Utility trailers are extraordinarily valuable instruments around the farm, homestead, or even city dwelling. They give any motor vehicle tow-rated with a hitch the capacity to act as a pickup truck or tremendously broaden the carrying capability of a pickup. Trailers are usually produced of strong angle iron, but their flooring is usually handled pine. Even however it is handled for publicity to the elements, such pine boards at some point rot and get weak. We’ve gathered some of the best substitute wooden kinds here.
What Is The Best Wood For A Utility Trailer Floor?
1. Treated Pine
| Price | $ |
| Easy to find? | Yes, local lumber yards or home improvement stores |
| Sturdiness | Light duty only |
| Traction | Minimal when wet/slippery |
Treated pine is still a fantastic selection for alternative boards. As prolonged as the trailer is not transporting steel-tracked tools, pressure-taken care of pine is the most low-cost entry on this listing, simple to obtain, and simple to set up. Basically evaluate the board becoming replaced and obtain its equal at the nearest lumberyard. Some boards may possibly call for slicing or ripping to suit, if so, try out to acquire at a lumberyard or house improvement keep that can do this on-web site and pre-evaluate what cuts are required. If the equipment are offered at residence, even much better! A hand noticed or circular noticed will perform fantastic for cuts – for ripping, a table saw is favored.
- Cheap
- Easy to find
- Easy to cut with home tools
- May not last long with medium to heavy-duty use
Why not untreated pine?
Most utility trailers are uncovered. Even if they are coated, they are commonly used to transportation issues that are soiled or soaked. Recurring publicity to dampness and various substances (gasoline and oil from mowers, and many others.) will cause untreated boards to rot significantly more rapidly. The expense difference is not adequate to warrant the more quickly alternative or worry that the boards may possibly weaken when you want the trailer. Untreated pine is wonderful for sideboards or scuff guards in coated trailers that are not as exposed to moisture or soiling.
2. Roughened Oak
| Price | $$ |
| Easy to find? | May be able to get locally at trailer dealers, otherwise online |
| Sturdiness | Medium to heavy-duty |
| Traction | Good even when wet |
Roughened oak is a go-to for heavy utility trailer beds, and is a minimum should for trailers that will be relocating metal-tread heavy gear. Metal treads will tear by means of pine very easily. Oak is significantly more able of handling the beating, and a roughened floor supplies excellent traction even in moist or otherwise slippery environments.
Roughened oak might be hard to find locally in several locations. It can be ordered to fit on the web, or it might be value a trip to regionally found specialty enterprise to make certain fitting.
- Strong, can handle steel-tread vehicles
- Roughened surface offers good traction even when wet
- Easy to cut with home tools
- More expensive
- Harder to find
3. Rubber-infused wood/Blackwood
| Price | $$$$ |
| Easy to find? | No, must get through specialized trailer supply businesses |
| Sturdiness | Medium to heavy-duty |
| Traction | Excellent, surface designed for traction even in adverse conditions |
Rubberized wooden, or blackwood, is a more expensive but a lot far more sturdy and usable choice. It is dealt with lumber with a rubber-infused floor that protects the wood from dress in and weather even though supplying outstanding traction even on moist or slippery days. If a utility trailer is employed for a organization-like lawn mowing or fairly frequently on a homestead, farm, or ranch where it may possibly be carrying self-driven products like skid steers or tractors, this is probably a “you get what you shell out for” upgrade to consider.
It is uncommon to uncover this variety of flooring regionally, but it can be ordered on the internet personalized in shape to the trailer’s measurement.
- Sturdy
- Treated to resist moisture for a long time
- Surface specifically designed to give good traction even when wet or slick
- Expensive
- Hard to find unless using a specialty dealer
4. Angelim Petra/Brazilian Apitong
| Price | $$$ |
| Easy to find? | Usually obtained through local trailer dealers. |
| Sturdiness | Medium to heavy-duty |
| Traction | Less than blackwood and about same as roughened oak |
Previous on our listing is Angelim Petra or Brazilian Apitong. It is a hardwood frequently marketed for trailers from gentle-obligation utility trailers all the way up to commercial and military trailer use. It is notoriously challenging and handles weathering and wear nicely. This wood is typically bought lapped, exactly where every board is reduce to somewhat overlap the boards subsequent to it. This avoids gaps in between floorboards and assures greatest surface area area for traction.
Yet again, this type of flooring is going to be harder to find regionally and will most likely need to be transported to a specialty regional dealer or to your house from an on-line seller.
- Costs less than blackwood, same or more than roughened oak
- Very sturdy and ship-lapped, meaning the floor of the trailer has no gaps
- Easy to cut with home tools
- More expensive than pine
- Harder to obtain
Where to find specialized trailer decking?
Employing Google maps, a phonebook, or other nearby organization listing/search, discover a nearby trailer seller. If the trailer was purchased domestically, achieve out to the seller that offered it. These companies need to possibly be capable to source heavier duty decking, buy it, or know in which it can be attained most very easily in that location.
Conclusion
Trailer decking rots in excess of time, demanding replacements. The replacements range in cost from really reduced and acceptable for light-weight use (taken care of pine) to a lot a lot more costly and rated for the heaviest uses and longest intervals of time just before demanding alternative (Blackwood or Apitong). In deciding on a floor, think about how greatly the trailer will be utilized, what sum of moisture and other substances/soiling it will be uncovered to, and spending budget for a floor that will do the proper occupation for the correct size of time.
Featured Graphic Credit: Mouaad Jaaidi, Shutterstock
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