Time to re-deck my trailer

[Soundguy]

hey now there's a thought. I FINALLY have a fel with down pressure so i can actually do that. all my other laoders are sa lift cyl's.. except for the latest one..

soundguy

 

[caver]

I tried the bow trick, didn't work for me. I talked to the manufacturer the other day and he said they cut the side welds on the rear angle and bend it out of the way. I also had to cut a slot in the welds along the bottom seam of this angle iron.

They weld in these pieces of angle on the sides to help keep the boards together. They are causing problems and the last board won't fit so I may have to notch the boards at this angle piece shown in the picture.

 

[valleyoaksfarm]

Very slick method! But my trailer has a 2 ft beaver tail. Any suggestions on that?
John

 

[Diamondpilot]

I tried the bow trick, didn't work for me. I talked to the manufacturer the other day and he said they cut the side welds on the rear angle and bend it out of the way. I also had to cut a slot in the welds along the bottom seam of this angle iron.

They weld in these pieces of angle on the sides to help keep the boards together. They are causing problems and the last board won't fit so I may have to notch the boards at this angle piece shown in the picture.

Not sure why it did not work for you? Were you using a long enough piece of 2x4 and placing it vertically on the front axle?

I bet I have done 30 trailers just like yours this way with no issues.

Chris

 

[GGB]

I wish I'd known about this thread about 12 years ago! I would never have thought of bowing the boards-especially the 2x6-8-10's.

I've used a 45 degree cut over one of the stringers to place the last one or two boards. Not a very good solution, but seemed to work okay for our purposes. Like Chris, I would cut the rest of the boards about 1/4" short, and could usually massage into place with a sledge hammer. As I got closer to the middle, I might have to miter off a corner to make them go in more easily, then finish with the 45 degree cut over a stringer to finish.

I like Chris' idea a lot better......especially given my lack of welding skills! Thanks to everyone for these tips.

GGB

 

[caver]

Not sure why it did not work for you? Were you using a long enough piece of 2x4 and placing it vertically on the front axle?

I bet I have done 30 trailers just like yours this way with no issues.

Chris

I would have had to put about a 3' board to shorten the board up enough to go in. OR take a chance and shorten the boards up. Seemed like too much trouble to me. A few minutes with a L-head and cutting disk, I quickly realized I should have done that from the start.
Did I mention I'm doing this solo, no tractor loader, just me. Right now it's easier to fix stuff at home vs farm 100+ miles away.
My manufacturer suggested I take out the angles pieces on the side and just screw it down. He said it would take me about an hour but their way without screws is a cost item.
Sikeston, utility trailer capitol of ....well something like that.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would have had to put about a 3' board to shorten the board up enough to go in. OR take a chance and shorten the boards up. Seemed like too much trouble to me. A few minutes with a L-head and cutting disk, I quickly realized I should have done that from the start.
Did I mention I'm doing this solo, no tractor loader, just me. Right now it's easier to fix stuff at home vs farm 100+ miles away.
My manufacturer suggested I take out the angles pieces on the side and just screw it down. He said it would take me about an hour but their way without screws is a cost item.
Sikeston, utility trailer capitol of ....well something like that.

To each his own. I have bought many trailers from Sikeston. Jerry James Trailers to be exact. I make it down that way all the time for my work. We have a facility we visit in Perryville.

Chris

 

[caver]

To each his own. I have bought many trailers from Sikeston. Jerry James Trailers to be exact. I make it down that way all the time for my work. We have a facility we visit in Perryville.

Chris

Mine is from JAMAR, I've known the owner for several years.

 

[paulwestski]

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

Hot dipped galvanized bolts and nuts have a different thread than zinc or regular bolts. That's why your aviation nuts wouldn't thread on without spinning the carriage bolt in the wood.

 

[Duffster]

Hot dipped galvanized bolts and nuts have a different thread than zinc or regular bolts.

Since when? :laughing:

 

[TheTrailerGuy]

Hot dipped galvanized bolts and nuts have a different thread than zinc or regular bolts. That's why your aviation nuts wouldn't thread on without spinning the carriage bolt in the wood.

Yes, galvanized is better if you can get it.

Without that little metal cap on the end of the boards, many people end up catching buckets or attachments on the ends of the boards and splintering their floors up. Good ACQ treated top grade SYP lumber is your best protection against rot. If put in place properly, it will easily last 10 years or more with no maintenance, and with a little water treating starting 12 months from the date of install, once a year, it could last for 20 or more years.

Sorry, but i keep missing the guys while they are flooring a trailer. Here is a shot of a nice 20' 9,990lb GVWR M/T tilt i sold to a man from Adair iowa. By installing board caps after the fact, it actually allows us to press the last two boards into place, which squeezes is all in nice and tight. No outer scrap steel spacers needed.

Here is a shot of the front board cap bolted on with 1/4" Type Torx floor bolts.

Just mark on your side frame where the crossmembers are and then after getting all of the planking cut and fitted nice and tight, simply snap a chalk line across on your reference marks, drill the planks and cross members and install two bolts per plank across in a row. We do this on three different cross members on each trailer, plus the front and rear board caps. All in all, this trailer has about 70 bolts holding this floor in place.

Here is a shot of the rear board cap for reference.

By allowing the boards to be manipulated into place properly and not worry about trying to squeeze the ends under a pre-welded floor cap, you just get a much smoother, flatter, nicer, tighter floor in my opinion.

Anyone have questions or want info, feel free to pop me a message.

Thanks
Craig

 

[clemsonfor]

I see Diamonds way of doing it if you have a fat freind to stand on it and have done it that way. But i must have missed where cutting off the welds on the back and then hitting them with the welder was that much trouble. Maybe another 20 mins. But i too would be working alone and have no loader so maybe you and a buddy could do it in 20 mins but me alone i would never get it done that way, so i would cut the angle out and then just reweld.

Cool idea and easy way though. I also have 2 bolts on 3 crossmembers of the trailer like the trailer guy described.

 

[TheTrailerGuy]

I see Diamonds way of doing it if you have a fat freind to stand on it and have done it that way. But i must have missed where cutting off the welds on the back and then hitting them with the welder was that much trouble. Maybe another 20 mins. But i too would be working alone and have no loader so maybe you and a buddy could do it in 20 mins but me alone i would never get it done that way, so i would cut the angle out and then just reweld.

Cool idea and easy way though. I also have 2 bolts on 3 crossmembers of the trailer like the trailer guy described.

If you want it to fit tight, you have to rip at least one board. We usually rip a little of off two different boards to keep each of the planks as wide and strong as possible. We use old Mr. Bonecutter here... post war Dewalt 5hp model we bought at a Lumber Yard auction over 20 years ago and it still just keeps ripping and cutting like nobodies business. Old stuff really was built better it seems.

 

[dstig1]

You guys that weld after the boards are in place....Don't you char the boards or catch them on fire near the weld? I know I had to squirt some water on the charred board sections near the welds I did when fixing my ramp pockets...Would have been nice to start pulling that while it was smoldering and let the wind whip it into a full scale blaze.

 

[paulwestski]

Since when? :laughing:

For the last 30 years that I've been using them.
Since the bolts have the hot dipped galvanized coating they have to be a deeper cut thread. Go ahead and try to thread a regular zinc plated nut on a hot dipped galvanized bolt next time you're in the hardware store and see if it will thread all the way on.