Time to re-deck my trailer

[/pine]

If the grain of the wood is oriented properly....

for longevity...always put the "bark edge" to the weather...

i.e., look at the end grain and be sure the grain arches to the elements...also sealing the cut ends with paint or wax etc. will help prevent premature rot.

also you should check...if it was "wolmanized" it may be under warranty

 

[westbrooklawn]

Eddie -

I know you already got your bolts, but are they galvanized? The new pressure treated lumber will eat up any fasteners that are not hot dip galvanized... I found out the hard way with some deck boards that I shot down with electro galvanized nails (not the required hot dip), and 2 years later they are rusting apart. Now would be the time to do it right for the longest life span.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Getting back to installing the boards. The first 3 or 4 you can simply slide in by putting them in crooked then moving them into place with a little tap of the hammer. The last two or three you will have to use the piece of 2x4 on the front axle. The put the front edge of the board in and have a good sized buddy stand on the back side. It will bow the board then a tap of that 2x4 with a sledge to knock it out and it will pop right into place.

Chris

 

[Sackett2]

My trailer had 2x10's in when we got it; the were tightly installed, and had to have a 4" one cut to fit it in the center. The 2x6's fit perfectly allowing for the 1/4 inch gap. also, the at 8' with the seam in the middle- real easy to repair.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks for all the great tips. I bought a tube of silicone when I went to Lowes this morning to get the crown nuts. I used it on both sides of the hole, and where the wires hung down while going from side to side for the tail lights, I also siliconed them to the metal frame.

The PT wood was a bit thicker then the wolmanized wood, so I had to sand off the edge of the wood on the front side. The wood has to go into a slot.

I then drilled and bolted the 2x10's to the cross members at three location. Two bolts per cross member. On my first bolt, I realized that the crown nuts were too tight and caused the head of the carriage bolt to spin in the wood. I tried to hold it in place with a pair of vice grips, but did't care for that method. I had already bought regular nuts, so I used them first. One lock washer, the a regular nut, then after that was tight, I added the crown nut. I figured that at the very worst, the crown nut will help lock the standard nut in place.

I thought of loctite, but knew that if I had to tighten up the nuts at a later date, that I'd break the seal on the loctite and have to start all over with it. The bolts, washers and nuts are galvanized. The crown nut is zinc plated. Since the PT wood is above the cross member, the only thing touching it is the bolt. They are 5/16's bolts.

I used two bolts per cross member at three points. Before, there was two self taping screws used per board. Six bolts versus 2 screws.

By the time I was about done, I got to wondering about that angle iron that goes over the ends of the boards. I really wonder what it's advantage is? Does it protect the wood, or does it just hold the wood in place?

What if I put two bolts through the wood and cross member?

I drilled the holes and added the bolts. This gives me 8 bolts per board.

My thinking is that the angle iron catches and holds moisture in it. The trailer is tilted to the back, so when it rains, the water runs down the boards and under the angle iron. This means the end grain is kept wet for longer periods of time then the rest of the wood. Since my wood rotted out from the end grain at the rear of the trailer, I think that the angle iron holds the moisture that caused this problem. If there is no angle iron, then the wood should last allot longer.

I drilled two more holes at the ends of each 2x10 and bolted them to the cross member. That gives me 8 bolts per board.

It's all back together and ready to haul my tractor to the job that I need it at. It wasn't a project that I wanted to do, but it wasn't very difficult either.

Does anybody have a good idea on what I can put on the wood to help it last longer?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[AKfish]

Thompson's water seal does a real good job. 2 minutes to apply and you can use the trailer 5 minutes later.

Re-apply every 2 years. I haven't bought any for the past 5 years or so; but, it didn't use to be very expensive, either.

AKfish

 

[smitty9266]

The reason for the ends attached the way they were along with so few screws is because of the trailers construction. from the Pic it is not of heavy construction you need the ends to slide in the slots when the trailer flexes or you will tear out the bolts or when original, the screws.

Fewer is better...they are there just to keep the boards from blowing out!!! not for strength!!!

Jeff

 

[MikeD74T]

I'm thinking that a shot of silicone in each hole to hold the wires in place would be a good, long term idea to prevent a wire for eventually wearing off the plastic sleeve and shorting itself out. Does anybody disagree with this? Thank you, Eddie

I use silicone to hold trailer wires at every hole the wires pass through and even on intermediates where the wires just lay on a flat spot. Works great & lasts forever. Works good as lockwashers also, just a dab on the bolt end after it's tightened. MikeD74T

 

[Egon]

Surly wish my trailer decking was going as quickly. I'm still waiting for the rain to stop so I finish scaling rust.

Check out wood preservatives that could be used for the ends to help extend the boards life.

 

[weldingisfun]

Eddie, there was a thread run not to long ago on the deck preservative subject. I searched for it but couldn't find the right key words. I used the diesel and used motor oil approach when I last redecked. So far so good. It is not slippery, as you might expect it to be. Also stood my deck boards on end in the mixture for two days to let it soak into the end grains. Too late for you to do that.

Have also used linseed oil and turpentine on a covered livestock trailer. Sure made it look nice. It is holding up well, so far. Costs a lot more than the diesel and used oil method.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I like the diesel oil and a little diesel fuel mix. Cheap and easy to apply. Farmers around here use it on everything like fences, ect. As for wires I just rebuilt a and re-decked a trailer for a customer a few months back. It had the wires just zip tied under it so I welded a chain link on each cross member to hold the wires up. No sharp edges and free to me from the local hardware.

Chris

 

[2manyrocks]

It's an interesting observation that the angle at the end of the trailer held in moisture and rotted the boards. That makes sense.

The angle does help to avoid splitting or chipping the end grain of the wood when things get slid in and out of the back of the trailer.

I think most utility trailers lack enough steel support in this area if they are going to be used to haul things like small tractors. When something is first loaded on the trailer, this is where the first weight transfer takes place. You've probably seen trailers with bent rear support members. I had repair damage in this area on the used trailers I bought. I added a larger angle to the rear on them.

Your deck looks good.

 

[JB4310]

Looks great, better than new, I learned something, to make it easier I see you did one board at a time. I was thinking you lay all the boards down then you'd have to keep climbing under and back for every bolt, much easier I see now to work from the side in the opening.

Might consider reinstalling that angle iron over the board ends just for that little protection it provides them, I don't think the water trapping concern outweighs the benefit.

My PT deck is drying out and cracking a little so I'll be preserving with something, got plenty of diesel so if that's the way to go, all the better.

JB.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks everyone. The oil and diesel mixture is what I was trying to remember, but kept coming up blank when I tried to think of what others had used. My experience with the more traditional wood sealers has been rather disappointing.

I've built quite a few wood decks for clients here in East Texas, and most of them are decked in 5/4 PT wood. The first one that I did here was back in 02, which is before I bought this trailer. That deck is in great condition and there is no sign of rot or decay. The boards have shrunk a fair bit, but otherwise, with nothing added to them, it's doing fine. Why that wolmanized wood rotted out on my is sort of a mystery to me. It either has to be because it is just inferior to PT wood, or that angle iron at the end is holding moisture and allowing the end grain to rot without me being able to tell. Once the rot starts, it's all over. I thought that a metal plate at the end might help protect the wood, but don't really know if I need it or not. I only use the trailer a few times a year and mostly to pick up culverts or a lumber that's too long for my truck bed. I'm building a deck next month and will need it then, but otherwise, it just sits here for months at a time. I keep it at an angle so that water runs off of it to the rear, which just makes it worse for catching and holding water with that angle iron over the boards. Without that angle iron, I think that the water will just run off of the wood and the end grain will dry out rather quickly.

If I'm wrong, I'll post pictures and hopefully a solution to the problem. For now, I don't see a need for the angle iron, and will keep it in my scrap pile. It's painted red, so I'll know what it's for if I need a piece of angle iron.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[Diamondpilot]

Eddie, why not put he angle iron back on but space up 1/4" with some pieces of flat stock? Once welded in position this will allow the water to run and keep the ends of the boards protected.

Chris

 

[/pine]

An effective method of sealing the cut off ends lumber is to heat paraffin in a coffee can etc and apply with a disposable paint brush...

caution should be taken when heating the wax...I use a propane torch outdoors away from other flamable materials...

 

[Stimw]

I have re-decked dozens of 40-45-48' flat bed semi trailers. The Torq screws are the best way to fasten. (available from a good bolt supplier) They are self tapping. You drill a 7/32 hole for 1/4" screws or a 9/32 for 5/16" screws and run them in with an impact.
It's too late for your repair now but if anyone else is doing this job, FYI.
I used to R&R a complete floor in about 30 hours. I've even got a drill with a home made handle so I could stand up and drill the holes.

 

[Sackett2]

here is the picture of the deck dad and I redid last year. note the metal strip in the center, it covers the ends of the 8' boards.

 

[Alan L.]

Thats similar to my trailer which I also paid about $900 for new. The boards were painted black and lasted maybe 6 years. I bought $190 worth of 2 x 8" pressure treated and since it needed rewiring (had a short that kept blowing the fuse in the towing vehicle), 2 wheel bearings replaced, and the other bearings packed, I just dropped it off at a trailer repair outfit about 20 miles from my place. They did all the labor for a reasonable price. Replacing those boards is quite a bit of work.

About 3 years ago when I was doing this, I think it was somebody on this board that recommended I go a the sawmill in Oklahoma and get rough-sewn oak rather than the pressure treated pine or fir that I ended up with. Just didn't want to go that far, so I got the lumber at Home Depot.

 

[EddieWalker]

here is the picture of the deck dad and I redid last year. note the metal strip in the center, it covers the ends of the 8' boards.

I think the picture of your trailer shows the problem that I had with mine really good. At the end of the trailer, near the ramps, there is some build up of dirt. I think this is why the boards rot out at the ends. The dirt, or leaves, or whatever it is, gets under that angle iron and holds moisture there. Over a short period of time, the boards start to rot. The more I think about it, the more I feel that it's the biggest problem for the wood decking and the reason the boards rot out. Compared to a wood deck, the wood on a trailer should last just as long. I'd expect 20 years out of it and was really shocked at how quickly the previous wood failed.

Eddie