Trailer decking

[orezok]

My trailer is getting on to 9 years old and the deck needs replacing. It seems that most trailers come with 2x6 decking, but is there any reason why 2x8 or 2x10 wouldn't work?

 

[Egon]

Wider the planks the more they cost.

 

[CosperTractor]

I don't see any reason not to use wider planks other than width warping.
Donald

 

[Diamondpilot]

My trailer uses 2x12's as most do in my parts. I would bet 90% of the ones I work on are this way.

Chris

 

[TedBell]

I re-decked using the same size (2x6) so I could use the drilled out holes already in the trailer frame. Many people will just use self-tapping screws to attach the deck without re-using the same holes though.

I also borrowed DiamondPilot's 'fat buddy' trick to place down the decking and avoid cutting into the frame. I did it solo so I had to modify the procedure but it worked out well. My trailer is 6.5 x 10.

 

[jel1988]

2*6 is the most common decking material and most cost effective. It will cup less than wider lumber hence more resistant to surface checking and splitting. I hope I never have to replace the decking on my trailer as it was nailed through the steel cross members with a powder actuated tool (hilti gun).

 

[Texasmark]

Mine was the other way. Came new with non treated 2x10's. I wanted treated wood and 2x6s were available and reasonably priced so that's what's on there. Been on there for a lot of years as the trailer is 30+ years old and with a periodic oiling (Boiled Linseed oil/turpentine solution) they are still in fine shape....checked by knife point penetration or lack thereof. Haven't noticed any warping but they have shrunk somewhat and I have noticeable cracks that don't affect the functionality of it.

Mark

 

[Jdan1930]

I saw a trailer the other day and it had 2 x 6 pine boards and on top of that they had put tar paper and roofing shingles. They told me it had been on there a long time and it does keep the wood from rotting - Do any of you believe that? I need to replace the wood on my trailer but don't know what type of wood to use - any sugestions

 

[2458n]

Most construction trailers around here use 2x12 oak planking. This is for equipment anything else does not hold up well. Only place I have seen roofing used over boards was on wood stairs outside of a building. It was a two story home that was rented as a double.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Never seen that one.

2 things come to mind.

Weight: that's about 2 square of shingles or 6 bundles. Has to be 300#.

Rot: no way to seal off the bottom side. I would think things would stay damp and rot worse.

Just use Pressure Treated Lumber. It will last 10 to 20 years. After its dry dilute a gallon of used diesel engine oil with a little kerosene and paint it on. The wood will soak it right up.

Chris

 

[andrehoude123]

My friend uses concrete forms to they are really really tough and because they are laminated on each side will take many years before they are garbage

 

[grnspot110]

Wider boards will shrink more leaving wider cracks, just not as many of them! ~~ Lowell

 

[tman1020]

Re-did mine with the combination of wider two by tens down to two by sixes pressure-treated lumber. They did shrink up a lot but I wanted some gap between boards for drainage just got more than I wanted. Also haven't broken one yet but am a little concerned about how much Bowing I'm getting when I load my tractor on there. I feel the supports on my trailer should've been installed closer together for the use of thes size board. I did break through the ones I replaced. They were installed extremely tight together and rotted out pretty quickly I do not believe they were pressure-treated though.

 

[Egon]

Lay in another two rows ( two 2x6 ) longitudanly where the tires make contact. Should stiffen up things.

 

[tman1020]

Would like to keep the deck flat. thought about putting some aluminum diamond plate over the whole thing.

 

[EddieWalker]

When comparing the total square footage of the area covered, the lumber comes out close enough to the same that it doesn't make a difference what size you use for each board, the total cost will be the same.

I like to measure the width of the area and use the lumber that will fit it best. I think I used 2x10's on my trailer when I replaced the decking on it a few years ago. That way I didn't have to rip any of the boards to fit.

There is very little shrinkage on 2x lumber. Install it tight and the small amount of shrinkage will allow water to flow through it. The problem with shrinkage is in 5/4 lumber. The change with that is significant.

Eddie

 

[paulharvey]

I am using 2x12 PT SYP, because I had a small stack I got from a job site few years ago, for free. They do Crack more than 2x6. Before that I actually used 5/4" oak pallet boards, from Hardi board pallets; painted them, got about 3 years of life form those.

 

[MH8675309]

We get rough sawn ash or oak 2" thick. Its strong and not too slippery. I thick aluminum diamond plate would be expensive and slippery at times. The Amish mill makes boards pretty reasonably.

 

[tman1020]

That sounds like about the best idea yet.

 

[LiveRoll]

I did my part for re-cycling and managed to get a hold of some flooring from and old Hi-way van reefer trailer, the biggest part was separating it from the hardwood crossmembers and the urethane foam that was used to insulate and seal it all up, once that was cleaned up however it certainly went onto the trailer just fine, some heavy duty sheet metal deck screws and all done. It is very strong and will never rust or rot

Cheers

Roger