Dump Trailer

[Iplayfarmer]

I was looking around the net to compare pictures of dump trailers to decide if I want to paint the wood or stain it.

I found this...


Now I have to go back to square one and re-design and re-build the whole thing.

 

[Renze]

At the company, we paint the hardwood trailer floors with Bangkirai oil. This leaves no surface layer, so it cant be scratched off like paint, but penetrates the wood like tar. It just doesnt stink, and it doesnt sweat out of the wood when the trailer is parked in the sun. We buy it at DIY shops and it aint expensive.

 

[sandman2234]

I like the contrast of wood appearance versus the black steel. Gives it a better look, but that is my opinion.
Better watch out for that boom, as it will give you reason to start manufacturing more attachments. With a clam shell attachment, you won't even need the dump trailer, as you can just remove the contents with the boom.
I did a quick favor for a guy, fixing the retaining plate that holds down his boards where his guys dragged a bucket across it. He knows I am looking for dirt and he showed up yesterday with a rental dump trailer fully loaded with grass/topsoil from a driveway job. The trailer won't dump the load due to the battery being too weak. That trailer uses a 110v charger to keep the battery charged. Probably a good thing for a rental, but for everyone's personal trailer that uses a 12v pump, consider charging the battery from the pigtail of the towing vehicle. That guy just drove 30 minutes that the battery could have been charging, instead of shutting down to quick charge it. Keep in mind all the angles you can cover when you build a trailer.
David from jax

 

[dangier_VA]

Iplayfarmer,
Lookin Good! What do you estimate your loads will max out at? Let us know how it dumps with a full load.
David

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Iplayfarmer,
Lookin Good! What do you estimate your loads will max out at? Let us know how it dumps with a full load.
David

I'm anticipating a max load of about 1,000 pounds. The I.D. of the box is going to be 52" X 36" X 16" = 0.64 Cubic Yards. Based on the numbers I got at the the beginning of this thread for damp dirt, I'll easily overload it if I pile damp dirt real high. For the most part I'll be hauling grass, leaves, wood, and lighter materials. I even designed stake pockets at the top of the removable sides to add higher sides later if I want.

I'll just have to take it easy when loading it with damp dirt or gravel.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I got some more woodwork done. I planed another 8 planks for the sides and another 4 for the back/tailgate.

I went through my inventory of old wood stains and finishes and found a half gallon of hardwood floor covering. I figure that should be about as tough as anything out there. I think I'll use it for the wood rather than paint.

I'm planning on putting a single coat on all surfaces of the boards while they are off the trailer. They I will attach everything to the frame with counter sunk bolts and add a second coat to the surfaces on the inside of the dump box.

Since the Crate I am getting the wood from sat out in the weather for a few years, and I didn't plane all of the grey out, I think it will actually have a pretty cool look to it. I guess I'll have to wait until I see the finished product to pronounce final judgement.

 

[dangier_VA]

Iplayfarmer,
I would assume you are interested in protecting the wood vs making it look pretty? After a few loads of dirt (or otherwise), it will take on its own characteristics. Anything that will seal the surface will work.
David
ps-any racing stripes planned? ;-)

 

[Lanse]

I have a Deere Dump cart that I got in March, a few scratches, but its 18 cubic feet and I want $300 for it, was $425 new. Like I said, its in great shape. If you are interested call me at 937-570-9263

 

[patrick_g]

They I will attach everything to the frame with counter sunk bolts and add a second coat to the surfaces on the inside of the dump box.

Just a thought... If you use carriage bolts with the heads on top (inside the dump bed) and tighten them snugly but not enough to severely crush the wood you will get better service than if you countersink the heads. If you counter sink the heads and don't peg the holes or fill them with epoxy or... then they will always collect and hold moisture and promote premature rotting of the wood where the bolts are.

Pat

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Iplayfarmer,
I would assume you are interested in protecting the wood vs making it look pretty? After a few loads of dirt (or otherwise), it will take on its own characteristics. Anything that will seal the surface will work.
David
ps-any racing stripes planned? ;-)

That's pretty much it. I've been building this thing for a year now, and It would be a shame to see it all fall apart in less time than it took me to build it.

Your point about the first few loads is actually one of the driving factors in my decision to varnish rather than paint the wood. I figure that after the branches, dirt, or rocks scrape off the paint it will look the same as if I just varnished it anyway.

Just a thought... If you use carriage bolts with the heads on top (inside the dump bed) and tighten them snugly but not enough to severely crush the wood you will get better service than if you countersink the heads. If you counter sink the heads and don't peg the holes or fill them with epoxy or... then they will always collect and hold moisture and promote premature rotting of the wood where the bolts are.

Pat

I bought some flat-head socket-cap style bolts that I'm going to use. The point here was to have a totally slick deck surface. I didn't want the bolt head to interfere with the material sliding out of the bed when dumping.

I had actually thought about the effect water and debris might have on the bolts themselves. This is one of the reasons for my plan to put the second (and maybe third) coat of varnish on after the wood is attached to the deck. In my perfect world, the varnish will cover the bolts and protect them from the elements. Hopefully it will keep water out of the holes too and keep the wood from rotting.

 

[patrick_g]

If you want the bolt holes to not rot there are several things you could treat the ID of the holes with prior to tightening the bolts.

There is the "West" system of epoxy saturation. ...or...

You can buy a product called "GitRot" or some equivalent. It is a thin viscosity two part epoxy resin. It soaks into dry wood pretty well and when it goes off the wood is pretty much rot proof. The product was sold to treat dry rot in boats and other wood. You treated the damaged wood turning it almost into a fiber glass board which would never rot again.

As a preventative you don't have to treat the whole board to make the wood last a lot longer, just the places likely to rot first/most. You do have to have your application organized as the stuff I used had a relatively short pot life. ONe time a small squeeze bottle of it went from OK as I was using it to really hot and had to wrap a rag around the bottle to hold it and then it just turned solid. It was a hot day. Now I know to coll the stuff before mixing on really hot days.

These thin epoxies are good for treating old windows and doors plagued with rot as well. My prev house was built in 1928.

Pat

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I considered all the recommendations and settled on the floor varnish mostly because I already have it.

I clamped the long boards for the deck and sides together and I clamped the short boards for the front and tailgate together. I spread the varnish on one side. See the pictures below.

When that dries, I'm going to flip the assemblies over and do the same with the other side. Lastly, I'll lay the boards all out and varnish the wide surfaces in much the same manner.

 

[MrJimi]

I considered all the recommendations and settled on the floor varnish mostly because I already have it.

I clamped the long boards for the deck and sides together and I clamped the short boards for the front and tailgate together. I spread the varnish on one side. See the pictures below.

When that dries, I'm going to flip the assemblies over and do the same with the other side. Lastly, I'll lay the boards all out and varnish the wide surfaces in much the same manner.

Will that method make your boards stick together ? and leave an edge?
I think it will, good luck and the edge can always be sanded off

 

[patrick_g]

If epoxy is going too far to keep the bolt holes from rotting out before the boards are very worn then maybe you'd consider at least some caulk/bedding compound under the flat heads (countersink side.)

Few folks around here do anything to protect the bolt holes in their wood floored trailers and of course they just can't understand why the bolt holes rot out way ahead of the rest of the boards. The way most folks discover something is rotted out is when the load breaks through the floor. Nothing like having your load, i.e. gravel, dirt, tractor or whatever trying to get to the ground THROUGH the trailer sub structure. Most embarrassing with a tractor, truck, or car but still not a good thing with any load.

In your case maybe a a few leaves or such so probably not a big deal, if you are lucky.

Pat

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Will that method make your boards stick together ? and leave an edge?
I think it will, good luck and the edge can always be sanded off

Where I'm only putting one coat on here initially, I'm not too worried about it sticking them together.

In fact this morning I went to turn each assembly over to varnish the opposite edge. The boards slipped out of the clamp and fell helter skelter all over the basement floor. I take that as a sign that the varnish is not sticking the boards together too badly.

In addition to making the varnishing of the edges faster and easier, I chose to clamp the boards together to eliminate drips accross the working surface of the boards. I guess it's the trade off with the edge on the board.

Thanks for the heads up, though. I'll have to pay special attention to the edge tonight when I pull them apart to start the first coat accross the wide surfaces. If I have to do some sanding, I will.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

If epoxy is going too far to keep the bolt holes from rotting out before the boards are very worn then maybe you'd consider at least some caulk/bedding compound under the flat heads (countersink side.)

Few folks around here do anything to protect the bolt holes in their wood floored trailers and of course they just can't understand why the bolt holes rot out way ahead of the rest of the boards. The way most folks discover something is rotted out is when the load breaks through the floor. Nothing like having your load, i.e. gravel, dirt, tractor or whatever trying to get to the ground THROUGH the trailer sub structure. Most embarrassing with a tractor, truck, or car but still not a good thing with any load.

In your case maybe a a few leaves or such so probably not a big deal, if you are lucky.

Pat

You sure seem to be pretty concerned about these bolt holes. You've almost got me convinced I need to do something different.

Let's debate it a bit...

Tell me your concerns about the varnish over the tops of the bolt holes. Why won't this keep the moisture, etc. out?

 

[sandman2234]

Probably won't keep moisture out due to the abrasive action of cargo in the bed taking the coating off the top of the bolt, thereby allowing water to penetrate the joint between the bolt and wood. Storing the trailer indoors would go much further towards protecting it than any sort of bed coating that is anywhere near "affordable", but inside storage space also costs a bundle, so maybe just figure into your costs the price of a new bed every couple years would be easier.
David from jax

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Probably won't keep moisture out due to the abrasive action of cargo in the bed taking the coating off the top of the bolt, thereby allowing water to penetrate the joint between the bolt and wood. Storing the trailer indoors would go much further towards protecting it than any sort of bed coating that is anywhere near "affordable", but inside storage space also costs a bundle, so maybe just figure into your costs the price of a new bed every couple years would be easier.
David from jax

Storing the trailer indoors is not practical for me. I see your point about the abrasive action of cargo removing the varnish.

The wood costs me nothing for now as long as I have old crates to recycle. I still have at least 100 bf of good usable lumber. There is a time factor to tear the crate apart and prep the wood so it's a balancing act between what is more valuable, my time and money now to calk, fill, or plug; or my time later to re-deck if the need arises.

Like Pat said, Where I'm not really carrying any high value items and I'm not going too far, the worst case scenario is really not that bad.

 

[patrick_g]

Storing the trailer indoors is not practical for me. I see your point about the abrasive action of cargo removing the varnish.

The wood costs me nothing for now as long as I have old crates to recycle. I still have at least 100 bf of good usable lumber. There is a time factor to tear the crate apart and prep the wood so it's a balancing act between what is more valuable, my time and money now to calk, fill, or plug; or my time later to re-deck if the need arises.

Like Pat said, Where I'm not really carrying any high value items and I'm not going too far, the worst case scenario is really not that bad.

The cost in materials and effort to seal the ID of the bolt holes is a very good investment with a high return. The time you use to put a $ or two in the holes (at most) will make the bed last a lot linger and save you the hassle of taking out rotted boards and replacing them with more varnished boards. Remove, varnish, replace, repeat.

Bolt holes expose end grain which takes up moisture from dew, precip, wet loads etc and promotes rot. Hauling dirt and vegetation debris will provide the organisms to promote rot and having unsealed end grain will provide a moist habitat.

I'm sure you have fun building the bed but what would you prefer to do, have fun rebuilding it (perhaps multiple times) or have fun doing something else?

Rot never sleeps! The worst case scenario may be having to rebuild an old project instead of building a new one. Protecting all end grain of wood used outside is a good idea, including the ID of bolt holes.

Pat

 

[sandman2234]

Since you have the wood and varnish, have you considered building a top for it? I would prefer one made out of a tarp, but if you can cover it in some way, it will cut down the long term repairs. A lightweight top made out of tongue and groove or some variation of that might be enough to keep the snow and rain out, thereby prolonging the time before repairs are necessary.
Another way would be to put a thin sheet of aluminum/stainless/steel over the wood. Not thick enough to add weight or strength, but enough to reduce the rot factor.
David from jax