How to repair TARP?

An electric heat or hot air gun, like you'd use to strip paint for example

 

a propane torch works fine as well. That's all I use and cut patches off old tarps. I use a little roller I had around, it seems to help if you have a little roller to press the pieces together.

unlike the guy in the video, I usually heat the tarp to be repaired first, then heat the patch a little. stick them together, heated side on heated side. then roll it, then heat the back side of the patch a little more and roll again.

 

That's perfect too, depends on the intestity of the heat gun! Once you start doing it you will see how quick it's bonding , propane torch is excellent too, just be careful , you won't believe how fast that stuff melts !

 

I bought a heat gun several months ago. I have not yet used it. A heat gun is fine if you can take your tarps home or have a 110 power outlet. But, when you are on the road, it may not be readily available. That is why I keep glue and patching material in my trucks. I think heat might keep the patches on longer, but rubber cement works well for those repairs made "in the field." I need to see if I can find a roller that I can keep in the truck. Whether you use rubber cement or heat, the roller helps with the bonding. I have actually made repairs to a sidekit on the road without taking the tarp off. It is not the best way to make a repair, but may be necessary in some situations.

 

For quick emergency temporary repairs, the Gorilla tape works great but after a while when the adhesive glue gets warm (sun) they don't hold all that well. They get pretty messy after that. With Gorilla tapes, the 4" wide ones works the best but only place you find them are at TA / Petro on regular basis, usually in Iowa 80 owned.

For smaller repairs, some of the tarp shops carries those peel and stick, tarp repair rolls. Sold by the foot. They're good but they come off from time to time. Best tarp at W. Memphis, AR got them and I believe Tri-City Canvas in Granite City, IL carries them as well.

All my best results came from PVC Contact Cement or vinyl cements. Most trailer shops carries tarp repair kits (cheaper than truck stops) but limited in colors but tarp shops would have multiple color selections to match your tarp.

I usually cut out a round or oval shapes (sharp corners / angles peels off frequently) w/ scissor, slightly larger than the tears / holes. If the tears are bad or have missing spots of material then do both sides of the tarp. Have a back board (card board, magazine, etc) to lay the piece to brush on the adhesive evenly then apply the patch over the tear and press it down with your hand / fingers. They tends to dry quickly in warmer weather - when it's dry or semi-dry, brush the cement along the outer edges of the patch to seal the edges.

 

Double post?

 

Make sure you dont spend too much time sniffing the glue. You can probably tell by the posts who has sniffed more glue than others.

 

I have you know, I currently hold a valid PHD in tarp repairs!

Ahem, I meant that I have repaired "cough" few tarps "cough, cough" from time to time. (What, no lightening? )

 

Yes. They vary in price. $18-$400. Lowes, or Home Depot has some of the cheaper and the more expensive ones.

 

I've been experimenting with different methods lately. Heat bonding can't really be done with the tarp on the load, I'm not satisfied with the cure time for HH-66, Flex Seal doesn't work for anything, not even pinholes, and will just stick your tarp to itself when you roll it up. I went through a can of 3M 80 vinyl adhesive, and about 80% of the patches held over a month (had some issues getting the tack time right, and the temperature was a bit too low), and my next trial will be 3M Super 77, which I'm more familiar with from my time as an industrial mechanic (spray pattern for 80 was so weird I'm not sure I was using it right), but I'm not sure if it's compatible with vinyl, though if it is, it'll be just what I'm looking for.