Trailer planking replacement

[wfopete]

My 4 year old Arkansas 18 foot dovetail trailer 2x planking is going fast. The top of the planks look great but it seems to be deteriorating mainly from the bottom of the planks. Bought the trailer new but I guess the stuff the folks put down for planking is pretty low grade. I want the replacement decking to last so I thought I'd go with PT 2x and some marine grade polyurethane deck stain. But PT chems these days attacks metal, right? Will the polyurethane keep the PT chems at bay? Or maybe I should go with 2x white oak with soak in oil (tung, motor or ?).

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Not a carpenter, but what about using some composites?

Tommy

 

[jkwilson]

I've not had any issues with mine messing with the metal. In most cases the contact with the wood on my trailer frame is pretty light unless the trailer is loaded. The boards just lay on the cross pieces and are held down by angle at the front and rear.

If you seal/stain it, make sure you aren't making it slick. PT is softer than what is on boat decks and it will tend to get slick.

Be sure to seal any cut ends well. I replaced some boards that were good except for 4" on one end.

 

[Todd.Brock]

My neighbor used 4x deck restore on his trailer. Works well, isn't abrasion proof obviously, but has been durable. Easy to recoat too

 

[wfopete]

If you seal/stain it, make sure you aren't making it slick. PT is softer than what is on boat decks and it will tend to get slick.

I hear 'ya. The last thing I need is for motorcycles, tractors and assorted equipment to be sliding around when unloading/loading.

 

[joe_padavano]

My 18 ft Hudson trailer came from the factory with 2x6 PT for the decking over a steel frame. I bought it in 2000 and the deck is just now getting to where I'm thinking about replacement. There have been no issues with the chemicals corroding the steel, although this trailer is old enough that the PT is probably the old CCA treatment and not the newer borate treatment. The PT definitely get's slippery when wet. Oak would be a better choice if you can afford it. There's a sawmill near me that will cut oak to your measurements. Of course, you'll need to dry it before using, and allow for the shrinkage when ordering. Composite (well, Trex-like composite) will deflect far more that wood. I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[csp]

Composites are not built for handling any load. You'd have to have crossmembers every 6" to use them.

 

[porschedude996TT]

If money is not an issure, the semi truck trailers use a wood called Apitong. It is not cheap but it is very strong and very durable. I don't think they even paint or seal the top surface so you could add the cost of the finishing into the costo of the wood to help justify the cost of the wood.

 

[volleyball]

I would think painting the metal good before laying the planks would keep any problem at bay. Use stainless fasteners.
Check locally for a saw mill and see what they have. A rough cut board works best IMO

 

[rsanter]

How about a thin 1/8" rubber strip between the wood and the trailer

Bob

 

[Imcrazy]

there are places aound the DFW area that use old telephone posts that they resaw into trailer decking sizes. My trailer is a steel top but two of my friends have had it done.

 

[lilredex]

If you have a "walk-in" mill nearby, talk to them. My old Dodge came with white oak in the bed and that's what I was thinking of using again, until they suggested an alternate, at half the price....Beech.

Still there and looking good after more than twenty years of use.

 

[rslaback]

Personally I'd just go with pressure treated. When you do purchase it make sure that it is treated yellow pine and not ponderosa pine. Google the two for the grain difference.

That said, everyone always talks about oak when redecking a trailer. If you do go that way, use a species of white oak. Red Oak has horrible weather resistance.

 

[bullnerd]

I think the corrosion thing is only with galvanized steel, like deck joist hangars?

 

[AZ Pete]

My 18 ft Hudson trailer came from the factory with 2x6 PT for the decking over a steel frame. I bought it in 2000 and the deck is just now getting to where I'm thinking about replacement. There have been no issues with the chemicals corroding the steel, although this trailer is old enough that the PT is probably the old CCA treatment and not the newer borate treatment. The PT definitely get's slippery when wet. Oak would be a better choice if you can afford it. There's a sawmill near me that will cut oak to your measurements. Of course, you'll need to dry it before using, and allow for the shrinkage when ordering. Composite (well, Trex-like composite) will deflect far more that wood. I wouldn't recommend it.

If you use Oak, make sure it is White Oak, not Red Oak...Red Oak will rot easily in out door environments. White Oak is used for truck beds, barrels and the like.

 

[fred d]

I have seen a few trailers that have used purlins(red metal used on car ports and metal buildings) as replacement for the 2x's used on decks

 

[theoldwizard1]

Around MI, they use rough sawn (full 2" thick) green )not dried) oak.

 

[Dustball]

I put down door/window flashing tape on my cross members before my PT boards went on top.

 

[HoosierMark]

They use rough sawn oak around here. I redid one trailer and it has shrunk down to leave about a 4 inch gap in the bed. But since it is spread out over the width (6 feet) it is no big deal. I would do what the others say, find a local sawmill and be done with it.

 

[usa#1]

I would recommend rough sawn white oak as others have suggested. I have it on a 20 ft tilt deck trailer which sits outdoors. Seems to be holding up much better than pressure treated.

 

[Lippyp]

If its rotting from underneath then it might well be worth covering the underside of whatever you use with something a bit more durable, bed liner might work, underseal or even just a bituminous paint. Something that will soak up the dings from rocks and keep the water off.

 

[volleyball]

The rotting underneath sounds like it is stored over a wet condition such as dirt so it gets the moisture on the bottom side and the top dries out.
Sealing one side may end causing the boards to warp. Not good either. Maybe a concrete pad would solve the problem but might cost as much as replacing the boards a couple of times.

 

[38Chevy454]

I replaced the runners on my car trailer with metal. Ran three 1.5 square 3/16 wall tubing longitudinal supports under the runners that are 16 inches wide (48 inch wide diamond plate, sheared to 1/3 width). The middle I just filled with 3/4 plywood. I put some preservative on the wood in addition to being PT plywood. No low-cost sources of white oak or other wood around here.

 

[csp]

I think the corrosion thing is only with galvanized steel, like deck joist hangars?

No, galvanized is safe and recommended to use (or stainless) with the new PT wood. It's bare steel that it eats up.

 

[jake00]

Our small equip trailer (7x12) had a rotting deck on it. It's 10 years old and sits outside . I happen to have a sawmill and some white oak. We cut some pieces 1 1/2 thick today and will be mounting tomorrow . Pics will follow

 

[doctordirt]

Want it to last? Black walnut has lot of natural oils, my sawyer recommended it to me.

 

[Caterpillar Cowboy]

Oak or Apitong, we went with oak when we re-decked our 54,000 lb Trailmax equipment trailer a few winters ago. I picked it up right from the manufacturer in Boise.

If you're replacing trailer deck though, you'll really want one of these!
http://bylerrivetsupply.com/products/trailer-body-floor-drill/

 

[jake00]

Want it to last? Black walnut has lot of natural oils, my sawyer recommended it to me.

Walnut is much softer than oak.

 

[KEH]

Rough white oak. Put 2 coats of old motor oil on one side, then put that side down on the trailer, install. Put 2 coats of oil on top. Let it soak in before using it. Put more oil on each year or two.

KEH

 

[J Persons]

If money is not an issure, the semi truck trailers use a wood called Apitong. It is not cheap but it is very strong and very durable. I don't think they even paint or seal the top surface so you could add the cost of the finishing into the costo of the wood to help justify the cost of the wood.

I drove a semi in another life, and the trailers had a very hard wood floor, I don't know what the wood was called, but it did have a waxy type of treatment on it, and an unusual odor in the newer trailers. It was a very hard wood and almost impossible to remove any nails from the previous loads blocking.

 

[BFBOB]

Around MI, they use rough sawn (full 2" thick) green )not dried) oak.

Ditto on my factory made (head hung in shame) trailer. Very strong, good traction on the rough surface, just now getting to be in bad shape after 15 years in the weather - snow ice, rain, sun and all. I've got easy access to the same stuff at the sawmill, so that's what I'll use to replace it.

... on the other hand, it does reduce the payload by 200 lbs.

 

[EricP]

Apitong, aka keruing, is widely used in the trucking industry for trailer beds. Searching online it runs about $3 per board foot plus you'll probably need to have it shipped unless there happens to be a distributor in your area. A cheaper but better solution would be black locust from a local sawmill. It's harder, stronger, and resists rotting better than keruing. Black locust would likely outlive the trailer itself. There would be no need to seal it. Just install and haul.

 

[jake00]

Pics of Todays progress

 

[volleyball]

Looks good. Did you paint the metal where you won't be able to get to it with the boards on?
What brand trailer is that?

 

[gungatim]

standard around here is regular PT 2x6. usually lasts 10-15 yrs. When I redo mine, I get a few cans of rubberized undercoating and spray the bottom of the boards under the trailer to keep water and snow off a bit. Also did this for my enclosed trailer with OSB flooring...