PT Wood for trailer or not????

[NM_Shooter]

Greetings... in prep for building, I am rebuilding the floor on my worn out tandem axle trailer.  It is ~15 years old and the floor was suffering from patches of dry rot.  Previously, it was 2X10 X12', non PT wood.  It was painted black.

I am considering replacing it with pressure treated wood, but am concerned about this new recipe PT wood in contact with the steel frame of the trailer.  Is it a bad idea to use this new stuff?  Should I just stick to non-PT wood and paint the floor?

Thanks...

Frank

[MountainDon]

I don't believe I would use the ACQ PT wood for that application.

I'd simply use the regular hem-fir or whatever.

I'd probably clean, prime and repaint the steel a nice New Mexican turquoise, apply some nice red ocher pin stripping detail to the fenders and so on. Then I'd paint the new planking a sandy earth tone.  Either that or brush paint the whole dang thing black.   

Or if you hot dip galvanized the whole trailer, then use the PT. 

[Redoverfarm]

Frank if you had some vinyle such as old siding that you could put between the metal and the PT I think you would be OK. Sort of like a gasket in a way. I even used builders felt between my PT sill plate and termite shield.  The felt did not allow for direct contact of the PT and alum.

[MountainDon]

Seriously though, I don't think the planks will get wet enough, often enough to both with the extra expense, here in NM.  Just my opinion, considering yu got 15 years out of the originals.

[Willy]

My 13 year old flat bed trailer is built the same way. My floor is still nice. What I do is put diesel fuel on the boards with a sprayer and mop it around till it is good and wet. Then it soaks in  and looks pretty good. It is cheap or used to be and protects the wood from the sun drying it out. It will not be greasy after it sits a day. I just soak it down every 3-4 years. A old trucker told me this was a good way to do the wood decks on trailers. Mark

[NM_Shooter]

Thanks for the input! 

I think I will skip the PT, and either paint it a Home Depot reject exterior, or diesel spray after installation.  I should try and find a way to keep it in the shade.

BTW Don, you ever need to borrow this thing, let me know.  It has more miles behind other folk's trucks than it has behind mine.

-f-

[glenn kangiser]

PT is way weaker than untreated and would not hold up on a trailer application.

[peternap]

What everybody said about PT.
I use the same method as Mark except I use old motor oil. (Not too heavy)

I use old motor oil for PT post treatment in the soil too.

[NM_Shooter]

Good as new, and hopefully sound for the next 15 years!  You can see the pile of old decking in the back.  It was in bad shape.  Everytime I loaded up my motorcycles I would pray they would not fall through

Still need to find some self-tapping screws to tie the boards to the cross members, but that will have to wait until I can get into town.

I ended up using non PT wood based on Glenn's comments about strength, and painted it with some old deck paint.  The diesel / oil treatment sounded interesting, but I'm going to be hauling garden soil and am paranoid about that sort of thing.  99% of the time here where I live, the wood needs shade more than it needs water resistance.

Thanks to all for the input...

-f-

[Redoverfarm]

Looks like a new one .  I have a 6 X 16 that needs the same thing. Well it is a buddy's but turned into a community rental type if you know what i mean. 

[MountainDon]

Looks nice Frank.

What no turquoise?

[peternap]

Looks like new!

[glenn kangiser]

Home Depot has self drilling fasteners with wings to cut the wood then will drill right through a heavy crossmember in one operation - no predrilling etc.  The wings shear off when you go into the steel.

They are about 1/4 x 2 1/2 and have a pretty big Phillips drive head.

[MountainDon]

BTW Don, you ever need to borrow this thing, let me know. 

Thanks Frank. I have a utility trailer 4 x8 with extension tongue for longer stuff. But I've pretty much decided to have the ce Lumber dealer in Los Alamos deliver the bulk of the lumber in one delivery. They're just under 30 miles away. Even with the delivery fee and slightly higher pricing it'll save me fuel, time and wear and tear over many 66 mile one way trips from home up there.

Info filed away tho'.   

[Ndrmyr]

I have an boat trailer that I converted into a utility trailer using PT wood and it has held up quite well.  However, every couple of years when I treat my deck, I amble out to the trailer and treat the top of it also.  It seems to help extend the life of the trailer deck.

Depending on your location and local woods, check with a local sawmill.  Many local sawmills around here (NW IL.) sell roughsawn oak for trailer decking, feed bunks and other rough construction.  Usually sold green and installed wet, I have seen heavy oak boards last for decades with no treatment of any kind. (Yep, I've sat on a folding chair with a stop watch, 23 years 7 months 11 days 6 hours....Check <grin>).

You'll see this on heavy equipment trailers a lot, but it can be very cost effective where stronger than dimensional treated lumber is needed.  Just try to not to exceed the load limit of your trailer when it's empty by installing a deck too heavy.