Stock trailer rebuild

[blk mule]

Some time back replaced my floor with rough white oak 2x6 2-2 1/4 in thick. P/U 2 sheets treated plywood 5/16 ripped the plywood to 11 in. width. installed plywood along inside trailer wall with correct length bolts & nuts. i now have good floor & side panels with no holes. total price for purchased items $132.60

Haul draft horses and cattle all the time in this 16 ft. trailer.
clean my floor after each use.

 

[Sage]

Whe nI re-did the floor in mine I used reough cut treated fir, no hardwoods around here. The old floor went crosswise, the new floor goes lengthwise. I used 2x10's never had a problem even hauling bulls. I did put some sand on the floor the first couple of trips to keep it from getting to slick.

 

[tytower]

One of the main problems I've seen is people will put any timber down.
It should at least be hardwood and do a little research on what you are using for fence posts in the area. Some timbers are great for that use some are not and most people don't know.

EG Turpentine timber is durability 1 in constant contact with the earth and it splinters some but termites don;t eat it , urine won't rot it and hooves wont break it. Australian Spotted Gum on the other hand is highly pushed but rots with fresh water very quickly. River red gum and yellow stringy bark are excellent high durability 1 timbers and would do the job well if you can get them.

You have to ask for "DURABILITY 1 " timbers and only choose from those. Best policy on boats too.

Oh and you will get a lot of B/S from people trying to unload something else on you.

 

[KenB]

One of the main problems I've seen is people will put any timber down.
It should at least be hardwood and do a little research on what you are using for fence posts in the area. Some timbers are great for that use some are not and most people don't know.

EG Turpentine timber is durability 1 in constant contact with the earth and it splinters some but termites don;t eat it , urine won't rot it and hooves wont break it. Australian Spotted Gum on the other hand is highly pushed but rots with fresh water very quickly. River red gum and yellow stringy bark are excellent high durability 1 timbers and would do the job well if you can get them.

You have to ask for "DURABILITY 1 " timbers and only choose from those. Best policy on boats too.

Oh and you will get a lot of B/S from people trying to unload something else on you.

It might be hard to find these choices North America.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Hughit sawmill in Tolar, TX replaces trailer floors with lifetime guarantee. They saw up telephone poles and such and put a heavy floor in. It is cheaper to have them do it than it would be to go down and buy treated 2 by 10 (or anything else for that matter).

If you take your rotten hay and place under your trailer, and then take a mop and mop used motor oil onto the trailer floor when the wood is good and dry, it really helps protect the wood. Take the rotten hay out when you are done and burn it in your brush pile. Its only function is to soak any oil that might drip through.

If you can get those rubber stall matts and lay on the floor afterward, it sure helps cows keep their footing. Don't leave them in the trailer out in the sun. Sun is hard on those matts.

 

[MillIronQH]

If you take your rotten hay and place under your trailer, and then take a mop and mop used motor oil onto the trailer floor when the wood is good and dry, it really helps protect the wood. Take the rotten hay out when you are done and burn it in your brush pile. Its only function is to soak any oil that might drip through.

Heck with that. I'm doing mine (once a week) right in the middle of the drive way. We just reworked it and it's baby butt smooth and I figure that since I can't afford asphalt.....Z

 

[backhoeboogie]

Heck with that. I'm doing mine (once a week) right in the middle of the drive way. We just reworked it and it's baby butt smooth and I figure that since I can't afford asphalt.....Z

My driveway and roads are crushed limestone and the limestone is trying to bond back together. When it is dry, it is like concrete. When it is wet, the larger pieces of stone keep you from sinking and it allows the looser stuff to be pressed. Oil tends to break the down the bonding. But I do know others who do what you do. I figure the oil would wind up in my stock tanks eventually, after it washed through the pastures. I got too many nickels invested in those pastures.

I do like to mop my trailers with used oil, espeically in the summer when the boards are extremely dry. It is amazing how much oil those boards soak up. It is also amazing how those boards turn water after they get enough treatment.

 

[MillIronQH]

Heck with that. I'm doing mine (once a week) right in the middle of the drive way. We just reworked it and it's baby butt smooth and I figure that since I can't afford asphalt.....Z

My driveway and roads are crushed limestone and the limestone is trying to bond back together. When it is dry, it is like concrete. When it is wet, the larger pieces of stone keep you from sinking and it allows the looser stuff to be pressed. Oil tends to break the down the bonding. But I do know others who do what you do. I figure the oil would wind up in my stock tanks eventually, after it washed through the pastures. I got too many nickels invested in those pastures.

I do like to mop my trailers with used oil, espeically in the summer when the boards are extremely dry. It is amazing how much oil those boards soak up. It is also amazing how those boards turn water after they get enough treatment.

I've probably put 30 gallons on mine since we rebuilt it a month ago and it is still soaking it up almost as fast as I put it on.Z

 

[tytower]

It might be hard to find these choices North America.

Yep sure might be pardner
research is the answer . See how you classify your woods . Do you grade them on durability ? How long they can be kept in contact with wet earth without rotting?

Anyone who wants to work with timber ought to start there .
Otherwise you can just follow like sheep and be shorn
Banks look a lot like sheep farms when you go in them thesedays

 

[backhoeboogie]

It might be hard to find these choices North America.

Yep sure might be pardner
research is the answer . See how you classify your woods . Do you grade them on durability ? How long they can be kept in contact with wet earth without rotting?

Anyone who wants to work with timber ought to start there .
Otherwise you can just follow like sheep and be shorn
Banks look a lot like sheep farms when you go in them thesedays

There are some cedar posts on my place that are from the 1800's cattle trail up to Weatherford. They are up in the thicket above the river crossing and it apparently has never been burned. There are some vertical cedar poles in an old barn that are 16 inch diameter. I was told that the original barn has been there since before 1900 but truly don't know.

But I would never floor a trailer with cedar. Anyway, it lasts and lasts in this dry climate. Bugs leave it alone too.

 

[tytower]

Thats terrific on the cedar. Beautiful timber that and red cedar here is rated as durability 1 . Thats Australian red cedar and it also applies to your western red cedar which we import . It has a fine reputation for weather resistance thats why we import it for house siding

What colour would the cedar you refer to be? Likewise common sense says dont line a trailer floor with it . Cedar is a beautiful furniture wood and was found intact inside the pyramid tomb of that tomb that was not ransacked . Found by Carter I think

It was probably lebanese cedar which is on their flag. It was inlaid with gold and ivory I think.

Softwood in most cases above ,cattle would step right through it
Hardwood round the F27 mark would be good too I suppose but it would not absorb much oil. Your classifications might be different.

I must look it up on google