trailor floor metal or wood?

firemanpat2910 · Aug 2, 2006

I just noticed your location, Im from Tallahassee/Havana. A metal deck trailer like I have for my forklift will get so hot it will burn your hands when you touch it. Wood is better, also when you leave your chains and binders piled on the trailer, cover them!!! An old cardboard box will work temporarily. But what me and my pals do is mount a "tounge box" either a tool box,cooler or rubbermade box, to keep them dry and more importantly shaded.
jmc what is this "snow" stuff you are talking about? is it from the slurpee machine?

George2615 · Aug 3, 2006

"My next trailer will be a wood decked tilt trailer, if there is such a thing."

John

John,
Several companies have wood deck tilt trailers. I have a 20' tilt bed made by H&H trailers. (pics in photo section, other brands/ mahindra)

George

Redbug · Aug 4, 2006

Just thinking about the metal/wood floor thing, also. I have a 16' wood floor trailer and it's OK. However, I am having a 14K GVWR tilt/dump 20' steel bed trailer built right now. Diamond plate floor. If I have any traction problems, I will weld on some 18 inch wide strips of expanded sheet steel in the tire path on the trailer bed. Expanded sheet steel is the stuff you see used most often for the beds of the smaller landscape/utility trailers...where you can see through it, (with the large diamond shaped holes in it). I suppose you can also nail it down on a wood bed trailer using fence staples for added traction...

Dargo · Aug 4, 2006

I had wood floor trailers for years and always thought that steel would be superior, so I finally bought one. I tried to convince myself I liked it. I'm really a 'steel' sort of guy with a pretty well complete metal working shop. In the end, I hated it. Both of my trailers now are treated wood deck trailers. Sure I have to treat them every other year, but I really like them better than steel. I guess there's something about always scratching the paint off of the steel bed with chains etc. that partly drove me nuts. I don't know, I just ended up preferring wood after I was just positive I wanted stee.

hilld · Aug 5, 2006

firemanpat2910 said:
jmc what is this "snow" stuff you are talking about?

I thought that in Fl "snow" was referred to as white powder as seen in Miami Vice.

Derek

dieselsmoke1 · Aug 5, 2006

I own one of each and definitely prefer the wood deck trailer. Feels solid, loads good, doesn't rattle and I have not busted my tail on it yet.

john_bud · Aug 6, 2006

Dargo said:
Both of my trailers now are treated wood deck trailers. Sure I have to treat them every other year, but I really like them better than steel.

What? Your tractor doesn't leak??? My old ford keeps the wood water proof better than that "thompsons" stuff! lol.

jb

5030tinkerer · Aug 6, 2006

I don't know, guys. I have a wood-bed trailer and steel-bed trailer. I much, much prefer the steel. When I go to the local gravel or dirt yard, especially, I find it much nicer to shovel out the material when the bucket edge or shovel end can ride against the steel deck. Also, I don't have to worry abou my steel deck warping, cracking, or just plain old breaking over time. I cannot see the day when I will have to replace it. Just my $0.02 here...

Dargo · Aug 6, 2006

john_bud said:
What? Your tractor doesn't leak??? My old ford keeps the wood water proof better than that "thompsons" stuff! lol.

jb

You know, I do have a guy who swears that he uses his 'used' motor oil to treat his wood trailer deck with good results. Anyone ever heard of this? I've never done it myself. The Olympic, or Thompsons I use is considerably thinner than motor oil.