Re-decking my equipment trailer. Some questions...

[gunrush128]

So I have a 16' 10k GVWR equipment trailer that was originally floored with PT pine, but it has rotted to the point where I can no longer safely use it. I do not want to use PT pine again because the new stuff is corrosive when it contacts steel, and I really don't want to deal with quickly deteriorating soft wood. From what I've read, white oak and locust have superior rot resistance, but the issue with those are that I cannot find any sawmills with 16' logs. They do however have 16' red oak. So it seems that I'm left with 2 choices...

1) I get 8'&10' white oak boards and have a staggered seam across the middle of the trailer. This concerns me because it seems like that would be a likely point of failure, and more likely to collect crap as the boards expand and contract.

2) I get 16' red oak planks and have no seam. Here, I'm concerned about the boards rotting away.

Another point to consider is that the 16' planks will be much easier to install, and won't require me to drill a bunch of new holes in the heavy steel crossmembers.

Could the red oak be treated with a sealer, or coated with oil every so often to help preserve longevity?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Deererainman]

Red Oak. We make our farm wagon flats out of this, mostly they are outside their entire life. We just replaced a couple that were built 20 yrs ago, with no treatment.

 

[Rookie1]

I just did a trailer at work and used pressure treated pine. I had metal sandblasted and painted so wood shouldn't touch bare metal.

 

[gunrush128]

I actually got lucky and found a lumber yard that had a 16' white oak log that was just big enough to cut the boards that I need.
My next question is, do you all have any suggestions on what I should paint the trailer frame with? I've read good things about por-15, but that needs to be covered with a topcoat of some sort

 

[Rookie1]

Only need topcoat if exposed to uv rays

 

[no tree to big]

Also you can buy buckets.of sealer to slather on untreated wood it's the stuff they use when they pressure treat lumber you would just not have the pressure in the application process

 

[Little Al]

Mustit b

So I have a 16' 10k GVWR equipment trailer that was originally floored with PT pine, but it has rotted to the point where I can no longer safely use it. I do not want to use PT pine again because the new stuff is corrosive when it contacts steel, and I really don't want to deal with quickly deteriorating soft wood. From what I've read, white oak and locust have superior rot resistance, but the issue with those are that I cannot find any sawmills with 16' logs. They do however have 16' red oak. So it seems that I'm left with 2 choices...

1) I get 8'&10' white oak boards and have a staggered seam across the middle of the trailer. This concerns me because it seems like that would be a likely point of failure, and more likely to collect crap as the boards expand and contract.

2) I get 16' red oak planks and have no seam. Here, I'm concerned about the boards rotting away.

Another point to consider is that the 16' planks will be much easier to install, and won't require me to drill a bunch of new holes in the heavy steel crossmembers.

Could the red oak be treated with a sealer, or coated with oil every so often to help preserve longevity?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Must it be wood? the 2 trailers we had/have that had wood floors we replaced with 6mm steel ( your imp would be 1/4"we had it galvanized & the end #'s price slightly more, weight less, durability much greater ( could be dependent on the framing)

 

[Torquin]

White oak is a great choice for its toughness and tight cell structure, at least that's what I was told. The tight cell structure makes it the best choice for longevity of decking. I redecked my GN with this several years ago. I was fortunate that I cut several white oaks down on a job and got the logs. Carried them to a buddy that has a backyard sawmill and we custom cut the 1.5" thick deck boards to fit the trailer.

Chris

 

[Glen1978]

Check out Apitong. Its the industry standard for alot of 18 wheeler flatbeds. Its actually a species of Mahogany I believe.