The invention discloses a tarpaulin front-back pushing-and-pulling system adopting a single steel wire rope. The tarpaulin front-back pushing-and-pulling system adopting the single steel wire rope comprises the steel wire rope (4), a driving wheel (2), a driven wheel (3), a carriage (6), an electrical machine power outputting mechanism (1), and tarpaulin travelling mechanisms (5), wherein the electrical machine power outputting mechanism (1) and the driving wheel (2) are arranged on the body of the carriage (6); the electrical machine power outputting mechanism (1) and the driving wheel (2) are connected together; the steel wire rope (4) winds by two circles between the driving wheel (2) and the driven wheel (3) for transferring electrical machine power; the steel wire rope (4) is connected with the tarpaulin travelling mechanisms (5) on two sides of the carriage (6) and can be used for driving the tarpaulin travelling mechanisms (5) to do front-back reciprocating movement. The tarpaulin front-back pushing-and-pulling system is characterized in that the driving wheel (2) and the driven wheel (3) are three-groove wheels. According to the tarpaulin front-back pushing-and-pulling system, a manner that the steel wire rope winds between the driving wheel (2) and the driven wheel (3) is adopted, so that the working efficiency of a muck vehicle is improved, the failure rate of the muck vehicle is reduced, and the service life of the muck vehicle is prolonged.