New decking on my trailer

[cmorningstar01]

Purchased my trailer new in 2008, It is a Bix Tex 30SA, 14" x 5" deck single axle 3000 GTW, Anyway the original 2"x6" treated lumber decking was too close together and it held leaves and debris and last spring I had maple tree sprouts growing up thru the cracks, I power washed it and used it thru the summer but decided this spring that I was going to replace the decking, I cut the old decking off and used an impact driver to take the T40 deck screws out, I bought new screws and new marine grade treated 2"x6" s...Anyway when I went to put the new decking in I realized that the 2"x6"s fit in a channel in the front and back of the trailer and that I had to bow them up to get them to fit, well I have a kubota with a front end loader so pulling up on the center of a 14' 2x6 was easy peasy. anyway here are some pics, All done I stripped the old decking out friday and put the new decking in today.

 

[B737]

that came out great!! no pictures if your kubota doing its magic on the boards??

 

[wgator]

Purchased my trailer new in 2008, It is a Bix Tex 30SA, 14" x 5" deck single axle 3000 GTW

Sure looks bigger than a 14" x 5" deck in the pictures. Good job.

 

[bearskinner]

That would have been the best time to repaint the trailer, with the wood off.

 

[Old_Paint]

Looks great, but I take it you never haul loose materials on that trailer. How hard did ya get hit on those 2x6x14's? That had to be expensive. Lumber is STOOPID expensive right now.

 

[cmorningstar01]

that came out great!! no pictures if your kubota doing its magic on the boards??

Yes I should have grabbed a pic, I used a piece of rope around the center of the 2x6, placed one end in the channel and the other end 1 had under the channel with a block of wood on top of the channel so when the 2x6 was bowed enough I could slip the end up into the rear channel

"Sure looks bigger than a 14" x 5" deck in the pictures. Good job."

Camera angle, It is 14'x 5', I like the 5' width it is perfect for my tractors, I use the trailer to move my B7500 with La302 loader and my B5100 with the 4ft finish mower, not both together, 1 at a time.

" That would have been the best time to repaint the trailer, with the wood off "
The paint was not really that bad, some rust on the hinges for the tailgate ram and some minor rust in other places, under the decking the paint was fine.

"Looks great, but I take it you never haul loose materials on that trailer. How hard did ya get hit on those 2x6x14's? That had to be expensive. Lumber is STOOPID expensive right"

No, I do not use it for loose materials, It is for my equipment and occasionally firewood logs, lumber, building materials and once a sectional sofa and love seat, I bought the 2"x6"s last year before the pandemic and have had them stored under a tarp behind my barn, If I remember correctly when I purchased them the total cost was around $200.00, plus another $20.00 for the 5/16" x 2 1/4" flat head black phosphate T40 deck bolts. I did use it once for some sand and gravel mix for some concrete I was mixing but that was when the original deck boards were on it and they were almost tight together, If I need to move anything like that in the future I can simply put some plywood down on the decking

 

[Old_Paint]

Lucky you. I need to re-deck my 14x7. That's gonna get pricy.

 

[cmorningstar01]

Lucky you. I need to re-deck my 14x7. That's gonna get pricy.

You will probably have a problem finding 14' stock and wind up buying 16' stock and depending on if you are going to use 2"x6" or 2"x8" will factor in, currently the #2 treated 2"x6"x16' in my area are going for around $25.00 each, so you will need 13(72/5.5) - 2"x6"x14 = $325 plus tax if applicable in your area, the bolts will be about another $20-$30.
You can deduct 1 if you space them to apx 5/8" between the planks

I chose 2"x6" because they were less expensive and the spacing worked out for me, looking back I am glad I did because the 2"x8" would have been harder to bend/bow to get into the front and rear channel

 

[Old_Paint]

I'm pretty sure the existing deck is 5 - 2x12 and 2-2x10. Deck is actually 80 inches, not 84. Outside of the rail is 84, which is how they call it a 7' wide trailer. I do haul loose stuff on mine on a regular basis, so probably won't gap the deck. Certainly not 5/8 gap. That's enough for a strap to fall through and drag under the trailer and find a tire to get under. I usually tie up slack in my straps pretty good, but stuff happens.

My buddy's dad bought the trailer new in 1981, and as far as I know, it's still got the original deck in it. But, in 1981, when you bought PT lumber, it would last. It was treated, then kiln dried. Today's stuff, not so much.

I miss the days when we had products like Kreso and Coppertox available. That stuff kept the fungus and bugs away. Then someone realized it was killing fungus and bugs, and figured it was bad for the environment. Well, DUUUUUUUHHH. Certainly was if you were a fungus or insect. Pretty sure that was the original intent.

 

[cmorningstar01]

Do you have the channel on front and back where the decking goes in or is it a simple lay down on rail deck.
As far as worrying about a strap I use chains and the links will not fall thru the spaces in my deck, If I need to haul sand I have access to a small dump trailer or if need be I can lay plywood down before I load the trailer.

The original planks on my trailer were a 2"x8" in the center and 2"x6" on each side and the last plank on each side was a rip, One other thing I did which can be seen in the 2 pic is I left spaces against the trailer side rails so that rain, snow, debris could drain off .

I had considered turning the planks sideways and running them across the trailer, I would have needed at least 4-5 stringers running front to back to fasten the planks down that way but I decided against it because then they would only have been fastened down with either wood screws or I would have needed to use carriage bolts on every plank for every stringer and it would add the extra weight of the stringers, My trailer is rated at 3000 lbs Gross trailer weight and the trailer itself weighs apx 1000 lbs so it would have cut down on my available pay load

 

[bearskinner]

It’s always satisfying to repair/ rebuild your own equipment. It gives me a little more appreciation of how things were made in the first place.

 

[skeets]

Uncle had one for 40 years and never replaced the deck,,, Of course there was maybe 100 gallons of used motor oil painted and dripped and sprayed on that deck and frame over the years

 

[Downeaster]

I used to have one similar, and I too have trees that drop everything. My board were slowly rotting, and my Black pain was always rusting. I had to paint the trailer every two years, just to stop rust. Fenders eventually fell off. I sold it for cheap money, then bought a new aluminum landscape trailer with
2x8 pressure treated boards with good spacing. No more painting or wondering if the boards are
strong enough for what I put on the trailer. You did a good job, and your trailer is in far better shape
than mine was.

 

[8upbowhunter]

I will need to rplace the 20ft boards on my trailer before too long. Recently found a bad spot on one board. My boards are fitted tight as well and gets covered in pine straw a lot and debris ia always stuck in the small gaps. I will space the new boards to prevent that in the future. If I ever need to carry loose material I will put a tarp down before loading it.

 

[Captain13]

Not sure if you are going to seal your deck, but I found a sealer that really penetrates the wood, is not paraffin based (Thompson‘s Water Seal and others) so it doesn’t peel and really lasts. It’s called Ready Seal and has lasted on all the fences and decks including my trailer that I’ve used it on. It penetrates deep into the wood.

 

[8upbowhunter]

Not sure if you are going to seal your deck, but I found a sealer that really penetrates the wool, is not paraffin based (Thompson‘s Water Seal and others) so it doesn’t peel and really lasts. It’s called Ready Seal and has lasted on all the fences and decks including my trailer that I’ve used it on. It penetrates deep into the wood.

I will seal my boards but not sure with what product yet. I will look into Ready Seal also, thanks for the info.

 

[Flintknapper]

Good job guys!

Just did 3 of mine. Well....replaced boards on the 12 footer and added flooring to a couple of small trailers that had expanded metal bottoms.

Good to go for awhile........

My hat is off to all who make the time to take care of their equipment and keep it going.

 

[GeoHorn]

I re-decked all my wood-deck trailers using 8” C-purlins from the metal bldg supplier. Lay one C-purlin down…weld it on the upper-left just above the crossmember…and on the lower right AT the crossmember…next C-purlin gets welded on the upper left just above that last (previous) weld …and on the lower right to the crossmember…etc etc etc.
Ends up with an all-metal deck.

The way to remove/install decking… cut out a 10” portion of one of the end-retainer-angles. Slip the boards out (or simply cut them out) …. lay the new board into the opposite end and drop the near end down into the 10 cutout..slide it to the side beneath the rest of the near end. Repeat/Repeat etc etc. Weld or screw the portion cut out back into place when finished.

 

[Downeaster]

Not sure if you are going to seal your deck, but I found a sealer that really penetrates the wood, is not paraffin based (Thompson‘s Water Seal and others) so it doesn’t peel and really lasts. It’s called Ready Seal and has lasted on all the fences and decks including my trailer that I’ve used it on. It penetrates deep into the wood.

That is great to know. I have a new trailer (alum) and it has 2x8 boards, very strong, and it is in need of a good stain this spring. I checked and their is a store near me that I have driven by a hundred times, and never realized it was there. I will pick up a gallon next time I go by... thanks.

 

[Captain13]

That is great to know. I have a new trailer (alum) and it has 2x8 boards, very strong, and it is in need of a good stain this spring. I checked and their is a store near me that I have driven by a hundred times, and never realized it was there. I will pick up a gallon next time I go by... thanks.

I saw it demonstrated a few years ago Before I ever bought any. The rep opened a gallon, stuck a piece of 4x4 in the sealant and within seconds it was moving up the unexposed portion of the 4x4. I can’t believe how long it has lasted on the wood I have used it in. It’s really a really good sealer/stain.