I’m about to re-deck my trailer. I have gone back & forth on what I want to deck it with.
The options I have looked at so far
They all have their pros & cons. Ultimately I would replace it with C Purlin but the pretty major con for it is things like to slide around on steel.
Anyone else have any other cost effective decking? Obviously the Oak or Apitong with be the most expensive.
Hardiboard? or that composite stuff they are building Backyard decks with?
Steel then surface with something like linex?
This would be my vote, too. Durable, almost waterproof and shouldn’t have a problem with materials sliding around.
Steel and Truck bed liner.
You could see if Racing can sell you some canisters of bed liner there is more than they could ever use as we bought some to do the exact same thing in the trailer for the lemons trailer.
Motorsports sells it as kind of a fundraising thing since there is so much of it.
However, testing has shown some interesting application problems related to catalyst tubes exploding due to the nozzles clogging regularly (and when it does, what comes out will never cure. 3 months and counting on a test panel). The product was expired when obtained, and is even more into the red and some research indicates that may play a part in why it solidifies way too fast when spraying.
Steel diamond plate.
Secure the load properly and it won’t slide.
Rhino liner peels, scratches and scrapes off - no thanks and looks like shiyte shorty thereafter. No thanks.
I had my car hauler custom made 10 years ago this month and have carried a variety of gear on it with zero incidents.
The only other option would be hardwood. Try sourcing reclaimed wood from railroad boxcars etc. Some of the online salvage houses offer these types of materials.
I prefer relatively maintenance free decking.
How about wood decking from shipping containers?
Anyone have a source on 2X8 Pressure treated 20 ft long?
I saw one guy who used 2 by 4’s and turned them on their sides so it was 3.5" thick. He said it was cheap and unbelievably sturdy. It looked weird but it could probably hold anything you could put on it.
So I picked up 20’ 2x6’s Pressure treated last night. I got out of some training earlier than I expected, was supposed to be until 4, so I was able to start today. Me & my kids had the old deck stripped in about 45 minutes. I was even lucky enough to get the screws out of all of them we tried. My neighbor & kids helped get it together. I gotta say I can’t believe how well it actually went. We started about 3 & were finished at 6:15 short of putting the new screws in. That did include doing the Dovetail & fixing some minor wiring.
Looks like that would have been a good time to spray frame with rust converter.
I see your exploiting child labor … just like my dad did, and his dad, and his dad …
Isn’t that what children are for (through the centuries) additional help on the farm, ranch, family business, household, etc?
Way to go Tim!!!
I am surprised photomancer didn’t ask if you provided the appropriate eye protection and steel toed sneakers to the kiddos! Carry on!
Sweet!
And other letters
To be honest I loved working with my dad, even if I was just the nail holder. Waiting for the inevitable smashed thumb and the cursing!
Looks good , big problem for treated lumber is it warps so badly. I put water seal on mine and to be honest the results are underwhelming. Doug fur is great for this kind of thing if you can find/ afford it. you can worry about that down the road.
And the youngest Bene is, for all practical purposes, Tim’s “mini-me”.
Whenever the whole family comes to help with a volunteer effort like painting the flex area or installing the new flooring in CA, the look on his face is always one of pride and determination when he’s next to his dad wielding a paintbrush or other tool.
Tim and Lisa have an awesome family!
Did you get a price on a steel deck??
Lol. It was not cheap.
