# Adding Wood Sides To A Dump Trailer



## Woodcutteranon (Feb 8, 2017)

I want to add wood side boards to my new Dump Trailer.... A Griffin 6 x 10'... Each side on my trailer has three stake pockets to add the uprights.

A Pine board would be cheaper to buy and add less weight. Treated lumber is more $$ but would obviously last longer...

Does anyone have a recommendation for the type of 2 x 12 I should use? ...treated lumber or a simple pine board? Curious if there is a consensus with this. This dump will mostly haul firewood and mulch... 

Thanks in advance for your replies!


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## cantoo (Feb 8, 2017)

Buy whatever is cheapest because the 1st time they load you at a yard the dumbazz will hit it with the loader. If you have a chainsaw I would just rough saw some decent tree that you have around and be done with it for no cash.


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## Stihlbillie (Feb 8, 2017)

^ Lol agreed


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## moondoggie (Feb 8, 2017)

Maybe 2 2x6's on each side. It will be cheaper to replace when a board is inevitably trashed. This is what i came up with on my trailer. All used decking material someone paid me to haul away.


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## rarefish383 (Feb 9, 2017)

These side boards were free. Two inch Red Oak, they were real pretty for a couple years, till they grayed out. They are not removable. They bolt to the uprights for the ramp/tailgate. I used 2X2 angle in the front pockets, Joe.


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## rarefish383 (Feb 9, 2017)

cantoo said:


> Buy whatever is cheapest because the 1st time they load you at a yard the dumbazz will hit it with the loader. If you have a chainsaw I would just rough saw some decent tree that you have around and be done with it for no cash.



It's funny, my first side boards were 3 2X6 pressure treated, and they got ripped up every time I got top soil or mulch. Since I put the Oak side boards on no one has ever hit them. I'm just guessing that when they see them they stand out over 2X6 sides and they pay attention to what they are doing, Joe.


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## rarefish383 (Feb 9, 2017)

Here they are when they were newer. I thought about varnishing them and trying to keep them shiney. But, I've got Black Walnut replacements for them if they ever get busted up, Joe.


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## chucker (Feb 9, 2017)

expanded metal is the only way to go! more expensive to buy, but easier to fix when hit with a bucket after an operator hit's it repeatedly!! nailing, screwing or stapling boards back together is worthless in time! besides it's clearly easier to see through an open expanded metal than a so called solid board! not to sure if you would be hauling dirt/sand/small rock in excess of the side height's of the trailer?


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## dave_dj1 (Feb 9, 2017)

Just use a kd 2x12, stain it and replace in 8 years as needed.


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## mijdirtyjeep (Feb 9, 2017)

chucker said:


> expanded metal is the only way to go!



I have 2-2X12's on both my small 10' dump and the bigger 14' dump trailer. They will be getting replaced sometime in the spring with expanded metal. They have been ripped off more than once by careless tree service guys loading logs into the trailer.

Also a positive I see with expanded metal, is it will allow air to flow through then you are empty. The 2X12's act like a 24" high parachute and just cause extra wind drag, that I can actually see on the MPG readout on my dash (have ran both with them on and without without for longer trips on the highway)..


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## Mike Van (Feb 9, 2017)

See if you can find a couple of locust planks at a small mill - The trailer will rust out from under them before they rot, and you just put them on the next one -


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## greengreer (Feb 9, 2017)

Locust, now you're talkin. Hickory would take some abuse too but wouldn't last near as long. 
A friend of mine made side boards for a 12' dump bed out of 14" versa-lams. Pretty damn heavy to take on and off but they would handle the abuse of getting loaded.


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## cantoo (Feb 9, 2017)

Damn Joe, you the man. Only a rich guy can afford to use live edge boards on a trailer. Guy near here is selling 2 and 3' long live boards for $99.00 on special. They are pretty much just slabwood. Only thing he is missing in the ad is saying that they are Organic, Gluten free and Non GMO.


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## unclemoustache (Feb 9, 2017)

I'd go with 2x material rather than 1x.


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## M.R. (Feb 9, 2017)

In our area here, we're not as blessed with the variety of hardwoods a lot of you guy are..
Cottonwood is our choice to hold up over the firs & pines for side boards on the dump trucks & decking on the pintle/lowboys to handle the abuse of grousers.


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## muddstopper (Feb 9, 2017)

I used Pt decking boards the first time I put sides on my trailer. They warped so bad they pulled loose from the bolts that held them to the stakes. Replacements are 2x8 pt. should be the last set of side boards I ever need.


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## rarefish383 (Feb 9, 2017)

cantoo said:


> Damn Joe, you the man. Only a rich guy can afford to use live edge boards on a trailer. Guy near here is selling 2 and 3' long live boards for $99.00 on special. They are pretty much just slabwood. Only thing he is missing in the ad is saying that they are Organic, Gluten free and Non GMO.



Until you make something with them, they are just another chunk of wood. These are the Black Walnut I was going to use, I guess they've been air drying for about 4 years now. The white sap wood has darkened up. I've been leaning toward making a mortise and tenon bench out of them. But, I might stick them on CL with a crazy price, just to see what happens, Joe.


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## cantoo (Feb 9, 2017)

joe, you can always cut more or use the cash to buy what you want. The women buy the live edge and the husbands set them in the back corner of the garage to collect dust.


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## dancan (Feb 10, 2017)

Artisanal is the other expensive description .
I used some 2x material for the sides of mine , painted with black rust paint thinned out with a bit of gas , I've got some 2x on the dump box insert that are 6 years old with no rot .


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## CaseyForrest (Feb 10, 2017)

I used untreated 2x12 on my 14' trailer. Handy for lighter materials but I find that they encourage me to overload the trailer. I took them off today.


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## ChoppyChoppy (Feb 10, 2017)

M.R. said:


> In our area here, we're not as blessed with the variety of hardwoods a lot of you guy are..
> Cottonwood is our choice to hold up over the firs & pines for side boards on the dump trucks & decking on the pintle/lowboys to handle the abuse of grousers.



Same here. Holds up better than S/P/F


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