Rebuilding Trailer Deck

[Stephen1]

I have rebuilt my trailer as it was getting a little weak. I took off the old checker plate decking. I then added  2x2 steel across the frame touched up some rusted stuff here and there. I am now going to use some of my spruce & pine for decking. The trailer is 8x12.









My questions are
is it ok to use the softwood or should I use hardwood? The softwood is 12' where the hardwood will have to pieced in as I do not have 12' logs.
Should I plane the wood for a smooth finnish or leave it rough?
what should I use to attach it to the steel, nuts and bolt or  self tapping metal screws?
should I put some stain on it that I have scrounged for free?
Thanks for any input

Stephen1

[Jeff]

Any trailers we have re-decked up here we have used white oak and finished with used motor oil.  These are sawmill flatbeds used almost exclusively to haul lumber

[mike_van]

Unless you keep the trailer inside, the softwood probably won't last long. I sell a lot of Locust for trailer decks. Spacing the planks helps them last too.  The rougher the better, you'll find out when it gets wet.  Jeff, that motor oil trick must get some slick in the rain? 

[bill m]

Locust is best ,White Oak second. If You use the softwood you have coat them on all sides before you  install them. You only need to fasten them on the ends and in the middle.

[Sunfield Hardwood]

We use white oak, and used motor oil, and floor board screws, we have a specealty hardware store, I think its called southwest screw co. tell them you want floorboard screws 1/2" longer than the thickness of your deck lumber. you drill a pilot hole thru deck and framing [something like 17/64ths?] then put in your screw, I like to an impact wrench to screw them in, they have a countersunk head and no nut required, and they are very strong. they are also very handy for building sideboards and boxes for trucks and trailers. the used motor oil soaks in, dries up, and leaves a nice stain to boot. and is not slippery, oh yeah and it's cheap.

[Jeff]

  Jeff, that motor oil trick must get some slick in the rain? 

No, it soaks in and dries like any other kind of oil finish.

[Jeff]

Sunfield beat me to it.

[SamB]

Can't argue that locust or white oak wouldn't be good choices, but I see a lot of utility trailers like yours being sold with treated softwood decks. I would do the used motor oil trick on the 12 ft. softwood boards rather than piece in with hardwoods IMO, doesn't look like you'd be hauling anything with steel tracks on that trailer. I have a carry all for my tractor that is covered with regular SPF box store lumber coated with used motor oil that has been in service over 10 years and is still in good shape. It doesn't set out in the elements all the time, but this time of year it gets some abuse. If you lived a little closer I'd trade you some 12 ft. white oak logs for some spruce.

[Magicman]

I saw a lot of Black Locust for trailer decking.  White oak, second and then Red oak.  The only Pine used would be pressure treated bought stuff.

Normally the ends are captured on each end under flanges (either bolted or welded) and carrage bolted one or two times in the middle.

[sbishop]

Hey Steve, you saw my flat bed on my old truck, it's 10 years old now.

1 1/2" spruce, galv. lag bolts (the boards will twist with the sun) and for the finish...I used 50/50 varsoil and black tremclad paint...(why...that's all i had available...  :D)

Sbishop

[Tom]

If you are not hauling tracked vehicles, softwoods do fine.  Rolling stock does fine on pine.   Even with a sawmlll, I would recommend Pressure treated Southern Yellow Pine (SYP).   It's inexpensive and the pressure treatment really works.  That makes the simplicity worth all the money you might save by rigging the same thing yourself.   Pine is almost as tough as Oak, and in some instances tougher.  It's the abrasive qualities of Oak over Pine that make it preferable when decking for heavy scuffing-type traffic.     The best deck for tracks down here is Oiled Live Oak and it still rots from underneath from the condensation.

One thing that you should do, as a sawmiller, is make the acquaintance of a pressure treating company, if for no other reason than to recommend to your customers.  I've sawed, and had treated, my own SYP for years.  Three thousand feet of true 5/4,  and 2x material is mighty handy to keep around.  The cost of treatment varies as differently from plant to plant as custom sawing, but I've found that it runs pretty close to sawing costs at 15¢ to 20¢ a board foot.  One thing to make sure you do if you saw the wood is get all of the sawdust off.  It really makes them mad when the sawdust comes out of your stack and turns their treatment tanks to mud.  They have filters, but they can get clogged pretty quickly.

Always deck with the pith side down to keep the top surface from "shelling".

[Stephen1]

Soft wood it was, spruce and pine, pulled it out of the lumber pile. I then got to recycle my used motor oil.
I even  found some running lights on the shelf and installed them. Trailer is all set to go,

[Magicman]

Looks nice.

[Chuck White]

I redecked my 6x12 a couple years ago with Tamarack and sealed with used motor oil!
I left it out in the sun and the first coat of oil was soaked in within a couple of hours and the next day, I put on a second coat!

My suggestion:  Never sand or plane trailer decking lumber!

[Stephen1]

I oiled it and since I'm in the north and that's snow coming down I might have to wait for a couple of months for the oil to soak in :D

[Chuck White]

I oiled it and since I'm in the north and that's snow coming down I might have to wait for a couple of months for the oil to soak in :D

It's best that you give it a while!
Never oil a trailer deck when you'll be using it in just a few days, give it time to soak in and dry a little!

[SPIKER]

I oiled it and since I'm in the north and that's snow coming down I might have to wait for a couple of months for the oil to soak in :D

Our oil deck coated trailer with NEW white oak, was done and oiled about 2 days later it rained while we were attempting to load it up, was like oiled ice rink!   the rain turned to freezing rain and you ABSOLUTELY could not stand up on the trailer as the tung was a foot or two higher than the back end...!  It was kind of fun hop up on front end and see if you could stay standing all way to the back as you slid down the 28' trailer!  :D  It all soaked in by spring and has been good ever since (think it has been treated about 4 or 5 times now..)

Mark