I am going to be replacing a wood deck on a bobcat trailer. The weight of the bobcat and implements going on the trailer is 9,000 lbs. Is treated pine 2″ x 12″ going to be strong enough or should go with rough sawn white oak 2″ x 12″ boards?
From a pure mechanics stand point SYP might be a bit stronger than white oak in bending. However, I would think the durability of white oak would be preferable. I think rocks on the trailer would chew up the SYP when driving on/off. I’m curious to what others who actually have bobcat trailers think.
Went with treated lumber from Menard’s when I redid my car hauler. Went with 2″x8″x16’er’s, has worked well for vehicles, tractors, wheelers, etc. A lot would depend on what was on it and how that worked and the gap in the supports underneath the decking. My car hauler is rated for ten K and it came with 2″x8″s.
IMO go with the white oak. Redid a bobcat trailer a while back and was very pleased with how it held up.
Just did a trailer deck last fall. Go with the white oak. More durable all around. Treat it with linseed oil so it repels water.
Who sells white oak and what’s it cost?
Just keep in mind the big box stores treated lumber will eat steel and aluminum.
I do like the idea of going with 2×8’s vs 2×12’s from a strength standpoint. My bobcat trailer(not the one I am re-decking) has treated 2 x 12’s and that has hauled my bobcat, my tractor, and many other things for 18 years and is holding up well, but my bobcat only weighed 4,000 lbs as does my tractor.
Right now I don’t know where to get white oak boards or who sells them, but with a little research I should be able to find them. I did see a price sheet yesterday online for white oak and a 2″ x 12″ x 12′ was $48. I won’t be paying for the decking, but I am not sure it’s worth the extra cost.
Just keep in mind the big box stores treated lumber will eat steel and aluminum.
I am curious, if this is true why doesn’t it eat up the screws used to attach the boards or are they plated to stop that?
Yes, treated lumber is known to corrode aluminum and steel. BUT, I have had AC2 Treated plywood on my snowmobile trailer for the last 12 years with zero problems. It has been replace twice and neither time showed any signs of corrosion.
That being said, I would go with WO for a bobcat trailer. It will not swell with water as bad when wet, causing it to become soft and prone to getting beat up. A pine deck on a utility trailer like that would get beat up in a hurry.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>dbright wrote:</div>
Just keep in mind the big box stores treated lumber will eat steel and aluminum.I am curious, if this is true why doesn’t it eat up the screws used to attach the boards or are they plated to stop that?
I have heard this as well, when I put a new transom in my boat I was cautioned to not use a certain type of treated wood as it will cause pin holes in the aluminum. I have not heard that about steel though, but I would definitely look into it, maybe it is certain types of treatments that do this? And I second the linseed oil, I have refinished a gun using it and use it on all my skinning knifes to protect the finish (obviously a lighter load on those item then what you’d be using but it does repel water and blood like a dream).
Yep you are right they are plated to stop that. Read on the box for cedar or treated decking materials. GRK brand is for all uses too. Epoxy coated is as well. Stainless is resistent but they are the most brittle to use.
I’ve used this lumber supplier out of Wisconsin and gotten nice rough hardwood lumber from them, both oak and maple. I’d think they’d be worth a call just to see if they have some lower grade stock. They do weekly runs to the cities so the delivery is a big plus for me at least.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/mad/d/whole-sale-lumber-sawmill/6426414006.html
I would think the trick with trying to go with oak for decking would be finding 5/4 or 6/4 stock in sufficient quantities and length to do the job AND not having to pay $$$$$ for furniture grade lumber.
Grouse
Sound stupid but, if you know a place that has old railroad car with the wooded floors in them. A friend of mine did one years ago and it work out quite well. The wood was tongue and grooved. Good luck!!!
Sound stupid but, if you know a place that has old railroad car with the wooded floors in them. A friend of mine did one years ago and it work out quite well. The wood was tongue and grooved. Good luck!!!
That’s a great idea, but the guy I am doing it for wants it to look brand new when I am done. I bet that is some dang tough wood though.
Make sure to coat that white oak with something to make it pop. Strictly for aesthetics 
Make sure to coat that white oak with something to make it pop. Strictly for aesthetics
It’s gotta be quartersawn too. Don’t cheap out and go slab sawn, it’ll look like laminate.
No offense to all you guys who are pulling bobcat trailers with laminate on them. It’s just so IKEA…
Grouse
It’s gotta be quartersawn too. Don’t cheap out and go slab sawn, it’ll look like laminate.
Quartersawn white oak is my favorite cut of wood ever. If I saw that underneath a freakin tractor I’d cry.
Cost would dictate a lot for me and availability if a board had to be replaced. I’ve heard about the treated eating stuff but a neighbor who’s been doing construction forever, says it’s more for thinner, cheaper aluminum and steel and fasteners buried in it. Have had the treated off replacing an axle, didn’t even see a hint of erosion after about seven years. As far as abuse, the treated has held up very well to a lot of different things. Sure wo is awesome but if it’s twice the money, I’d have a hard time justifying that unless money is no object. If it’s cost effective and readily available, it makes a lot of sense to go with wo.
If worried about the acq treating chemicals corroding frame, use butyle window wrap as a barrier.
When I was making flower boxes I had white oak custom cut at a place in the little Falls area. They were like 2×16 boards. I don’t remeber the cost bit couldn’t have been to bad or in wouldn’t have done it.
DT
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