Trailer decking

[Tiger Tamer]

Ok. My tailer failed it's WOF due to corrosion and the LCD taillights not working properly. I have cut out the rusted area and welded in new steel. I need to clean the all of the chassis and give it some fresh paint. I have removed the old ply deck which is probably best described as nackerd. So, I was hoping to replace it with something a bit more durable than construction ply, so it lasts longer. 

I was hoping that others have done the same and found a good durable product. The trailer is best described as a small car trailer. Twin axle non braked but only big enough for a small to medium sized car. I was even thinking of using Kwila but it all seems to be decking thickness. I would want it to be 40mm thick if I did. 

[tortron]

I did my little trailer with a bunch of 2nds facia/barge board. Can get it in 40x200 (which is 180x29 because dressed timber is retarded)

[R3spct]

I just did this on my small single axle car trailer, tray deck ply didnt even last 2 years.  Ended up getting rough sawn 25mm x 140mm fence pailings from Bunnings.  They are like $1.70 each, 1.8 long as my trailer is 1.7 wide.  The screws to fix it all down cost more than the timber, and advantage is i can replace a board if it gets damaged.  

[Minime]

18mm Marine ply, used it on my Ute deck 10 years ago and still solid

[440bbm]

really depends on what you are wanting.   less weight and happy to do it again after 10-15 years and a flat surface with no /domes/rivets/coach bolt heads sticking up. 

that transtex stuff is great in terms of strength and really tidy, it doesn't need fixing down really short spans like typical ply/rivets but doesnt last forever

if you dont care about look and weight then as you said use some fencing timber or decking stuff and then coach bolt/bugel screw it down. takes more labour to do but you can gaurantee you wont have to redo it again for 20+ years or untill it rusts out again.

having tried all these options over the years with many differnt trailers i dont think there is a 1 type for all. 

some trailers ya want flat flat surface so the gravel you're stealing from the pit down the side road you can scrape with the shovel off smoothly and not catch every stuck stone/screw/rivet head
car trailers ya want strong but not too heavy so you're not towing another 200kg everywhere and then hard to lift around. 

 

i think the problem is everyone has a different perspective of 'durable' and lasts. 

one particulare trailer i did 12mm non treated ply on it like 18 years ago when i built it, and i've only taken it off like 6 months ago. for extremely low cost i reckoned that was pretty good.  its got 18mm treated ply sheets ready to go on it now which still only cost a couple hundy

 

[shizzl]

My work trailer I fitted 18mm ply, it has only just started to move now after 8 years of solid abuse, even used it as my original fan table when I first started on my own.

i won’t change it yet.

but I do have 2 sheets of griptread truck decking. Super tough shit. I used some on the car trailer I built.

not overly heavy either.

 

another trailer I used lengths of 200x30 rs, but didn’t plan on keeping it.

 

anything rough sawn will die much faster than mg or griptread style board.

[Nominal]

13 hours ago, R3spct said:

I just did this on my small single axle car trailer, tray deck ply didnt even last 2 years.  Ended up getting rough sawn 25mm x 140mm fence pailings from Bunnings.  They are like $1.70 each, 1.8 long as my trailer is 1.7 wide.  The screws to fix it all down cost more than the timber, and advantage is i can replace a board if it gets damaged.  

What are you moving on a small trailer that can destroy a sheet of ply in 2 years??

My first sheet (treated ply) lasted about 15 years with occasional use, stored outside.

[igor]

Circa twenty years ago I replaced the deck on our 6x4 with H3 ply. Not sure now if it was 12mm or 15mm. It has been used for all manner of things, never gets garaged, is often left for long periods with wet shit on it, and it's still good.

[Tiger Tamer]

This is the trailer. Large enough to carry a small car. It must have had rollers down the centre at some time which would be a mission to remove. I had to cut some rust out of the left side chassis rail as leaves had got jambed under the 25x25mm brace and caused a rust hole in the top of the chassis. Trouble is it going to get leaves etc on it anywhere I put it around here. I will see what they have or can get at placemakers.

[AllTorque]

I wonder if it’s worth welding in some more steel under the deck where the car wheels would normally sit.

[Tiger Tamer]

20 minutes ago, AllTorque said:

I wonder if it’s worth welding in some more steel under the deck where the car wheels would normally sit.

Probably a good idea. Easier now rather than later.

[440bbm]

if you going to use that plytex / transtex ply stuff, i personally wouldnt bother.   

[Tiger Tamer]

1 hour ago, 440bbm said:

if you going to use that plytex / transtex ply stuff, i personally wouldnt bother.   

I have to check that stuff out. There seems to be quite a bit of rust scale in the rails. Steel still has reasonable thickness but I am wondering if I should buy some steel and build a new chassis.

[mjrstar]

Just cars on it? If so, perhaps not the cheapest, but some galv expanded mesh would probably outlast the universe.

[Tiger Tamer]

1 hour ago, mjrstar said:

Just cars on it? If so, perhaps not the cheapest, but some galv expanded mesh would probably outlast the universe.

It will be used as a general use trailer mostly. I will make up some removable sides so I can carry gravel etc.  

I measured the steel thickness and it is at 4mm, so probably only lost 1 mm due to internal rust. I think I will remove the angle iron that held the rollers and reverse it so the new deck sits flush.

Just be handy if it can be used to carry a small car if I need to.

[Tiger Tamer]

I replaced the right side rear rail. It's not the same profile as the corners have a rounder radius and is 6mm thick, but it has done the job and that was the worst area for rust. The other pic is of the angle iron that held the rollers I suspect and fucks up the nice flat deck floor. Shouldn't be hard to remove by the quality of the welding of the trailer.

[Thphantum]

Lil bit hard to see but I used 140x40 t&g retaining wall timber on this trailer with mesh in the centre.

[Tiger Tamer]

I managed to get the rails off that would have held the rollers and cut and cleaned where they were to be welded in. Welded them in so now I can have a nice flat deck. And that took most of the day.

[R3spct]

On 28/02/2025 at 08:03, Nominal said:

What are you moving on a small trailer that can destroy a sheet of ply in 2 years??

My first sheet (treated ply) lasted about 15 years with occasional use, stored outside.

• European Birch plywood

• Overlaid with a hard-wearing, slip- resistant, wire-mesh pattern designed for the most demanding flooring applications.

• Weather and waterproof

• Resistant to commonly used chemicals.

Trans-Tex 220 is overlaid with Dark Brown Phenol Film on the face and back and sealed edges to make the panel both weather and waterproof, any cut edges, machining, or drilling would compromise this seal and would have to be sealed with a waterproof coating.

Trans-Tex 220 has become the preferred choice for many vehicle and trailer manufacturers worldwide and is recognised as one of the most economical decking materials due to its high bending stiffness, high impact resistance and durability."

 

This was the stuff, maybe i didnt treat edges properly, but its just turned to Weetbix.  Certainly  wouldnt rate it as weather and waterproof if it gets any sort of scratches or dents in it from throwing heavy stuff at it.

[anglia4]

My trailer (1.5 x 2.4m jobby) has 12mm treated ply from mitre10.

It could have done with being 16mm as its got a bit saggy over the years.

It is finally giving up on me now at 10 years old, mostly on account of me leaving it for weeks on end with piles of wet grass clippings/sand/dirt etc which have given it an absolute hiding.