Best source for Hay Tarps?

[Leather]

@eightpondfarm

AND they are supposed to be 18mil. I have an 8mil …a brand new one, that i compared the heft…the feel…to and these white chinese things are not as thick. So 18 mil is a lie.

With tarps you have to look at both the mil (thickness) and the oz (material weight per square yard). So it might be 18 mil thick, but if the oz weight is low the tarp will be lightweight and probably not as durable.

Tarp Material Weight and Material Thickness

When comparing tarps it is important to compare using the same classification. Some websites rate their tarps by thickness. This is somewhat meaningless since it is mainly the density of the material that gives it its durability, not the thickness. To add to the confusion, some websites show material thickness in millimeters (1,000th of a meter) while others show the thickness in mils (1,000th of an inch).

[candyappy]

@eightpondfarm

Do NOT buy these!

Welllll-- my husband sent me over to get one yesterday from MO Hay Tarps ! It is like 10 miles from my house.

I have to say it looked well made, quite heavy material and all the eyelets were as they should be. It took us about 45 minutes to get a 24x48 over and secured to our 55 bales. My palm is sore as all get out from cramming the spikes into the bales but that tarp is secure.

We will see how it holds up as the time goes by. He said customers usually get 3-4 years use, so we will see. If it holds up well we will get more next year. A big improvement over shoving those sleeves on!

[eightpondfarm]

good luck! Did you get some of their spikes?

as you know today it’s 99 degrees-feels like 113 and i’m out there still screwing around with hay tarps. uggggh!

i was so happy to find affordable ones that came quickly in exactly the size i wanted. BUT…i miscalculated!

stack is 3-2-1 and i wanted to place the windward row ontop of the tarp by a couple feet to hold is secure there. Bales are 5’ x 5 and i thought i was sooooo clever getting 30x30 tarps, so there is no long-side/short-side.

DUMB ME!!! i forgot to take into account the width of the top row. So i’m short by 5 feet…

and there are no tugs and the eyelets are few and just flimsy. So i’m cutting holes with a knife and running baling twine through. THen angleiron bars, from which i’m hanging old tires.
The main thing with tarps is to keep them from blowing…to be as tight as skin. If they blow they shred. And right now, mine are blowing around. gawd… what a mess.

But, if i can get them through the rainstorms tonight i can reinforce with some old tarps over and snug down a good hood upon them.

I wish we’d have built a giant haybarn 20 years ago… Now, it’s just a waste, we’re too old and won’t get our money out of it…

[candyappy]

@eightpondfarm

good luck! Did you get some of their spikes?

We got 100 spikes and every eyelet is secured. We got some good wind( and RAIN !!!) yesterday/ today and it is still tight so I have hope.

@eightpondfarm

I wish we’d have built a giant haybarn 20 years ago… Now, it’s just a waste, we’re too old and won’t get our money out of it…

We thought of doing a hoop building or even just a roof only structure like we have for equipment but we just don’t have the money, so tarps and sleeves it is. Prices on stuff has tripled+ in just a few years.

[eightpondfarm]

Oh good you got some!

If you spiked them down when it was hot then they’ll be nice and snug when i gets cold. I plan on driving in T-stakes and tossing over strapping and weighting them on the other side across the top of tarps…one of these days.