Need advice on replacing a few boards on my trailer , oak or pine

[Soundguy]

I looked around for a cheap coating for the boards on my new trailer (that I used for gravel numerous times this summer (unloaded with my bucket scrapping) so I found the cheapest thing was a gallon of driveway sealer, $12.00 ..one gallon spread with a roller covered my 14 foot landscape trailer . I will let you know how it lasts the winter. It looked like the original boards were spruce that was spray painted black but maybe they were PT.

i imagine it will work VERY well. It should be very close to the older ( pre acrylic ) asphalt based fence paints.. though the acrylic paints will be better thn nothing.. etc.

Thanks for the reply, Soundguy. Makes a bit of sense, I guess. The thicker material doesn't leach as much. Used motor oil vs. new? Is that where the heavy metals are added? (Sorry for the thread hijack).

aczlan already got ya covered... still way better options than motor oil though....

 

[sparc]

OK, I've got the same problem as the OP and found this thread.
I have one board at the outer edge that when I moved my old Ford tractor I had the rear wheel break through as I was off-loading.
Fortunately it broke right at the back end and being a tilt bed trailer I was almost on the ground with the rear wheel at that point anyway, front wheel was able to clear the hole no problem. But now I need to fix this before I haul anything that large again.

Is consensus that PT pine is the best choice now a days?

Would cypress (not the expensive sinker or reclaimed) or another wood be a viable alternative to PT pine?

Could the added expense be justified for the longevity realized?

Anyone ever used cypress or is it a bad choice.

 

[oldballs]

I found the OE oak to rot fairly soon on the ends where attached to the (tandem equipment hauler) metal frame, even though I had treated it with Linseed oil at least annually if not twice per year. It (oak) probably can carry more weight, but the PT pine is adequate for my needs. Having hauled a lot of AB3 gravel for my projects, I think the PT and the oak rotted sooner than normal. So far in 14 years I have replaced the deck three times with the current formulations of PT pine. From now on I'm not loading anymore gravel at the quarry, so the deck should last till I'm rotted also.

 

[sparc]

Yes, it would seem that the ends of the board being trapped between the steel will take a long time to dry (if ever) and so will rot sooner. My trailer is built the same way, not sure how to deal with it.

Was thinking if the channel at the end could be moved a few inches out then the end of the board would not be trapped on both sides and might last longer, but that would require cutting that piece of channel and welding back in the new location. Not difficult but would take some time for cutting, prep, and welding.

 

[Chilly807]

Seems like a lot of folks here use poplar for truck and trailer decks, barn floors, etc. I've never had a really high opinion of it, thinking it was a "garbage wood" Am I missing something?

One concern I would have with some woods is brittleness. Although hemlock, as an example, is very nearly rot-proof it's quite brittle when it dries. We've used it for stall dividers in the past, and seen it simply shatter when a horse decides he's going to boot it hard.

Oak is heavy, no question. Strength and abrasion resistance is probably the reason it was used. I've never seen pine used for decking on trailers, must be a regional thing? Is it red pine, white pine, ponderosa??

Sean

 

[oldballs]

Yellow Pine, I think.

 

[CaptFerd]

I thought pressure treated would rust the steel. Manufacturer used motor oil to treat them , guess I should have redone them. If pressure treated is ok Lowes has that in my lenght

Built a few pole barns and have always used a rubber strip between the treated lumber and metal to prevent the siding from rusting away.

 

[Ford850]

I would choose treated yellow pine for both strength and rot resistance.
If using oak, be sure to use something from the White Oak family (white, swamp, burr) as it has a closed cell structure and is very weather resistant. Anything from the Red Oak family (red, pin, scarlet) has more open cell structure and decay very fast. White oak family trees have rounded lobes on the leaves. Red oak family tree leaves have pointed lobes.

 

[LD1]

Seems like a lot of folks here use poplar for truck and trailer decks, barn floors, etc. I've never had a really high opinion of it, thinking it was a "garbage wood" Am I missing something?

One concern I would have with some woods is brittleness. Although hemlock, as an example, is very nearly rot-proof it's quite brittle when it dries. We've used it for stall dividers in the past, and seen it simply shatter when a horse decides he's going to boot it hard.

Oak is heavy, no question. Strength and abrasion resistance is probably the reason it was used. I've never seen pine used for decking on trailers, must be a regional thing? Is it red pine, white pine, ponderosa??

Sean

I consider poplar a "junk" wood too. But it technically is a hardwood, and I believe stronger than the pine families. And is pretty weather resistant too. But not nearly as strong and heavy as white oak, which is what I did my trailer with.

Treated pine, like they sell at the box stores, is typical Southern yellow pine. Which is a bit stronger than white pine like most non-treated dimensional lumber. But it still is pine. It is used on trailers down here quite a bit. Mostly on those little landscape trailers like they sell at lowes, and on quite a few car haulers. But jump to the heavy equip trailers, and most all is white oak.

 

[Soundguy]

i personally wouldn't use poplar..i'd use pin first... cost issue.. AND quality issue. that is.. on non dimensional lumber.. on dimensional lumber.. I'd go oak..