Hot Rods Wood Bed Replacement

Purchased a 18’ trailer last month and the mood deck needs to be replaced. Any ideas where to get the planks?

 

If its gonna be wood, use treated wood. I saw a trailer last month where the owner took used motor oil and saturated the wood by rolling it on the surface. Looked good.
Don't know how long it took before he could walk on it..............

 

Your best choice is to go to a real lumber yard and not Lowes or Home Depot. Preferably one of the places that has been there for decades. Personally I'd take the trailer and tell them that I wanted to replace the deck on it and what did they suggest.

Then it is a fight to get the old deck boards off and then take your angle grinder and cut off wheel and cut off all the bolts sticking up and go back and grind them smooth.
I bought deck screws at Fastenal for my truck bed and a trailer bed that I am building. You drill pilot holes in the deck and cross sills and then run them in.
Back in 1961 or 62 I helped my grandfather rebuild the bed on his 48 Chev one ton and he had me put the linseed oil on it. Put it on wet and let it soak in and put another coat on and let it soak in. That truck bed is still sitting out in the corner of my yard and the wood isn't in that bad of shape.

 

Unfortunately treated wood is southern yellow pine, not the very strong wood. Douglas or hem fir is a much stronger wood. My dad used to drain oil all his wood Fence posts and anything outside, seemed to work well but messy.

 

Late brother in law used diesel fuel on his truck and trailer. 56/GMC was good when I sold it in the late 70’s

 

I’ve re placed several wood floors in horse trailers. I used Douglas Fir. In treated. But no sun beating on them.
My friend used kiln dried lumber (he used to build car trailers) and primed and painted them black.

But linseed oil is probably a better choice, but do both sides of the wood. I only did the top on a piece of 3/4 plywood I used as an outside bench top. After a few years in the weather it sorta curled on me. I’m not sure what it would do on a 2x though.

 

When I worked at the City of Norfolk and trailer floors needed replacing, we went to the local lumber yard and had white oak planed to our specs. (I think it was a full 2"). Most of the old boards were still good, so I saved some for future projects. We had just gotten an industrial planer (had to run new electrical as the planer required a 3 phase circuit) and that old white oak sure gave it a workout, hard beyond belief). Don't remember the cost, but that stuff will last forever under Normal conditions. Sorry for the long post, just sharing my own experience!

 

The ultimate wood for a trailer is Apitong (sp)
I worked for a company that had an OTR trailer manufacturing division. Apitong is dense, stable and rot resistant. Probably near impossible to find, but it would last forever. But DONT burn it in your wood stove, toxic.

 

Hello,

Having worked with wood most of my life, oak is the hardest wood to work with and finish. But, when it is finished and things rub against it or are set down on the surface, if it is treated with something like polyurethane finishes, it will last longer than most finishes. Yes, tung oil and some other finishes soak into the wood, but the wood is still ripe for dents and scratches.

A finished oak with polyurethane is probably the longest lasting surface protectant going. At least it was for us. From coating oak furniture and a folding high chair for our toddler son and throw in countless wood surfaces like teak and cedar with different surface protecting finishes, polyurethane worked the best and longest lasting surface coating.

But, others have said their choices are the best for them. So, you are in a quandary position. So, go to the local hardwoods store, not Lowe’s or Home Depot. But, a specialty hardwoods store. There are large named stores in almost every community. They are hardwood spe******ts and would have plenty of advice and products.

Jnaki

We have gone to a couple of specialty hardwood stores in So Cal and got the exact wood for our projects, oak and some teak for our sailboats, over ownership of different models, designs and needs.

Since you are close to Phoenix, that city must have a large hardwoods store and products. Spellman Hardwoods for wood strips, planks and finishes sounds like similar store to our So Cal suppliers. (Perhaps even larger) The supply is always greater at those specialty stores. Our local hardware store is good for the small/medium cans of polyurethane and finish brushes. But their wood supply as well as Lowe’s/Home Depot is a lot less than the specialty stores.

But, remember, it is what you put on for protection, but also, what you place on top or bang around on the wood surfaces. So, one has to be careful around any protected wood surfaces. At least if it is a hardwood, it may help after soaking of polyurethane, offer some extra protection.

Note:

The Varathane brand is probably the most reliable and strongest product. Minwax is also good. For boating surfaces, those are good coverage products, but not as strong as the Varathane products. YRMV

 

https://bohnhofflumber.com/products...ASHY2gwFT7WO2by4I2ToLDV2JqgfWGoUaAm2KEALw_wcB
Not cheap but it will outlast the rest of the trailer. JMO

 

Standard warning to read and follow the instructions for handling linseed oil!
I agree that you want to get the best stuff you can afford and pick up locally.
I'd also say that it is probably in your best interest to cut to size, then coat fully, especially end grain. This isn't a 'get 'er done' time sensitive deal, so the better you can soak/seal the boards before they are installed, the better. More of a interior hardwood floor refinish job than a knock it together 2x4 shed job.

 

When I redid my car trailer I went to a saw mill and got full length 2” rough cut white oak. Still was perfect when I sold it 15 years later. I had to plane down the ends to fit under the steel but left the deck surface rough cut full thickness.

 

Southern Yellow Pine is the structural equivalent of Douglas Fir, maybe a little better. Not all treated wood is Yellow Pine. If your trailer is going to be exposed to the elements, rot resistance is what you want. White Oak will be hard to beat and can be had most anywhere that sells hardwoods. It has the added advantage of being very strong...ever haul a forklift? Apitong is typically used for semi trailer floors but good luck finding it at the retail level. Why would you put any kind of finish on a trailer deck?