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oak or treated pine for trailer deck?

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LK - Leesburg,

04-05-2004 11:26:17

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As mentioned in the previous message I bought a fixer-upper trailer recently. It currently has no deck boards at all.

I figured I would buy 1x6 oak fence boards, as I can get nice looking stuff for $6/board. I figured I'd coat the end grain with preservative.

Pressure treated 2x6 planks are another option, but they will be more money (about twice), and I suspect they may end up being heavier.

Somehow I think that rough-cut 1" oak will be as strong or stronger than 1 5/8" PT pine.

Opinions?

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GPWT

04-06-2004 10:06:15

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

LK,
The white oak will be decay resistant, but it HAS to be true white oak (Quercus Alba). Red oak, pin oak, etc are not resistant and will fail after a year or two. Ash and hickory are good, strong, tough woods but they too will rot quickly. Preservatives like pentachlorophenol (if you can get it, it is tightly controlled) is great if pressure applied or soaked for a long time, but just painting it on is pretty much useless.

If you can get it, use black locust. It's as strong as white oak, and even more decay resistant. In all cases, untreated wood has to be heart wood since the sap wood of almost all species has very little decay resistance due to the low level of extractives.

If you use pine, make sure it is a good, dense southern yellow pine with at least 0.40 CCA treatment. Look at the growth rings and use boards that have rings 1/8" apart or so.

Hopefully this is not TMI!

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LK - Leesburg, VA

04-06-2004 10:15:37

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Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to GPWT, 04-06-2004 10:06:15

Since these are fence boards, and intended for long outdoor service, I suspect they are white oak.

My plan is to attach these from underneath, so that there are no through holes to allow water into the wood.

For $6/board, even if they need replacing in 5 years, that would be ok. When my sawmill is all set up, maybe I can find some locust to saw fro planks.

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LK - Leesburg, VA

04-06-2004 07:14:56

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

The choice for me is really two kinds of wood. 1" x 6 rough sawn white oak at $6 each, or PT 2x pine at something like $13 or $14 each.

I'm not going to a sawmill and pick out special wood like elm or bubinga or whatever.

The question is simply whether PT pine is worth TWICE the cost of 1" oak. I'm talking real 1"- more like 5/4 actually. My inclination is to go with the oak. My heaviest tractor that I'll haul on the trailer is a JD B and I also have a Ford 650. And, I'll be hauling logs from time to time, as I will be setting up a small sawmill at the new place.

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thurlow

04-06-2004 11:22:50

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Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-06-2004 07:14:56

Won't help you now, but after you get your mill set up, consider the use of sawn used utility poles; they can be had for little or nothing in some places. Just be aware that the chemicals used to treat them is carcinogenic and take appropriate precautions.....

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LK - Leesburg, VA

04-06-2004 11:51:54

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Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to thurlow, 04-06-2004 11:22:50

Thanks for the idea, but i tried to get some poles for a barn last year and struck out. Also, I once tried to cut a piece of creosoted wood on my big band saw, and it immediately dulled the blade!

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Dave 2N

04-06-2004 03:45:49

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

For a hardwood, go with ash or elm.
Instead of pine, use hemlock; it's better than pine for this application.

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John S-B

04-05-2004 18:49:49

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

I'd stick with the 2x treated pine. Unless your trailer is big enough to haul a Titan or some other kind of steam behemoth you don't need oak. I have a 7000# trailer and I've hauled a farmall M, concrete slabs and rubble, dragged old implements up on it and it's still doing fine after about 8 years. I just put some Thompson's water seal on it when it was new but nothing since.

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fixerupper

04-05-2004 18:49:06

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

I agree with Frank. Why did they make wagon tongues and pitchfork handles out of ash? They were strong and they didn't rot as fast. Something not mentioned yet is that when something hard and sharp is drug across a hardwood floor, the floor won't scratch and splinter as easily a a softer wood will.

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RB/CT

04-05-2004 18:45:39

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

Just a short comment if it applies. Chevrolet Step Side trucks built in the 30,s 40,s, 50, 60,s 70,s and eighties all used White Pine for the floor of the bed. Chevrolet engineers must have thought hard on this one. When I restored my 54 Chevrolet truck I used pine and treated it with black deck stain. Doulgas Fir is almost a hard wood and might be better. Good luck with your decision. One reason for the wood beds in the trucks versus steel was for farm animals.

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Red Tom

04-05-2004 18:13:01

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

We had atandem with treated pine and sealed it almost every summer and it disintegrated inabout five years. Put on rough oak and it still going after five with annual sealing. Most treated pine nowadays is the junkiest and more costly. I sometimes haul a few saw logs and that pine didn't have a chance when an occasional logg got dropped, but the oak doesn't seem to break.

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Bus Driver

04-05-2004 17:09:45

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

Interesting posts made earlier. Since I am so late getting here, I will only say that for untreated lumber, white oak will last longest, southern yellow pine would be next and red oak would be last. It is now difficult to find a treatment plant that will treat customer material, but the best plan would be to cut and drill the lumber to exactly fit the trailer and then have it treated. After treatment it would be installed without any further cutting or drilling.

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Bill 52 8n

04-05-2004 16:14:10

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

Our 18' 7000lb trailer came with a 1" oak deck. It lasted about 7 years. Replaced it with 5/4x6" Pressure treated about 4 or 5 yrs ago. Our trailer has a 2" plate across the front and diamond plate over the wheels which the deck boards slide under, the distance between the plates and the cross supports is only large enough for 5/4 lumber (not sure if yours has this too). We've maxed out the trailer with a combination of tractors and the pine has been fine. Most trailer companies I've seen use 2 by lumber on 10,000 trailers up, you didn't say what yours is rated at.

Bill

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Vern-MI

04-05-2004 14:23:03

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

Don't use the oak for the same reason they don't use oak fenceposts. Oak has pores which run the length of the board and suck up water via capillary action and cause the board to rot. try blowing smoke in one end of the board and watch it come out the other.

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FRANK

04-05-2004 16:52:45

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Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to Vern-MI, 04-05-2004 14:23:03

WHY NOT USE WHITE ASH. IT WILL LAST THE LONGEST

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snitkawl

04-06-2004 05:27:19

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Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to FRANK, 04-05-2004 16:52:45

Ash will last about as long as Red Oak and is about the same strength. Both are more brash(easier to break across the grain)than White Oak.

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Shane

04-05-2004 15:30:02

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Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to Vern-MI, 04-05-2004 14:23:03

Unless it is Post Oak! It almost totally resists rot, decay, and bugs. Hence the name Post Oak. But most likely it isn't. It seems to me that White Oak is more likely to rot than Red Oak and the Red Oak is much stronger. I would go inch and a half at least if not 2". Oak is so hard it will snap easier than pine but at 2" it takes a hefty load to snap it but it will handle stuff being drug across it better than pine. May try a regular deck water repellent on the Oak if it has been dried.

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snitkawl

04-05-2004 16:23:21

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Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to Shane, 04-05-2004 15:30:02

Oops. That was you that posted about the red oak.
Sorry, you`re wrong twice.

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Shane

04-05-2004 20:37:57

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Re: Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer de in reply to snitkawl, 04-05-2004 16:23:21

Ahh yes, again memory has steered me wrong! White Oak is more rot resistant.

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snitkawl

04-05-2004 16:18:19

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Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to Shane, 04-05-2004 15:30:02

Shane: I don`t know where you got your information as to the strength of oak versus pine, but it is wrong. Oak is hard but it is also strong. I have tested it against cottonwood(which is stronger than pine)and the oak held a load which broke the cottonwood.
Someone posted that Red oak is stronger and lasts better than White oak. That, too, is just opposite the truth.

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Scott

04-05-2004 20:08:32

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Re: Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer de in reply to snitkawl, 04-05-2004 16:18:19

I agree that white oak is the strongest and most rot restient. On my farm there is white oak posts that have been in the ground 30 years and still in good shape. My dad always said to cut posts in the summer when full of sap they would last the longest. Red oak splits much easier and a post will rot off in 5 years or so. White oak has closed grain and red oak has open grain thats why they make wine barrels from white oak, wine will not soak tru.

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paul

04-05-2004 18:27:36

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Re: Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer de in reply to snitkawl, 04-05-2004 16:18:19

I'd kinda have to disagree with you. Here in Minnesota anyhow, cottonwood has no structure to it, no snapping strength at all. Will be mush first, if it wouldn't break long before then. Whatever happens in a lab or single test, out in the real world cottonwood won't work.

Red Oak up here in the north will last as a post, white is trash wood.

Just how it's been here, don't mean to be disagreeable. :)

--->Paul

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snitkawl

04-06-2004 05:23:19

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for traile in reply to paul, 04-05-2004 18:27:36

I`m in Missouri and the cottonwood here is apparently different from what you have there. Over the years we have sawn countless building frames from cottonwood. It is similiar to Yellow Poplar but not as stable. As long as it is protected from the weather it is as good for building as any of the other hardwoods.

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paul

04-05-2004 14:00:54

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

You said this is a tandem 16' 7000# trailer you plan to haul tractors with.

1" is not strong enough. Oak is better, but not that much better.

I have the same trailer, foor rotted away, I'm putting pressure treated pine on it - that's what it had. I'm told mine is a very heavy 16' trailer, cross angles every 2'.

--->Paul

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big fred

04-05-2004 13:46:54

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

The 1 5/8 pine will be stronger. The oak would have to be a little over 4 times the strength of the pine in order to make up for the geometric difference between the 1 5/8 material and the 1 inch material. In reality, oak is less than 2 1/2 times as strong as pine.

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Burrhead

04-05-2004 20:06:22

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Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to big fred, 04-05-2004 13:46:54

fred the oak in my part of the country is a bunch stronger than pine.

We refloor equipment trailers with 1" oak and it last the life of the trailer without breaking a board.

I've bought trailers with 5/4 and 2 by PT pine and it always breaks between the cross members. What don't break is rotted out in 4-5 years at best.

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big fred

04-05-2004 20:32:57

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Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to Burrhead, 04-05-2004 20:06:22

I'm just going by the numbers provided in my engineering handbooks. They usually come up with statistically meaningful max stress values, so if you got oak that's stronger, I ain't disputin' it. But if it breaks, and somebody gets injured or there's property damage, you'll be better off with accepted stress values.

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LK - Leesburg, VA

04-05-2004 13:43:10

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

A missing piece of info is this: the trailer frame has angle iron cross members on 2' centers as I recall. I suspect 1" oak on 2' centers will be pretty darned strong, esp if I have cross pieces on the underside to bind them together and to the frame.

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Phil Munson

04-05-2004 16:24:11

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Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 13:43:10

My flat bed for the 18 wheeler has cross arms every foot, not two feet. Usually they have 5/4 or 6/4 oak or apitong flooring.

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T_Bone

04-06-2004 03:23:03

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Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to Phil Munson, 04-05-2004 16:24:11

Hi Phil,

I'll bite, what is apitong flooring?

I've never heard of that.

T_Bone

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GPWT

04-07-2004 09:40:01

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Re: Re: Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer de in reply to T_Bone, 04-06-2004 03:23:03

T Bone,
Apitong is a tropical (SE Asian) hard wood that is strong, hard, and about as heavy as good white oak. It has some natural decay resistance.
GPWT

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Ben in KY

04-05-2004 12:59:02

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

I would go with the rough Oak. 1" should be fine for a small lawnmower/utility trailer. I would go to 2" oak for a trailer hauling vehicles, tractors, heavy loads. If you want it to really last soak as much boiled linseed oil into the dry oak as you can, on all sides of the board. The linseed oil really makes a big difference in the lifetime of the bed.

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Dr.EVIL

04-05-2004 11:34:43

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Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to LK - Leesburg, VA, 04-05-2004 11:26:17

Actual semi flat bed trailer floors are made of a wood called Apitong. They're rough cut so not slick when wet, resist all forms of rot, don't swell as much either. I wouldn't trust 1" thk oak if You haul anything heavy.

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04-05-2004 19:40:17

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Re: Re: oak or treated pine for trailer deck? in reply to Dr.EVIL, 04-05-2004 11:34:43

We use 1 1/4" elm rough cut, but we seem to be among the few who can still find elm. In the 50s the third addition to our barn (30X80) was built entirely of elm. Can't scratch it with a knife.

Stay away from pressure treated. It's mostly grown in plantations now and grown as quickly as possible so there are often only 5 or 6 growth rings in a 2x6, no texture at all. I've snapped PT pine 6x6s in half just dropping one end on the ground from waist-high.

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