Anyone ever have a trailer with metal grating for a deck?

[GeoHorn]

As long as it's painted with real paint NOT 'powder coat', it'll outlive every one here. …..

Can you elaborate on that ?

(I have a “powder coated” dump trailer stored out in the weather for 6 years now and it’s holding up just Fine…. even the “bed” / interior….which has hauled rock and gravel which is very abrasive….is holding up well….. the only issue is the decals are curling up and fading.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Every item I've seen that gets a nick, cut,slice of the powder coat allows for moisture to touch the raw steel. steel rusts, expands, 'bubbles' the powder coat, allows more moisture in..repeats until huge strips of PC come off.It's not easy or fun to TRY to repair ,usually have to remove 3 or 4 x the affected area.
The salty winter roads here only quicken the self destruction.
I've seen 4 year old trailers in the scrap yard due to this.
It'd be interesting to know who powder coated your trailer and what products were used.

 

[GeoHorn]

Every item I've seen that gets a nick, cut,slice of the powder coat allows for moisture to touch the raw steel. steel rusts, expands, 'bubbles' the powder coat, allows more moisture in..repeats until huge strips of PC come off.It's not easy or fun to TRY to repair ,usually have to remove 3 or 4 x the affected area.
The salty winter roads here only quicken the self destruction.
I've seen 4 year old trailers in the scrap yard due to this.
It'd be interesting to know who powder coated your trailer and what products were used.

It’s a “Load Trail” model DT14 https://loadtrail.com/

Advertising video of their ops… includes a little of the finishing process::

 

[fried1765]

Every item I've seen that gets a nick, cut,slice of the powder coat allows for moisture to touch the raw steel. steel rusts, expands, 'bubbles' the powder coat, allows more moisture in..repeats until huge strips of PC come off.It's not easy or fun to TRY to repair ,usually have to remove 3 or 4 x the affected area.
The salty winter roads here only quicken the self destruction.
I've seen 4 year old trailers in the scrap yard due to this.
It'd be interesting to know who powder coated your trailer and what products were used.

I absolutely agree!
Powder coated steel items in the North are an absolute disaster.
Prolly just fine, even when stored outside, in Texas though!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

those LT trailers also get a PRIMER, something not usually found on most trailers, at least not up here in the 'salt belt of Ontario'
Only salt used in Texas is probably blue lick cubes for cattle ?

 

[jyoutz]

That metal grating will be the PERFECT place for rust to grow.
Might be a great trailer for Arizona, or New Mexico, but for NJ. ??
Using it ONLY in Summer, should be OK in NJ though.

Northern AZ and NM use road de-icers in the winter.

 

[GeoHorn]

those LT trailers also get a PRIMER, something not usually found on most trailers, at least not up here in the 'salt belt of Ontario'
Only salt used in Texas is probably blue lick cubes for cattle ?

We common Texican-citizens take our gov’s public comments with a “grain of salt”…

 

[jimh406]

Wood is generally easier to replace, but anything can be slippery covered with the right type of mud.

Depending on your skills with metal, wood decking might be a better choice. However, if you tow in Winter, anything is going to corrode and if the decking doesn't the frame will.

Always a tradeoff.

 

[UpNorthMI]

This has 7k axles and 215/75r17.5 16 ply tires. I will be towing the same excavator as you - what size tire did you blow and what did you upgrade too? I do not want to blow a tire while towing stuff......

Of the top of my head - My trailer has 8k axles and was fitted with 235/80R16 tires, they were load rated E my goal is to upgrade to a load rating of H which is about 4,000 lbs per tire. Nearly all of these tires are out of China.

 

[DustyRusty]

A friend purchased new tires for his trailer and said that Good Year tires are still made in the US. Don't know about all of them, but his trailer tires were. They weren't inexpensive, but it was what he wanted. Good US-made tires.

 

[DustyRusty]

Does NE use thousands of tons of road salt each Winter?

Nope, not thousands, but more likely millions or even billions of tons. They also have a brine that is mixed in large plastic vessels that appear to hold at least 10,000 gallons and is dispensed into trucks that spay it onto the roadway before the storm to keep the snow from sticking to the surface. The problem is that the product sticks to the metal of your car or truck and promotes rusting. Some chemicals can be sprayed on the truck to break the bond so it can be power washed to remove it, however, you have to make sure to get every nook and cranny, which is almost impossible.

 

[fried1765]

Nope, not thousands, but more likely millions or even billions of tons. They also have a brine that is mixed in large plastic vessels that appear to hold at least 10,000 gallons and is dispensed into trucks that spay it onto the roadway before the storm to keep the snow from sticking to the surface. The problem is that the product sticks to the metal of your car or truck and promotes rusting. Some chemicals can be sprayed on the truck to break the bond so it can be power washed to remove it, however, you have to make sure to get every nook and cranny, which is almost impossible.

The OP has his location listed as,..... Malcolm, NE (Nebraska).
I seriously doubt that Nebraska uses road salt in those high tonnage amounts.

 

[chim]

Not sure about Nebraska as a whole, but just the city of Lincoln used 469 tons average over the last 3 years.

https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/ltu/transportation/maintenance-operations/city-deicing-fact-sheet.pdf

 

[fried1765]

Not sure about Nebraska as a whole, but just the city of Lincoln used 469 tons average over the last 3 years.

https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/ltu/transportation/maintenance-operations/city-deicing-fact-sheet.pdf

THAT is a miniscule amount, compared to cities in the Northeast.

 

[Dustball]

Not sure about Nebraska as a whole, but just the city of Lincoln used 469 tons average over the last 3 years.

https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/ltu/transportation/maintenance-operations/city-deicing-fact-sheet.pdf

Where I live.

TCMA = Twin Cities Metro Area in Minnesota.

This table is for state, county, and city salt contract for use on the roads in the TCMA. Actual usage range from 89% to 103% of the contract amounts.

As for Minnesota as a whole, a recent article says-
Overall, the MPCA estimates Minnesotans apply about 445,000 tons of salt to paved surfaces every single year.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

gee you'ld think the 'greenies' would be screaming about the amount of salt being used.....
I Know 'they' FINALLY figured out why a couple lakes died up here. seems if you keep dumping enought truckloads of salty snow into them,oopsy,.. the lake 'dies'.

 

[forceten]

The OP has his location listed as,..... Malcolm, NE (Nebraska).
I seriously doubt that Nebraska uses road salt in those high tonnage amounts.

ummmm I had to go look at my profile Does state NJ

Not sure if I said NE anywhere and if I did I meant north east. NJ hasn't had any real snow now in 2 years but we can and do get snow. I won't be using the trailer in winter only spring and summer

 

[forceten]

Of the top of my head - My trailer has 8k axles and was fitted with 235/80R16 tires, they were load rated E my goal is to upgrade to a load rating of H which is about 4,000 lbs per tire. Nearly all of these tires are out of China.

Well that doesn't instill confidence..... the 16 ply tires are load range H on that trailer. but you had a 10 ply load range e? Load range H seems right to haul a 10k pound excavator.

 

[fried1765]

ummmm I had to go look at my profile Does state NJ

Not sure if I said NE anywhere and if I did I meant north east. NJ hasn't had any real snow now in 2 years but we can and do get snow. I won't be using the trailer in winter only spring and summer

Sorry.....
My response was intended as a response to poster in response #11 who is from Malcom, NE.

 

[DustyRusty]

Sorry.....
My response was intended as a response to poster in response #11 who is from Malcom, NE.

Who is on first?????????????????????