Tractor decking - White Oak vs. Pressure Treated

[ponytug]

@HawkinsHollow If you do go the pressure treated route, I would strongly suggest UC4B or higher pressure treated wood. If you cut any of the boards or put fasteners in, I would retreat with copper naphethate.

https://www.culpeperwood.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Use_Category_Standards.pdf

And

https://preservedwood.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/PT_CStandards.pdf

Modern pressure treated wood, for better and worse, is not arsenic and chromate filled, so it needs more help than older varieties. Regardless, the pressure treatment is only in the outside 1/4" or so of the wood, and any cracks larger than an 1/8" or so in the future will need to be addressed.

All the best,

Peter

 

[oldballs]

Maybe it depends on what one is hauling. My 12 foot industrial Skid Steer Hauler came with Linseed oiled white Oak. I hauled a lot of gravel from the quarry....some dirt and some rock. I can't saythat the OE deck lasted any longer than the PT 2x6 x12 replacement decks (two deck replacement in 25 years). I did brush on Boiled Linseed oil at least once ....sometimes twice per year. It sits out in the sun all the time.

Cheers,
Mike