trailer floor

[Junkman]

The plywood floor on my trailer has rotted away and this weekend, I fell through. It has reached that time that I need to put a new floor onto the trailer. Any suggestions? It is a open trailer with a single axle, no brakes. I use it for moving light stuff, but it is heavy duty enough to hold the BX22 without grunting.

 

[beenthere]

My suggestion, if possible, get some rough sawn white oak boards for a tough floor that will withstand the weather. Or if plywood, then some treated marine-grade plywood.

Somewhat dependent on the size of the trailer and the 'room' allowed to fit in the new flooring.

 

[Dargo]

3/8" diamond plate aluminum ought to work fine. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[escavader]

3/4 INCH ADVANTACH PLYWOOD.Dont let it fool you it looks like chipboard but it is tough stuff.Ihave had a 8 ft peice covering my recycle barreels for 6 years now.NOT A BIT of warp,and looks like the day i put it out there.yes its out side in the sun and rain and snowAWSOME STUFF WITH A 50 YEAR WARRANTEE!!!!
ALAN

 

[Farmwithjunk]

White oak. Best in the business! When you can let it sit for a couple months, soak it with a 75/25 mix of used motor oil/diesel fuel mopped on heavy. It will soak in and make that white oak last a lifetime. (That's how I build my hay wagon beds)

 

[Junkman]

Weight is a definite issue. I was also thinking of expanded metal, but not sure if it might not develop dips in the floor where it isn't supported. I don't want to spend a lot of time welding in more supports. The trailer doesn't get used for much more than picking up larger items that don't fit into the back of the SUV. I am afraid that once I start, I will want to rebuild this trailer with dual axles and brakes. We all know that can get expensive quickly and it would be less expensive to just buy another trailer. It can cost a small fortune to keep all the trailers registered and the old days of swapping plates from trailer to trailer are long gone. The fines are a definite deterrent to swapping.

 

[Defective]

If the trailer only gets occasional use, I'd just stick with plywood. Like someone mentioned above, use marine grade. I'd also paint it before installation and inspect it annually for paint damage. I've got a big toolbox made of angle iron and marine plywood that has been sitting in the back of a truck for the last 10 years or so and the only rot in the wood is where I dropped a chainsaw on it & didn't touch up the paint for a couple of years.

 

[jim_wilson]

I will second the Advantech. I used it for the subfloor when I added a second floor to my house a couple of years back and then I used it for the deck I put on the side of the house. It comes in 3/4", 1" and 1 1/8" thicknesses and really stands up to the weather much better than most plywoods and OSB type materials. The best deck might be a layer of 3/4" Advantech with some sort of rubber or a thin layer of diamond plate aluminum on top of that. The layer on top would protect the Advantech which would make it last pretty much forever.

 

[Junkman]

The one thing that always worries me about diamond plate is the material can slide fairly easily on the surface. The more that I think about this, the more that the Advantech seems to be the answer. It only has to last another 10 years and then you will be coming down here to buy everything and tell everyone what a great deal you got from some old codger.. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jwstewar]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It can cost a small fortune to keep all the trailers registered and the old days of swapping plates from trailer to trailer are long gone. The fines are a definite deterrent to swapping. )</font>

But not if you get LBrown59's famous $5 license plates. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LarryRB]

the amount you use that trailer I would get some pressure treated and end it...

 

[Nat]

I'll go along with the plywood , light, quick and works well. I don't go along with the marine grade as it is the same as exterior plywood, except it has no voids, where-as ext grade ply will have a few. The glue in marine is exactly the same and the wood is exactly the same as marine grade except for the voids, but costs 2 times as much. The advantx works just as well as plywood, but is a bit heavier. Later, Nat

 

[BigDogues]

Why not a deck of 3/4" PT plywood? You could even go two layers using construction adhesive and screws if you don't have good rail spacing underneath for an "Ultra Deck". /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[beenthere]

I appreciate that we don't have to license trailers. Registration and title above a certain weight, but no license required.

 

[boustany]

Pressure treated 1x6s (the ones that are actually 1" thick)

They don't rot, are tough, cheap and strong enough that I was able to install some D rings below flush.

Plus if one plank ever breaks I can replace it without having to take the whole thing apart.

 

[MikeIA]

I used treated tongue and groove 2x6' when I built my utility trailer 8 years ago. I also bolted 2 runs of 1-5/8" deep Superstrut (the gold anodized with the slots in the bottom) to the frame to act as a rail for tie-downs. The strut sits just proud of the 2x. I use 3/8" shoulder eyebolts with a heavy duty fender washer (the machine supply house called them "deck washers") and a unitstrut nut as the tie-down points. I just drop them in the channel and tighten by hand where ever I want a tie-down. 1 turn to loosen and they are out of the way.

 

[jim_wilson]

Do a search on Google for "trailer parts" - there are a number of places out there that sell trailer parts. Do a search for "trailer flooring" too - there is a bunch of different stuff out there, rubber, aluminum diamond plate, polyvinyl etc. You definitely want something that wont allow loads to slip around. I wouldn't want all your BX implements moving around on the trailer when I am hauling them back up to Ma. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[have_blue]

2x6 pine. Soak them in very strong salt water. Make sure they have 1/8" cracks between them so they will not trap water and rot between the boards.

 

[johnday]

Bob; What does the saltwater do for you? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[frederic]

I'd use whatever plywood you want, thick enough to support the weight.

Then pick up a can of polyester-based fiberglass resin (which is cheap), mix it properly, then saturate the plywood top, bottom, and edges, using a 6" wide brush.

Then your trailer will rust away long before the plywood rots.