The Forestry Forum

I need to re-deck several of my trailers.  I plan to saw white oak 1.5" x 8" and bolt them down green.  Maybe better to let them dry first?  The price for logs at the log yards is really high...what should I offer to buy the logs from a logger.  I have enough use to buy an entire truck load, but I doubt that I can find that much white oak to make an entire load.   I have no experience buying logs from a logger...so I don't know what to offer.
Suggestions?

Don't know if you are familiar with how they fasten wood flooring on semi trailers but they use a 5/16" Torq Head self-tapping screw.
You drill a 9/32" hole and run them down with an impact. Fast and secure.
I have replaced dozens of complete floors on 40'- 45' and 48' semi's dry vans and flat beds over a 30 plus year career.

White Oak prices, I'm sure are gonna be different depending on your market.
Round here I can buy them anywhere from 300-350 for the butt log and price goes down as the log goes up the tree because of limb knots.

I sell WO lumber for 1500/ thousand or $1.50 a BF for Green Deck Boards. My prime WO 1 inch to 1-1/4 inch lumber can be sold for as much as $2.00 a BF depending on what the MC is.

Most of my WO logs are free from my tree service guys and this helps me a lot.

As I said, prices per BF will be different depending on supply and demand.

Farmers around here install green WO all the time on their hay wagons. They just butt them up to each other and bolt or screw them down using the STIMW method as he explained above. Good Luck!

I use a lot of post oak for trailer floors as clear white oak butt logs bring well over a dollar a foot to the stave mills. Burr oak is good as well .

If I were your customer I would opt for the 150 per thousand instead of the 1.50 a board ft. ;). Bet you ment $1500.00 a thousand.

I to have completed a few trailer floors with green white oak. I use a full rough sawn 2" and route the ends down to 1 1/2" so it slides under the end rails. Makes an awesome and so far indestructible floor. It's my white oak out of my wood lot and I charge $1.25 bf for the lumber and $1.00 bf to install. $1.25 if I have to wreck out the old floor. I also use 2 1/2" torx with a 9/32 bit & a 3/8 " impact.. Makes for pretty quick work.. The 2" oak is heavy though.. If I went to the trouble of drying it I wouldn't use it for a trailer floor..

Quote from: Banjo picker on November 29, 2014, 08:43:04 PM
If I were your customer I would opt for the 150 per thousand instead of the 1.50 a board ft. ;). Bet you ment $1500.00 a thousand.

Your right Banjo.....my bad! Thanks. :)