Trailer bunks

Time to replace my 2X4 trailer bunks. I want to stay with 2X4!The treated wood I’ve been looking at is not impressing me. Would I be better off using regular 2X4’s and changing them every 5 years or keep looking for better treated wood?

Are you having difficulties finding wood that is not twisted? I did mine this spring and found decent boards though mine were 2X6’s.

Treated would be the way to go for durability. Not only are these dunked into water, the carpet will hold moisture for a while, and the road chemicals if you fish early or late in the season.

Full of knots, curved and twisted

Aluminum and today’s treated wood don’t mix let alone the trailer you bolt them to.

jighead-two wrote:

Full of knots, curved and twisted

That’s today’s discount store lumber. Try to have the yard guys bust open a brand new bundle for you. The steel banding keeps everything straight.

Then the challenge is to get them on the trailer the same day you buy the lumber. If you let today’s sopping wet treated stuff dry out at all, the warping and twisting starts immediately.

I hate carrying around sopping wet, super heavy treated lumber, but finally resigned myself to the fact that this is what you have to do to work with treated lumber these day if you want it straight. I’m building a bridge over a creek right now at my hunting property and it was a real challenge buying lumber and getting it all screwed together in one day, but that’s what I had to do to keep everything straight.

Grouse

I replaced mine last year but I went with the plastic ultimate bunk boards. No carpet. I did a lot of research but mostly on bass boat forums and found 100 to 1 on positive reviews. So far I love them but they are spendy. Boat loads and unloads much easier. Never should have to replace them.

Thanks for the input! I went to a REAL lumber yard and got some great looking treated 2X4’s! Project done

FWIW, out of all the bigger stores Fleet Farm has the best lumber. Usually at Menards you have to throw 20 aside to find 10 good ones. At Fleet you usually don’t have to look at them first. You can just load them up.
DT

dbright wrote:

Aluminum and today’s treated wood don’t mix let alone the trailer you bolt them to.

Not a good idea to have any metal touching todays treated lumber unless it is stainless steel. If you are doing carpeted bunks may get buy with it but use stainless bolts as normal bolts will corrode away.

Jighead-two find out what chemical they treated it with and do a quick search on the internet. It might save you down the road.

I used stainless staples and stainless lag bolts. New carpet. Maybe my project’s not done!

Is your trailer galvanized? If so, should be fine.

Trailers not, but the brackets are.

It reacts with aluminum also that is why I asked if your boat was aluminum originally.