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Is that plywood for the flooring? Does it work well? We need to re-floor 2 stock trailers and a16 foot utility trailer..... dang, wood 's still expensive despite a slight price drop from the high in the spring.
 
Is that plywood for the flooring? Does it work well? We need to re-floor 2 stock trailers and a16 foot utility trailer..... dang, wood 's still expensive despite a slight price drop from the high in the spring.
It is 3/4 treated plywood but underneath is treated 2x6 boards.. yea it was 150.00 for the 3 sheets of plywood. It works fine best thing for it imo on top of 2x6's
 
All it takes is 1. Friend of a friend took a bull to auction. Bulls hoof went thru the floor. Was not pretty. Seems like he got .10 lb.
 
I like having about a half inch gap between the floor boards so the crap can go through and not build up as much. Saves me having to clean it out as often, if you're behind me on the highway keep your distance!
 
Hope so since I now only have 12 cows lol
I just finished that very project myself. Even with just 12 cows it won't last that many years. I replaced mine with treated 2 x 10's 3 years ago. And even then I pulled the bull panel loose and covered the 2 x 10 floor with 3/4 treated plywood last year because the 2 x 10 were getting dody.

And even then the plywood started looking dody around August this year. So i thought I had better check it out before I moved anymore cow's in it.

When i pulled that first sheet of plywood up up I got cold chills thinking about all the cattle I had been hauling in that thing in the past few months. The whole floor was rotted. The 2 x 10s were falling through as i stepped on them.

Replaced the floor with treated 2 x 12s . Should be good for about 2 seasons and maybe a 3rd if i cover the 2x12s with treated plywood like I did last time.

But I don't wash the floor out or park the trailer in a barn. Which i don't think would make much difference.

I would highly recommend thoroughly checking wood trailer floors every 2 years at a minimum if you know for sure the last time the floor was repl aced was 2 years prior. And sooner than that if the only decking was plywood. It's thinner and holds water longer causing rot sooner.
 
Sky I don't know about you. But I sure was happy after I finished that project. When i made my last trip hauling cows last fall. I also had a axle break off right at the hub on one axle causeing a wheel to fall off. So i also got to enjoy replacing both axles on the trailer early this spring. Old trailer's are just full of enjoyment. Lol !!!
 
I replaced my trailer floor with untreated yellow pine 2X8s 2 years ago. I covered most of it with 3/4 inch plywood and the front area with the best of the old boards I removed. I then painted it all with floor paint and added sand for traction.
I didn't think to check the floor before loading a couple for the sale. In-route, they knocked a hole in the floor where the old boards were reused. I was lucky, they only got a scratch and not downgraded.

When I checked the floor, it was rotten. I think the old boards were carrying whatever micro-organisms cause the rot.

I was wondering, Has anyone used expanded metal with extra support beams for flooring? I like the idea of easy cleaning, air floor for drying out, something that won't rot and that can be repaired a section at a time as needed.
 
My opinion. Untreated pine for a trailer floor is going to have a very short life. Covering it with plywood traps moisture on the boards and makes it worse. Any pine in this area should be pressure treated and not covered with plywood. Plywood on the floor of a livestock trailer is bad. Leave small gaps between the boards so that they can drain and breathe. Oak will last a long time, but you need to find someone who will saw it to dimensions that fit. Or get that expensive composite floor. Long life, but heavy and expensive.
 
My opinion. Untreated pine for a trailer floor is going to have a very short life. Covering it with plywood traps moisture on the boards and makes it worse. Any pine in this area should be pressure treated and not covered with plywood. Plywood on the floor of a livestock trailer is bad. Leave small gaps between the boards so that they can drain and breathe. Oak will last a long time, but you need to find someone who will saw it to dimensions that fit. Or get that expensive composite floor. Long life, but heavy and expensive.
Thanks! I think you may be right. My neighbor treated his pine floor by coating it with used motor oil. He bragged that it had never been reflected after 30 yrs. It looked rough from wear but definitely no rot. It was a covered trailer where mine is not. Mine is kept outside and open to whatever falls from the sky.
 
We had a Swan GN trailer, bought it new in 1973. It had a board floor (not sure what the wood was) with maybe 2" gaps. We kept that trailer til 1990 and never did a thing to the floor except clean it out once in awhile. Of course we could see it all the time because it wasn't covered with anything. I think the gaps work really well plus adds extra footing.
 
I was wondering, Has anyone used expanded metal with extra support beams for flooring? I like the idea of easy cleaning, air floor for drying out, something that won't rot and that can be repaired a section at a time as needed.
Urine is corrosive as hades.
I've seen it tried and rust plus sagging is problematic with the rust working from the bottom side up. You don't know it's weakened until it starts falling thru.
 

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