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Wood or Steel deck for a trailer

Well the only reason is here is what I have now.


Its all 2X3.5" tube so its flat. I will have to weld angle iron to the top to hold the boards in. So I thought of just welding plate to it and calling it done.

Photo May 19, 11 32 22 PM.jpg
 
drill and tap. You dont need angle:dunno: Thats how I did mine and it went fast with 2 drills

Yoy only have to fasten to like every third cross member
 
shady said:
drill and tap. You dont need angle:dunno: Thats how I did mine and it went fast with 2 drills

Yoy only have to fasten to like every third cross member
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Still probably going to use angle. It will give it a more finished look.
 
Ive seen one where they ringed the wood with angle and had 4 1/8" pieces of 2" flat stock welded across as hold downs so that the boards kinda just set in there. they had 2 bolts running down through the cross's to keep the centers from bowing. I almost did mine that way, but didnt want to pay for the angle.
 
dhcomp said:
Agreed. I'd go wood with angle.
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Thats how I did my last trailer I helped my dad build.


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Crappy pic but it looks better than just wood sitting on the top.
 
Well, if its wood, and you have an oil leak, that will help keep the wood from rotting. Wood is usually lighter, which gives you more load capacity.

Steel will stand up better to having heavy, rough stuff dragged across it.
If you are going to be hauling heavy metal stuff, it can be welded to the bed of the trailer for a more secure attachment.

If you want to attach the wood directly to the steel without angles, there are some really neat specialized fasteners that make it really simple.
I will find a link and post it.
 
OK, here is a link to them. I think you can find them in lots of places. There are some fastener companies around there that sell stuff like that.
I have used them and they are great.

The drill point will drill into the wood. Then the wings act as a wood spade bit to enlarge the hole larger than the threads.
The drill point then hits the steel.
Its a hardened point, and will drill into the steel. When the wings hit the steel, they sheer off and get out of the way.

The threads are hardened self-tapping and thread themselves into the steel.

When the head hits the wood, the threads are not touching the wood, so the bolt will slip into it as the bolt pulls the board tight against the steel.

The ones I used had little hardened ridges on the slope part of the countersink head, and they would grind the wood away so the head was flush with the wood or a little under if you let it spin a little longer.

http://www.screw-products.com/reamer.htm
 
Somebody once said to me, they hate it when somebody is wrenching in the campground late at night with their rig on the steel deck trailer and drops a ratchet onto the trailer.
 
As someone who has had and used a steel deck im going to recommend it. Wood is annoying and needs maintenence. I never painted my deck because hell out in Kalifornia it never got past a little surface rust and all the oil i spilled on it made for great protection. It gave a smooth even surface to work on and i laid on it plenty of times on hot days and it wasnt too bad at all as long as you werent naked. I like the low maintenence rugged features a steel deck gives my only real issue with it was its weight which im sure exceeded that of a wood deck.
 
3/16" diamond plate up here,will look like swiss cheese in 5 years,if you tow at all during winter months...my brother bought a brand new tilt car trailer about 6 years ago in NC,its box tubing and diampnd plate floor was flaking off in layers and getting weak already,after he used it maybe a dozen times to haul an ice racer to the lakes ,thanks to salt exposure...wood lasts a lot longer here and is a lot cheaper too,and easier to replace when it needs to be changed.........................................................................................Steel presents other issues like rusting if not kept painted constantly.its slippery ,and makes driving a car with chains in the tires up onto the trailer challenging and somewhat hazardous (my brother used plywood "ramps" screwed to his beavertail ramp truck's metal bed so his ice racer wouldn't slide sideways off the bed while climbing up the ramps)...its lighter too...I'd go with wood,but if I lived in CA or AZ,I would probably say steel though...
 
i laid on it plenty of times on hot days and it wasnt too bad at all as long as you werent naked
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Well, whats the fun in that??:dunno:
 
So you decided on Wood. What are you going to treat it with so it doesn't rot quickly or start splitting due to sun damage?

I ask because...I have not coated mine yet and probably need to do it. The suggestions would help us both. LOL
 
Before the greens got in power, I always just poured on a lot of CopperTox. Not sure you can even buy it now........
 
Gunny65 said:
So you decided on Wood. What are you going to treat it with so it doesn't rot quickly or start splitting due to sun damage?

I ask because...I have not coated mine yet and probably need to do it. The suggestions would help us both. LOL
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I have one that is just a treated lumber deck with nothing EVER put on it in the 20 years its been in our family. deck was old looking when we got it and has recently held 3200# rock loads(5x10 deck) with no problems. there is a couple soft boards finally but what do you expect for that many years old.

On a side note, if you DO want to treat it with something. wait a full summer or till next season to do so. new treated lumber will not take any treatment till it dries out and shinks fully.
 
I vote steel, you can't weld to wood. Steel is less maintainence, and stronger. But leave it open in the center so you can crawl under it to work on a car if you need to. Yes wood is less dense, but the wood needs to be 10 times thicker than the steel does, so overall weight may be lighter with steel...
 
steel for me, i treat my trailer like shiiiiiiitttt.


makes a fun challenge for your friends with stickys too:haha:


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or sometimes myself..

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an aside from sliding off of it goofing off its great for sliding things around on it!

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