enclosed trailer flooring

[shearhod]

We are going to put a floor covering in our 24ftx8ft trailer. we don"t want place and stick tiles, any recomendations would be appreciated. john

 

[tigmusky]

alum d-plate that would look sweet $$$$$$

daye

 

[thinkracing]

I put down the Rustoleum garage sealant that you can get from Lowes in my 20ft trailer. It comes with flakes. I should have put down a thicker coat, but it looks great and has held up to the wear and tear of race weekends.

 

[TCScustoms]

My father-in-law put down 4x8 sheets of aluminum diamond plate in his race trailers holds up great and looks freakin sweet...we have also done it on one he sold that they did it 4 ft up the sides, great for a racing trailer not sure what you haul but just an idea

 

[R1chy]

I used interlocking black hard rubber "Coin" pattern tiles sold at Lowes, which met my needs. The only problem is direct sun will expand the tiles, so you have to install them lose on the floor so they can float to adjust for any expansion/contraction. They were a little pricey but I really like how it looks. Below is not the best picture of the floor and I have more pictures but they are on one of my computers that is currently not working (blown power supply) - if/when I get it fixed I'll post them. On the ramp I used outdoor porch flooring paint, which is ok for the ramp but I suspect would pull up on the tires if you use it on the trailer floor.

I noted recently a similar but in a "Diamond Plate" pattern available at Home Depot. It also seems to be a harder rubber which may not expand as much.

Another option is Line-X sprayed directly onto the wood flooring.

Good Luck, R1chy

 

[NUTTSGT]

Probably doesn't matter what you use, you'll wish you went with something else.

 

[CamarosRus]

Richy, Can WE please see close-up pics of your over the tire strap set up.....The E track and idler piece and rachet.

What vendor did you buy from ?????

Thanks,

 

[djjsr]

I had a 37' gooseneck and found aluminum diamondplate too expensive to cover the entire floor. I used 2 ft wide strips of it just where the tires and engine/trans would sit. The rest of the floor I covered with gray "garage carpet" from HD.

 

[trailwart]

on my 8x20 i had, i used rolled checker flooring from HD, had less than 300 into it with glue and never had any issues. the floor was little over 8 wide and was cut to length, there were no seems, 1 solid floor.

 

[Matt M PA]

I carpeted mine too.

 

[robin1731]

I used industrial floor paint with sand mixed in on the floor of my race trailer. I got it at Lowes about 5 or 6 years ago. The sand comes in a packet sold in the paint department. It has held up very well. I do have aluminum diamond plate where the tires set.

 

[Cobra4B]

Buddy of mine use the self-stick but had 2 strips of diamond plate for tire paths... looked awesome. He used to to transport his Corvette show-car around for a few years.

He let me borrow the trailer to tow to VIR when he was selling it (good place to advertise, eventual buyer saw it at VIR), but when I was loading up my car it turns out that V710s tires covered with paddock gravel and nice polished diamond-plate don't mix well I really did a number on them when the tires spun some getting the car up the ramp.

Luckily the new buyer was using it as a race car hauler.

 

[Ray-CA]

I just had the Line-X guy coat the floor.

Ray

 

[R1chy]

Richy, Can WE please see close-up pics of your over the tire strap set up.....The E track and idler piece and rachet.

What vendor did you buy from ?????

Thanks,

The detail pictures I have are on my desktop computer's hard drive, but due to a power supply problem I can't get to them. Further regret my trailer is out in the barn, about 1 hr away in the Shenandoah Valley, so I can't quickly take more pictures. But the manufacture's web site has some good pictures of them, which should provide you a good view of the set up. There is even a video of how a basket type style works with vertical E-Track, but I've got the single strap with rubber grippers for Horizontal E-Track ->http://www.autohaulersupply.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=83.

I really like this style of tie-down, but there are pro's/con's to this style, vice a frame tie down method. Specifically, this method allows the suspension to travel and thus a tight fitting car may bounce around to the point to hitting the side walls (or more likely the wheel wells). Some even claim it will "blow out" the shocks, or at the very least contribute toward premature failure. But I have not had any of these problems after towing for hundreds of miles.

Frame strapping is another method (not sure if there are any others). And the con's here include the stress placed on the vehicle's suspension when pulled down tight (alternatively not strapping it tight will allow the vehicle to potentially "hop" around and hit a side wall).

Since I don't trailer any one car alot my choice was the former, especially since this is the method mostly used by Auto-Hauler trucks. That said, you should research your options.

Regarding the E-Track - I love it and bought several extra strap Idlers to use with my conventional straps to tie down other objects in the trailer (http://www.autohaulersupply.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=5155). Another item I bought is a set of brackets that snap into E-Track and used to hold a 2x4 wood board (actually they can hold any size 2x). I have seen them listed as a Wood End Socket (http://www.amazon.com/Wood-End-Socket-for-E-Track/dp/B000UV7S8Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1262658870&sr=8-1-fkmr1). I use a couple of these on the floor, with a 2x6 between them, to keep other things I haul from sliding around on the floor. Combined with the flexibility of the extra strap Idlers, I can keep anything firmly in place. These are hard to find, and I have also gotten them from AutoHauler, but you have to ask for them.

One word of caution, quality is important when you are hauling around your prize possession for hundreds of miles before opening the door at the destination. The last thing you want to find is a broken strap or bracket that has allowed your "baby" to get dinged. Or worse yet, have problems when you go into a panic stop along the highway. I have bought many items from AutoHauler.com - I'm happy with their quality and I would not doubt others out there are also good, but confident to say AutoHauler is very good ("http://www.autohaulersupply.com/" ).

Also, what you don't see in the picture in my prior post is my "Oh 5hit" strap that goes over the axel to/from my reinforced floor D-rings. And if you do use E-Track, make sure it is securely attached to the frame members of the trailer and not just to the plywood flooring.

Once again, if (hopefully more like when) I get my other computer back up and running I'll post my pictures.

Good luck, R1chy

 

[Garage Flooring]

I found this post from 2010 on trailer flooring. G-Floor just updated their offering and it now includes felt backed product. We have not found a way to get sizes that are convenient for someone doing a single trailer but we do have some great 8'6x100' rolls for manufacturers who are using it for their OEM flooring.

Many DIY customers are still using the original PVC G-Floor and I am looking for a way to make cut piece of the new product available.

 

[sunsation288]

VersaRoll Pro from costco , i love the finish

 

[jeepinjz]

I diamond plated mine wish I would of went a different way dont shine in some spots now and don't look as good as it did at first guess depends on what your going to do with it

 

[unslow1]

I used the specked garage floor paint from Menard's on my last one. I just ordered another enclosed and will do it again.

 

[R1chy]

In a couple of weeks I will pick up a new enclosed trailer so I'll be revisiting the floor cover issue.

I really liked the rubber coin flooring I used last time, so I plan to use it again for the rear car portion - only this time I will use sheet flooring instead of the tiled stuff. Up front I will use black and white 9 inch square checker for the work area of the trailer - again sheet vice tile.

I'm still undecided on what I will use for the rear ramp, but I'm leaning toward using Aluminum Tread Plate (ATP), which I may also use for the tire path outside of the E-track. I couple of other racers I know have this in their trailers appearing to both work well and look good.

If I remember, I'll take some pictures of the install and post them.

R1chy

 

[OldNeons]

Curious if anyone else has tried the spray on bed liner type material? I had a trailer mfgr tell me NAPA sells a DIY kit for about 1/8 the cost that does a nice job and is durable? I use my enclosed trailer to haul a little of everything including sliding around 300# machines on steel leveling legs, etc. it will see heavy use and I'd like it to stay looking decent or years to come. How about ATP on whole ramp door floor? Is it slick if wet? Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[Garage Flooring]

VersaRoll Pro from costco , i love the finish

Versaroll is similar to G-Floor, at this time they do not offer the felt backed option. The product is typically packaged for a long time and I thought CostCo had stopped selling it for reason I wont get into. If you use the Versaroll Product just let it acclimate before you glue it -- which really is a good idea with any product.

 

[wheels2]

I noted recently a similar but in a "Diamond Plate" pattern available at Home Depot. It also seems to be a harder rubber which may not expand as much.

Another option is Line-X sprayed directly onto the wood flooring.

Good Luck, R1chy[/QUOTE]

I used the "diamond plate" rubber stuff from Home Depot.
It worked great after I left it out in the sun for a few days for it to quit growing.
I put Etrack on top of it and it still lies flat and looks good.

Harvey

 

[TRWTOW]

rubber coin with diamond plate

 

[OldNeons]

wow - nice looking trailer TRWtow! Can you specify exactly what the rubber material used on floor is? Also, would like to hear from anyone else who has used rhino liner type finish. I'm afraid the rubber coin material won't hold up to the abuse (I'm not hauling nice bikes, but "old junk"). thanks

 

[R1chy]

OldNeons - I don't have direct experience, but I understand Rhino Liner is difficult to sweep clean.

That said, about twice a season I use a leaf blower and it does a great job, which I expect would be the case for rhino liner as well.

You might also consider putting down 1/4 inch plywood as a sacrificial surface and paint it. I used deck paint on my ramp door and it has held up well, once an ambitious friend spun the rear wheels on the ramp - all I had to do was repaint that section and it was good as new.

R1chy

 

[TRWTOW]

wow - nice looking trailer TRWtow! Can you specify exactly what the rubber material used on floor is? Also, would like to hear from anyone else who has used rhino liner type finish. I'm afraid the rubber coin material won't hold up to the abuse (I'm not hauling nice bikes, but "old junk"). thanks

don't know what kind of rubber coin it is trailer came with it
if I was hauling 'old junk'' I would line x or rhino it

 

[norcaljr]

Line-X