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I just got two trailers floors pressure washed with soap and Clorox while we have an extended dry spell so they can dry out well. They look virtually new. These are seldom used trailers. I am intending to treat them with 50/50 oil and diesel mix. Actually not using oil but rather used perfectly clean hydraulic oil, because I have it. There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to oiling wood trailer floors. One is treat the top only so moisture can escape/isn't trapped in the wood. Trapped moisture is sure death of wood... Two, treat top and bottom... if the water can't get in you don't have to worry about it getting out. I will say option one is the only one I have ever done, and is by far the most common in my experience, but mostly only because it's the quick and easy way out I think. I can lift them up for access to the bottom with my front end loader. Collecting dust. | ||
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| Three Generations of Service  |
I voted "Top Only" but in reality, there is more information needed (in my mind) to determine if it's necessary at all. 1. How big are the trailers? 2a. What are they used for? 2b. How heavy is whatever they are hauling? 3. What kind of wood is it? 4. How thick is it? I have two small-ish trailers, an 18 footer and a 10 footer and I've never bothered to treat either one. The decking is 2x8 treated lumber and has held up fine. The 18 footer hauls the Cabota and whatever attachment(s) I need. Both are stored out in the elements. The 18 footer is at least 10 years old, probably closer to 15 and the 10 footer is older than that, tho I don't know specifically as I bought it used. I keep an eye on the deck looking for damage or weak spots and haven't seen anything yet. I choose not to treat them because A) I'm too lazy, B) they'd be unusable until the oil/whatever soaked in or I'd be tracking it all over the place and C) they'd be slicker than a smelt when wet. Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent. | |||
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| Victim of Life's Circumstances  |
It was common practice to spread used motor oil on the floor of truck boxes during my years in the produce business. Top only, stunk for a few days but smell faded away. ________________________ God spelled backwards is dog | |||
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Member |
How old are you? Will the trailer outlive you in any case? | |||
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forgot an entry on the poll all 6 sides, majority of water damage to wood is wicked in from the edges ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Live today as if it may be your last and learn today as if you will live forever | |||
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Yea, not impossible but hard to do on an existing. Collecting dust. | |||
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| Member |
67, I don’t think I’ll wear them out, but the floor might rot out if they continue to sit outside year-round. Collecting dust. | |||
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An old timer showed me my first oiled floor mid 70’s was only treated once and was still sound 30 years later when we sold it. But we used boiling hot oil on it. Heated on a lead smelting pot (outside) so it was thin and would soak in.  yeah young and dumb but it worked. Don’t do that heating thing anymore. Used oil looks nasty but is common to use.Collecting dust. | |||
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| Member |
as a person with many trailers and many years I have never seen decking die from the sides or the bottom. The all start on top where the combination of sun exposure and weather both get to work continously. I haven't used the mix you are talking about, but it sounds slick to me even when aged. I use a gap filling stain topped by a non skid coating personally. “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.” | |||
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Well I have an 8 foot tilt heavy duty utility trailer that I built years ago but when I bought my new zero turn, it would not fit on it, width wise. I bought a new 6x10 foot for that, then the other one I had to buy to move my 1025R John Deere, it’s a 16 foot tandem with brakes. Tractor and loader backhoe weigh about 3600 pounds. Both of these are used for a lot of different things, general utility work, household moving and etc. I have even hauled a car on the bigger one. Neither is used a lot. They have both sat outside year-round. They both were black and nasty, so I cleaned them up and they looked so good that I decided I should oil them and take a little better care of them! The smaller one is seven or eight years old has a 2x floor, I think is treated lumber. The other one is 2x as well, but does not look to be treated lumber just pine. Never had a trouble with an oiled floor being slippery or rubbing off. They only do that if you apply too much.. Collecting dust. | |||
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| Victim of Life's Circumstances |
I put used oil on a ztr trailer stored in the sun and it turned out good. Tr frame was black and oil was a dark walnut like translucent finish. Did not notice being slick and price was right. ________________________ God spelled backwards is dog | |||
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I would suggest using Boiled Linseed Oil. If it will protect a gun stock it will certainly protect a trailer floor and it's cheap enough to buy it by the gallon. Note it is a drying oil so put in on thin and wait for it to dry between coats. Thin the first coat with mineral spirits so it will soak in and once that is dry follow it up with 2 or 3 coats of the straight oil. Also note I said THIN, this is not paint, if you lay in on thick it will take forever to dry. BTW it's also the best anti spatter for welding you will every find. WE have 4 robotic welding work cells at work and all the fixtrures are buttered with Linseed oil and each week all that is needed to clean up on the spatter is a small handbroom. Aluminum spatter on aluminum fixturing 2 inches deep and you can sweep it off. I've stopped counting. | |||
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Waiting for Hachiko |
I have a 10 ft single axle trailer. I put 1/2" plywood on top of the original flooring to keep gravel from in-between the original planking. Painted plywood with 2 coats of exterior grade latex paint. 美しい犬 | |||
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I have a 14 foot single axle utility trailer wife’s dad gave to us. He bought it new in 2012. So only 10 years old. Noticed some of the planks were getting squishy and within a week was using it and a my leg went through one. So 250$ in 2x8 pressure treated wood later and about 2 days of labor taking old planks out and sawing and installing new ones I’m good. I watched some YouTube videos and lots of people put used motor oil concoction on their deck and spread it with a paint roller. I ended up buying a cheap sprayer at lowes and used a leftover can of Thompson water seal I had and hosed it down with a few coats of that. Hopefully lasts me at least a decade I don’t want to do that job again. | |||
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I just oiled my 18' equipment trailer planks yesterday, motor oil and WD40 mix, because I hate the smell of diesel. It is 18 years old and I have treated it with an oil mixture every year. I use it to haul the tractors and skid loader. I don't oil the bottom, but I make sure to put plenty on the edges. The wood soaks up all the oil, it is not slippery the next day. ---------------------------------------------------- Dances with Crabgrass | |||
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Thompsons will last 30-90 days depending on the intensity of the sun. I you can paint it after this time, as stated on the can, then the protection is gone. I always like the caveat "allows wood to gray naturally". don't we protect wood to STOP or prolong the time until it goes to weathered gray? hahaha ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Live today as if it may be your last and learn today as if you will live forever | |||
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