How to make crack free wooden trailer/truck bed

[Gale Hawkins]

After finding a lot of great info on pros and cons of diffent wood and wood treatment I still did not find a solution for cracks mentioned.

For the equipment trailer the cracks are OK but on the 16' flat bed dump truck the cracks bug me because they let sand, dirt and stuff like fine ground lime filter through or stop up the cracks.

It really bugs me getting down on the twin hoist rams too.

We had a 1953 Chevy pick up with would floor with metal strips that bolted down in the cracks. So the wood could swell/dry/etc but no cracks showed. The flooring was groved so the metal strips were somewhat recessed.

Any ideas on covering/sealing the cracks for a truck bed will set out year round.

 

[Egon]

Silicon caulking.

 

[SpudHauler]

I find this stuff great for small projects. Yours is a little big. :laughing:
Ace Hardware Outlet

 

[Gary Fowler]

Why couldnt you do the same thing as the old Chevy trucks. A sheet metal shop should be able to bend you some thin sheet to the shape, THen just lightly score the lumber with a skill saw and screw it down with round head screws or use taper head screw, use a tapered punch to flare the holes and sink them flush. You could likley get the sheet metal shop to punch them and flare the holes if you provided the exact dimensions for the holes.

 

[SARG]

How about putting down some sacrificial plywood when you know your going be hauling dirt or gravel ?

 

[dstig1]

How about putting down some sacrificial plywood when you know your going be hauling dirt or gravel ?

Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Make it permanent if that is a common use for that trailer.

 

[Skyco]

I used to save old poly tarps when they got weathered to throw on the trailer floor when hauling somehting that would dribble through the gaps.
Now I have a steel floored dump trailer as well so no longer an issue- except sand would dribble out through the tailgate gap. Put rubber/foam weather stripping around the tailgate to fix that.... but now I have to remember to unlatch the tailgate so I don't collect rainwater when its parked empty..

 

[SandburRanch]

There has been a product on the market for several years called DUCK TAPE. I've found it isn't all created equal so for your application you may want to consider a better grade.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Tek Supply sells all kinds of plastic material in sheet or roll form. Glue/screw something down over the boards. As an added benefit, sticky material would unload easier I would think?

 

[56FordGuy]

Different wood?

When I was working on semi trucks, I had to replace a few trailer floors. The trailers I worked on had very heavy duty tongue and groove type flooring. That might work for you.