16'/18' Car Hauler decks

[clemsonfor]

Clemsonfor,I guess when this trailer was built they must have used cheaper untreated boards and painted them when they painted the trailer.The trailer sat in the guys pasture year round since he hauled his new tractor home. it may have 200 miles on it he said.Looked good untill I started using it and seemed to have places of rot.I had to nail plywood on to hold my tractor untill I get the new floor on.I know how oak roughcut will last,but will need bolted down.I have never had a treated board floor,surely it would last quite a while.The floor on it is not bolted, just flat steel across each end.

Yea some of the real economy trailers use untreated floor to save $30-50 but the problem is if not kept under a shed they will rot!

A guy i use to work with bought one without a treated floor? He is a forester/builder/master wood worker, i have no idea why he did not get treated floor board? Maybe he had a place to store it under cover, didnt matter as he has the skill and ability to replace it, but i would think it would be cheaper to pay the extra at first for the treated as you technically buy the untreated wood then at replacement time you have to now buy all treated wood for it, instead of at first just paying the differential of the treated wood at first.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I like wood. Do not like full gates or fold up ramps. My trailer has slide in ramp. I do not care for the Dove-Tail either. My trailer also has a wood deck, dont care for metal.

As you can see this is what I like. Your needs may be different but there are pros and cons to each type.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

i bought a flatbed with untreated wood once. wood lasted less than 2 ys.. the treated wood I put on it is 8-9 ys old now.. ( painted it with asphalt fence paint too )

soundguy

 

[Diamondpilot]

My wood deck trailer is 9 years old and looks virtually new.

Buying used is 9 times out of 10 a loosing battle. Look at the cost of a new deck, new tires, new brakes, new bearings, new lights, ect and it becomes clear quickly how buying new is usually the better deal in the long run.

Just something I have learned in my 20 years in the trailer business.

Chris

 

[deepNdirt]

My wood deck trailer is 9 years old and looks virtually new.

Buying used is 9 times out of 10 a loosing battle. Look at the cost of a new deck, new tires, new brakes, new bearings, new lights, ect and it becomes clear quickly how buying new is usually the better deal in the long run.

Just something I have learned in my 20 years in the trailer business.

Chris

with this last trailer I traded for I tend to have to agree with your statement to some point
However with many of the 20+ used trailers I've purchased in the past, I must say I came out very good cost wise with them having minimum if any repairs at all, compared to having bought a new one, some were more of choice to make modifications rather than repairs, Actually of all trailers I've owned I only purchased but one brand new, My Enclosed Cargo Craft work trailer, I've had it now for about 13 years and have had to repair/weld it more times than any other used one in the past, So basically the point I'm making is if you own a trailer New or used you will eventually need to make some sort of repair to it, the extent and cost may vary,
but having pay the cost of a repair of lets say $500 on a used trailer paying 750.00 for is still much less than having pay for the same repair cost down the road on the purchase of a New 2-3-k trailer which we all know eventually becomes a "Used trailer" just a few years after purchase

 

[Diamondpilot]

That is great if you can get a trailer dirt cheap. Around here people seem to want 80% for a beat to shat trailer that is 20 years old of what a new one would cost.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

same here...used trailer of same size and type as new.. with a small markdown..

 

[earljr59]

Good comments and suggestions from all.Helped me decide to buy the treated boards instead of the sawmill oak.This trailer will mainly move my little tractor,not anything of size.The trailers I have built and sold over the years were all oak or steel floored.As far as I know all are still original floors in use. I failed to mention this trailer was part of a dealer package that came with the new to me ck25 I bought about a year ago.Since the guy I bought the tractor from did not need it with no tractor,he included it with the deal. His back surgery prevented him from enjoying either one any longer.Sad to see as I have been a friend for years. And Soundman , what is asphalt fence paint? Thanks guys.

 

[homeputter]

That is what I have been running into here also. Even trashed trailers are priced too high. I have started to look at new trailers with needed options - like PT wood, spare tires, bulldog hitch, 5' ramps, permanent plates, etc to see if the used prices are reasonable. Most of them seem to be asking near-new prices ("save on the 9.4% sales tax").

I did find out AZ is one of the states where you can request smaller, motorcycle size, plates.

Appreciate all the input.

 

[rkeith]

I have a wood deck on my car hauler. I'm going to either use a water sealer on it or paint it with something like the paint used in garages that have the particles in it so you can have a non-slick surface.