the first week I put it to use. $2500 would be kinda steep, though...don't think I'd spend the money until I was guaranteed to be hooking to one of those trailers...and even then, it'd be a hard sell.

If anyone knows, the curiosity is getting to me. Already shot an e-mail to the folks at Shurco, but it'll be Monday at least before they get there to respond. If nobody posts up anything before then, I'll post their answer in case anyone else finds themselves needing to wire up their truck...

I paid a grand for new electric tarp installed on my 14 yard bobtail dump, that was switches, braces, wires, tarp itself, turnkey job, i aint too sharp with wiring and polarity and shit, I guess I got more money than I got sense,,,works good though,,,Randy

[Gambi80]

Welp...got it hooked up. Looks good, too

If I had that set up that way in my truck I'da had many a son of a bitch and mother effer from bustin my knee cap off all that shit.

[RowdyRebel]

If I had that set up that way in my truck I'da had many a son of a bitch and mother effer from bustin my knee cap off all that shit.

I've never had any problems...they are out of the way...very clean looking install, not a big ugly box taking up 1/2 the floor space like it was when I bought the truck

[Gambi80]

What's alllllllllllllllllllllllllll the toggle switches for? How do you make a trailer go up and down with those?

[Mackmann]

If I had that set up that way in my truck I'da had many a son of a bitch and mother effer from bustin my knee cap off all that shit.

I was just thinking the same thing lol

[RowdyRebel]

What's alllllllllllllllllllllllllll the toggle switches for? How do you make a trailer go up and down with those?

How the hell was I s'posed ta know? That's why I pulled that stupid thing out and went with a simpler set-up.

[RowdyRebel]

I was just thinking the same thing lol

It really ain't as bad as you'd think. I've had the dump controls on that side since 10/08 and the blower controls on the other side since 5/08 when I bought it....ain't ever had a problem with 'em.

[Gambi80]

It really ain't as bad as you'd think. I've had the dump controls on that side since 10/08 and the blower controls on the other side since 5/08 when I bought it....ain't ever had a problem with 'em.

My blower control has a ponytail on it...yeeeooowwww!

[RowdyRebel]

My blower control has a ponytail on it...yeeeooowwww!

not THAT blower

[other dog]

My soft serve ice cream machine and coffee maker switches were too close to my weapons controls. After accidently opening fire on a few 4-wheelers when I just wanted an ice cream cone I decided I needed to do something different. That's why I pulled that stupid thing out and went with a simpler set-up.

[HK Trucking]

Hahahahaha!!!!!!

Where's the "High Powered Laser 4 Wheeler Vaporizer" control switch?

.

[Mackmann]

I think i got them same boots they Ariats??

[RowdyRebel]

I think i got them same boots they Ariats??

They might be the Ariats...also have Laredos, Noconas and Justins...all look pretty much the same.