Car hauler deck preservative. (1 Viewer)

[Mace]

I just replaced the deck on my 18' car hauler. Ended up using 6, 2x12's and 2 2x6" boards which fit pretty much perfectly. The wood is not pressure treated or dried so I decided to not leave any room in between the boards. We shall see if that was a good choice around here or not.

I've heard a lot of opinions on odd deck staining possibilities from Diesel fuel and motor oil to Rhinolining, and then the general yearly applications of Thompson's water seal or Boiled linseed oil/mineral spirits. Creosote seems like it would not be a horrible idea either.

Anyone have successful options? For reference I got about 15 years out of my trailer deck before it needed replacement. I believe the wood is just douglas fir.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

How about just some "porch paint"? Easy to pressure wash and re-roll every 5 years, handles water and sun well assuming you'll leave it outside.

Diesel oil plus motor oil sounds like it would smell terrible for months but is cheap and easy to apply. What was on it before?

 

[Mace]

How about just some "porch paint"? Easy to pressure wash and re-roll every 5 years, handles water and sun well assuming you'll leave it outside.

Diesel oil plus motor oil sounds like it would smell terrible for months but is cheap and easy to apply. What was on it before?

Porch paint dies a horrible death pretty fast here in Vegas.

Nothing was on it before. So I'm actually a bit apathetic about preserving it with something new lol.

I like the diesel/motor oil thing because then, when the cruiser leaks a bit it'd be like staining a dirty shirt..

 

[NMBruce]

Pot-15 has some really good paint and a 2 stage polyurethane clear and colored coating. Works great and holes up well on my skid plates under my truck. I will try using the polyurethane on a wood trailer box I am building

 

[OverLand Cruisers]

I like diesel and used motor oil...cheap, lasts, and actually looks pretty good.
Like Vegas the sun down here will ruin an untreated trailer deck in short order.

 

[OverLand Cruisers]

Spills along the edges obviously hadn't been cleaned up yet in this pic. Diesel and old Mobil 1.

 

[Mace]

Does that oil have enough Zinc to haul a Cruiser????


(looks great!)

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

Better get some Lucas bed and injector treatment

 

[scrapdaddy]

Mace,

Here in Mo. that deck wouldn't last long without being treated. I used to just pour my old motor oil on mine for years and that works good, but messy. Any new trailer I build gets the pressure treated lumber. You need to use something that soaks in good.

 

[White Stripe]

Depends what you use it for. If your moving furniture and stuff on it you may want to use paint. If your just hauling your cruiser I would use the diesel/motor oil trick. The diesel is just used to thin the motor oil and help it soak into the wood. I think I used 1qt. Diesel to 4qts used motor oil. But can't remember for sure. You want it to be fairly watery. It reeks for months afterward but should last just about forever. I thought my decking was about toast and added the diesel/oil and I think the deck will be fine now. It's been a few years and still looks the same.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm thinking that diesel - engine oil is something that requires a tarp to lay under the rig to work on it while on the trailer.....

(Not so found memories of pulling the PowerGlide out of a 351C powered Bantam while on the trailer in the Fremont, CA Motel 6 parking lot because the converter snout had cracked & was spraying ATF all over everything.... )

 

[Mace]

It seems to absorb really really fast when my cruiser spills.oil on the deck.

 

[ntsqd]

It seems to absorb really really fast in my shirt when my cruiser spills.oil on the deck.

Fixled it for you.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Coat the underside of the decking as well to protect it from ground moisture / road spray.

Really like the diesel/motor oil trick.

 

[Redgrrr]

My buddy treats all his excavation equipment haulers with 50-50 mineral sprits and boiled linseed oil for 2 coats and then 100%linseed for a final coat.

 

[TroutBum03]

Mineral Oil has worked well for us. We found a 50 gallon drum of industrial use that has about 10 gal still left in it. However you can find a gallon for around $20 on Amazon or locally. Just slap some on, let it soak in and the repeat until it doesn’t hold any more. I would let the wood dry out some first before adding the oil. We use food grade mineral oil on our cutting boards as well.

 

[love2fly]

Just lay some steel or Aluminum panels down on the compete floor or in areas were you want the extra protection.

 

[ntsqd]

Having worked around both wood and steel trailer decks I'll never own a steel deck. They're great until you try to walk on it when wet, and then you'll be lucky not to break your neck. Tread plate AKA "Diamond Plate" is a joke, it's got no more traction than a smooth sheet.

I would consider a steel "deck" if made from something like this with a high enough load rating: Grip Strut™ Metal Safety Grating | Direct Metals

 

[love2fly]

You can paint the deck with a good quality safety metal paint as I did, but must be primed, I used a gallon and added fine sand few cups, mix and add more if needed. Anti skid. Does not seem to let the sand break the surface so far when scuffed.
Also can use aircraft wing walk paint but can be a few bucks for a gallon.

 

[Mace]

I just redecked it. Why would I cover that all up with metal? (and still not treat the wood).


I hate metal decks. Out here they are ridiculously uncomfortable during the summer.