Helping preserve a trailer deck

[Beetle]

I was surprised at how quick my last wood trailer deck boards deteriorated. Although they weren’t needing replaced they were certainly at the point they were going to start going south fast. My current trailer is 3 years old and has a pressure treated deck. I have 2 issues I’d like to address. #1) It’s a lot cheaper to put a protectant/preservative on the deck. Anyone got any suggestions (brand names) of something to use in this application. I don’t want to use something that would creat a slick or hazardous situation. I’d rather not add sand to the surface as a nonslip coating due to what the trailer is used for.
#2) over the 3 years I’ve owned this trailer the decking boards have shrunk. My concerns are on the sides it has created a gap between the board and a piece of angle iron that runs from the front to the back of the trailer. The gap is probably 1/2” wide and catches all sorts of debris. I’m constantly using compressed air and blowing it out. It’s almost always wet. I’ve thought of the foam backer and silicone but I can’t see that holding. Any thoughts on filling this gap

 

[Dustball]

Can you take one board out of the center, shift the remaining boards towards the sides using a bottle jack, and install a new wider board that has been cut down to fit the new space?

 

[matt_i]

I've used Thompson's water seal a few times, I detect no stickiness or slippery-ness. Maybe the day after the application but it seems fine after that.

You can always upgrade to grade UC4B rated pressure treated wood.

 

[Farmall450]

Used motor oil works well.

 

[rburke65]

Maybe keeping the gaps so water and **** falls through?

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

TWP (Total Wood Protectant)
https://usetwp.com/amteco-redirect/
This is the only product I spec for decks- I have found nothing else that will out perform it.

As for the boards- yes, they're going to shrink. Especially when it was new lumber when the trailer was originally built. As dustball lamented to- you could close the gaps by pushing the current boards together and replacing one board that is ripped to the right width. But use a board that has been exposed to weather for a short time and is well dried- that should resolve any "new" shrinkage.

But, I'd also caution about making the boards too tight- you don't want dust, dirt, and debris getting caught in those tight places and not being easy to remove. It sounds like a pass with compressed air is rather easy remedy.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

If the boards are captured but not screwed down individually, you can create the gap in the middle of the trailer and use a couple of wood spacers to keep the gap there. Otherwise you can rip a board to create a shim and glue to existing. With modern adhesives, it should not be hard to make it stick. As far as the surface, I use a semi transparent penetrating stain to seal the wood. Goes into the grain to protect but the surface is not slippery.

 

[CJM8515]

Motor oil. Its slick for maybe a few days after till it soaks in. boards dont rot. I also use asphalt shingles to go over any metal to wood contact areas, or tar. depends on whats handy at the time. this way it cant rot there either.

 

[yatg]

You could also tarp it and keep the water and **** off.

 

[southalabama]

Most boards shrink.

Treated pine installed somewhat wet shrinks a lot.

Our trailers are the same. If the gap becomes too much as said earlier slide them over and insert another piece of wood. If you don’t leave some room for expansion then it will buckle when it expands.

Other options more expensive more stable wood, which is also heavier.

Treatments - deck wood preservative.

Treated wood isn’t what it used to be.

 

[KEH]

Cheap and way way is to carefully measure the gap at the edges and rip a strip of new, treated lumber to fit, then fit it in place with industrial glue. Put used motor oil on this section more than yearly, treat the rest of the deck at least yearly. Glue the new strip firmly in place with wedges until it sets. The best way to preserve the trailer is to keep it under a shed, but I've never got the money together to do this for a trailer.

KEH

 

[logical]

I know it is more expensive, and heavier..and not even as strong in some cases, but if I was doing a trailer that I planned to leave outside and keep it for a decade or more I would step up to composite deck material. It probably wouldn't be good for really heavy concentrated loads but if it's just hauling lumber or a few lawn mowers...why not?
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[greg13]

Composite decking, but hang on to your wallet!

Rough cut hardwood is what I use for our commercial utility trailers.

 

[jubilee]

Linseed oil. I’ve used it on trailer and truck bed decking for over 60 years and my Dad was using it before I was born.

 

[boostaholic1]

Used motor oil. I usually do it in the fall. I don't use my trailer much during the winter. This gives the oil time to soak in and not get all over my clothes when laying on it to tie things down.

 

[SGKent]

Linseed oil. I’ve used it on trailer and truck bed decking for over 60 years and my Dad was using it before I was born.

just remember that anything flammable like rags are a real danger with linseed oil. There are posts here where folks have gone to lunch between coats and found the used rags they tossed in a pile smoldering when they came back after lunch to finish the work.

 

[volleyball]

composite decking if you don't carry much weight. It isn't structural so it may break at the worst time.
Why not hemlock or oak? Way better than pine.

 

[Grimly]

I acquired an 8x4' trailer from a neighbour, it had pine boards in it originally, which were all rotted out. I put a sheet of rough-grade 3/4" shuttering ply in the bottom, covered (both sides) with a mix of used motor oil and copper sulphate (sold in the farm store here as 'bluestone' as an anti-fungal agent). The original side boards, made of the same planking, weren't in bad condition, so I treated them the same way.
Nearly ten years on, that trailer is still functioning fine after being left out in all weathers. No rot on any of the members so far.
I can't say whether the copper sulphate made any difference, and I'd think the used motor oil is toxic enough to fungal growth that on its own it's likely to have done the job.

 

[58Yeoman]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I've got a 5x8 landscape trailer that has the expanded floor, but solid sides. The times that I've needed to haul dirt or sand, I've laid down a tarp, but it was hard to shovel out. So, I laid down 7/16 osb, and it lasted quite a while, but really gets soggy when it's wet. Would the thin composite flooring work in this case? Or would it have to be the thicker deck boards?

 

[1320]

I used Apitong on my trailer. (I didn't pay for it, yeesh...) I debated what to put on it to protect it and finally decided on nothing at all.

It sat in the Arizona sun for 4 years or so with little no shade on it ever and now lives under a carport. Its a bit more dried out looking and is darker, but no worse for wear. Apitong is really tough stuff, but you could just about spend more on the wood than the trailer.

It isn't humid here and it can go 100 days between rain some years, so I'm sure that plays into it.

 

[CitadelBlue]

You could also tarp it and keep the water and **** off.

Did that starting in 1980 when I built imy 5x8 utility trailer. The 2x6s are still in great shape

 

[sublime68charger]

Used motor oil works well.

Its what I used on my trailer deck and works just fine.

 

[Bretny]

I have plain old HD 2x6 in the center of my car trailer, i put it on 7-8yrs ago. No rot and i didnt treat it with anything. I recently redid the whole trailer, flipped it, wire wheeled and painted the whole thing. The wood was in such good shape i reused it.

I have also had good results with wood coated in used motor oil. I mix it with diesel and spray it with a HVLP gun. This is a shed i made and sprayed with the mixture. Its about 3yrs old and looks like the pic still.


I have also have a shed that i used TWP stain on but its only a few months old so the jurry is out.