Trailer care

[Bestoutwest]

I recently bought a trailer and was wondering what I should be doing to maintain a good floor. It's got a rubber mat the entire length of the trailer. Should I be putting shavings down or just keep it bare? If shavings, how much cleaning should I do, and how often?

Thanks

 

[dun]

If the mat is movable, lift it so that you can periodically wash under it and leave it up till it drys. I slide a 2X6 on edge under ours.

 

[Nesikep]

I wash my trailer after every load of cows... cow crap and pizz will eat out the steel pretty quickly.. and as dun said, let it dry. That's the most important part of it.. if it's a good mat, you shouldn't need shavings and it'll make cleanout much easier

 

[Aaron]

Take off the mats, let wood dry and then soak it all down with used motor oil. Put mats back on top.

If no mats, clean out each time and bed down with coating of gravel. I tried the shavings and straw route and it looks nice, but lots of work to clean out and holds moisture better than anything, which is bad.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Is it ok to use a water proofer like you can get at Home Depot?

 

[TexasBred]

Is it ok to use a water proofer like you can get at Home Depot?

I did that to mine. Put it in a sprayer and put two good coats on it then put down a cattle panel in the floor. I don't use mine that often but don't wash it after every use either.

 

[dun]

Is it ok to use a water proofer like you can get at Home Depot?

I soaked ours with Thompsons waterseal, 15 years and it still looks like new

 

[branguscowgirl]

I am assuming your floor is wood, (as opposed to aluminum) by the sound of the responses. I have an aluminum trailer with an aluminum floor. When I haul horses, shavings make for an easy clean up.
With cattle, not so easy. When cattle are loose they make a mess everywhere, all over the walls even. My show cattle get tied up, limiting the mess. But as others have said, you are better off hosing it out with each use. I do not, in fact it rarely gets hosed out. :mrgreen:

 

[cow pollinater]

I paint my floors. I mean literally dump paint on the floor and let it soak in to every little crack. I got rid of a trailer that was thirty years old that I had purchased from the guy that taught me that a couple of months ago and the floors were still okay despite neither of us ever cleaning it out. In fact the floors were in better shape than a lot of the metal.

 

[Gators Rule]

Is it ok to use a water proofer like you can get at Home Depot?

I soaked ours with Thompsons waterseal, 15 years and it still looks like new

Same here! I use thompsons water seal to protect the wood floors, and pressure wash the manure and mud off after each use to prevent rust. I live in FL, which is very harsh on steel stock trailers.

 

[GACowboy]

Get bed liner installed on all metal. Burnt motor oil on the wood then nail a cattle panel down to the wood.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

I removed the mats in ours, when they pizz and shat its slick as grease. I just put a cattle panel down and haven't had any issues. I try to pressure wash it two or three times a year. I also spray bleach the sides and floor just to kill anything from the barn or sick cattle.

 

[Hook]

The bleach will rust your trailer out quicker than the urine or manure. Much much quicker.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

Guess I better stick to just spraying the wood then.

 

[Hook]

That's where your trailer will rust out first. Just use water. If you must use the bleach, rinse it really really well and then rinse it some more.

 

[Calhoun Farm]

So is it overkill to disinfectant?

 

[Hook]

No, but soap and a pressure washer would serve you better and your trailer will last longer

 

[Chappydog]

We just refloored one of ours with power poles the we cut to. 2x8 on our saw mill. They should last a good while. I will also second putting the panel down and no rubber.

 

[fitz]

I recently bought a trailer and was wondering what I should be doing to maintain a good floor. It's got a rubber mat the entire length of the trailer. Should I be putting shavings down or just keep it bare? If shavings, how much cleaning should I do, and how often?

Thanks

Mine has a wood floor. When I bought It I mopped it with spent motor oil and diesel. Covered it with 2 pieces of old conveyor belt. When I clean it I can pull the mats out.
I have sprayed the inside with truck liner paint about 6" above the floor and tired to get plenty to run into the joint.
When I haul I cover it with old hay. Gives them better footing and they also seem to load easier with the hay in there. When done I just take a pitchfork and push the hay out.

fitz

 

[Workinonit Farm]

When I haul I cover it with old hay. Gives them better footing and they also seem to load easier with the hay in there. When done I just take a pitchfork and push the hay out.

fitz

I have found that they seem to, almost want to get on the trailer when I put a bunch of old hay in there. I think it makes it more appealing and less "new" looking.

When done, I push it out, pull the mats and hose the floor & mats, let them dry then re-assemble it all.