Rotten Trailer Boards

[RanchMan]

<font color=blue>Maybe I should throttle back a bit. I think RanchMan would say forget it.</font color=blue>

Yup. (am I that predictable? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif]

I agree with em14. You have the very real possibility of doing more harm than good with that stuff.

I have a Jeep that I had the tub sprayed with <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.diamondliners.com/>Diamondliner</A>. Yes it looks nice. Yes it has some benefits. Yes it has drawbacks (including rust due to the inability for H20 to escape readily when sucked up into cracks/crevices & such from the underside due to capilary action).

In addition, I'll pick on Rhino liner a second - basically over time it will deteriorate and if anything you have "rubs" on it, the pigment of the Rhino liner will transfer to your item. e.g. I've seen plenty of times when new lumber from the store comes out of the pickup bed with black marks created solely from the rino liner pigment.

Lastly, forgetting the positive traction of some spray on liners in the wet (some brands actually get worse with regards to being "slickery"), it won't help much with ice. Remember that anything solidly frozen over is just that - a sheet of ice. Doesn't matter what the material is underneath (sandpaper, concrete, wood, steel, whatever) - if there is a solid sheet of ice on it, the frictional coefficient is the same, so then your liner does absolutely nothing for you.

I understand your extremely concerned about rust and also understand that you want to do everything in your power to prevent it. I'm just saying that based on what I've seen over the years and my trailer, I've never seen it to be anywhere near the problem you're concerned about.

Your trailer should last a long, long time with a minimum of maintenance on the bed. Just keep her clean (wash off mud, road salts, etc. that can retain H20/corrode metal) and it'll give you years of reliable service.

 

[OkieG]

Hey Mr. Predictable (AKA RanchMan),

The additional brace got welded in place yesterday, and I sprayed the underside of the trailer with some brown Rustoleum primer. I feel better having the bare metal coated with something.

Your and Leo's take on bedliner spray is appreciated. I think I will let go of the plan to seal the edges.

As I was nosing through my box of spray paint cans yesterday, I noticed I had a can of Anti-Slip spray. I was thinking I could mask a couple strips about a foot or so wide where the tractor tires go and spray the Anti-Slip. If it works, it would not only improve traction, but will mark the desired placement for the ramps (which I usually have to adjust once or twice before they are lined up right). I have one can, but can't recall that I have ever used it for anything, so I don't know how well it works. Anyway, it's an idea. What do you think?

OkieG

 

[RanchMan]

Howdy OkieG.

Something you might also want to do since you already sprayed primer on your trailer's belly is go ahead and hit it again with some paint to "seal the deal."

Since primer is designed to create a surface with a higher frictional coefficient so that paint will "stick," the downside is that everything else will stick as well. /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif Unfortunately primer really doesn't seal things up very well and moisture can still get through, and since most primers recommend that you paint over them within a couple of weeks, your time frame is a little limited. (I'm no auto paint "expert," although I've painted lots of things in the past including a Jeep and a trailer.)

Interesting idea on the "traction spray", and although you could certainly try it, for traction for the tires of your tractor, I really don't think it's necessary. (I've loaded/unloaded my tractor & my Jeep on my steel bed trailer while it was raining and never had anything slip or slide - although there was certainly some squeaking where the rubber met the "road.")

I could see where it may be more useful for improving traction for pedestrian use, although a good set of shoes designed for slick surfaces should work just as well and prevent you from having to guess where to make your traction strips.

You could also use some regular spray paint and mask off some little "markers" on the bed for ramp placement. Something else to help on the width part of the rams is that you can get a stick (old broom handle, 2x2, whatever) and cut it to length so that it just fits between the ramps when they are at the "perfect" width for your tractor. When it's time to load, set up your ramps and put the stick between the ramps at the trailer, adjust, then move it to the ground between the ramps and do the same thing. Works great and avoids having to deal with any numbers from the tape measure. You can create different "spacing sticks" for different items you load on a regular basis - just make sure to label each of them so you pick up the correct one before your outing! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

Glad to hear about the braces. They'll certainly help you in the long run. I suspect you'll be really happy with your new rig once you start to use it on a regular basis.

 

[OkieG]

RanchMan,

It's not uncommon to see cars on the road that are someone's project inbetween stages of being painted. They will have quarter panels or hoods with gray automotive primer on them. The intention is to finsih with paint, but it seems like the primer is as far as it gets...or maybe that's just the impression I get.

I never thought a coat of primer wouldn't protect the metal well. But, you are probably right. The Rustoleum primer can doesn't give a "you must paint over the primer within...x weeks" parameter, so maybe I have a little time. But I had better plan on spraying a coat of paint before the weather gets too bitter.

That ought to finsih off the underside. Then, the underside will be looking a bunch better than the top side! I may wait 'til Spring to tackle painting the top side.

OkieG

 

[RanchMan]

OkieG -

Yep. See that around here too. 'Course I see cars every so often where the owner didn't smooth/sand the bondo as they're supposed to and the side of their car looks like a 3 yr. old filled the dent with Play-Doh!

I agree with you and think a lot of folks "run out of steam" and get impatient or tired of messing with it and just give up. Painting a car is a LOT of work (at least for me it has been!) 'Course the folks who do a good job, well, you'll never know they did anything!

Can't promise anything, but I figure you're probably right and have a few weeks with that primer you used, although again, moisture may very well penetrate down to the metal and cause rust bubbles down the line under your paint. (It depends on the type of primer being used - some offer *some* moisture protection while others actually absorb moisture and therefore specifically state not to wet sand them during the refinishing process.)

Generally you don't see the "x weeks" type of comments until you get into the stuff (i.e. paint) that you have to mix with reducer and put into a spray gun, which it sounds like you're avoiding anyway. (That raises a pretty big safety thing too, well, if you care about your lungs and your neurological health, that is. /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif)

Don't know if you're interested or not, but there's a pretty good book that goes into a lot of detail on all this stuff by David Jacobs (ISBN: 0879385235) - "How to Paint Your Car". (Pretty original title, huh? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif)

It's not the only auto paint book I have, but it goes in to a lot of detail and is actually kindof interesting, if you like that kind of stuff that is. It's probably overkill for what you're doing, but if nothing else it may offer something to read before bedtime.

 

[JBX]

Replaced the boards on my own 16' flatbed trailer a month ago. From experience, I used treated 2X8's, and where I cut the ends, I sprayed the ends using a spare can of oil-based spray paint. The cut ends will absorb moisture like a sponge and that is where the wood starts to rot. Some call it "dry rot" but is is actually "wet rot". You don't have to paint the boards all over, just the ends that have been cut.
As you spray paint on them, watch how the wood grain soaks up the paint! Spray it on till the wood won't soak any more paint. The paint would then block the water from being similarly soaked into the wood.

Your boards should last many years if treated this way.

 

[OkieG]

happy,

I wish I had done that to the boards when my trailer was new. The boards were not pressure treated, but still would probably have lasted much longer if the ends had been sealed. I will know for next time.

OkieG

 

[OkieG]

RanchMan,

Thanks for the tip on the book. I love those "how to..." books. After work, I picked up a gallon of Rustoleum to paint the trailer top and bottom (except for the top of the bed which was just painted). Hopefully, the weather will hold up and I can get the job done this week.

OkieG

 

[RanchMan]

We've been really lucky in N. Texas the past week. It had rained for 15 out of 18 days /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif, but then stopped and it has been sunny, warm (70+) and dry for over a week. Maybe you'll have the same luck with weather for your painting chores so you can get 'em out of the way before it cools off to much. Good luck!

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>It had rained for 15 out of 18 days , but then stopped and it has been sunny, warm (70+) and dry for over a week.</font color=blue>

Yep, I got over 8.25" of rain down on the farm in October, and more the first few days of November, but it quit just in time for us to have perfect weather for moving to town the 5th./w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif