What type of wood for trailer deck?

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First of all +++Yes I know this is WeldingWeb, not WoodWorkingWeb++++At work we have an old trailer that needs repair. A few bends to the frame, new steaks for the side, and a new bed. I can do the metal work in a few hours, then paint,  but thought I could save some time for me to send the trailer to a shop to replace the wood. After a bid of 1200 just for the bed, I don't think so (the trailer is only 8x16). What type of wood should I use for the bed so I can price it out. It is 2x6's.What should I use for a stain?The trailer has a GVRW of 10000 and soon will be used for general equipment, usually palletized.Thanks
Reply:Why not use wolmanized lumber? (Pressure Treated)If you really want a stable, strong, rot resistant deck get some White Oak.
Reply:Treated will work just fine.$1200 is absurd to install a trailer floor. I can buy a 8x16 trailer for that much!Patriot Performance AutoLincoln Power Mig 255CLincoln AC-225 StickVictor Journeyman O/AQuincy QT-5 Compressor
Reply:Find a local mill.... We have several small mills in the area.... You can have them rough cut oak to whatever sizes you want and usually at a fraction of the cost. It's worth looking into.  OOPs ..... maybe not so easy in S. Cali though. Still check it out_________________Chris
Reply:Treated is all peeler cores. Probably last a long time if you can get one to stay straight. It's not structural at all. If you've got plenty of cross members underneath to tie to and don't do any point loading you'd be okay I guess. Most trailer decks here are doug fir if there are any significant service duty expectations.
Reply:I've always just used treated and it lasts for a very long time.  make sure when you put it down you put the crown like this ^, that way it won't bow up on the sides and use trailer floor torx screws 3 of them everywhere the board meets a crossmember.  The crossmembers are on 16" centers, right?  I have seen them spaced way to far apart and had to add more.  But the board right up togather as tight as you can, when they dry out you'll have a small gap.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:A trailer builder we deal with allot Best Trailer out of Grass Valley uses a 1-1/2" t &g product made from ground up tires. the stuff is probilly spendy, but will last forever."If you live in Sacramento you have seen my work."
Reply:A trailer builder we deal with allot Best Trailer out of Grass Valley uses a 1-1/2" t &g product made from ground up tires.
Reply:Originally Posted by Jonnie FrazA trailer builder we deal with allot Best Trailer out of Grass Valley uses a 1-1/2" t &g product made from ground up tires. the stuff is probilly spendy, but will last forever.
Reply:Originally Posted by TEKThese guys are only a couple of miles from me. We deal with them all the time,as they have the biggest powder coating oven in the area. This rubber deck is not that rigid and needs a lot of supports. Johns trailers are first class and he uses a lot of this stuff. I have some at the shop and can get a pic if you want.
Reply:I have a 8X16 flatbed trailer I built and used 2x6 doug fir and to help preserve I applied a coat of used motor oil with shop towels and it is holding up very well.
Reply:We used 5/4 decking wood for our 4wheeler trailer. 1 1/4" thick and it has purty rounded edges. Just space them out so you have bout a 1/2 gap.I'm not a Engineer, I just play one on the weekend.
Reply:Thanks for your responses. This week I will head down and work out the cost of the wood. The recycled plastic is a good idea, but the trailer is for my work and the guys will most likely break what ever I place on trailer before it rots away.
Reply:Sandy, I only had a small pce of the rubber deck at the shop so I went over to Best and got some pics. I talked to Bernie a bit. He says this stuff is expensive, it sags, the trailers that use it have supports every 10", 8" of free-span. I forgot to ask about metal in it but I do know they cut it with a Skil saw with a wood blade. The pce in the pics is about 5'-0" and you can see how much it deflected. I was holding it about 45deg angle and its about 45 deg F so its about as stiff as it gets. One side is slick, the other is cobbled or rough textured. He did say it will last forever,or 100,000 miles,whichever comes first.  Attached Images
Reply:Hey tek, those pics are coming through funny,   or maybe I'm having troubles with jps or something. Sounds like great stuff in a lot of respects. May be it could be laid on a backing more like a top liner. I know a guy who works at Less Scwabb. They can get these pretty large sheets made for them out of ground up tires. About 3/4' thick or there-abouts. Not for sale to the general public. I like the idea of soft or ruberized decking tho.
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyHey tek, those pics are coming through funny,   or maybe I'm having troubles with jps or something. Sounds like great stuff in a lot of respects. May be it could be laid on a backing more like a top liner. I know a guy who works at Less Scwabb. They can get these pretty large sheets made for them out of ground up tires. About 3/4' thick or there-abouts. Not for sale to the general public. I like the idea of soft or ruberized decking tho.
Reply:Originally Posted by TEKYeah they sure are. I dunno--- they look good in my file. I'll try again.Correction, they dont look good in my file. Sorry---
Reply:Yep, those pics are much better. Thanks for posting those, some new and very interesting stuff out there. I've seen the "plastic decks" for houses, but nothing for trailers yet.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Hey, I like that stuff. I can see where it would be expensive with all the extra sub structure as well as the materials itself. But it sure should be a lifetime material. Could be with some thinking it could be used for the tire runs or grouser runs and wood for the rest.Thanks a bunch for the pics. Didn't mean to cause extra work for ya.  It's looks good on that trailer.
Reply:Here's one brand I found. http://www.ncnwest.com/rmi/specs.htmhttp://www.ncnwest.com/rmi/index.htmTrade Name "Rumber". So it would be Rumber rubber lumber. Say that ten times and you get a free rubber baby buggy bumper.Apologize for hi-jackin the thread here.
Reply:A lot of trailer decks are covered in what is called APITONG. It's a compressed hardwood, the stuff is awsome can be pricey though.... check that out. Extremely durable......_________________Chris
Reply:You're still awake Chris? Dang it, now I feel like I should load CAD on this slow laptop. John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyHey, I like that stuff. I can see where it would be expensive with all the extra sub structure as well as the materials itself. But it sure should be a lifetime material. Could be with some thinking it could be used for the tire runs or grouser runs and wood for the rest.Thanks a bunch for the pics. Didn't mean to cause extra work for ya.  It's looks good on that trailer.
Reply:Originally Posted by lorenzoA lot of trailer decks are covered in what is called APITONG. It's a compressed hardwood, the stuff is awsome can be pricey though.... check that out. Extremely durable......