Enclosed trailer flooring suggestions ?

[UpNorther]

Just ordered up a new enclosed cargo trailer a few days ago and already debating ahead of time about the flooring.
The trailer is a 8 1/2' x 24' (+30" V) enclosed. Its main use is hauling toys which are sometimes studded, and I also camp out of it a couple weeks a year.
With my past trailer, when camping we'd just unload the 4 wheelers out the back and roll out a bundle of carpet in the inside. It worked great for off-grid 4 wheeling trips. Also on the last trailer I just put down a few coats of tinted Kilz on the plywood floor, worked OK except - I have about 800 studs in my winter 4 wheeler tires, so it scratched the heck out of the floor. The paint and the wood both..

I've been thinking about some type of roll-on bedliner type of stuff to put on the new 3/4" flooring. When camping can simply roll out another roll of carpet inside over it.

My worries are: will the floor sealing over plywood actually keep the moisture in, making it rot/decay faster?
Also, how bad are the winter tire studs going to gouge or rip up the bedliner coating?

Another idea I had was to just paint the floor as in my old trailer, then for wintertime would basically fasten down a sacrificial layer of plywood over the top.

Any other ideas or suggestions ?

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Another idea I had was to just paint the floor as in my old trailer, then for wintertime would basically fasten down a sacrificial layer of plywood over the top.

That's the best thing I can think of.

You're in Brainerd, I would expect that studded tires in trailer must be pretty common up there. What do the other guys with studded tires do on the floors of their trailers.

What kind of trailer did you contract for?

 

[djjsr]

How about rubber mat? I had a 37' gooseneck racecar trailer and spent a small fortune covering the floor with aluminum diamondplate. I once pitted next to a guy that had a similar trailer that he used rubber matting on the floor, at less than 1/2 the cost of aluminum. Only downside was that it smelled like rubber, but it was new so maybe the smell would eventually go away.

 

[UpNorther]

That's the best thing I can think of.

You're in Brainerd, I would expect that studded tires in trailer must be pretty common up there. What do the other guys with studded tires do on the floors of their trailers.

What kind of trailer did you contract for?

Thanks for response. I'm the only one I know that runs studs in the winter, so I don't know anyone to ask around to.

I guess I should have added also that the 4 wheeler is a 1300# side x side, so the scratches get a little deep.

The trailer I ordered up is an H&H aluminum car hauler.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Epoxy with anti-skid is great. Helps keep gas from soaking in if spilled.


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[Garage Flooring]

G-Floor is the OEM flooring manufacturer of choice of many trailer manufacturers. We have an 8.5x24 item that might work well for you. Bed liner also works very well and we have had some use Rust Bullet. http://www.garageflooringllc.com/g-floor-small-coin-garage-mats/

 

[Armorpoxy]

We carry a flexible epoxy just for this type of application. We recommend priming it first with our Flash Bond Primer and then applying the epoxy and a broadcast non skid additive. It can get scratched from studs, but it won't fail.

Alternately we have a large supply of overstock running about $1.00/sq ft of our SupraTile www.supratile.com.

 

[tinmanwpk]

As you mentioned, why not a sacrificial covering. Maybe something cheap like OSB that needs to be replaced annually.

 

[theoldwizard1]

For the floor, I would use 5/4 PT deck boards. They will last forever.

Stall mats are you best best to prevent damage to the wood from studs.

 

[Garage Flooring]

For the floor, I would use 5/4 PT deck boards. They will last forever.

Stall mats are you best best to prevent damage to the wood from studs.

There are actually some great wood boards made specifically for trailer flooring if that is the route you want to go. Several places sell it locally. I see these guys online but I am not familiar with their specific product http://www.trailerdecking.com/

Coming from the lumber industry I would be carefully using ordinary pressure treated lumber in a trailer. In my experience unless it is secured very well it tends to twist. It also tends to shrink more than other woods --KD being the exception

 

[skidozer670]

I have a inline vnose cargo trailer I haul everything mostly snowmobiles with 144 studs each. Since 2005 I have rubber mats that are actually belting from a gravel pit I bought used pieces for floor for $50. I kept chipboard on the doors so I didn't chew them up. my floor never rotted and its nice hauling wheeler s because they don't slide on the rubber.

I doubt bed liner would hold up to studs and carbide.

 

[UpNorther]

Thanks for all the responses.
I like the epoxy and rubber matting that the flooring guys in here suggested but I wonder how it'll hold up against my side x side studs, and occasional snowmobile studs/carbides.

I think I'll look into the 3/4" stall mats that Ducksface suggested or the conveyor belting that Skidozer670 talked about above. If no deals turn up by winter, I can always throw down a second layer of plywood to rip up.

 

[djjsr]

Those 3/4" stall mats are VERY heavy duty. I don't think you could damage one if you tried. But they are also very heavy. Adding that much weight to a trailer may be an issue.

 

[WhiffySpark]

Maybe just put the stall mats where the tires would drive on. Epoxy or something everywhere else. I would recommend at least going up the walls a foot. If not the entire wall

 

[Corvette Cave]

I sprayed a bed liner in my 20' enclosed car hauler.

Used two of these kits from Custom Coat. 8 liters of bed liner.
Take your time. This is a 4-6 hour project. More prep = better results.

After driving several trips small cracks will form in where the floor and the walls meet. The touch ups are easy. Just buy a single rattle can of bed liner to make repairs. I think the same would be true for any studded tire damage. Just don't spin the wheels.

 

[NUTTSGT]

As you mentioned, why not a sacrificial covering. Maybe something cheap like OSB that needs to be replaced annually.

I was going to suggest a few sheets of luan underlayment. Cheap, thin and light.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

we have had some use Rust Bullet

I'm one of Justin's customers who put Rust Bullet down on the floor of a 26' brand new enclosed Bravo race trailer. The dealer had already installed the winch and I had ordered the trailer with an under floor battery box and two under floor space tire wells so I had lots of prep work.

Removed all the trim around the floors, all the D-Rings, masked the bottom of the walls (which are carpeted), removed the winch and battery, masked all the openings in the floor so the RB didn't end up on the driveway, got the plywood good and clean, and then finally applied the RB. I left the side door open and the ramp door closed while applying. Getting the RB down to the last bit of plywood by the ramp door wasn't easy (didn't want to open it and let the bugs, dust, dirt, and Cottonwood stuff in; had enough of that coming through side door). I vacuumed between coats.

I think I put five coats of RB on trailer floor. Had put RB on the 1000sf race shop floor the month before.

I'm pretty happy with it. The plywood wasn't "perfect" and I was too lazy to wood putty all the screws that were indented into the plywood and imperfections in the plywood ... and you can see all of that. But its a race trailer, not the entry foyer of a million dollar house. Overall I'm happy with it.

One of the things I really like about Rust Bullet is that when its wet with water, it isn't very slippery. For some reason there is just enough very subtle texture to the finish of RB that when wet it doesn't slip and slide. I've nothing with in the race shop as well as the trailer. Another thing I really, really like is that if I get oil, gear lube, or grease on the RB ... it cleans up with just a paper shop towel even if its been sitting under the race for weeks or months. Rarely do I need to get brake clean out to clean up lubricant spills. Even rust from the snowblower and cord reel base cleaned up off RB very quickly and easily.

I spent considerably more time prepping beforehand and putting the trailer back together when done than I did actually spreading the RB!

Lots of my racer friends have bed liner on their trailer floors and I considered that. But my cars have a tendency to leak oil and gear lube. I didn't want to try to clean up a "rough" floor covering ... same reason why I didn't go with raised coin or diamond plate (both of while I like).

So ... would I put Rust Bullet down on my next new trailer? RB isn't cheap, but then good stuff costs money (and we should expect that). I think the cost of the product was a little less than if I'd had Bravo put say a checked flag vinyl down like my last trailer (a Team Spirit I bought used). But the vinyl didn't clean up as easy as RB (there were oil/lube/grease/dirt/rust stains I couldn't get off the vinyl), was more slippery when wet (there might have been a tiny amount of residual oil/gear lube film that was hard to get up which contributed to the slipperiness), and over the years I had some cuts and tears in it. So we'll see how the RB holds up over five to seven years. That would be my determining factor in whether to go with RB again or not.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

We have some pieces of stall mat on the outriggers of the backhoe. I'll say ten years. You're not going to hurt them.
If a horse with shoes, standing on them for the 10 year guarantee time can't hurt them, you're sure not.

Excellent advice!

 

[Almostbroke94]

We used this on our floor to test it out. Overall it's held up decent with going in and out with dirt bikes and quads. Going to do another coat and go half way up the walls.

 

[Almostbroke94]

No problem, I wouldn't say it's the best but it seals good and holds up quite well.

 

[UpNorther]

I sprayed a bed liner in my 20' enclosed car hauler.

Used two of these kits from Custom Coat. 8 liters of bed liner.
Take your time. This is a 4-6 hour project. More prep = better results.

After driving several trips small cracks will form in where the floor and the walls meet. The touch ups are easy. Just buy a single rattle can of bed liner to make repairs. I think the same would be true for any studded tire damage. Just don't spin the wheels.

Thanks, will look into that to.
I like what Ducksface said earlier about stall mats, they sound the most durable. I'll probably look into a 3/8" or 1/2" ones instead of 3/4" because of weight like someone brought up earlier.

I've used some of the products that some people talked about like deck Restore. Its great stuff and tough as nails, but I know all my tire studs would scratch it up.


Studs are basically a carbide 3/8" high V shaped head sheet metal screw, but there's 800 of them.