Trailer decking thickness

Some of the wood decking on my flatbed trailer is rotting and given the price of good 2 x 12s these days thought I'd bite the bullet and put on some steel diamond plate. Maybe to save a few $$, diamond plate on the sides and smooth in the middle.

I'm thinking of using 1/8 inch but it would be cheaper to get a little smaller; maybe 1/16. The trailer will occasionally have a full-sized vehicle on it but mostly the Jeep and lumber and steel building supplies, so I can't see going up to 3/16.

What do you think on the thickness? Eighth too much? Sixteenth too little? I'm leaning toward the 1/8.

 

Well, okay then. Eighth inch it is!

 

.125 d-plate ain't cheap. If you do go that route, you will have to brace it up well. .125 doesn't have a lot of rigidity under load. I would suggest plywood.

 

I don't think the plywood would hold up well here in the desert. The trailer is cross-braced every two feet but with nothing running the length. I was thinking of putting in some more bracing there.

I priced out the .125 and it's $254.72 for a 4X8 sheet. I'd need two or three sheets, plus a sheet of smooth in the middle for about $100 a sheet. The cost may nix this deal. My last open trailer had diamond plate on each side and was open in the middle. I miss the durability of the steel. It'll cost a couple hundred to replace the rotten two bys but I may have to go that route.

 

You could go to steel d plate, or just flat sheet, or even heavy expanded metal. Steel will have the strength, but you will have to paint it.

 

Yeah, there is the painting part. I thought about expanded metal but when I need to haul small stuff, like soil or manure, that's a problem. I've decided for now to just replace a couple of 2xs. Part of the problem is that none of the wood is on the same decay timetable. When I bought it last year, I replaced what was necessary but since then the desert sun has baked a couple of others. And the PO put in different widths, so it's a challenge to match it. Eventually I'll have to plate it.

 

Here in Albuquerque NM most of the trailer manufactures use green 2x material,
it shrinks a lot and rots out fast. On my trailer I replaced it with pressure treated 2 X 6, coated with deck stain on both sides.
Only had to replace 2 in the last 15 years.

Andrew

 

I have stayed away from pressure treated wood because of the environmental concerns but maybe it's time to rethink that. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

My old trailer that I sold to one of my buddys only used 2 4x8 sheets in the 15 years we had owned it, and the first one was on it for who knows how long. We never coated it even.

 

Actually, plywood wouldn't work without modification because the trailer frame is set up for 2x somethings. I'd have to raise the deck in the same way I'd have to do it for the plating, so not much gain there. Except, of course, for the plating cost.

 

I dont like pressure treated on my trailer deck either. Besides the possible enviromental concerns, it gets slimy if it gets wet. Obviously not the best thing.

I like rough sawn 2-bys because they seem to offer better gription for whatevers on the trailer. I like to coat the planks with Thompsons water seal on all sides before installing. I use hemlock here because thats what we have in the northeast. If you dont have a lumber yard nearby that deals in rough sawn, check around your area for someone with a Woodmizer sawmill, they should be able to hook you up.

Just my 2 cents worth...Good luck

 

The rough sawn is a good choice. I buy green lumber from the mill at a fraction of the coast of retail. About a buck a ft/2 . It is true size stock. It will shrink over time, but on a trailer it would work fine. I sided my shed with 1x8 oak 10 years ago , nailed at the top to allow the bottom to shrink up. It looks as good today as it did then. As long as there is no ground contact, pressure treated does zip for you. The are sawmills all over the country. They will even cut it to whatever size you want.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Good idea on the rough swan but we don't have any saw mills here, other than for specialty hard woods and such. I know I can order it from the big box stores because I got some rough sawn 6xs for a porch I put in a few years, so I'll look in that direction.

 

How about that plastic wood decking material?

 

I'd think the plastic would be limited in what sizes you could get but I've never worked with the stuff. I'm only replacing a few planks for now and probably wouldn't want to mix and match. Interesting idea though ...

 

No sawmills?!? How do you people live under such harsh conditions?R)

I've put miles of Trex deck down on porches and decks. While it would solve the decay problem, I'd definitely steer clear of the plastic lumber on a trailer. It looks great on a porch, but isnt nearly strong enough for a trailer application.

 

No sawmills?!? How do you people live under such harsh conditions

If it is like here in Rio Rancho. we have a tree every mile or so. .

 

The newer "green treated" wood is changed in the last couple of years it is safer and more environmentally friendly. If wanting environmentally friendly use the plastic composite, it is recycled grocery bags and sawdust.

 

Yeah, we used to have a saw mill on top of the nearby pine-covered mountains but the last big fire did away with the saw mill and much of the pine forest. :-{ Down here in the valley, mostly what we have is Mesquite and Palo Verde trees, most of which don't grow big enough to justify a saw mill. :-}