C channel

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I'm new here, I actually joined this forum to ask this question. If im in the wrong section sorry i do not know where this question goes. I'm putting new flooring on a flatbed trailer my dad built about 8 yrs ago and do not want to use wood again so i don't have to go through this again. Its deck is 80 in wide and 16 ft long. My grandfather wants to use 2x12s then cover it back up with the 1/4 in alum. tread plate (it was 1" tongue and groove with the tread on top) but due to the fact that plywood is expensive to replace i would like to use something that will last longer. My thinking is that c channel could be welded face up along the joists/horizontal supports (there is 8 of them) and then the tread plate would be screwed to the top as it was before. I know c channel is heavier than wood but this is not your run of the mill trailer it was built out of 3/8 steel for the frame and has 2 7500 lb axles. It looks like a car hauler (that is what it will be hauling) but is much stronger than most. I have only been welding for 3 years but im OCD (picky about my welds) and pick up things extremely fast. I will be using a hobart ironman 230 for this project. The question is would 10" c channel hold up or is this a pipe dream? (or channel dream haha)Any ideas on materials, layout, you're a dumb ***  etc would be greatly appreciated.   My goal is to have a trailer that i dont have to rebuild every 10 years.
Reply:My math shows if you add the lightest 10" channel on my chart, you'll add almost a 2000lbs to the trailer. The heaviest would add almost 4000 to the trailer. That plus the  rest of the trailer frame and the vehicle will start getting you really close to the 10,000 lb magical number for trailers. Top that weight and you need a Class A licence in most states as well as all the paper work like a medical card that goes with it. With 2 7,500lb axels you may already unknowingly be past this point, as Penn DOT uses the registered gross weight of the trailer to determine if you need a Class A license, not the loaded weight. An empty 14K trailer is the same as a loaded one as far as they are concerned. If you under rate the trailer ( and it's legal to do so) say registering it at 10K to stay under the requirements for the Class A license, and you ever get caught and weighed  and are over, the fine is usually VERY steep. Plus they'll probably hit you for the lack of a Class A license anyways, tack on every other fine they can usually find and most likely will red tag the trailer and won't let you pull it loaded at best, Impound it at worst.As far as 2x's under the alum, don't use pressure treated. It's extremely corrosive, especially to aluminum. I think in the long run you'll find simply replacing the plywood or boards to be the cheapest route to go. Last time we did the deck on the heavy trailer, we simply torched off the nuts on the bottom and pulled off the 2x' oak planks. One guy laid under the trailer and drilled the new boards where the old holes were and then held the nuts while another zinged home the bolts with an impact gun. I think it took us maybe 1/2 a day at best to do the whole job.  If you really want something that lasts, use 3/4" form plywood or marine grade plywood. I've got some used 3/4" form ply that has sat out exposed for over 12 years and it was used for forms long before that. It's still solid enough to drive vehicles over. The stuff isn't cheap however..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Don't know what your financial limits are but you may want to look at extruded aluminum planking, this is the stuff they use for the floor of enclosed car haulers like nascar trailers and high end custom car haulers. It is a ribbed aluminum plank. very strong but not as heavy as aluminum channel.  Aluminum channel would also be and option , just like what you were talking about but 1/2 the weight. would have to fasten with bolts. and probably twice the money."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:You just got two great answers, answers that 20 years ago would have cost 500 bucks. Take them and be grateful. I built trailers for the Alaska North Slope for 7 years and these answers fit directly with what I learnt.
Reply:I would go with the wood. If you can afford it, get a hardwood. I believe they use apitong on semi trailers. Now if you want to keep it lasting longer you'll have to seal it. I frequently spray the decks of my trailers with concrete form oil. You can also use a sealer. I just have form oil on hand, it's cheaper than sealer and it smells better than diesel fuel."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Besides it keeps the trailer from rusting as fast. Thanks that reminds me, I need to remember to power wash the underside of the utility truck and spray it with Kleenkote form oil again..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:This might be of interest to several of you after what has been said.....the bottom refs....In the past on a small trailer using plywood... I used several coats of ' Boiled' linseed oil on the plywood ( it is not boiled but industry nomenclature signifies it has driers added ...in the old days it was boiled ).. plus latex paint... this lets the wood breath .. the most impressive place this combo showed up was where water ran and was captured ... this trailer had the hitch on the ground and was made from angle... so it had a catch ' basin' at the front of the flooring... it lasted years and years past when I thought it would have..  But in the future I think I would use something like the Fluid Film... which is basically Lanolin.. produced from wringing sheep like a wash cloth.   They survive but have a whole different attitude afterwards.... http://www.fluid-film.com/shop/http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/o...ntative-3.htmlWeldandpower Lincoln 225 AC,DC with Briggs 16hp gas engine.WW2 era Miller TIG.
Reply:Thank you for the quick replies, this is the first forum that i got more than one reply in less than a day! I figured the weight would probably be an issue 2000 lbs is kinda heavy. As for my license i tow an 11k 5th wheel and have not yet been told i need a class A. I'm in Texas which may be why. But realistically i dont want to drop the weight rating of the trailer capacity by 2k so that option is out. And if I had the funds right now I would use the aluminum planking but at 18 im not making that much money to blow on a trailer. I'm gonna look into the linseed oil that's probably the way ill go this time and when it rots out next time the planking will be the solution.Thanks again guys and you will be seeing me on here again as i am going to school to be a welder and always love some good advice.
Reply:Jake - an 11k 5th wheel sounds like an RV - there are special exemptions for those in some states like Florida where if it's an RV you can go as heavy as you want. However, not in Texas. The only exemptions in Texas are for Farm & Ranch licensed vehicles and there are a lot of regulations on those that you'd need to read up on (such as 150 mile limit from the ranch).