My father in law lent us his trailer for a variety of projects. I would like to replace the wood deck as a thank you. The first quote I received was $1400 which seemed really high. Can't be that hard to do. I have a couple of questions for the board.

1) Is it that difficult to replace? The boards are not screwed into place. They have to be curved to secure under the angle iron at both ends.

2) What type of wood to use? Currently they are 2x8s. Can I just use ground contact rated 2x8s?

3) Any recommendations BCS/Northwest Houston for getting the floor/deck replaced?

Thanks in advance

I've done it with 2x12 treated boards and repainted the metal frame at the same time. Mine also had screws in the middle which I used long self-tapping screws into the metal frame. It isn't hard to do if you have the time.

What size trailer ?
7' x 16 ?

They are usually done with pressure treated 2x12


If you are in BCS shoot some pics to this email and I may be able to help you out

jpp_76@hotmail.com

I've done many trailer floors. You can cut the old boards to get them out. It's a lot easier to remove the front angle that holds them in when you install the new floor. Then you just tack the angle back in place. Get some good self-tapping screws and hit the ends and center of each board into the closest frame rail. The trailer will be much quieter over bumps.

We used 2x6 treated on ours. The old ones were untreated 2x6. One end was secured down with a 2x2 angle iron welded firmly in place as a lip. Each had a bolt through each main support crossmember. That was a pain in the ass to remove and replace. The front ends were held down with a strip of 2 inch wide 1/8 steel tack welded about every foot. We cut that next to a weld and gently bent it up enough to slide the replacement boards under it and push to either side to fill in. Then when the last board was under it, we bent it down into place, drilled a small hole, and bolted it back down. Piece of cake. It's held up fine for years since then.

Use treated lumber and make sure the rings in the lumber arch, not cup.

SCHTICK00 said:

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Use treated lumber and make sure the rings in the lumber arch, not cup.

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Big deal on this tip! Lumber will last much longer!

Good tips here. We have always untacked the angle iron to get them out after twisting all the heads off the bolts or screws. You don't have screws so that's good. You can then get all the boards out. Get some good primed self tappers at hombre depot. Then you'll need to tack the angle back in.

I've never seen or thought it possible to bend wood to get it under that angle. Worst case, you grind and cut off and reinstall and have someone else tack the angle back. It should be well less than 1400 that way. Or get a decent welder for 600 on amazon and do it yourself. It's a fantastic project to learn on.

Thanks for all of the tips!

Just cut enough of the welded cap (between the welds) to get the first or largest board out. Then slide them one by one to the cut. Mine were 2x6 and 2x8. I reattached the cut piece thru the new board with self tapping screws.

Look this up on YouTube, without removing any metal you can fit all the boards except the last one. That one can be put in place with a helper and a jack. Basically you're bending it with the jack and when you let off it pops into place. Hard to explain, easy to understand when you see it done.

D Nauti said:

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Look this up on YouTube, without removing any metal you can fit all the boards except the last one. That one can be put in place with a helper and a jack. Basically you're bending it with the jack and when you let off it pops into place. Hard to explain, easy to understand when you see it done.

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I just replaced the wood in my 16' trailer with my wife's help last month.

Cut all the boards to the right length. Stick one end in the slot in the front. Use a floor jack on one of the beams in the middle of the trailer to bend the board while you put weight on the free end. Jack it up until it gets enough bend, slowly release the jack and guide the other end into the slot. Then use a crow bar to lift the board enough to pull the jack out. Move over and repeat the process. Once you get a couple of boards on, you can leave the back end of the jack on top of the board you just put in. Once a board is in the slot, you can tap it with a hammer on each end and get it to slide in the slots to the right position..

We did the whole trailer in less than an hour.

I coat my trailers every other year with 1/3 used motor oil and 2/3 diesel mix. Pressure wash it before hand, apply with a pump up sprayer and a deck stain pole sponge. Set it in full sun / heat to cure.

what happens if one were to use 100% used motor oil?

Less penetration into the wood, less pungent odor.

I'm going to be replacing the flooring in my 16' trailer soon. What screw diameter do y'all recommend? I have #10 wood to metal self tapping screws.

Decades ago we used straight motor oil and the boards lasted very well. Had a buddy use oil on 3 trailers more recently and within 3 years he was replacing all the floors at the same time again. I'm scared to use motor oil now.

Anybody have thoughts on if newer oils have something in them that hurts instead of helps for this purpose?

Ok I'm convinced. Going to give it a shot this weekend.

SCHTICK00 said:

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Use treated lumber and make sure the rings in the lumber arch, not cup.

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Is there a video or illustration that you can point me towards to ensure I understand this?

Look at the end of the board, the rings will have a curve from one side to the other, you want to place the boards on the trailer with the top of that curve up. I believe the reasoning behind this is as the board dries it may change shape and it will curve in the direction of the rings. If the top of the curve is up then the board will shed water and take longer to rot.