New trailer floor treatment

[Gem99ultra]

I just bought a new trailer with #2 treated pine flooring. Just wondering, so I do anything to it now, such as water proofing, covering, etc., or just leave it alone? I'm really not wanting to replace it in the next 3-5 years and would like it to last for a spell.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[kebo]

I would say leave it alone. In my entire life I think I've seen just a handful a people who treated the wooden deck on a trailer, and most of the time it was for looks rather than preservation of the wood. I've also seen a few that were painted, but again it was done for the appearance value.
I just redecked my 16ft trailer that I bought used about 11 yrs ago, and it's got a 1998 date of manufacture on the nameplate. I'm pretty sure the PT deck on it was original, so it lasted 22 yrs with NO other treatment. Really, it could have gone longer but I went ahead and replaced it because a couple boards had been broken where the supporting angle joists underneath them were bent upwards from getting hung up on a stump.
If you do put anything on the wood, don't use something that will make it slick when it gets wet, that could be a bit unsafe.

 

[Trails2004]

I treated mine- because most of the treated wood that I'm aware of- prevents wood decay from ground contact not UV from sunlight.

 

[oldballs]

I missed this year, but the manufacturer of my tandem trailer (12 ft), recommends a bi-annual treatment of linseed oil (boiled dries quicker but is more expensive)...or a mixture of kerosene and 30 W motor oil on his hardwood flooring. It's 11 years old and looks good except for some kind of rot that is occuring on the underside of some planks. Guess I'll have to replace that one(s).

 

[Runner]

I sprayed mine with Thompson's Weather Seal. Not sure how much protection it really gives, but the water beads up on it. Lindseed oil or motor oil might be cheaper and do the same thing, don't know.

 

[grnspot110]

I try to coat mine with water seal once/year, this year I found a gallon of the old "penta" (no longer available). I think this helps over the long haul! ~~ grnspot110

 

[ElDorado]

...a mixture of kerosene and 30 W motor oil....

Anyone know what kind of ratio to use? Am I just over thinking this? Maybe just a glug of oil and a glug of kerosene and call it close enough. Thanks

 

[weldingisfun]

Anyone know what kind of ratio to use? Am I just over thinking this? Maybe just a glug of oil and a glug of kerosene and call it close enough. Thanks

Don't know about the ratio oldballs uses, but I use a 25/75 mix of diesel and used motor oil. Seems to work pretty well, makes the wood darker and the diesel costs a lot less than kerosene.

 

[oldballs]

Don't know about the ratio oldballs uses, but I use a 25/75 mix of diesel and used motor oil. Seems to work pretty well, makes the wood darker and the diesel costs a lot less than kerosene.

My source never told me the ratio...cause I didn't ask, and never used the oil/kerosene mix. The linseed oil probably is the most expensive. And now that the trailer is older, I'd probably use diesel/motor oil stuff like weldingisfun said 25 diesel/75 motor oil (used). I brush it clean and and then brush the treatment into the wood and let it dry real good. If you did it twice a year (spring and fall), the cheaper method would be easest on the billfold.

 

[Newblue]

I used a 75% used diesel oil to 25% kerosene on my trailer deck and it turned out pretty well. It took about two weeks for the mixture to soak in fully.

 

[eazyduzzit]

I've got a trailer that I've used for hauling mulch for over 12 years, and the treated wood is still in pretty good shape.
Mulch is probably harder on wood than anything you could haul other than old busted up car batteries.

 

[Giles]

I installed a rough sawn white oak floor on my 14' equipment trailer. I just leave it in the sun in summertime and use 30# used motor oil. Has worked for about 5 years. Still looks good.

 

[clemsonfor]

At the beginning of this summer i treated mine as the PT wood was drying out and greying up like it does. My trailer was prolly august of 09 manufacture as i bought it in sept 09, none of the normal little rust had started yet and it had just arrived at dealer a few days before i picked it up, i know as i was there earlier in the week and there were none there.

That being said i used a mix of used oil out of my used oil bucket. Which at that time prolly had used deisel, 10-40, 10-30, and 5-30. All vehicles other than the highlander make black used oil so it was black, not deisel black but black. And i used off road deisel. i think i used that first time 50/50 deisel/oil or maybe 60/40 deisel oil. I might recoat next year depending on what it looks like. It does take weeks to soak in, and is a little slipperyer than plain wet wood when wet, but not bad tractor still crawls up on it. I wanted the offroad fuel as the red tint kind of shows through and the oil gives it a darker Oak stained look. The water beads up better and it does not look so dry in the hot sun here in SC. Everything i used was free, i had the old oil in my wast bucket and i aquired a deisel jug filled with offroad fuel of questionable age so it was used up as burn fuel as well as for this purpose. I prolly only used a quart or so, and i put it into a tank sprayer and applied it like that in like 2 lighter coats, with a cheap brush after each coat (real quick on the hevier areas) to help even it out.

Looks good and no regrets on it so far.

PT wood resists rot so this really will have a tiny benifit as far as that is concerned and prolly will help out in the later years, but i did it to help keep the wood moisturized to stop the dry and wet shrink swelling that causes cracks and the grain to raise.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I try to coat mine with water seal once/year, this year I found a gallon of the old "penta" (no longer available). I think this helps over the long haul! ~~ grnspot110

I had totally forgotten about Pentachlorophenol. Back in the dark (young) ages I had to bag that stuff up in 5# bags by hand for sale to Monsanto. Talk about eyes burning, sneezing, coughing, skin burning/itching ... just made you want to die!!! I think I'll pass on 'penta'

It can harm the liver, kidneys, blood, lungs, nervous system, immune system, and gastrointestinal tract. It will also irritate the skin and eyes. Penta's some bad stuff, but like you said - it does the job.

I think I'll just let it cure for a spell, then maybe add a little diesel or linseed if it looks too dry and starts to crack.

Thanks though, for remeninding me about the penta.

 

[hawkeye08]

I used a 75% used diesel oil to 25% kerosene on my trailer deck and it turned out pretty well. It took about two weeks for the mixture to soak in fully.

Where do I get used diesel oil? Do you mean used motor oil from diesel tractor?

 

[Iowachild]

I installed a rough sawn white oak floor on my 14' equipment trailer. I just leave it in the sun in summertime and use 30# used motor oil. Has worked for about 5 years. Still looks good.

I plan to redo my 16' trailer with rough cut white oak this fall. The oak was cut last summer and sawed this past May. I will treat it with Pennsylvania crude oil. The best treatment for raw wood known to man!! I treat my 8' trailer with the PT floor with a clear UV protector every couple years.

 

[Pops15]

We built an equipment trailer in '87. We used PT for the deck and painted it with equipment enamel (after the PT dried for awhile). It's been repainted once or maybe twice. The PT is still in great shape but is due for some fresh paint.

 

[Newblue]

Where do I get used diesel oil? Do you mean used motor oil from diesel tractor?

Yeah, used crankcase oil from a diesel engine. Truck, tractor it does not matter. The soot that the oil loads up with gives it a nice dark color when it's applied.

 

[Hematite]

Rather than put toxic waste on the trailer deck that is extremely slippery when wet, stinks to high heaven, and ruins rubber tires and shoe soles and ultimately the wood itself, I used a high quality house deck stain.
I know, imagine that, a DECK stain for a wood trailer DECK, who woulda thunk.
It would have been $30 a gallon but I bought a color mistake at Lowe's for $3.99 a gallon. Olympic Maximum Deck Stain guaranteed to protect completely for a minimum of 5 years. One $4 can put 2 nice coats on a 20' flat deck trailer. Looks exactly the same after a year and will likely be good for 5 as guaranteed. Bought 2 gallons so I'll throw a coat on after 5years and another 5 years down the line. Actually even at the retail price, still the best most cost effective treatment available.

 

[clemsonfor]

Rather than put toxic waste on the trailer deck that is extremely slippery when wet, stinks to high heaven, and ruins rubber tires and shoe soles and ultimately the wood itself, I used a high quality house deck stain.
I know, imagine that, a DECK stain for a wood trailer DECK, who woulda thunk.
It would have been $30 a gallon but I bought a color mistake at Lowe's for $3.99 a gallon. Olympic Maximum Deck Stain guaranteed to protect completely for a minimum of 5 years. One $4 can put 2 nice coats on a 20' flat deck trailer. Looks exactly the same after a year and will likely be good for 5 as guaranteed. Bought 2 gallons so I'll throw a coat on after 5years and another 5 years down the line. Actually even at the retail price, still the best most cost effective treatment available.

My tractor will not sit on my trailer for more than a week or two at the most and it usually is only for like 4 hours to overnight.

The new pressure treated wood was pretty darn slick when it rained with out oil on it, the oil is no slicker in my opinion, once the wood is chewed up roughened my tires and implements sliding across it its not as slick as even the original wood wet as the grian gives traction. If you look at big truck equiptment they use oak or hickory wood board that are like 5 inches thick and they usually only put them in the middle and metal for tire support, anyway where the oil is soaked into wood from hydraulic drips its is still intact most other places its rotted.