I measured the old wood to be 1 3/4 thick x 7 1/4-1/2 wide. 1. What size wood is this? 2x8 is supposed to be 1.5x7.25, I think. 2. What size screw is recommended? https://www.trailerdecking.com/Trailer-Deck-Screws-Torx-2.5-inch-T40-Fasteners-4005 The other size is only 2 inch long, so I think that is going to be too small. Those were 1/4 20 screws. Any advice would be great. I think I am having a friend mill the wood out of Locust.
Black Locust Maybe six years will be rotten, Honey Locust be lucky to get a year.
Really? Why? I'm reading that locust decking will last 30+ years. What do you recommend? Thanks.
If is BLACK Locust and oiled perhaps Honey Locust is a different breed and goes to pith in months.
Ok. My friend may Oak. By the way, I couldn't find any info on the axles. Any idea how I find out what axles are on it?
Should be a ID tag on the tube. Unless rotted off, Photo may help, of hub assemblies/tube style(Round or Square).
Oak will take more abrasive wear. Had a Equipment trailer at shop I work, did NOT anchor the boards with thru drilled self tappers to cross members, used clamping washers under the cross members. That also allowed the boards to expand and contract wetted or drying out.
I could not find a tag or numbers on tube.
Those look no heavier than 3500# axles to me such as used in a standard car hauler, or utility type trailer. Crossmember style supports that also as common around here.
I believe so. I think it is only rated for 7k. How do I tell if Dexter or other?
For that small of a trailer I would just use PT pine. Teks screws are great - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Teks-12...-Self-Drilling-Screws-40-Pack-21384/100145370 All you have to do is pre-drill the wood, the Teks screws are self tapping. Re-floored our 15K skid trailer 5-6 years ago with HD/Lowes PT pine and Teks screws and it's still holding up great. For larger trailers red oak is the way to go IMO with a couple of gallons of linseed oil swabbed on the deck before anything goes on it.
I agree Pine on that trailer is more than good enough. Do appear Dexter axle could be Chinese knockoffs but generally all parts similar Bearings and seals nearly any trailer parts supply will have.
I have done 5 or 6 trailer floors over the last 20 years or so. I always used 2x8 pine to start with. ( 2x10 or 2x12 is nice, if you can get it) 1. Cut all your boards to fit 2. Lay it all out on sawhorses in the sun 3. Use a good clear porch and deck treatment applied with a pump-up sprayer, to all sides and ends. Soak it good. 4. Let dry, turn over, soak everything again 5. Do no3 and 4 at least twice to every surface and end. 6. When thoroughly dried, put boards on trailer with trailer deck screws. 7. Use 3" long, self tapping trailer deck screws. 8. Screws are NOT really self tapping, it is best to predrill every hole with a slightly smaller drill bit. Then run the deck screws in the pilot hole you have in the wood and angle iron. If you do not predrill, about 1/2-1/3 of the screw heads will break off before you can get the wood anchored solidly to the trailer frame. 9. After you are done, flood the surface with another coat of deck sealer. Make sure it puddles up in every screw hole. hope this helps. Jeff
If you can get black locust heartwood reasonable, then that will be one of the best available locally. 1 1/2" or even 1 1/4" (5/4") wet will be plenty for a car hauler like that. If you're planning to put skid steers on it, then use the best vertical grain boards under the tires and the crap in the middle. I don't like pressure treated pine, too brittle and corrosive.
My friend with the mill is going to try to get me White Oak. He will mill them at 1 3/4 thickness. This is for a small Bobcat s-150 skid steer. I think it weighs almost 6k. I am going to follow the directions on www.trailerdecking.com They suggest pre drilling and then counter sinking. Do I really need 3 inch screws? I was going to go with 2.5 inches. But, I have never done this before. Thanks folks.
I used Apitong on my last trailer deck jobs. By far not the cheapest but certainly the longest lasting. The one I replaced had oak and it had rotted through in about 10-12 years.
Around here practice has been to use rough sawed oak. Some will soak it with a preservative of some sort but I'm not going to get in to that
I put their fancy oil on it. I think the thing that would help a trailer the most would be to keep it clean, and then tilt it when not in use so the water runs off nicely. It's far too big of a pain to keep a cover on it cuz no one will.
White Oak is probably next best. Heartwood only will go a long way to making it last.
Yup. Delo 15W-40 wood preservative with about 10,000 road miles on it works real good.
I predrill through both the wood and the steel with a slightly smaller bit. I don't countersink, the screws will pull themselves down. If its just a 3,500 lbs car trailer, and you're going to be hauling the skid somewhere every day as a landscaper or something, I'm going to guess you're going to be shopping for a new heavier trailer soon. Most of those light car haulers are made for a 3,000lbs car, and don't handle everyday use.
A 6000# skid steer on 7000# of axel will fail in short order.
Deck screws, really? Wouldn't carriage bolts and nylock nuts work better?
There's a big difference between trailer deck screws, and house deck screws. Trailer deck screws is what I hope everyone is talking about. https://www.amazon.com/16-18x2-Trailer-Floorboard-Screw-Plain/dp/B01G2QFTS8
It turns out that the axles are Dexter 5.2k or 6k. I won't know exactly until I pull the outer bearing off. From that point, you can distinguish between the two. But, that is much better news for me. Yes, the trailer decking screws seem to be the industry standard. They suggest countersinking, but I could always try without it first.
I just drilled pilot holes on the recommendation of my trailer mechanic buddy. Only issue is now I need to replace the deck, 30 yrs in the rainforest of the wet coast.
I've done more decks and deck reinforcements then I care to think about. I buy however many boxes of trailer floor screws, a box of bits and some new torx bits and we go to town. Put tapping fluid or paste on the screws helps.
Same here.
i'm thinking the only difference between 5200 thru 7000 lb. axles is the tubing thickness. The lighter can have six hole wheels also. I built a 24 foot gooseneck in 93 that has a heavy expanded metal floor in it. I still use that trailer and other than a few holes it's still a good usable trailer. Hard telling how many miles on it, probably the best trailer I ever built. Cross members on 16 inch centers. I use pine in all other trailers now and always replacing boards.
Well, I need to revive this thread that I started last year. Last year we got behind on this project, but all the lighting is now done and we are planning to put decking on it when the winter is over. The trailer is likely a 10,000 lb trailer and it is 16 feet long. My friend with a mill can cut down oak for me. So, what is my best move? Oak and then soak with sealer, then the self tapping screws? Thanks for helping me get back on track with this.
Dmiller stated that he used clamping washers instead of screws. But, I am not sure what those are.
Do yourself a favor and put G rated tires on it. E rated tire are junk on a trailer IMO.
I first gotta get wood on the deck. What are the clamping washers that Dmiller suggested? I cannot find such an animal on the internet.
Can do it any of a number of ways, primary idea is to set the retainer bolts At EDGE of yet not into the Steel Work shelf the wood will rest upon. Larger Diameter Thick cross section washers as a 5/8 SAE on a 1/2" bolt with a secondary 1/2" washer to retain that larger diameter outer edge washer OR a secondary choice, 1.5-2" x 1/8" strap Steel drilled for the 1/2" bolts. This becomes a Pinch system to clamp the board to the flange of the trailer supporting steel. Seems too simple but works simply and easily, seeing more commercial trailers done that way, NO drilling Steel or using self tapping bolts.
I maintained several old equipment trailers. They all had the deck attached as DM shows above. Dang sure more work to install originally, right? Takes two men. Too slow, too expensive. Bring on the self tapping screws and a big old kid to push the screwgun....
I actually just saw that referenced last week by a "custom" heavy haul trailer company. My first time hearing of it, they definitely had some big claims for it. Something like 2-3x life of oak?
Apitong is a tropical hardwood. It seems it's harder to find and more expensive away from the coasts, local hardwoods are cheaper and easier to find, so not much market, so it's more expensive, so local is cheaper and easier to find...
We use what wood we have. I cut Red oak in 2007, had it milled 2-1/4" thick for the dump bed on my 26000 LB gross dump (in the avatar). I milled enough to replace it. 2011 we had a 10,000 year flood tore the storage building apart. My extra oak & quite a lot of other stuff went down the river. 2015, I was hitching chain moving blocks for an antique tractor pull. Phone rang, I answered & immediately disappeared through the deck. At that time I decided steel deck was the better solution. I stood 1-1/2 X 1/4" flat on edge & put 3/16 one piece in to replace the wood. Pressure treated is extremely corrosive. I would avoid it.
White oak is used here. Black Locust is claimed to last forever, "10 years longer than stone". I have a pile of black locust to deck a 22500 LB equipment trailer. It is 2006 built, decked with White Oak. Ask me in 17 years how it lasted.
you can see the condition of the oak I was taking off. I think the 40" of rain here has something to do with it. You can see the unfinished color of it and after I put the fancy oil on it. When I retire next year I will order a gallon of the oil and treat the two trailers.
Edges of Lumber become trash traps, hold moisture, allow microbes to start chewing. I still use Boiled Linseed oil, just not as religious as to use as used to be.
I did my small lowbed with 2 1/2" Douglas fir over 10 years ago. Bolted down with 1/2" galv. carraige bolts countersunk .Marked them for the exixting crossmember holes or drilled up thru holes where we could.Its started to get rough last year when were moving heavy chunks of a ship we were dismantling .we missed the steel plates we used for sharp ends between the wood and punched a hole and finally another hole where the bucket linkage on a120 excavator boom sat when moving. Pretty good for over 10 years,the only oiling it got was from the odd leaky machine. Around here guys claim Cottonwood decking is best for lowbeds. Ive never seen it. Theres tons of it out the bush but no one ever cuts it. The picture is 10+ years ago,she looks a little rougher now.The extra 1/2" of wood really helped with durability,you can just see it sticking up above the frame.
Cottonwood is one type that mills do not like to see coming in. Wet, tends to close on blading, blades run hot, grain is all over the place so not consistency. HOWEVER, once cut and allowed to dry a while, bolted and oiled will seemingly outlast the trailer. Earth contact rots like toilet paper but off grade and in air stream to keep dry, lasts well.
That is not what I would expect. Up here in the North the only cottonwood is planted. Mrs. B teaches first grade. She gets student teachers. The most promising of them all came into our lives 20 years ago. She, her husband & their daughters have become very close. 18 years ago they bought a house I tried to talk them out of. A massive cottonwood stood near the house. Tammie HATED it!! We cut it & removed it. I got 3-1/2 cords of not so good firewood from a 29 year old tree. I can't say the weight, but light. I'd say lighter than pine. Rot resistance is not what I would expect.
So long as no physical earth contact on cottonwood here, gets a patina rot layer and stops. Lay it on ground gone in a year. As far as firewood, leave it long enough to dry and in a pile. No heat tons of ash.
In those years we had a walk in woodshed with two doors. Enough space for two years wood supply. It got put in in summer & not burned until more than a year. Worked OK when we were home, just add fuel often. When we weren't home we'd use something else. Pound for pound, not all that much difference from one wood to another. Local lore from unscientific people is that pine for example makes creosote. Wood pellet manufacturer says that is nonsense. They make all their pellets from pine. Dry & compressed at over 600 degrees in a low oxygen atmosphere, the wood comes out hard as a hardwood pellet. Pellet stoves are much like a blacksmith's forge, burning a small volume with a lot of air forced through the fuel, burns intensely hot. Here we have a tree close relative to Cottonwood, Quaking Aspen. Locals call it Popple. The opposite is true of its rot characteristics. It won't last long exposed to weather, but underground it seems to last a very long time. It used to be used for log culverts. A small log was partially buried, Two larger were placed each side of it. They were buried enough to hold them stable. A fourth log placed on top, & covered in at least a foot of gravel. These will support log trucks for at least 30 years.
I refloored my trailer in the early 90s with oak. Treated it with the best used oil i could get. This week the magnet at the scrap yard quit and they had to unload me with a trackhoe i now have a big hole in the floor.
Seeing where some use Red oak and all the guys around here would not use Red because it doesn't last. I have a bunch of Red (8 to 10 ft) was going to make outdoor steps with, was told don't do it unless your going to stay on top of it and paint regular. My Red still sits in the barn 5 years later I'm looking at replacing my 10 ton tag deck (used self tapping screws) and reading through this thread has helped with some ideas
I don't think anyone has mentioned shooting nails into the trailer frame. Former brother in law told of seeing a trailer redecked using a Hilti Gun. More recently, I saw a You Tube video of a new gun made for the purpose. I can't remember who offers it, it is intended to shoot nails through wood into steel.
Thus far into life I've favored the fender washer approach. Drill up through the deck plank, use a carriage bolt.
I just used the standard 5/16" self-tapping deck screws.
Oak have tubes that sap flows through. A new layer grows each year. White Oak, the tubes close up the way bamboo does. Red Oak the tubes remain open. Split out a thin piece of red oak, you can blow bubbles in a glass of water like with a drinking straw. This is what sets red apart from white in rot resistance. In some circumstances red lasts as long as white. Split siding or roof shingles are laid to prevent water getting into the top end grain. Red Oak is said to last 100 years as roofing.
Sorry to revive this old thread. But, I am finally putting wood on this trailer. I have re-read the thread and I am wondering if the method Dmiller mentioned in post 35 is the way to go. Can anyone comment and also, if it is, what grade and size hardware is suggested? Thank you.
Yes, drill right near the steel. Personally I wouldn't forsener bit a hole for the head as i wouldn't like the water and mush to lay in it, I'd probably use coach bolt or just hammer the hex in if it's soft enough
Grade wise I'd imagine anything is stronger than the wood so any grade would do. You need a decent diameter of heavy washer underneath, then match bolt to that
Fastenal has thick fender washers.
Thanks guys. I reviewed the picture again in DMiller's post #35. In order to do this, do I lay under this thing, line the washer up to make sure it will cover and grasp the metal, then drill a pilot hole in the middle of the washer or just go straight to a bit that is the size of the bolt and drill up into the wood? I was looking for a vid, but have not had luck finding one yet. Thanks.
I drilled for the self tapping screws.
If there's space to lay under, drill up with the next size drill bit bigger than the bolt, right alongside the steel. Or if it's tight, put some reference marks for the centre line needed for holes each side on the side rails or whatever, then lay all boards in and put string line across or straight edge, mark the lines, drill them through, bolt it it up, feel good.
Easy enough here the mechanic doing the install marked chalk lines on the upper steel structure as to the lay of Steel edges below, set the lumber where repeated the chalk lines from the steel across the lumber, drilled to open area side of the lines. Have also seen steel strap 2 and 3" width, 1/8" to 3/16" thick, cut and drilled as retainer plates, does not require severe duty materials as cannot Fall 'Up'.
I just use trailer floor screw. Drill a pilot hole and they are self tapping.
I personally prefer to remove the old wood, and just drill holes from the top, putting on one board at a time. But I'm lazy and not much for crawling around and doing a bunch of overhead drilling.
I have stumbled upon these. What do you think? Lowboy Flooring Deck Clip 50491025 TAL38DC Lowboy Flooring Deck Clip 50491025 TAL38DC is available at ILoca. Order online and have it shipped to you or visit us in-store! Call or click today. semitrailers.net
I think anything other than these, is just making time.
Lowboy at the office has the washer set ups, is over fifteen years old now, has had one deck replacement due to grouser or impact damage to the wood and rot from not removing mud. Steel has no damage from having screws driven threw it. I was impressed.
I sold a trailer to a buddy with some box of screws he gave them back to me said he wanted to use carriage bolts . I need the screws now but were did I put them?
"The perfect is the enemy of the good" -Voltaire You already made a decision in post #16, three years ago, on what method you were going to use. Nothing was wrong with your decision, except your indecision to follow through. You could have had a usable trailer for the past three years. Worrying about the perfect cost you three years of opportunity. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but making a decision and following through on that decision is a critical part of success in all facets of our lives. I'm not perfect either, but I've learned to make a decision and follow through. Waffleing on an idea costs time and opportunity. Make a decision, follow through, learn from the experience. I'm better today than I was in the past, and I'll be better in the future, than I am today. In regards to trailers, I've done three decks in the past 5 years. I used white oak for the rot resistance, and 5/16" trailer deck screws to get it done. From tear off old decking to install new on the biggest trailer was only 8 hours. (20ton tag trailer, 24ft long) Having use of the trailer was more important than having a perfect system. All of the previous decks lasted 15 years +/- in a constant use farm environment, and in 15 years from now, I probably won't own the same trailers as our operation evolves and changes.
Colson04, I hear you. But, in this case, there is no issue. I did not loose any opportunity. I had no major need for the trailer and I had way more other important things to deal with. It is not used for business. Your situation sounds way different. The stuff I rely on gets addressed immediately. I will finally have a need for this trailer in the next 45 days and it is just to help a family member move something. I think the bearclaws may be the best way to do the washer method. Thanks.
I would sell the trailer you have, as is, since it's a lot of work to install the deck in your case. I would then look for a used trailer that fits your needs. I bought a used Hertz equipment trailer that I really love. The brand and model is Best Trailer Inc, model TB82x16T The decking is not wood! Not sure what the material, but they call it "Rubberized" on their web site. Super durable, but can be slippery when wet, but then wet moldy wood is also slippery. This is a 14 gvw tilt trailer. Image is of my trailer, with my lousy rattle can Bk spray over the yellow. But hey, no one will steel it.
Aluminum or galvanized steel decking with a rubber coating?
I have a friend with a wood mill. I am dropping it off at his house and he it making the white oak decking. Unfortunately, the suspension will need some work too, but I have already painted it, redone all the wiring. We finished the brake wiring yesterday. So......I plan to see this through. Thanks.
Those lowboy deck clips look good, if you could get them in heavy galvanized they would last several generations. I have a trailer to re-deck, might make a bunch of them.
Well, it took a while to finally get to this point. But, I picked up the 7.75 inch wide, 2 inch thick and 16ft long white oak boards. If you are in the CT area, I highly recommend E.R. Hinnman and Sons Saw Mill in CT. It was about an hour and 15 minute drive for me. The customer service was top notch, polite and the price was very fair. The whole experience was excellent. I highly recommend them!