Re-decking trailer

Soundguy · May 18, 2013

when i redeck.. after i lay my lumber in, i go in fromt he bottom and drill a pilot hole at each place it was already drileld thru the frame that way my webbing pieces don't turn into swiss cheese.

right angle or flat profile drills are real nice for this.

clemsonfor · May 18, 2013

was thinking about holes in the supports.

Soundguy · May 18, 2013

i too started thinking about this after helping a buddy re deck a used trailer he bought at auction. it had been redecked .. maybee 10 times in it's long life. all the underpinnings looked like it had been in a machinegun fight.

we actually welded in a couple new cross braces because one of them looked unreliable as the web was completely compromised in a couple areas.

crazyal · May 18, 2013

I've used stainless screws with lock nuts on the underside. Like Soundguy, I reuse the hole by drilling from underneath. It's a pain if doing it by yourself. Drill from underneath, go on top to push the bolt through, go back underneath to put the nut on with a wrench wedged on it, and then back top to tighten it up. But when it comes time to replace the deck you can reuse the fasteners.

Oliver1655 · May 19, 2013

Rather than having to crawl under to drill, why can't you drill them out from above before installing the new boards?

jeffinsgf · May 19, 2013

Because he's using the old holes in the frame as pilots so as not to drill any extra holes in the steel. You can do it from above, but there's no chance of hitting the old holes, so now your frame is starting to resemble a Swiss cheese. I'm facing this job myself...like the concept, but I'm not planning on keeping this trailer much longer, so I'll be working from the top.

sklunk · May 20, 2013

Call me extreme, but when I redecked my 16' trailer last year I used carriage bolts (2 bolts in each board where it crosses the support). Drilling the holes in the stringers and boards was a pain this time but now that it's done I can reuse the holes each time I redeck the trailer. When I pull the old boards off I'll just use them as a template for the new board and drill holes in the same place.

Yes the bolts/washers/nuts cost me a little more but they will never break off like the decking screws. And they have the added benefit of being able to climb under the trailer and tighten the nut down if the boards become loose for some reason (shrinkage, warping, etc.)

P.S. -- These are what I used. I was lucky and came across a whole bunch of them on clearance at my local Lowe's:
Phillips II - Lag and Carriage Bolts

Soundguy · May 20, 2013

Oliver1655 said:
Rather than having to crawl under to drill, why can't you drill them out from above before installing the new boards?

to drill from above and be 100% sure to hit the old holes you have to have a perfect template and have no room to scootch the board.

so unless you get lumber that can't / won't shring.. and is the exact same dimension in all the important spots. it's HARD to template or drill from above.

ont he other hand. it's only minldly inconvienient, yet easy to go under and pilot all your holes.. then get to work

at least for me anyway.

i'm not a horse trader.. so i don't buy things.. use them up then sell them to some unsuspecting eprson.

I just keep em and use them till they are worn out.. then scrap them

Oliver1655 · May 23, 2013

I was referring to cleaning out the holes in the frame. I agree once the board are in place you would need to drill from underneath to line up with existing holes. However on a new build I normally will run line across with a straight edge or chalk line & drill from the top. I hate having shavings fall on my face or down my shirt.

Mud Mechanik · May 23, 2013

I just recently redecked my 30' gn, I re-used the original holes by placing the new board in place and reached under the trailer with a can of spray paint to mark the holes, flipped the board over and drilled with no problems. My only concern with the new deck is the corrosion caused by the new pressure treating chemical, both for my trailer and the deck screws.

clemsonfor · May 23, 2013

They make special fasteners for that these days.

crazyal · May 23, 2013

sklunk said:
Call me extreme, but when I redecked my 16' trailer last year I used carriage bolts (2 bolts in each board where it crosses the support). Drilling the holes in the stringers and boards was a pain this time but now that it's done I can reuse the holes each time I redeck the trailer. When I pull the old boards off I'll just use them as a template for the new board and drill holes in the same place.

Yes the bolts/washers/nuts cost me a little more but they will never break off like the decking screws. And they have the added benefit of being able to climb under the trailer and tighten the nut down if the boards become loose for some reason (shrinkage, warping, etc.)

P.S. -- These are what I used. I was lucky and came across a whole bunch of them on clearance at my local Lowe's:
Phillips II - Lag and Carriage Bolts

I had a trailer with carriage bolts once. They weren't stainless and the threads and nut were slightly corroded. The wood had aged so the carriage bolts would just spin when trying to tighten or loosen them. The carriage bolts have a nice clean look to them.

aczlan · May 23, 2013

crazyal said:
I had a trailer with carriage bolts once. They weren't stainless and the threads and nut were slightly corroded. The wood had aged so the carriage bolts would just spin when trying to tighten or loosen them. The carriage bolts have a nice clean look to them.

Angle grinder will take care of that in a hurry.

Aaron Z

Soundguy · May 23, 2013

aczlan said:
Angle grinder will take care of that in a hurry.

Aaron Z

especially if the wood is junk...!!!

aczlan · May 23, 2013

Soundguy said:
especially if the wood is junk...!!!

Why would you be removing the deck if the wood is still good?

Aaron Z

Soundguy · May 23, 2013

exactly! that's my point.. wood will be junk so no problem cutting hte head off the carriage with a grinder.. or torching it.. etc.

aczlan · May 23, 2013

Soundguy said:
exactly! that's my point.. wood will be junk so no problem cutting hte head off the carriage with a grinder.. or torching it.. etc.

I wouldn't torch it (partly because I don't have a torch) as it would probably be faster to just cut the heads off from the top, pull the boards off then knock whats left of the bolts down through the cross members.

Aaron Z

Soundguy · May 23, 2013

angle grinder blades are sure cheaper than O/A too. I usually save mine for cutting or stuck fasteners. .. though in a pince if I only had 1-2 things to knock off.. if my bottles were closer i'd probably use them vs getting an ext cord out.. all depends on what i'm doing. the trialer redeck would be a power tool play day so probably no torch I guess.. unless something hung in the frame maybee..

kebo · May 23, 2013

Diamondpilot said:
Use what came on it.

Do you know the board bowing trick? I redeck 4 or so trailers a year a year and can do one in under a hour. It takes some people 2 days.

Chris

I learned how to redeck my Diamond C clipper trailer. It is a bit of a technique to bow the last few boards to get them to snap in place. Didn't take me two days to do it either!

Diamondpilot · May 24, 2013

kebo said:
I learned how to redeck my Diamond C clipper trailer. It is a bit of a technique to bow the last few boards to get them to snap in place. Didn't take me two days to do it either!

Good deal. Glad it helped.

Chris