Deck treatment

[smoothie17]

Just curious what most people use to treat the wood decking on their equipment trailers? Used wood stain last time on mine and was thinking about just using used motor oil.

Thanks !!!

 

[GBeck]

just using used motor oil

well no S*** ... that works?

 

[KeithInSpace]

I've put on water seal with a roller. Could use a sprayer, too.

I'd hate to get the oil all over my shoes. And then there's the times you need to haul something home from IKEA...cardboard has a way of sucking up oil like quik-dri. I use my tractor to unload mulch/dirt from my trailer and have traction problems as it is. Don't think the oil would help.

Personally, I wouldn't do the oil thing. Good thought, but lots of drawbacks.

 

[john_bud]

well no S*** ... that works?

Yeah, it works great. Been used by farmers and equipment operators since equipment first started dripping! Mix used motor oil or used hydraulic fluid with diesel (25% or so) and it will penetrate into the wood nicely. It goes in deep and doesn't cause an issue with oily transfer (but I don't transport boxes or other non-equipment things!). Your only cost is for a low nap roller.

jb

 

[Highbeam]

I used woodstain last time left over from a fence project and it looks very nice. It is also an oil though and was slippery at first. I have also added a significant dose of hydraulilc oil to the middle of my wood deck due to an accidental rapid filter removal and after the initial week or so, the oil mess was not slippery.

Perhaps I will try the used engine oil trick. That's a 75% oil to 25% diesel mix, correct? Also the red dye in my off road diesel should add some color! Any harm in using a good ol' paint brush?

 

[Bentwrench]

I have an old trailer I built in '87 and it still has the original wood floor. The only thing I have ever used is used diesel motor oil. This trailer sits outside 95% of the time. Usually give it a good soaking in the late fall since it isn't used as much in the winter and it is soaked into the wood real good by spring.
I just pour alittle on at a time and spread it around with an old push broom.

 

[MarkLeininger]

You can apply whatever you're using with a garden sprayer. I worked for a concrete contractor for awhile, we took all the used motor oil from the trucks and strained it through cheesecloth, then sprayed it on concrete forms as a release agent. Can't see why it wouldn't work on a deck, better at getting in nooks and crannies.

 

[bigdad]

We sprayed our old motor oil on our trencher chains and switch plates on the railroad. We had to stop as the oil is full of carsnagens. We could pour all of the new oil we wanted but the used stuff was forbidden.

 

[Iowachild]

Just curious what most people use to treat the wood decking on their equipment trailers? Used wood stain last time on mine and was thinking about just using used motor oil.

Thanks !!!

Pennsylvania crude oil works great, but it's hard to get outside PA!

 

[treefarmer391]

Just picked up a new CAM Superline 18' Warrior with hemlock deck. Used some old Cupernol clear #20 and topped it off with a thinned out leftover Cabot grey deckstain.

 

[Foothill Rancher]

My uncle used motor oil on all our corrals and chutes, withstood 45 yrs of beating sun and pouring rain, just starting to replace them now, some of the boards are still good.

 

[klm]

I have used used motor oil and a paint brush for years on my trailer decks, after a week in the sun it goes right in. We used it on hayframes, corrals and loading chutes and other stuff when I was growing up.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I like the used motor oil idea. Cheap, easy, effective... what more could I ask for.

If nothing else it will make my tractor leaks less noticeable.

 

[KubotaSam]

Untreated the planks on my trailer were failing within 5 years. Now I use the used motor oil and diesel 75/25 %. It works great.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm changing my tractor oil in the next couple of days and dry weather is in the forecast. I have a bunch of red dyed off road diesel to help tint the black oil into something wonderful. So I guess I'll lay it on thick and let it soak in.

 

[Highbeam]

Okay so I did it. I removed the black engine oil from my tractor. Then poured 3/4 gallon into a cleaned 1 gallon paint can. Walked to off road diesel barrel and added the remaining 1/4 gallon. I stirred the two together though they seemed to mix readily without stirring.

I applied about 80% of the gallon over the entire deck of my 18' long PJ trailer with pressure treated 2x8 lumber and a dovetail. It went on very easily and was very black. It hasn't dried yet but the color was not brown or red, it was black. I imagine that the black color is the soot from the diesel oil so if you had cleaner oil, the color wouldn't be so dark.

Anyway, the kids can't play on it for a while.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I think you will be very happy with the results. I give all my used diesel oil to may friend with 6 acres of pasture enclosed with split rail fence. His looks great. Just don't lean against it in good clothes. Keep your kids off the trailer of they will track the oil in on your carpet and ruin clothes. Then you will have to deal with the WIFE!

Chris

 

[crashz]

I wonder if you did the same thing with brown hydraulic oil, if it would look like nicely stained wood. I've got 3 gallons of used hydraulic that was going to go to a frined with a used oil furnace. Maybe I'll save it from my new trailer...

Question for you guys using oil on the decks: Does the wood stay slick and slippery? When it rains, does the rain draw the oil out and wash away, leaving an oil sheen in its path? We have small stream a few hundred yards away that I'll really like to keep clean.

 

[Bentwrench]

If you put it on lightly and watch an area you will be able to tell how heavy you can coat it. I've never had an issue with being slick, unless it rains when I first put it on ! I just pull my trailers up on the gravel give them a good coating, if you do them in the morning on a sunny day you'll be surprised at how much will soak in by the end of the day.
Don't just dump on so much that is running off the sides and you won't have any problems.

 

[rimshot]

I wonder if you did the same thing with brown hydraulic oil, if it would look like nicely stained wood. I've got 3 gallons of used hydraulic that was going to go to a frined with a used oil furnace. Maybe I'll save it from my new trailer...

Question for you guys using oil on the decks: Does the wood stay slick and slippery? When it rains, does the rain draw the oil out and wash away, leaving an oil sheen in its path? We have small stream a few hundred yards away that I'll really like to keep clean.

===============

If the oil/fuel oil mix works for you and your happy than we're all happy. For me, I'll spend an extra $15 or $20 bucks and get a can of Thompson's or grab a bucket of Olympic deck stain in semi tranparent, slap it on and call it good.

My wife hates dirt and there's a nine in ten chance I would get fingered as the guilty party solely responsible for the diesel oil smelling black splotch on the kitchen floor. You can pick up one of those rough riders (might be spelled Ruff Rider)

While on the subject. The best way to wash this stuff on a wood deck IMHO is with a Rough Rider deck brush. These things are angled just right with lots of scrubbing and absorbent stiff brush strands. You just dip the tip in a roller tray full while standing upright by attaching a wood threaded handle. The brushes rectangular surface transfers enough product to the wood deck to coat a large area before re fueling. Just scrub the wood with the brush once or twice to soak in and seal and you are movin on.

rimshot