Unexpected new project: What round for Trailer Deck?

[FTG-05]

That wood did not look rotten or aged to me. Likely just poor quality lumber or maybe too thin to hold the weight you put on it. If you are looking to refloor it, go with thicker lumber and grade A quality.

I showed pics to show what I think is the problem: It's not PT lumber. Just regular wood painted to look like PT.

Supposedly a cost cutting trick by trailer manufacturers.

 

[FTG-05]

Another thing you could do is to add two rows of 2x12's lengthwise on top of the decking where the tractor wheels travel to increase the load capacity. It looks like the span between the steel supports is a bit too much for the thickness of the deck and the weight you are hauling.

What I planned to do was add 2x2 angle underneath where the tractor sits during transport and 2x6 PT screwed cross ways between the steel supports.

I'm also going to check and see if I can use rough cut 2x lumber and treat it myself vs.regular PT lumber. I have two sawmills in the area.

 

[D2Cat]

I've used rough cut lumber on trailers. 2" thick is really just adding more weight, and not required unless you're hauling a very heavy machine.

I helped a friend redo his stock trailer and he got 2" oak from the saw mill. It was a 6'x12' and I think he cut back his ability to haul 1 cow because of all that weight!

I used full 1" oak (actually about 1 1/4") on a trailer I hauled a 6,000# trencher on for 25 years before one board split. I would dump drained motor oil on the wood in the summer when the temp. was in the 90's and spread it with an old paint brush. Sometimes I would get linseed oil from the county recycle bin and pour on it. That's it for maintenance.

 

[PILOON]

Also there are different grades or qualities of 'pressure treated' wood.
One grade exists that gov't's use for piers and docks.

Then again there is the specific wood (generally pine) but most often the 'competitively priced' is grey pine which IMO is simply a tad better than balsam.

Then comes the actual 'treating' process.

Dry wood actually PRESSURE treated is done so in a kiln like atmosphere.

The lowest grade will be green and dunked in a vat and as such there is very little penetration or absorption, your first saw cut will demonstrate what I mean.
A good grade will be colored thru and thru (as the sawdust will show) and also will be very hard.
The cheap stuff will probably bind your saw blade with plain wood colored sawdust.

Shucks I suspect some treatment 'vats' are even water filled with but a token amount of chemical on the top surface,

Being cheap, I used the big box variety of PT but then every year or two I slosh on a gallon or so of treatment liquid hoping to prolong my deck. I also park at an angle to let water drain out.

 

[s219]

I just redid a small trailer and used ground-contact rated 2x lumber (I used 2x10 since it worked out the best). Home Depot had some, and it was the first time I had seen them carry ground-contact in anything but posts. If you can find that it's a good option.

I was also glad to see that Lowes and HD carry self-tapping 1/4-20 screws for screwing into structural metal. These were identical to the screws that were on the trailer's original decking, except these new ones are rated for treated lumber. The original screws were raw steel and had rusted badly over the years. Some had rusted away to about 1/8" diameter!

 

[FTG-05]

I just redid a small trailer and used ground-contact rated 2x lumber (I used 2x10 since it worked out the best). Home Depot had some, and it was the first time I had seen them carry ground-contact in anything but posts. If you can find that it's a good option.

I was also glad to see that Lowes and HD carry self-tapping 1/4-20 screws for screwing into structural metal. These were identical to the screws that were on the trailer's original decking, except these new ones are rated for treated lumber. The original screws were raw steel and had rusted badly over the years. Some had rusted away to about 1/8" diameter!

Good point about the fasteners, I was going to ask about that. What do you recommend, specifically?

The good news abut my fasteners are that they are uncoated and rusted as all get out. I hope they all snap the first time I put an impact driver on them.

Thanks,

 

[fried1765]

I see ads on the local TV - the local lumber yards are going to start stocking Yellow Wood. I would use it.

"Yellow Wood".....is actually, "Yella Wood", a brand name.
It is Southern yellow pine, that is pressure treated.

 

[s219]

Good point about the fasteners, I was going to ask about that. What do you recommend, specifically?

The good news abut my fasteners are that they are uncoated and rusted as all get out. I hope they all snap the first time I put an impact driver on them.

Thanks,

I used some like this:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Teks-14-x-3-in-Phillips-Drive-Sheet-Metal-Screws-40-Count/3327744

They have different sizes and lengths. The ones I got had a beige painted finish and were OK for treated lumber.

 

[mrmikey]

Rough hardwood would be my choice. Remember PT wood is corrosive to steel so be aware of that and the steel framing.........Mike

 

[davedj1]

There is something to be said for a good quality stain or wood preservative. PT is probably the most over used product on the market. As long as the wood is above grade and can air out there really is no reason to use it as long as you are willing to maintain it.
I had a Big Tex car hauler that had some sort of "treated" lumber on it, in a short couple of years it was rotted from underneath to the point where I fell through it!:shocked: One problem I see is that trailers (most smaller ones) are very close to the ground and depending on where you park it they may not get dried out underneath. I have a 4 year old Leonard car trailer now with no signs of decay on the PT decking but it's kept in a drier and sunnier location than the Big Tex was. I had a steel deck and that rusted out as well.