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Trailer decking

S

Sparktrician

Member
Ok.....so I fell through the deck on my equipment trailer today. 12K tandem axle 16' flatbed. I know it has been time for a new floor for a long time....but I want to paint the trailer, put new fenders on it, and a few other things.....long story short hadn't got to it yet.....but its getting moved up the priority list after standing on it and falling thru the front corner.....

Question is....what is best? it has 2x10x16's on it now, and I don't think they were treated. The trailer is a '92 model (grandpa bought new) and was inside all its life till I bought it. No inside room now or in forseeable future.

I was thinking of putting 2x10 treated on it, and dowsing it with a mix of used engine oil and diesel fuel...thoughts?
 
The treated lumber would be ok. Let the new boards dry some . After they dry get a fore cast of upper 80s or better days and coat it with the crankcase drainings only really no need for diesel fuel and won't smell that bad.
 
either use oak or treated. Coat if ya like, but either wood should last along time. Your pretty much only going to get so many rears out of the wood if leaving set outside.
 
10 years ago i put the green decking lumber in my trailer painted it with the same tractor supply paint i put on the frame and fenders. beat on it about everyday and it still looks ok and is solid.
 
don't coat it with engine oil and diesel. It will be slick and won't soak in completely you will get dirty working around it.
 
Oak was never used on a wagon bed because it is way too heavy and with it they would have been called a horse killer, yellow pine used on factory built beds. Cotton wood was good for sideboards as it is light and if kept off ground would last a long time.
 
I have a 16 foot trailer that I treat vith used oil and haven't had any trouble of it being slick or boards rotting.
I use straight oil that has been drained from trucks and tractors, yust let it dry before you use it and its good cheap wood preservative.
 
The oak will be stronger for carrying weight on it. A lot will depend on your cross member spacing. It will last about the same with out treating if it is good oak. Swamp oak will be around when you quit using it.
 
I have a friend that cuts cow pen boards out of pressure treated utility poles. I had him cut 2x10's for me to put a new deck on my 22 ft equipment trailer over 10 years ago and it still looks pretty good. one good thing about cutting them out of utility poles is they don't warp like fresh pressure treated would does
 

If you want an alternative to a wood floor, we have found used aluminum decking from a cattle semi trailer works good for re-flooring old trailers. It is the kind used in hog semi trailers where they make an extra deck with the removable aluminum decking.
 
The pressure treated poles sounds like a great idea! There is a place here in town that rips them for landscape timbers, bet they could make any size I ask.
How do they do for being slick and greasy?
 
I have about the same size/weight trailer. It has 2X6 treated pine on it put on by the guy who built it 12 years ago. It has always been outside. A couple of boards are getting old and splitting but they are still strong yet.
I agree with not oiling it. Makes you get dirty.
Treated pine in the open air will last a long time.
 
Been building trailers since the mid 80's and even tho I can't explain why, the non treated decks consistently last longer than treated decks. You got 22 years out of one and 20 is not that uncommon. 10 years is more common for treated. Your idea of treating with used oil is about the best way there is to keep them longer. I would do nothing the first year so the deck gets seasoned then on a hot sunny day next summer paint it with used oil.
 
Not a problem at all. The only thing I didn't think about was the fact that the original deck was made out of finished lumber and I had the new lumber cut to a full 2 x 10. Had to trim the outside boards and the ends a little to get them to go under the sides and the front. I used a planner and cut a little bevel on them and drove them in with a sledge. So if you have some cut just make sure you have the correct thickness
 
Untreated and linseed oil. Have used it for year's with good luck. I usually coat at least once a year. It is getting a little expensive though like everything else.
 
the 2x10 treated is a good idea.. but forget about being an eco terrorist and put the hazardous waste oil and fuel up and don't poison the ground any more than needed.

you can get asphalt fence paint that works great and is environmentally inert once cured.

almost all the plusses and none of the poisoned groundwater negatives! cost is the only non plus.. and it's well worth it. plus won't stink or be slippery after rain
 
Many people mention using oak, which is fine. If you use oak , white oak is the best and will last the longest. Red oak will rot sooner than you think. We saw white oak on our mill just for trailer decking. Treating with used motor oil will also help it to last longer.
 
Sparktrition: I recommend you use foundation grade treated. It is usually made of southern yellow pine or some other machine rated lumber like is used in trusses. The more expensive trailers new that I have seen this is what is used. The cheaper lighter ones use deck treated lumber.

BIG difference, much stronger and the foundation grade will last decades.
 
Get your 2x10's cut from Black Locust. It is heavier and stronger that white oak and it will still be solid when your great grandkids are senior citizens.

Tim in Montana
 
I used pressure treated and painted it with equipment enamel. It was painted once when we built the trailer in 1988. It's been repainted once since. Zero rot in 26 years.
 
Ask your lumber dealer if he has or can order Wolmanized material.
There is a big difference between Wolmanized and other treated lumber. Wolmanized is a trademarked process and has a tag on each piece. About like comparing Senco nailers to Ohio Forge.
 
Dunno....All the Amish here use White Oak on all there wagons. A lot of their buggies are made from Oak, too. Other buggies are made from Ash.
 
I put a new floor in mine using white oak about 15 years ago. It sits out most of the time. It's still extremely solid and has never been treated with anything. It'll probably outlast me. I floored it with green lumber by bowing the planks until they fit between the ends, then releasing them to fill the space. Had to add a couple of spacers after a few years, but it has stayed tight since then.
 
I worked for a place that built highway trailers (BWS) and they used ship lap oak flooring for there flat beds and they lasted with out any treatment.
 
Any experience with "Rumber" decking?

It's a rubber composite product that is supposed to be stronger than any wood, and won't ever rot.
 
I'll argue with you all day and never conceede. I'm an engineer.... my thesis was on potable water systems. What someone pours onthe ground.. eventually.. someone else has to drink...

treating wood with waste oil.. while it may be fine for the preservastion of the wood... simply aint fine for the environment... too many OTHER BETTER choices out there that don't leach out harmfull chemicals like benzene and heavy metals like waste oil will.
 
I would definately use 16 ft treated. See what the wood looks like before you decide on 2x10. Sometimes 2x8 may have fewer knots. Keep in mind the green treated is very heavy.
 
to pill needed.

casual use of a waste product is BAD for the environment.. and i'm no tree hugger. I'm talking ground watr contamination.

too many eco terrorists running around out there using used oil as ant control and whatnot.

some of them don't know any better.. some do.

it's a point worth making.

PS.. for an interesting read.. browse thru the epa site and look at the case studies of the people doing HARD SERIOUS jail time for intentionally introducing waste and fuel oils to the ground.

I love reading those...
 
Did you read the post a few years ago that a farmer varmint proofed his combine by throwing 5 gallons of used engine oil into the throat and running the combine for a few minutes so it coated the entire insides? Unbelieveable! I later asked if he threw away the first 20 bushels or so rather than comtaminate the grain supply. No surprise they need to have regulations.
 
reminds me of the safety lables on a push lawnmower tilling you not to pick it up and use it as a hedge trimmer.

there's a rule because someone probably tried it and now has no hands and my taxes pay his disability! Even more sad is that person probably breeds and votes! :)
 
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