Unexpected new project: What round for Trailer Deck?

[FTG-05]

Did this with my tractor yesterday.

Fortunately, it was while I was a) taking it off and b) done in by the front tire (vs. the rear).

Given the pics, it's time to replace the deck. Obvious answer is obvious: PT wood from the local HD. Are there less obvious answers?

Pics:

What does this wood look like to you:

 

[Firemanbuck]

Well, a less obvious answer would be to fell a tree, cut the 2x6s yourself, fabricate a kiln, dry them, pressure treat them and then install them. :laughing:

The quick and easy route is to go to HD, get the lumber and install it. Your choice.

 

[D2Cat]

Call your local saw mill and see what they sell. Probably 1" thick oak. If it's' green clamp it with a bar clamp and use carriage bolts to secure it. When the wood cures it will leave a gap of about 1/2" between the boards, but the boards last longer because they don't hold water and other trash.

 

[EddieWalker]

There are different grades of Pressure Treating, and there are better wood types out there, but the cost makes them all prohibitive. I've use Yellow Wood brand pressure treated wood and didn't think it was any different then any of the other brands out there. I have two lumber yards to buy from and four supply houses, including Home Depot and Lowes in my area. I do not see an advantage to any of them over any of the others.

Try to pick out the driest boards that you can find. Lighter means dryer. And then install them right away. The longer this sit, the more likely they are to twist on you.

Ideally, to get the boards to last as long as possible, it needs to be stored under a roof. I don't have that options right now, so I keep it at as steep of an angle that I can so the water and leaves don't pile up on it.

 

[RNeumann]

The chain lumber stores/home stores are famous for selling the cheapest grade PT wood. I’d skip them and find the lumber yard that sells to contractors and home builders.


Heed Eddie’s advice

The other option is steel.......but why!?!? Good wood will last years.

 

[oosik]

I see ads on the local TV - the local lumber yards are going to start stocking Yellow Wood. I would use it.

 

[TractorGuy]

Might want to price having it redone in tread plate.

In Contact with Treated Wood | American Galvanizer's Association

 

[Gary Fowler]

That wood did not look rotten or aged to me. Likely just poor quality lumber or maybe too thin to hold the weight you put on it. If you are looking to refloor it, go with thicker lumber and grade A quality.

 

[Mendonsy]

Another thing you could do is to add two rows of 2x12's lengthwise on top of the decking where the tractor wheels travel to increase the load capacity. It looks like the span between the steel supports is a bit too much for the thickness of the deck and the weight you are hauling.

 

[3Ts]

In reference to the information in the link:

In Contact with Treated Wood | American Galvanizer's Association

There are more options than this implies. The statement about ACQ is true, so watch the fastener boxes that state they are ACQ compatible. There are some ceramic coatings on fasteners now that work very well, and maybe even better than HDG. HDG and Stainless are not the only ACQ compatible options.

 

[FTG-05]

That wood did not look rotten or aged to me. Likely just poor quality lumber or maybe too thin to hold the weight you put on it. If you are looking to refloor it, go with thicker lumber and grade A quality.

I showed pics to show what I think is the problem: It's not PT lumber. Just regular wood painted to look like PT.

Supposedly a cost cutting trick by trailer manufacturers.

 

[FTG-05]

Another thing you could do is to add two rows of 2x12's lengthwise on top of the decking where the tractor wheels travel to increase the load capacity. It looks like the span between the steel supports is a bit too much for the thickness of the deck and the weight you are hauling.

What I planned to do was add 2x2 angle underneath where the tractor sits during transport and 2x6 PT screwed cross ways between the steel supports.

I'm also going to check and see if I can use rough cut 2x lumber and treat it myself vs.regular PT lumber. I have two sawmills in the area.

 

[D2Cat]

I've used rough cut lumber on trailers. 2" thick is really just adding more weight, and not required unless you're hauling a very heavy machine.

I helped a friend redo his stock trailer and he got 2" oak from the saw mill. It was a 6'x12' and I think he cut back his ability to haul 1 cow because of all that weight!

I used full 1" oak (actually about 1 1/4") on a trailer I hauled a 6,000# trencher on for 25 years before one board split. I would dump drained motor oil on the wood in the summer when the temp. was in the 90's and spread it with an old paint brush. Sometimes I would get linseed oil from the county recycle bin and pour on it. That's it for maintenance.

 

[PILOON]

Also there are different grades or qualities of 'pressure treated' wood.
One grade exists that gov't's use for piers and docks.

Then again there is the specific wood (generally pine) but most often the 'competitively priced' is grey pine which IMO is simply a tad better than balsam.

Then comes the actual 'treating' process.

Dry wood actually PRESSURE treated is done so in a kiln like atmosphere.

The lowest grade will be green and dunked in a vat and as such there is very little penetration or absorption, your first saw cut will demonstrate what I mean.
A good grade will be colored thru and thru (as the sawdust will show) and also will be very hard.
The cheap stuff will probably bind your saw blade with plain wood colored sawdust.

Shucks I suspect some treatment 'vats' are even water filled with but a token amount of chemical on the top surface,

Being cheap, I used the big box variety of PT but then every year or two I slosh on a gallon or so of treatment liquid hoping to prolong my deck. I also park at an angle to let water drain out.

 

[s219]

I just redid a small trailer and used ground-contact rated 2x lumber (I used 2x10 since it worked out the best). Home Depot had some, and it was the first time I had seen them carry ground-contact in anything but posts. If you can find that it's a good option.

I was also glad to see that Lowes and HD carry self-tapping 1/4-20 screws for screwing into structural metal. These were identical to the screws that were on the trailer's original decking, except these new ones are rated for treated lumber. The original screws were raw steel and had rusted badly over the years. Some had rusted away to about 1/8" diameter!

 

[FTG-05]

I just redid a small trailer and used ground-contact rated 2x lumber (I used 2x10 since it worked out the best). Home Depot had some, and it was the first time I had seen them carry ground-contact in anything but posts. If you can find that it's a good option.

I was also glad to see that Lowes and HD carry self-tapping 1/4-20 screws for screwing into structural metal. These were identical to the screws that were on the trailer's original decking, except these new ones are rated for treated lumber. The original screws were raw steel and had rusted badly over the years. Some had rusted away to about 1/8" diameter!

Good point about the fasteners, I was going to ask about that. What do you recommend, specifically?

The good news abut my fasteners are that they are uncoated and rusted as all get out. I hope they all snap the first time I put an impact driver on them.

Thanks,

 

[fried1765]

I see ads on the local TV - the local lumber yards are going to start stocking Yellow Wood. I would use it.

"Yellow Wood".....is actually, "Yella Wood", a brand name.
It is Southern yellow pine, that is pressure treated.

 

[s219]

Good point about the fasteners, I was going to ask about that. What do you recommend, specifically?

The good news abut my fasteners are that they are uncoated and rusted as all get out. I hope they all snap the first time I put an impact driver on them.

Thanks,

I used some like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Teks-14-x-3-in-Phillips-Drive-Sheet-Metal-Screws-40-Count/3327744

They have different sizes and lengths. The ones I got had a beige painted finish and were OK for treated lumber.

 

[mrmikey]

Rough hardwood would be my choice. Remember PT wood is corrosive to steel so be aware of that and the steel framing.........Mike

 

[davedj1]

There is something to be said for a good quality stain or wood preservative. PT is probably the most over used product on the market. As long as the wood is above grade and can air out there really is no reason to use it as long as you are willing to maintain it.
I had a Big Tex car hauler that had some sort of "treated" lumber on it, in a short couple of years it was rotted from underneath to the point where I fell through it!:shocked: One problem I see is that trailers (most smaller ones) are very close to the ground and depending on where you park it they may not get dried out underneath. I have a 4 year old Leonard car trailer now with no signs of decay on the PT decking but it's kept in a drier and sunnier location than the Big Tex was. I had a steel deck and that rusted out as well.