# Need trailer new deck (again!)



## azmike (Jan 4, 2015)

The 30' gooseneck needs a new deck, did the 20' bumper pull last year as well as my gator trailer. This seems to be a re-acuring nightmare! The Arizona weather just cooks the wood, (me too). I looked at the high dollar plastic decking at home depot but just couldn't buy in. I guess I could go steel but that is very expensive too. Wood is cheaper than any other option. What have you done with your decks?


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

The only thing done here is to keep them in out of weather when not in use. If you go pressure treated wood instead of steel you could try one of the deck sealers that's out there to see if it helps.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

azmike said:


> The 30' gooseneck needs a new deck, did the 20' bumper pull last year as well as my gator trailer. This seems to be a re-acuring nightmare! The Arizona weather just cooks the wood, (me too). I looked at the high dollar plastic decking at home depot but just couldn't buy in. I guess I could go steel but that is very expensive too. Wood is cheaper than any other option. What have you done with your decks?


Pressure treated pine? Try oak and put stain or weatherproof on it......pine just doesn't seem to last very long. Oak is very expensive however......


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Douglas Fir seems to hold up pretty well. I have a trailer with 20 year old decking still going strong.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I have white oak on a 1998 trailer and it's still in great shape.Always sat outside.Soak it with used motor oil once a yr or so.


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Have u ever thought about oiling ur decks?


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

once upon a time, when I was about knee-high to a grasshopper, our vehicle was a flat-bed pick-up with a wooden bed. When he went to town to get a drum of tractor fuel or diesel, my Dad would "spill" enough on the bed to cover it. Slick as greased-up owl $hit when it got wet, but never rotted.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

swmnhay said:


> I have white oak on a 1998 trailer and it's still in great shape.Always sat outside.Soak it with used motor oil once a yr or so.


 Apitong is even better and more expensive. Thats what commercial trailers use for their decks. It weathers like iron and lasts about forever. Creosote works well on softwood decks, on white oak too,


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

I redecked my goose 6 years ago with 40 retention pine and it an't worth a fiddlers dam. My 25 year old Fontaine 45 foot platform with Apitong looks like new and she sits outside all the time....

Apitong is hard to beat but it's hard on the wallet too.


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## azmike (Jan 4, 2015)

We have oiled, old motor and cotton seed plus lots of different wood preservatives for decks etc..

the end results are always a couple of good years then cracks/splits and ultimately broken boards. Wood prices are low, about a 1/2 day of work and a box of cut screws- just whinning about it!

We sure don't have any hardwood forests around here, just mesquites that would make a very pretty deck. I have a shotgun stock made from mesquite.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

I've poured/mopped/sprayed all kinds of concoctions on my trailer decks, but I still need to redeck my 35' GN this winter. I'll probably try to find CCA treated, direct contact pine for it. Since they started phasing out CCA I haven't been impressed with any of the substitutes. A mesquite deck would probably be heaver and outlast oak, you'd just have to find enough big trees and a saw mill willing to mess with the stuff. It would be pretty though. I redecked a trailer with oak once as a kid, it seemed like we had to get a new drill bit for every board and it probably doubled the weight of the trailer. By now I suspect the steel has rusted away, but the deck is still there......


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## DeepFish (Oct 25, 2014)

Last week I coated my 30 foot BigTex with a 1 to 1 ratio of Penetrol (by Flood - $19.00 gal) and used hydraulic oil. It soaked in well. It rained last night and I was suprised it wasn't slick at all and the rain water was pooled up on it. First time I've tried that combination and I'm happy with it. We'll have to see how well it holds up.


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Oil ours twice a yr with used oil thick as u can put it on and no problems. Some of my decks are 15 yrs old and still as good as new. Now if i can only get the steel not to rot so dang fast ill be happy.


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## shortrow (Feb 21, 2012)

Used motor oil cut with diesel fuel keeps my wagon beds nice.


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## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

Apitong

Plastic might be slick with a load of dry hay, just saying.


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## Westcliffe01 (Feb 16, 2015)

1" marine grade plywood ???? One can get some pretty large sheets...


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Wonder how locust would work for a trailer deck? I cut some poles out of a fencerow and used em for posts, over twenty years ago and still rock solid.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

mlappin said:


> Wonder how locust would work for a trailer deck? I cut some poles out of a fencerow and used em for posts, over twenty years ago and still rock solid.


It'd be great if you could find any straight enough to saw.


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

8350HiTech said:


> It'd be great if you could find any straight enough to saw.


I have sawn plenty of locust. Finding straight logs is not the problem here. There is so much stress stored in the log that it warps right behind the blade as you are cutting it. Maybe need to start with crooked log to get straight lumber. Seriously, locust weathers well, and you can hold a board on trailer/wagon if bolted down good. I've got a rack wagon with locust lumber (off of my Woodmizer mill) Held up well. 15-17 years old but starting to show. White oak or locust will go right back on it. 
73, Mark


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

ARD Farm said:


> Apitong is even better and more expensive. Thats what commercial trailers use for their decks. It weathers like iron and lasts about forever. Creosote works well on softwood decks, on white oak too,


Learn something new everyday. I had never heard of apitong before this.


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