When the time comes for you to purchase that tarping system for your new roll-off truck, be sure to evaluate the advantages of steel, aluminum or even armless. Educating
yourself will help prepare you to make that important decision.
By Chad Rea
advantage of steel arms versus
aluminum is strength. Steel is less likely to warp, deform or bend underweight, force, or heat.
There is a lot to consider when selecting a tarping system for your roll-off truck. In this article, we will discuss one part of that decision: steel versus aluminum arms. It is a question that varies in opinion by different areas of the country, size of the roll-off truck, operator personal preference, and, of course, features and benefits of each type. In this article, I am not going to try to persuade you towards steel over aluminum or vice versa, my goal is to simply educate you on the advantages of each and let you decide from there.
Steel Arm Tarping Systems
There are a few different configurations when talking about roll-off tarping systems with steel arms. The most popular of these systems is the rack and pinion style. The rack and pinion configuration uses a combination of rack and pinion gears and cylinders to manipulate the arms to cover the container. This configuration promotes an advantage driving the harmonization of arms during the operation of the tarping system. This system is offered with the Donovan SWAT system and made popular by the Pioneer 4500 series. Also, very familiar with many in the industry is the O’Brian family of steel arm tarping systems, and Roll-Rite also offers the ALCS system. These are a few examples, but certainly not all of the systems on the market. Not always, but most times, steel arm systems are operated hydraulically from the hydraulics from the truck.
Advantages
Strength
The primary advantage of steel arms versus aluminum is strength. Steel is less likely to warp, deform or bend underweight, force, or heat. Steel is much heavier and denser than aluminum—usually 2.5 times as dense compared to its aluminum counterpart. The strength advantage does make it more resilient to the harsh environment of the waste industry.
Maintenance
Typically, it is easier to do repairs on steel. For example, when an arm is broken or bent, steel is easier to weld and fix the damaged area. Most shops have capabilities for welding steel—not as many do for aluminum welding.
Spring Loaded Roller Bar
A majority of the steel arm systems use a spring loader roller bar on the end of the arms. This allows the tarp to deploy over the load by laying it on top as the arms move from the front to the back of the container. In aluminum and armless tarp systems, the tarp is mounted on the front tower and is operated by a motor or spring loaded roller bar. The arms pull the tarp over the load as the motor unspools, which drags the tarp over the load from front to back. This can create opportunity for the tarp to wear quicker and catch on protruding objects.
In the past, steel arm systems could not be operated remotely. That has changed. A fully automatic remote operated system is available, which is an electric over hydraulic self-contained remote system. The advantages of the remote option are driver safety (stand away for the truck when operating), driver retention and the self-contained hydraulics system.
Aluminum Arm Tarping Systems
Just like steel arm systems, there are different configurations for aluminum arm tarping systems. Many manufacturers offer the stationary swing arm design. This configuration is designed to have a set pivot point for the arms. This configuration is best when hauling the same size cans, but it can also be used when hauling different size cans. Adjustable aluminum arm systems are also available from a couple of manufacturers. Much like their steel arm counterparts, these systems have an element of horizontal adjustability to cover different size containers.
Photos courtesy of Donovan Tarps.
Advantages
Finish
Aluminum arm tarping systems are very typical in today’s roll-off environment. Many people prefer the look due to the polished aluminum finish. Some call it their “Bling”. There is no functional advantage to bling, but it sure does look nice on and off the showroom floor.
Price
Often, the price point is a little less for aluminum arm systems when talking complete systems. A majority of the aluminum systems are set up with some type of spring box at the pivot that provides the tension for the arms and then an electric motor that operates the tarp. This setup is typically cheaper than most steel systems, which are oftentimes hydraulically operated. Replacement parts are typically a little more affordable on aluminum arm systems as well. Most of the higher replacement parts such as arms upper or lower, pivot assemblies and motors are less expensive.
Weight
As mentioned above, steel is stronger, but that also makes it heavier. Systems made with aluminum arms are traditionally 10 to 15 percent lighter than steel arm systems.
Armless Tarping Systems
All this being said, there is a third option available to the market and that is an armless tarping system. Armless systems are semi-automatic tarping systems that are deployed by the driver manually pulling the tarp over the container, tied down behind the container, and finally the gantry is lowered to fully tarp the container. The gantry on the armless systems elevates within a range 10′ to 15′ depending on the manufacturer. Armless tarping systems are beneficial in areas with tight side-to-side clearance. In addition, they are traditionally lower maintenance and require a much shorter install time then arm systems.
Educate Yourself
When the time comes for you to purchase that tarping system for your new roll-off truck, be sure to evaluate the advantages of steel, aluminum or even armless. Also take into consideration what area of the country you are operating in, the size of the roll-off truck, operator personal preference, and features and benefits of each type. Educating yourself will help prepare you to make that important decision when the time comes. | WA
Chad Rea is National Sales Manager, Solid Waste for Donovan (Stuart, FL). Chad has more than 10 years of experience helping all types of customers in the tarping industry, If you are currently in the market for a system, Chad can put in you touch with one of the company’s fantastic Donovan dealers. He can be reached at [email protected] or connect socially on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-rea-b68928bb.