Tarp covering system

A covering system for covering an open top container carried on a truck chassis, the container being characterized by a rectangular base peripherally bounded by laterally spaced vertical side walls extending laterally outward of the chassis, said covering system comprising:

• a pair of rotary actuators mounted on opposite sides of said chassis and extending laterally outward thereof, each rotary actuator including a housing member rotatably supporting a shaft having a pinion at an inner end, said shaft extending laterally outward from said housing member and having an outer end extending beyond the vertical side wall of the container in an operative position, a rack meshing with said pinion, first fluid motor means having output means for reciprocating said rack thereby rotating said pinion and said shaft, an arm assembly having a lower end coupled to said outer end of said shaft;
• a cover member having a first end transversely carried at the outer ends of the arm assemblies and a second end transversely carried at the chassis;
• and control means operatively coupled with said first fluid motor means for rotating said shaft from said operative position to a second position where said cover member is moved from a first position exposing said open top of the container to a second position overly said open top of said container.