Has any one used something to help there wood trailer deck (P.T.) last longer or is nothing better then something?
Thompson's water seal is good; used oil helps too.
I have had pretty good luck finding oil base stain that is old and the dealers want to sell real bad. It soaks in and seems to seal the wood pretty good. Boiled lindseed oil works great also.
That is what I have had the best luck with although I have only used it on rough-sawn oak decking not PT pine. Plus linseed oil is environmentally friendly.. When I bought my 25T tag, we applied 2 good soakings before anything was loaded on it. Applied the first soaking and let it sit for a day and repeated.
Two thumbs up for linseed oil. Years ago, before fiberglass ladders were developed, and wooden step ladders were the norm, we'd coat wooden ladders with linseed oil. It would make the wood waterproof and resist cracking.
Plain old used motor oil. Coat once per year in the summer when its hot. Be sure to get the butt ends of the planks soaked good. Have a 25 year old wood decked trailer that has sat outside in Ohio all that time and it still has 90% of the original wood in the deck.
I just replaced our boards with Black Locust that is some tough wood. I know of fence posts made out of that stuff that has been in the ground for over 80 years and rock solid. Also used telephone poles, there's a sawmill near me that saws up used telephone poles for lumber and I know a guy that used them on a backhoe trailer that seemed to last forever.
We use linseed oil as well, Like D2Denny said do it in the middle of summer when its hot so it soaks in good....
I think I will try UMO because it's cheep and can't hurt.
This may be a silly question, but where are you guys getting the linseed oil from to do this?
I have a friend that has a trailer decked in rough sawn white oak (not red oad) that is 20 years old, sits outside all the time, and has never had anything put on it. It is still in fair condition, with probably another 5 years or so left in it. When I was in college working on a small sawmill part time, we used to cut hickory for truck beds and was told the beds that were being replaced were 13-18 years old. As far as black locust is concerned, I have seen fence post made of this that have been in the ground for 40 years and are solid as a rock - I would not hesitate to use it. John
Another vote for linseed oil. I got it at the local hardware store. Should have it at lumber stores also.
I would also try a couple of paint stores for the linseed oil. They are more likely to have it in gallons - which would be cheaper. John
where can you get lin seed oil
Pretty much any paint store, or Home Depot type store should have it.
the used motor oil gets real slippery in the winter up here ... been there done that.
I have oak on my Towmaster. I have not put anything on it (had it since 2/04) and it is still holding up OK. I wish I would have treated it with something though as the deck is looking a little rough. It is VERY dry here ( I won't even buy wood handled shovels because they don't last), and we have a very high UV index too. I was worried about traction in adverse weather as well. Even without any sealant or treatment I lost my trackhoe over the side of my trailer a few winters ago. The trailer deck was completely dry. The grousers had snow packed in them (from walking across snow to get to the trailer), and the trailer was not on a very steep side slope (maybe 2-3%). I always carry a bucket of play sand with me now. Toss a couple of handfulls over the deck. It's all it takes.
Hello all! I am new to here and am very interested in learning all I can learn. I am needing to replace my old (and I mean very old) trailer, and was wondering if you have any advice on whether I go with wood floor or aluminum flooring. I will mainly be hauling livestock, along with some small equipment. Thanks for your advice!
Welcome to the Forums E Smith!:drinkup I don't have any experience hauling livestock so I don't know the best choice for that application. Is it an enclosed livestock trailer?
Go aluminum. Have a steel stock trailer with wood floor, and it's way to slippery for cattle, would need rubber mats to cover it.
Thank you both for your advice! The trailers I have looked at before are enclosed with windows that open or vents. It never occurred to me that the wood was slippery for cattle, but that makes a lot of sense. I have looked at a couple places that have trailers for sale and have found some options with aluminum flooring. Do I need any kind of mats on the aluminum flooring?