# Best Tarp to Cover Bulk Salt



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

This is the first year I will be having bulk salt stored on my property. I am not having a building built so thus I need to tarp it up. For those of you whom do so already what tarp(s) are best to use to keep all snow/rain/moisture from penetrating through to the salt? What brand? Any special way to tell the correct one to use from the incorrect ones? Double sided,.....? Should I have 2 layers or will one suffice? 

The pile will be 1 Tri-axle load, 23 tons on average.

Thanks for the help!


----------



## CGM Inc. (Dec 15, 2008)

It's a pain in the back no matter what you do.
We did tarp last year and it is a pain to uncover, keep the tarp down in windy conditions, etc,

Heavy duty tarp and old tires is my suggestion.


----------



## xtreem3d (Nov 26, 2005)

i have just used the blue tarps and that worked O.K. The best part about those is they are easy to move up the pile to uncover. I currently use old billboard "tarps" that i get from a friend who installs them. They are much better but extremely heavy to pull or lift off and up a salt pile, especially when it's been snowed on,
Steve


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

*Bulk Salt Pile*

I am having salt stored in my driveway this year. It is a gravel drive. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can load the salt effectively with my bobcat without also picking up gravel? My 2 ideas are to put down a few pieces of plywood starting from the back and slightly overlapping them like shingles so that the bucket doesn't catch a piece. And/or to put down a 2 inch layer of sand. That will act as a warning that I am a bit low. Any good opinions are appreciated. Thank you.


----------



## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

Be prepared to have a mess... The salt will melt and soften the ground in and around your salt pile. Every time you drive over the area it'll start to mush more and more. Just like a soft wet lawn..
I know from experience, decided to put a few extra loads of salt on plywood over gravel and cover with a tarp. It made a huge mess! And the run off was also an issue. The retention pond that was used for watering nursery stock in the holding area had gotten such a large concentrate of salt run off that it couldn't be used for almost the whole season.


----------



## procut (Dec 1, 2004)

I second be prepared for a mess. I would vote for the sand under it. I've tried to scoop material with a loader off of plywood before and no matter how careful I tried to be it seemed like i always ended up getting under the plywood somehow.


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

The gravel is (2B I think) and there is a good 4-5 inch thickness at least. You think that the ground will still be soggy? Think it will help if I can get a couple of those large concrete/re-bar blocks and make a border for the 3 walls? Thanks.


----------



## bugthug (Oct 13, 2004)

Zorescos has 20 foot containers for 100.00 a month .


----------



## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

Round bale tarps are the best, you can trim the corners off to make it the right size. They also have eyelets to pull when covering and uncovering. Skids work better then old tires for holding the tarp down. Tires are ok but the water in them really sucks. Skids also handle the wind better.


----------



## tailboardtech (Feb 28, 2010)

blue tarps and old tires even the county i work for uses them sometimes when they over fill the domes lol


----------



## MatthewG (Jun 16, 2009)

Im in the same boat, need to tarp the pile this year. What sizes are you guys using for 23 tons?


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

I always tarp my dump truck load after getting salt. In my opinion the common blue tarps let just a hint of moisture through and made my salt for a top crust when cold enough a lot faster then the double sided black/green or silver tarps. The double sided are much more expencive, but if it keeps the salt dry then it is well worth it.

If anyone who knows different please tell me. I guesstimated... that 23 tons will space out to about 22x22 feet give or take. With the vertical factor I'm thinking a 40x40 tarp will completely cover the pile and still have a bit extra on the sides.


----------



## leolkfrm (Mar 11, 2010)

put heavy plastic under it and dont scrap it with the bucker....


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

leolkfrm;1348054 said:


> put heavy plastic under it and dont scrap it with the bucker....


Alright... What kind of plastic? Where do you get it? Would you nail it down to keep it in place?


----------



## Mike S (Feb 11, 2007)

You will be fine. Just have to take your time. When I put my bin at my shop together I ran out of time and had to put my salt on just 57 lime stone. It junked the stone/base all up but the price to fix that is not anything to stress about.


----------



## Rain Man (Feb 20, 2010)

Go into the pile of salt slow pick up the bucket and tool the bucket toward you. You should get a full bucket full


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

OK. So you do not think I will run into any of my worries? Do you know from experience or just an educated guess? I'm now thinking of putting a 1 layer row of those 4'x2'x2' concrete blocks on the 2 sides and back. This should hold the pile tight without it being pushed every where. Damn thing is though I can not find anywhere online that sells/rents them. Anyone know of a place? Preferably in or close to Pittsburgh PA? Thanks.


----------



## RLM (Jan 12, 2006)

For the blocks call the nearest concrete plant they should have them they are made with left over concrete from the trucks. The problem I see for you with blocks is that they are heavy & your bobcat might not be able to move them. They aren't expensive but the trucking can be. I debated when unbuilt my bin to either use the block or set 6x6 posts with 2x6's for walls, I went the wood route, it works but I should of done the block, but at the time all I had were bobcats to move them & no good way to build it. I will either have to brace my walls or build a new bin shortly (going on 4th season with this one) with blocks, & I'm pretty muck the only one that uses it, if I had employees loading it would be destroyed already.


----------



## Tbrothers (Dec 30, 2009)

Its gonna be a real mess.


----------



## SNOWLORD (Aug 10, 2007)

You could try a sea container. I would at least put the concrete cubes on the sides and end. Call your local cement plant they will have them as far as trucking just stop there with your trailer or even a pickup and have them set one or two depending on vehicle in the back on your way home every night. To set them a large skid will be fine if you dont have a large skid you may have to hire someone to set them they should weigh 3-5 thousand pounds depending on how they make them there. We have bought used and set hundreds if not thousands of these cubes over the years its no big deal. The main problem you will have will be the salt getting hard so cover the pile. Good luck


----------



## White Gardens (Oct 29, 2008)

My only concern is that the salt that leaches off your pile, especially when loading, is going to create a muddy mess in your driveway during the winter.

Basically the salt will keep the ground from freezing.

,.,,


----------



## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

Hopefully you live in a rural area so no one complains about the huge piles of salt. Like Snowlord said look for a sea container thats going to be you best option. We use them every year, it keeps the salt out of the weather and contained and you can fit about 23-25 tons in a 20ft container. Call a local trucking company to start.


----------



## Tbrothers (Dec 30, 2009)

White Gardens;1348155 said:


> My only concern is that the salt that leaches off your pile, especially when loading, is going to create a muddy mess in your driveway during the winter.
> 
> Basically the salt will keep the ground from freezing.
> 
> ,.,,


Your going to have a muddy mess. We have customers every year that try this and by middle of winter our trucks can't get in to dump because of the mess.


----------



## blowerman (Dec 24, 2007)

Tbrothers;1348174 said:


> Your going to have a muddy mess. We have customers every year that try this and by middle of winter our trucks can't get in to dump because of the mess.


You've had several responses telling you it won't work without making a big mess.
Hopefully you move on to "plan B."
Similar to Tbrothers, we'd bring in a 22 ton load and our truck would sink into the ground around the pile.


----------



## cmo18 (Mar 10, 2008)

interesting topic. I as well will be having my salt pile on my rock driveway. I'm not worried about loading my truck but am worried about the ground. 

I use 70% sand 30% salt, and I plan on putting a tarp on the ground to prevent a muddy mess. Will see how it works out.


----------



## fireside (Mar 1, 2008)

Try putting down 6 sheets of osb or plywood than dump the salt on top. Just make sure you put the sheet overlap so you don't catch the sheets when you drive into the pile. You will have no problems with picking up rock or the muddy mess.


----------



## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

In addition to never freezing, you're going to run the risk of stones in your salt. 

Stones coming out of a spreader against buildings\cars\people will not end well.


----------



## Kubota 8540 (Sep 25, 2009)

From my experience I would tell you NOT to do it. Day 1 - 5 all is well. After that, down hill. Attracts moisture, ground will not freeze and everything gets soft, terribly soft. Not to mention anything within 20+ feet dies. Trees , grass, etc. 2 AM shoveling 6 inches wet snow off the tarp, only happened once. Had a Salt shed shortly after. 

Like others have said, try plan B. Maybe a container, etc.


----------



## EIB (Oct 30, 2002)

I tarped my pile last year and maybe this year. I put a tarp under the pile then one on top to keep it dry. The ground in front of the pile was soft, but not anywere else. When you load just make sure to keep the bucket off the ground a couple of inches.


----------



## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

Pave it....


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

What about this plan. I had the plywood idea already, overlapping like shingles from back to front. This will eliminate picking up gravel. As for the front of the pile where the skid will be and also the tri-axle I put down a huge tarp. I will dig up the gravel, lay the tarp, then cover it back with several inches of gravel. I will make it so that any water runoff goes towards and under the plywood/pile. This is the area where the heavy equipment will be. So no salt water will seep into the ground here, thus not making it unable to freeze. As far as mud goes.. there really is no site of dirt anywhere. The gravel is to thick. Will this work?


----------



## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

dfd9;1348590 said:


> *Pave it....[/*QUOTE]
> 
> Don't Pave it with Concrete.....If they Dump a load of Hungry Salt....It will eat that Concrete.........


----------



## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

Does hungry salt eat gravel? Or just concrete?

What if it's Canadian salt, will it eat American gravel?


----------



## Matson Snow (Oct 3, 2009)

dfd9;1348644 said:


> Does hungry salt eat gravel? Or just concrete?
> 
> What if it's Canadian salt, will it eat American gravel?


Canadian salt will Only Drink Beer..Not Much Else......


----------



## 32vld (Feb 4, 2011)

I only see a mesh. Salt run off causing problems.

Salt pile just being one huge blocking up/using too much drive way space.

Are you going to save that much?

Then rent a roll off anc keep it covered with a tarp.


----------



## Tbrothers (Dec 30, 2009)

From experience with dealing with 50,000 ton of salt as year its not going to be that easy to keep the area clean of salt. Everytime you load out your going to spill some salt on thats all its going to take to start the thawing process. Let us know how it works. Not to mention salt doesn't do good in small quaniteis it gets wet and gets really hard.


----------



## SNOWLORD (Aug 10, 2007)

The plywood under the pile idea will result in your skid busting it up and making chunks of wood in your salter even if you keep the bucket off of it the wheels will punch right through it.


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

There really will not be much if any salt run off. I'm going to use those bin blocks to keep it contained and a HD tarp to completely cover it. Containment and covering should do the job without a problem. There is plenty of room. 

It is not a matter of saving money. It is a matter of convenience. The biggest problem that lead to me doing this is that the landscape stores in my area are dumb sh*ts. Most do not carry bulk salt and the ones that do have terrible hours, as in closing shortly after noon, even if it is still snowing.


----------



## mcneills (Oct 29, 2011)

if its not a big area you could do it with cheap pavers


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

I disagree with the cheap pavers idea. Because the weight will not be heavy enough, not even close. I think even if I just put 1 or even 2 layers of the 2x2x4 bin blocks down flat on the gravel they will move a bit. Most likely the bottom layer would have be dug in a foot then the 2nd layer stacked on top in order to have no movement. Pavers would work as good as legos.


----------



## mcneills (Oct 29, 2011)

i ment interlocking bricks packed in like a patio or driveway


----------



## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

How big a pile we talking here? How many tons are you planning to stock?

EDIT: NVM--saw other thread in Ice Mgm't...


----------



## dlcequip (Feb 19, 2007)

Put soundings or sand over your gravel you always endup getting into your gravel. What goes in yourspreader must come out of your spreader and 3/4" gravel will come out of your spreader. So be careful or you will be peppering cars.


----------



## PGHplowguy (Oct 13, 2009)

Mcneils, I know what you mean. To build a wall like that is an expense and a bit of time. Even if done properly I'd still put my money on time and power pushing it away/over.

Yes, sand is a great idea. 

I'm just going to get a sea container. Less hassle and risk of problems across the board.


----------



## MatthewG (Jun 16, 2009)

How did this turn out?


----------

