How to protect the metal floor of my newdump trailer from my Bobcats metal tracks?

[FatTire]

I have a little experience loading a snowcat with aluminum grousers on a tilt flatbed equipment trailer, with wooden decking. Whatever you use, it must be fastened or adhered to the surface tightly. Don't even think about rolling onto a bed mat, stall mat, or whatever that isn't bolted to your trailer's floor, even if it is cut to conform to your inside dimensions. Talk about pucker. For my flat bed I got some 24 inch wide conveyor belt from a farm equipment shop, screwed it to the decking with 1/4 inch lags. After one scary experience, which involved only 2 or 3 inches of actual movement and lasted for probably one second at most, I am adding a pair of 10 foot 4x4's that will run long-wise, just inside the tracks. This is to halt any lateral slide that may occur when loading at a trailhead with any sort of cant. The thing about a cat is you are always working on snow, and its almost always slippery as heck.

 

[FredH]

I put 3 sheets of 1/2" OSB down in My Big Tex . Not painted , When they fall apart , Will like do again . Cheap , Simple to install . Every thing We have put into from gravel , Granite , Wood , Brush , Etc... , Has still dumped with ease . With trailer level , have loaded skids into it without issue , yet it also has a friction to it that stops items from moving .

Fred H.

 

[bitternut]

I put belting on the floor and sides of my 7 x 12 12,000# dump trailer. The side panels are screwed to my side boards. The floor piece is held in place by the four tie down rings. I got the belting from a company that has acres of belting. They have a machine that cuts it to any size you want. They specialize in installing mats in dairy barns. The bottom piece is thicker than the side panels and also has steel belting. It is very tough material and also heavy. I throw firewood in, drop 12' logs in, haul stone and have not done any harm yet to the trailer. I installed the matting right after I got the trailer a couple years ago. I am sure it will outlast the trailer and can be reused for another trailer.

The picture shows a little hump in the center of the bottom mat because I failed to specify maximum tolerance for the width so the mat ended up slightly wider than the inside of the trailer. You know, measure

 

[bdog]

I would use the horse mats. You definitely do not want to spray any type of bed liner on a dump bed. It will make dumping material difficult. We are always fighting dirt sticking to our dump beds and trying to make the floor slicker.

 

[Todd727]

You could simply fasten a couple of 2x8 or 2x6 runners at the track width of the SS. Everything will still dump. Easily replaceable once you tear them up.

 

[varmint]

Hey bitternut- your homemade log splitter looks interesting!

 

[bitternut]

How do you mean interesting Varmit? If you mean old and crude it sure is that. I made that thing over 35 years ago. Its probably older than half the members on this forum. Some day it will get updated with a couple of accessory features if I ever get around to it.