Time to re-deck my trailer

[/pine]

If the grain of the wood is oriented properly....

for longevity...always put the "bark edge" to the weather...

i.e., look at the end grain and be sure the grain arches to the elements...also sealing the cut ends with paint or wax etc. will help prevent premature rot.

also you should check...if it was "wolmanized" it may be under warranty

 

[westbrooklawn]

Eddie -

I know you already got your bolts, but are they galvanized? The new pressure treated lumber will eat up any fasteners that are not hot dip galvanized... I found out the hard way with some deck boards that I shot down with electro galvanized nails (not the required hot dip), and 2 years later they are rusting apart. Now would be the time to do it right for the longest life span.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Getting back to installing the boards. The first 3 or 4 you can simply slide in by putting them in crooked then moving them into place with a little tap of the hammer. The last two or three you will have to use the piece of 2x4 on the front axle. The put the front edge of the board in and have a good sized buddy stand on the back side. It will bow the board then a tap of that 2x4 with a sledge to knock it out and it will pop right into place.

Chris

 

[Sackett2]

My trailer had 2x10's in when we got it; the were tightly installed, and had to have a 4" one cut to fit it in the center. The 2x6's fit perfectly allowing for the 1/4 inch gap. also, the at 8' with the seam in the middle- real easy to repair.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for all the great tips. I bought a tube of silicone when I went to Lowes this morning to get the crown nuts. I used it on both sides of the hole, and where the wires hung down while going from side to side for the tail lights, I also siliconed them to the metal frame.

The PT wood was a bit thicker then the wolmanized wood, so I had to sand off the edge of the wood on the front side. The wood has to go into a slot.

I then drilled and bolted the 2x10's to the cross members at three location. Two bolts per cross member. On my first bolt, I realized that the crown nuts were too tight and caused the head of the carriage bolt to spin in the wood. I tried to hold it in place with a pair of vice grips, but did't care for that method. I had already bought regular nuts, so I used them first. One lock washer, the a regular nut, then after that was tight, I added the crown nut. I figured that at the very worst, the crown nut will help lock the standard nut in place.

I thought of loctite, but knew that if I had to tighten up the nuts at a later date, that I'd break the seal on the loctite and have to start all over with it. The bolts, washers and nuts are galvanized. The crown nut is zinc plated. Since the PT wood is above the cross member, the only thing touching it is the bolt. They are 5/16's bolts.

I used two bolts per cross member at three points. Before, there was two self taping screws used per board. Six bolts versus 2 screws.

By the time I was about done, I got to wondering about that angle iron that goes over the ends of the boards. I really wonder what it's advantage is? Does it protect the wood, or does it just hold the wood in place?

What if I put two bolts through the wood and cross member?

I drilled the holes and added the bolts. This gives me 8 bolts per board.

My thinking is that the angle iron catches and holds moisture in it. The trailer is tilted to the back, so when it rains, the water runs down the boards and under the angle iron. This means the end grain is kept wet for longer periods of time then the rest of the wood. Since my wood rotted out from the end grain at the rear of the trailer, I think that the angle iron holds the moisture that caused this problem. If there is no angle iron, then the wood should last allot longer.

I drilled two more holes at the ends of each 2x10 and bolted them to the cross member. That gives me 8 bolts per board.

It's all back together and ready to haul my tractor to the job that I need it at. It wasn't a project that I wanted to do, but it wasn't very difficult either.

Does anybody have a good idea on what I can put on the wood to help it last longer?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[AKfish]

Thompson's water seal does a real good job. 2 minutes to apply and you can use the trailer 5 minutes later.

Re-apply every 2 years. I haven't bought any for the past 5 years or so; but, it didn't use to be very expensive, either.

AKfish

 

[smitty9266]

The reason for the ends attached the way they were along with so few screws is because of the trailers construction. from the Pic it is not of heavy construction you need the ends to slide in the slots when the trailer flexes or you will tear out the bolts or when original, the screws.

Fewer is better...they are there just to keep the boards from blowing out!!! not for strength!!!

Jeff

 

[MikeD74T]

I'm thinking that a shot of silicone in each hole to hold the wires in place would be a good, long term idea to prevent a wire for eventually wearing off the plastic sleeve and shorting itself out. Does anybody disagree with this? Thank you, Eddie

I use silicone to hold trailer wires at every hole the wires pass through and even on intermediates where the wires just lay on a flat spot. Works great & lasts forever. Works good as lockwashers also, just a dab on the bolt end after it's tightened. MikeD74T

 

[Egon]

Surly wish my trailer decking was going as quickly. I'm still waiting for the rain to stop so I finish scaling rust.

Check out wood preservatives that could be used for the ends to help extend the boards life.

 

[weldingisfun]

Eddie, there was a thread run not to long ago on the deck preservative subject. I searched for it but couldn't find the right key words. I used the diesel and used motor oil approach when I last redecked. So far so good. It is not slippery, as you might expect it to be. Also stood my deck boards on end in the mixture for two days to let it soak into the end grains. Too late for you to do that.

Have also used linseed oil and turpentine on a covered livestock trailer. Sure made it look nice. It is holding up well, so far. Costs a lot more than the diesel and used oil method.