Flatbeck Deck Materials

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Sep 12, 2004 | 01:47 PM

Buckarcher

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From: Princeton, MN

Flatbeck Deck Materials

I'm looking for opinions, (everyone has one) on steel vs wood for the deck of a 12,000# capacity flatbed skidsteer trailer. It seems most of the good brands of trailers i.e. H&H, H&S, Big Tex, Anderson, Trail King, etc use 2" pine for the trailer floor but I found a trailer that has a steel deck, heavy rings for tie downs, and low sides that can be added to to increase height that I think I can get for a song. It is a Tomohawk brand (no, I've never heard of them either). I am going to go back and look again at the welds etc to see how it's built, but I am not going to use it heavily every day. I am just looking for something so I can quit paying insurance on the second pickup and still have something to haul with and want to get a small tractor or bobcat in the next couple of years and don't want to trade trailers at that point, although maybe that would be smarter. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Sep 12, 2004 | 05:10 PM

tediesel

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From: Western PA

I debated myself in 2001 when I bought my equipment trailer and went with wood. I was on the fence until I looked at a steel deck trailer while it was raining and almost fell on my face a few times. My trailer with wood deck doesn't ever get slick no matter what I've had on it and there are no signs of rot even after pretty frequent use in all weather and outdoor storage. I waited a few months after I bought it, pressure washed it, and threw some Thompson's sealer on it and have had no problems. Getting slippery when wet or when you have any loose material on the deck is the only problem I can see with a steel deck trailer. Good luck!

Sep 12, 2004 | 08:08 PM

Bordaine

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From: Meriden Ct

If you are going with wood you do not want pine. The wood you want is call Apitong. As far as I know it is standard on Trail King Trailers. It is also std on all semi trailer companys flat beds. Apitong comes from Micronesia. It is tough to cut, hard to nail, and last just about forever. (when used for trailer decking) You should be able to get it at just about any semi trailer dealer. It looks like red cedar.

Sep 13, 2004 | 05:46 AM

jowilker

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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina

Here in the south most folks use oak, pine is not strong enough. IMHO

John

Sep 13, 2004 | 09:50 AM

Buckarcher

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From: Princeton, MN

If I was going to build it myself I might not use pine either. I know that some types of wood are better than others. I have only seen wood decks built with 2" pine so that is why I mentioned it. They all seem to have the support beams pretty close together so the strength of the wood does not seem to be quite as critical as one might originally think. I am not going to build it, I just want to buy one.

Sep 13, 2004 | 06:44 PM

McHarward

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From: LAYTON, UTAH

Look Into The Aluminium Decking That "utility Trailer" Brand Semi Trailers Use. I Have Had It On My Car Hauler For Almost Ten Years And It Is Great. Pricey But You Will Never Have To Maintain It. It Comes In Dimensions Roughly 1 1/2"t X 11"w Lengths Differ. And It Interlocks Together. Lighter Than Steel And Lasts Longer Than And Wood. Best Trailer Decking Ever Made.