Rotten Trailer Boards

[OkieG]

Leo,

After work I went by the trailer shop to check the progress. The new steel bed was already welded in place. If you know what to look for, it definitely looks like a wood bed trailer retrofitted with steel. I'm not so sure I'm disappointed though.

The upper lip that retains the boards in the front of the trailer was removed. It was a separate piece that was welded in position. The steel sheets rest on the same surfaces that the boards did, from the front to about a foot or so from the back end of the trailer. The lip that retained the boards at the back end of the trailer is a leg on a large piece of channel. It is not so easily removed. So, for the last foot of bed, the steel raises to rest on top of the channel (lip) and is welded there. It sounds a little goofy, but actually doesn't look too bad.

Since the bed only 1/8 inch thick, it is not flush with angle iron along the sides of the bed, as the boards were. It sits down on the same surface the boards used.

I'm not sure of the spacing of the braces under the bed. I will check when I get the trailer back (maybe tomorrow) and will ask the installer if I need more. They did not indicate that more braces were required. I have a little welder and could add some if need be.

It will not look like it was an original steel bed trailer, but functionally I think it will do just fine.

OkieG

 

[OkieG]

Ed and Steven,

We have Lumber One chain stores here. I've been in a couple of them, but only when looking for hardware. I've never even looked at their lumber and didn't think of them when looking for PT flooring.

They may well have the good stuff I couldn't find at Home Depot. Oh well.

OkieG

 

[em14]

I'm sure that the metal floor will turn out fine ... just watch if it starts to become depressed by your tractor's wheels in their loaded / haul position and if it does then add some bracing that will span that area ... if it occurs only on one side of the trailer ... fix both sides cause it's gonna happen on the other side .. be careful when you are loading or unloading in the rain or freezing weather .. wet steel is slick as ... well you know ...

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Find out where the contractors buy in your area and check the yellow pages for full-service lumber yards. These outfits will generally be able to provide you with much better quality lumber and plywood than you will ever find at the home centers. You actually need to be careful at the big boxes...there have been instances where the material on the shelves (especially plywoods) is seconds. This has been reported a few times on another board that I frequent...the store "forgot" to remove some documentation from the pallet before the customers got a look. Oops!

 

[OkieG]

Gary,

When I went to check on progress yesterday, the old boards had been torn off already. The boards were pretty ugly, but I don't have a picture to show just how bad they were.

The shop finished their work this a.m. and the trailer is now back home. I have a few pictures to post.

Okie G

 

[OkieG]

A shot from the front. Some touch-up on the red paint will get done, maybe this weekend.

 

[OkieG]

Leo,

This shot shows that the bed is definitely not flush with the sides. It also shows the ramp up at the last foot of bed.

These "compromises" are give-aways to the trailer's true heritage. I'm sure the bed could have been blocked up to be flush with the sides, but what the heck. I don't know if the extra cost would be worth it to me.

By the way, there are braces at each seam and another about midway between the seams. The midway brace on one sheet is spaced at about 1 foot from a seam and 3 feet from the next seam. The other mid-braces are pretty well centered. I'll keep an eye on the 3 foot span for signs of give or sag. Thanks for the tips.

OkieG

 

[em14]

That's a nice looking trailer ... I see how they ramped it and if it's welded as good as it looks you probably have nothing to concern yourself about ... what's the load capacity of the trailer?

 

[OkieG]

The original information on the label on the trailer was faint when I bought it. Now, it is completely blank. The trailer shop said the weight of the trailer with the steel bed should be about 2060 pounds. The trailer has two 3500 lb. axles. So, I guess it'll carry around 5000 lbs. I'm pretty sure that total is more than my hitch is rated for. May need to shop for a new one!

OkieG

 

[Steven]

they did a nice job. the little wall around the edge will keep things from sliding off. Get back to us after a while on how this decking works out, compared to the wood deck.

 

[Kodiak]

I only see one problem. It appears that water could pond in there with no place to go. Maybe drilling a couple of 3/4" drain holes in several places would correct that.

 

[OkieG]

Russ,

I had that same thought. However, the steel is not welded with a continuous weld around the edges. The welds are a few inches long, then there is a stretch of a foot or two before the next weld. I was planning on just drilling drain holes in the corners, like you suggest, but I may just wait and see how water tight (or most likely not water tight) the flooring is. The drill is handy if needed.

In the picture, the broken welds on the wall a couple inches above the bed is where the lip was that held down the boards at the front of the trailer. You can, also, see the intermittent welds securing the new steel bed. Those unwelded areas inbetween might just let water pass.

OkieG

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I sure like the looks of that trailer. If you're concerned about the three foot span now you might want to go ahead and weld another support piece in the middle of it while it's still smooth and flat underneath. If it were to sag later you'll have a lot more work involved in supporting it then.

Besides, if you do it now you'll never worry or wonder about it. If you don't, you'll spend way too much time over the coming months and years wondering if and when you'll have to do it. It's part of that ounce of prevention thing. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[em14]

I don't think you will have any problems with water even if dirt stops up the drainage in some of the "unwelded" areas ... Gary has a good point about the long span bracing ... by correcting this now failure will not occur...

 

[OkieG]

Gary and Leo,

Just bought a length of 2x3x1/4" angle iron for braces. Will probably weld tomorrow. When I'm done, the widest span will be about 2 feet. Is that close enough so there won't be a sag problem? Gary, how far apart is the bracing under your trailer? I haven't looked under a trailer with original steel flooring to see the bracing interval.

OkieG

 

[Moon]

OkieG,
Nice looking trailer. If slipping causes a problem for you, you might consider putting some of that stuff they coat truck beds with (rhino liner is one of the brands). Its pretty tough stuff and sure would help with traction. I'd prefer that option to welding track bars on the floor. JMHO.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Without going out and looking (the trailer is at my property, I'm at my office) I'm going to guess 24" centers. The sheets are 4' x 8' so the only reasonable alternative would be 16" centers and I don't think they're that close together. I'll look tomorrow and, if it's anything other than 24", I'll post the correction. Otherwise, just assume the 24" is correct. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[OkieG]

Moon,

LineX is a popular spray on bed liner company around here. They priced out at $475 for coating a 16' trailer. Another thread mentioned bed liner material is available in spray cans, maybe at Home Depot or Lowes? I cringe at the thought of trying to do a quality job spraying the whole bed with a case of spray cans, but....I might try to seal around the edges of the bed. It could keep water from sitting between the bed and side rails. Doesn't sound like too hard a job.

The commercial spray applications adhere well and are plenty durable. I don't know if you can get the same result out of a can. I'm not really fixated on corrosion control, but I hate to see rust pop up in tough to get at spots. OK, I am semi-fixated. So, now while everything is fairly rust free....? I don't know if sealing the edges with spray is overkill, or a good idea. The trailer shop guys were a little ambivalent about the idea. Maybe I should throttle back a bit. I think RanchMan would say forget it.

You know, I had LineX coat the foot rest panels on my tractor 4 years ago. Great protection and no noticeable wear, but the surface is not particularly slip resistant. Actually, I thought slip resistance would be one of the benefits of bed liner, but it doesn't seem to be. Still, it might be better than gloss enamel on diamond plate.

OkieG

 

[OkieG]

Thanks Gary,

The picture of your trailer seems to show a nice flat bed. If 24" spacing is working for you, all should be well here, too.

OkieG

 

[em14]

I think that you will have some "sag" but only where you have continuous concentrated load, i.e., where the tires are when you haul your tractor... that's kinda the nature of the beast and if it is not a lot I would not worry about it... if you want to make sure it does not sag then brace (the angle you mentioned should handle that) those areas so that the brace is as near the point of the load (somewhere close) ... now to the slippery part ... Personally, I would not add the spray on bed liner material to the trailer bed and I would not try to seal (or waterproof) the trailer any more than to paint it to slow down the rusting ... remember it's a trailer and trailers live to haul stuff and stuff scratches and marks and tears through paint on trailers ... and given reasonable maintenance and care your trailer will last a long time .... if you seal the edges and cause the water to "pond" then watch out for rust because there is no place for the water to go (unless you drill holes to allow it to escape). If you are in an area where salting of roads is a problem then you may want to seal the edges top and bottom to prevent salt from getting into those small places here rust would form ... but it is hard to get into those very small opening that water can get into and coat the surface of the material but certainly a coat of sealer or paint is probably the best we can reasonably do …
Remember it's a trailer to haul stuff....
Leo