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Wood deck life on gooseneck trailer?

Clguest

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2016
Messages
116
Location
USA
I would like to keep my 9 year old Load Max trailer outside in order to free up some interior shed space; but I do not trust that any sealer will fully protect the wooden deck. How many years might I hope the deck to last if I apply Thompson's water sealer once a year? Or is there a better solution?
 

Old Doug

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
4,484
Location
Mo
I use used motor oil on my oak floor its lasted more than 18years. I dont think Thompsons is going to work very good.
 

crane operator

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2009
Messages
8,274
Location
sw missouri
We just re-decked a trailer. When I went and bought screws they asked if I was using treated or non treated lumber. Today's treated lumber will eat up standard screws, without the right coating on the screws. I used non treated lumber and we coated it with oil also. I figured if the lumber treating will eat the screws, it would eat my steel stringers.

I have one more to redeck, I just need to get the sawmill to cut up the wood. The oil on the deck is kind of slick, someone recommended some sand in it, and I think we'll do that if the sun doesn't dry it out a little.

The trailer we re decked has been outside its whole life, and I bought the trailer used, it's at least 15 years old and had never been treated or oiled, just regular pine deck boards. We don't have a constant wet climate, or snow or salted roads.
 

Jonas302

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2015
Messages
1,197
Location
mn
From what I see oak will last around 15 years
Nothing worse than used oil on a deck
 

Kiwi-truckwit

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Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
315
Location
New Zealand
We just re-decked a trailer. When I went and bought screws they asked if I was using treated or non treated lumber. Today's treated lumber will eat up standard screws, without the right coating on the screws. I used non treated lumber and we coated it with oil also. I figured if the lumber treating will eat the screws, it would eat my steel stringers.

I have one more to redeck, I just need to get the sawmill to cut up the wood. The oil on the deck is kind of slick, someone recommended some sand in it, and I think we'll do that if the sun doesn't dry it out a little.

The trailer we re decked has been outside its whole life, and I bought the trailer used, it's at least 15 years old and had never been treated or oiled, just regular pine deck boards. We don't have a constant wet climate, or snow or salted roads.
Good point about the steel, I'd forgotten that part. A good dampproof membrane (such as malthoid) will solve that issue.
 

CM1995

Administrator
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Messages
13,248
Location
Alabama
Occupation
Running what I brung and taking what I win
The longest lasting decking I've had is rough sawn oak soaked in linseed oil. When we got our big tag trailer we used 2 - 5 gal pails on the deck before anything was loaded on it. Soaked it and let it sit in the sun for a couple of days and repeated the process.

That deck lasted 12 years outside it's whole life in our rainy, wet climate.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
My detach trailers will rot the decks off them at a much faster rate than the tag or deckover trailers where the bed is higher up in the air, allowing air to move under the trailer beck. It also makes a difference where the trailers are parked, on cement, gravel or grass, in a shed or outside, whether they are used in the winter on salted roads, run in the rain or sit all winter in a snow bank. There are so many variables involved its not funny, it hard to compare deck materials. One detach we parked on cement, never ran in the winter and the other we used in the winter and parked it on either grass or gravel, the one used in the winter, we put decks on about ever four years, the other one using the same material would last 10 plus years.

I just pulled the deck off both detach trailers and one trailer had mold growing on the bottom sides of the boards as pulled them off, the boards were rotten and the deck was shot, it was just put on in 2015, oak two inch sawn lumber, the other trailer had oak as well and was over 10 years old and the boards were hard and dry, good solid wood for the most part, with the exception of where we punched holes in the lumber from dropping things on the deck, all similar uses, just different times of year and parked in different area's of the yard.

Just thought I'd toss out some variables that are not mentioned or have been discussed, it all enters into the equation of how long the deck lasts in my opinion or from what I've seen anyhow, thought I'd pass it along and give you guys something else to discuss or ponder over.
 

mitch504

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
5,776
Location
Andrews SC
Don't forget, there are many, many, varieties of oak. There are oaks that will rot in 3 years up in the air if not protected, and oaks that will last 20 years in the ground for fence posts.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
Yes your right mitch, but in my area, white oak is most popular for decking materials, also burr oak does well too and is tough as nails and hard as steel, tried them all, the stuff Il like the most is elm, will stand for 20 years dead and not rot much at all, but its very hard to find a descent elm anymore and even harder to keep the boards straight long enough to get them bolted down on a deck before they look like a snake. Apittongue or however its spelled is supposed to be a much denser grained wood, thus lasting so much longer due to its ability to shed water better and resist rot longer and tracked machines not being able to tear it up as easily, which is great but again depending on how the trailer is used and where its parked and what elements its run it, will determine how long it lasts, and with all the qualities it has, it also brings a premium in price.
 

Crummy

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2017
Messages
918
Location
Idaho
Up here everything rots. I used Rumber on a couple smaller trailers & a flatbed deck and really liked the product- non slip was great especially in the icy times and hit it with the steam cleaner good as new. If I had kept my big trailers I would have gone that way when the decks needed replacing. Drawbacks are it's heavier than wood and the up front cost.
 

tuney443

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
1,216
Location
Dutchess County,NY
Occupation
excavating contractor
You want to use only White Oak on decks, Red Oak is meant for inside furniture use. I have had great success with my brew of a mixture of waste oil, diesel, and Linseed oil.After it soaks into the pores in the sun it's not even slippery.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
Crummy, I did some reading on rumber, and they say its not to be used in anything with a concentrated load, forklifts, rollers and scissors lifts, if it can't take those loads, how would it ever hold up to dozers, excavators, scrapers, end loaders or anything else with a lot of weight on either tires or tracks??

The literature also states they want supporting cross members no farther apart than 9 inches for any load over 40 ton, no lowboy manufacturer makes trailers with cross members that close, most are 18 to 30 inch spacing?? Have you ever put rumber on a heavy haul trailer and if so, how did you do it and how did it last.

I'm sick of putting decks on trailers, right now I'm considering steel sheeting and weld it on and be done with it for 20 years or about the life of the trailer, if rumber would work and hold up without having to spend a fortune to reinforce the deck I'd consider giving it a try on at least one trailer deck.
 

Randy88

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
2,149
Location
iowa
While on the subject of trailer decks, is anyone else sick of having their trailers rust out from all the liquid salt they spray on the roads, and besides sandblasting and repainting every couple of years, anything else work??

Anyone running a galvanized trailer yet?? Been looking hard at this option and just might pull the trigger and either buy a new galvanized trailer, or rebuild one I have now and blast it down and have it galvanized before putting new axles, rims, tires, wiring and decks back on it.
 

Crummy

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2017
Messages
918
Location
Idaho
Crummy, I did some reading on rumber, and they say its not to be used in anything with a concentrated load, forklifts, rollers and scissors lifts, if it can't take those loads, how would it ever hold up to dozers, excavators, scrapers, end loaders or anything else with a lot of weight on either tires or tracks??

The literature also states they want supporting cross members no farther apart than 9 inches for any load over 40 ton, no lowboy manufacturer makes trailers with cross members that close, most are 18 to 30 inch spacing?? Have you ever put rumber on a heavy haul trailer and if so, how did you do it and how did it last.

I'm sick of putting decks on trailers, right now I'm considering steel sheeting and weld it on and be done with it for 20 years or about the life of the trailer, if rumber would work and hold up without having to spend a fortune to reinforce the deck I'd consider giving it a try on at least one trailer deck.
I think it's referring to concentrated loads- rollers, forklifts, etc. I know a couple guys that run it on bigger trailers (one came with it new as an option) & it holds up really well with tracks. Both my trailers were 12" OC (35 & 55t) and I contacted them about it, at the time they had a thicker product for HH trailers that was good to 16" OC & they had also come up with an extrusion that you could use underneath the boards. It just started getting really pricey, better keep the wagon for awhile after you went that way!
 

check

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
800
Location
in the mail
Never tried it but heard of people spraying used anti-freeze on their decks to preserve them. It makes sense in theory, as glycols have a preservative characteristic.
 

DMiller

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Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,430
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
For those trailers I don't have to dance on in the rain I used boiled linseed oil, put in a roller pan or a pump sprayer and have at it. Water resistant, biodegradable, does not stink or stain like waste oil. Really liked using it in grain truck floors, get enough layers built up was like a Teflon surface NOTHING stuck to it. Stopped using penta treat lumber on floors as it is designed for earth contact, not for continual sunburn and wet as in rain, is a bug stop not a rot stop. Newer stuff is acidic and will flat burn thru bolts and screws, new barn tin is treated and they recommend using a sheet skin between treated lumber and siding as well a new generation of fasteners that reduce corrosion loss.
 

Numbfingers

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Joined
Oct 28, 2016
Messages
136
Location
Alaska
Occupation
mechanic
The military uses linseed oil on their wood decks. However, any rags used in the process can spontaneously combust if thrown into a trash can. One night the fellas didn't close the dirty rag barrel all the way, and the linseed oil soaked rags caught fire. Luckily someone was still around to take care of it.
 

Clguest

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2016
Messages
116
Location
USA
Linseed oil it is then and I will keep the trailers under roof as much as possible. To that end I sold a hay wagon, baler JD 24 WS, and rake to my neighbor- which frees up space and confirms the decision these past few years to have the hay for the horses put up by another neighbor who seldom needs to lift a bale by hand. Mechanization is great. Thanks to all for sharing your insights!
 
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