Rotten Trailer Boards

[Soundguy]

Wood is stronger than steel, ( per unit weight, factoring in span) generally speaking, though there is quite a volume difference. However other factor suf as abrasion, and environmental differences effect wood more so than metal.... lots of trade-offs.

Ever notice that most heavy equipment flatbeds you see are wood lined... Also helps with slippage.

 

[Rockdog]

Just had the same problem myself on a 20 ft. trailer. The painted wood that was on there rotted out in 4 years. Cost me $186(on sale at Menards) for pressure treated wood and about $5 for carriage bolts(had to drill out some of the old bolts). Another $15 for a good deck board sealer. Put 2 coats on top and 1 on bottom. It's the same principle as your outsdie deck. It, pressure treated, will last for years if you spend 1/2 hours seal coating it in the spring and fall. I wished I had known about the steel option but oh well.

Good Luck, Jerry

 

[em14]

I would think that a good Pressure Treatment should last a very long time ... much longer than just a few years and not need to be painted (other than perhaps appearance -- it looks to me like it would be better to treat than paint or even to stain ... what does everyone think about that) ... I think there are several reasons wood is used on equipment trailers .. the wood absorbs shock from equipment without permanent deformation, it is a softer material than metal and therefore "grabs and holds" a steel Dozier Pad (Doziers can still slide off the side if you don't secure them well ... seen that happen) as well as the rubber tires of tractors, it has a better coefficient of friction, it's very strong and durable, you can toe nail chock blocks so they can be used at almost any place on the bed, and it is relatively easy to replace if damaged. Having said that ... hauling small rock is another story and you must cover the "holes" between the boards or just loose rock untill the rock closes the holes ...

 

[OkieG]

Leo,

My father-in-law is a career farmer and occasionally gives me little tips and observations from a lifetime on the farm. On his last visit he asked why I painted the boards on my trailer bed. I painted them white...to look nice. He said painted wood deteriorates faster than non-painted wood. Paint will crack and peel and allow moisture to be trapped between the loose paint and wood which hastens rot.

I'm not sure if his "tip" is completely true, but I bet wood treated with wood sealer will last longer than painted wood, especially on a flat, horizontal trailer bed where water wants to puddle anyway.

You know, this thread has been very informative for me. It seems like both PT and steel both have strong advocates among the TBN stalwarts. The ONE aspect that all seem to agree on is that each has good longevity.

Everytime a read a pro-steel post I say...yeah, steel!! Then I read a pro-PT post and think lumber is the best way to go. Obviously, I have yet to make up my mind, but my original question about long bed life seems like it won't be a problem either way.

OkieG

 

[gcarrolls]

Cheaper to replace the whole trailer than a few PT boards? I do not know where ya'll live but my 16' trailer cost $1800 new and I bought it for $800 five yrs used. I replaced the 6 2x12's for $20 each.I do live right behind Coastal Lumber Company's mill but I still have to drive 30 miles to Home Depot to buy the stuff retail.How much is a PT 2x12x16 sell for at your local hardware store?Maybe I need to start buying trailers in your area and refurbing them and selling them in mine.Oh I love the smell of fresh terpentine in the morning.For those of you who do not know it comes from Southern Yellow Pine sap.Loblolly pines as far as the eye can see around my place. Maybe that is why they are cheap here?

 

[OkieG]

I've decided that longevity is pretty much a non-issue with either PT or steel, thanks to all the posts on this thread. Thanks, for everyone's input.

The various advantages and drawbacks of PT vs steel are not so compelling for my useage to sway me one way or the other. In other words, I think I would be happy with either one.

Last week I called the steel yard for prices. I also asked about availability, but they didn't have 4 sheets in stock. Then, I shopped Home Depot for PT. I looked at 2x10s which sold for about $15 for a 16' length. It takes 8 pieces to cover the trailer bed, ie about $120 worth. Maybe I'm just too picky, but I couldn't find close to 8 good quality boards. I must admit I got tired of looking before I got to the bottom of the pile.

Four sheets of steel costs $252 plus tax. PT costs $120 plus tax. The trailer shop might install the PT for $40 if I supply the lumber, but I didn't ask since I couldn't find decent boards on my visit to Home Depot. I maybe could have found good boards at Lowe's or elsewhere, but I get tired real fast looking for good boards in a stack of construction grade lumber.

Anyway, I took the easy way out. The steel yard got a shipment yesterday. I bought 4 sheets today and dropped them and the trailer off at the shop. Tearing off the old boards and installing the steel sheets is $40. It should be ready to pick up in a day or two. The installer said he would even paint the bed for free... as long as black paint was OK with me. Heck, black is fine (my trailer is red). I don't usually color coordinate too well anyway.

OkieG

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Black & red is a good combination. Just add some black pinstriping to your fenders and siderails and you're all set. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Besides, with a black trailer floor snow will come off better in winter and you can match the paint more easily when you add your D-rings. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

One piece of advice on that; When you get your trailer back, load whatever you'll haul most commonly and center it just where you want it. Then attach your straps or chains to the load and take the loose end and pull them to where you'd ideally like to attach them. Mark those spots and you'll know where to install at least some of your D-rings.


Good luck with your "new" trailer. Take a picture before you send her in to the shop so we can see 'Before & After' shots here.

 

[em14]

I'm curious ... Will your cross bed supports be close enough to carry the load or are you going to beef the sub structure up ... steel sheet cannot carry a large semi concentrated load and will stretch and bend over time ... unless the steel is fairly thick ... also, is your steel bed going to be flush with the side rails like the timber was? ... I'm sure that the shop who is going to install it would check that ... Unfortunately , it looks like you almost need to use "scaffold grade" wood to get good stuff from many of these places now days or find a good lumber yard .. timber just isn't what it use to be ... good luck with your "new" trailer ...

 

[Corm]

I've never had good luck getting decent lumber from any of the big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes. I have much better luck dealing with a lumber yard. When I needed some 20 foot PT 2x8's for the trailer I built two years ago, I went to my local lumber yard and ordered them (they didn't have 20 footers in stock). When I ordered them I told the owner that for the $$ he was charging me, I wanted every piece to be as straight as an arrow. They were.

As another poster mentioned, I'd also be concerned about the steel deck being supported well enough. I've seen quite a few steel deck trailers with bowed decks... Personally, IMHO, I think a wooden deck looks better, and is lots less slippery. Good luck with your new deck. Let us know how you make out with it. Pictures are always nice..../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Corm

 

[Steven]

I agree, I never buy lumber at home depot or other similar stores. I go to my local lumber yard find what i want put it in the truck and away I go. never have to look the piles over the lumber is always first rate. the best part is you do not have to load a cart then load it in the truck, it goes straight to the truck no second handling.