new board trailer floor

[the6shooter]

hey people, just a thought about redoing a 16' trailer floor.
after the third yr. looking at the rotting 2x10's I think it's time to replank the thing. has anyone, ever done this ? after looking at mine, it seems like it, would be easy just prying up the old wood, and bending in new wood.
by removing the carrage bolts in the middle and lifting out the plank. I really prefer this that having to cut the back lip off the trailer. any idea's ?
thanks david

 

[Egon]

Not to long ago Eddie had a thread on trailer decking. I'fn I recall all the questions you have aske d were covered there.

 

[weldingisfun]

david, take a look at this post. It may be of help. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/68143-what-would-you-use-wood.html
Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[rambler]

I just did that, didn't realize it was covered in an article here.

Bending them in is a bit of a task, took my front end loader, a lot of assorted 2x6 & 1x blocks, and a bottle jack. You won't bend them in by hand!

--->Paul

 

[Eagle Dude]

I redid the floor in a 2 horse tag a long. Got the wood from a local sawmill at a quarter the price of the cost at the big chain hardware stores. I dipped both ends in water seal and allowed to dry before coating the entire board with water seal. I did cut the rear lip off, but it was rusted from years of use anyway. I welded a piece of angle iron up front to slide the boards under, attached carrage bolts at the floor frame braces and Cut and welded angle iron to cap the rear. Not counting the wait time for the water seal to dry it took less than a half day to complete.

 

[dirt ditch]

Replaced the boards on my 16' trailer 2 years ago by bending them in the middle with a small floor jack and a 4X6 block of wood. Did it with the help of my two sons. Worked slick. Only thing was we did not measure the length of the boards. A couple of them were a tad too long and bowed up just a little in the middle. I thought they would flatten out which they did but they bowed sideways leaving a couple gaps between those boards. Does not look as good as I would like but it is not worth the cost of 2 new boards just for looks.

 

[texasjohn]

That's exactly how you do it....takes 2 people....block up the middle with sufficient wood planks until you can bend end down and end will slip under lip..... release and knock planks out.... a 3 lb hammer is a big help. Suggest using widest planks available.... start at one side of trailer and keep each plank tight against the next... may have to use more narrow plank as last one..

 

[davygp38]

My dad had a business, years ago replacing tractor trailer floors. he used to offer rough cut oak, for flat beds, with the understanding that the wood was not stable, and there would be gaps, and cracks etc. Most of the truckers that got that type of floor were not concerned about the look. They were hauling stuff like rolls of wire, or steel, or machinery. This required nailing into the floor. This put a beating on the floor. Also the cost was less than half of what a laminate floor cost. I think that rough cut oak would work well, as long as you secure it with hardened self tapping floor screws. For me, I am going to price out the tongue, and groove laminate flooring that is used in tractor trailers. It is expensive, but with a little TLC, it will last my lifetime.

 

[shane]

I took a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade and cut out the front piece of angle that act as a retainer for the boards. Dropped the boards in, slide them into place, and bolted the angle back in place. The new boards were pressure treated and I now store my trailer under my shop lean-to so hopefully it will last much longer than the first untreated floor.

 

[the6shooter]

well got a new floor done, it took most of the day to do. but it does look better than it did new. 2 coatings of water seal one coat on the underside, prior to installing the planks and 2 coats on top. still some water seal left, so one more coat before winter gets here.