Your trailer decking will eventually require replacement. When your trailer floor boards are starting to rot away, it is high time to think about redoing your deck. Not only are rotting boards huge safety hazards, they can likewise cause damage to the things you transport and haul. Below are simple steps to replacing or building your own custom trailer decking:
- First things first, remove the old boards along with the angle irons that may have rusted overtime into your trailer. The great thing about replacing and or building new trailer deck is that most flat beds have in-built framing so there is less work involved in constructing a frame, unless you want additional reinforcement to the overall construction. Removing old boards shouldn’t be difficult, especially when your floor boards have already started to rot away, as rotten wood will easily crumble and break away as you remove them from the trailer frame. You may spray your choice of lubricant over bolts that have already rusted into the trailer frame to make the removal easy. Once everything is out of the way, clean the frame to make it ready for the new floor installation.
- Prepare you new wood for installation. You may purchase pre-treated wood or treat the wood yourself with the right substances. Inspect each slab for damage or defect and try to avoid double knotted boards, which can affect your floor’s structural integrity. Have your boards cut to length so that it will be easier to lay them down for installation.
- Lay each board in place, with ample allowance for its natural movement. Keep all the boards aligned before securing them down with bolts and screws and before reinstalling your angle iron to cap both ends of the boards. Make sure that you secure each board with the right screw fasteners to keep them in place.