Metal vs. Wood Deck on trailer

[ramv]

Any recommendations? I live in Colorado so it dries out but doesn't rot. Every trailer/fence I had warps though despite treating with primer sealant.

How does the weight compare? I am looking at a 18' car hauler. (sold my 34' two car hauler).


Thanks,

[Panthers65]

Metal looks nicer, easier to clean, but hurts like hell if you have to lay on it to strap your car down after it's been sitting in the sun all day in the summer.

[ramv]

True, I wouldn't want a metal patio!

Slippery in the snow I bet too, however, if you are working on the deck, no slots to loose bolts to.

[ky scrambled]

Get wood.

metal gets too hot and slippery

[rhino00149]

Wood.
It looks nicer and not as slippery.

[coyote]

expanded metal is my choice....

[Machinos]

My trailer is 100% aluminum, the deck being some kind of extruded aluminum channel like stuff, and I have a big old beach towel for laying on when I need to strap things down in the desert or whatever.

For what I used it for I've always wanted to put plywood on it or something because it's pretty easy to damage aluminum, but I also don't want regular boards because it'd be hard to drag things across it (I've used a floor jack to reposition stuff so many times). Aluminum semi trailers usually have all-aluminum decks with wood strips down the length for nailing dunnage to. I've never had a problem with it being slippery even when it's covered with snow.

That's extruded aluminum though and you're probably talking about sheet steel... my truck's flatbed is pretty thick tread plate steel and it's still bowed between the runners from cars rolling over it, which SUCKS if there's ever any kind of oil leak on the deck because it'll pool all over the place. That DOES make it slippery!

[PBJ]

You can replace a piece of wood alot easier then a whole metal deck.

[ferguson65]

When I bought my 7K 18' carhauler I went with wood, for one main reason. I use the trailer for alot more than just the jeep. If it was strictly for cars/ jeeps, then maybe I would have went steel, but I use it for anything that comes up, from furniture to scrap metal, and the paint on a steel deck would get beat to hell, it was bad enough cleaning up the main frame from scrap scratches. As to weight, I never had a steel deck, but most the decking isn't all that thick, so I'd gues the weight to be relatively similar, wood could be heavier if it was saturated. My new goose is wood too, don't see any of them in all steel, there may be something to that.

Scott

[1TFROT]

I've had both and actually prefer metal. I coated mine with bed liner so it looks nice and is not slippery at all.

.02

nothing wrong with wood, just prefer the metal the way I have it

[some zilch]

tire chains and metal decks < tire chains and wood decks

....just sayin from experience

[twoslo4five0]

metal decks can be very loud and noisy. ive had both and like wood alot better.

[mudskipper4x4]

I like my wood deck.

[rockyota83]

Originally Posted by PBJ

You can replace a piece of wood alot easier then a whole metal deck.

some people own welders

[#rawkon]

Had both, Will never own a metal deck again. Loud, Slippery as hell even with a coating on it.

[angryblack]

I just walked across the deck of my wodd decked hualer with snow on it, screw all of you..Its slippery too...

Wood cost like 200 to replace when it rots out vers metal costs.

[MR4WD]

Originally Posted by rockyota83

some people own welders

At least 2 screws per board, maybe 8. Aspen/Poplar or even Douglas Fir decking is fucking dirt cheap comapared to sheets of steel.

[twoslo4five0]

i wouldnt nessesarly say that, i have a scrap steel place local and i get stuff cheap. i got all the steel for my trailer for 100 bucks or less. i spent more than that on wood. that being said i still perfer wood just like i said die to all the noice metal makes. i would say you could build a steel deck lighter but it would depend on alot of diffrent factors.

[MR4WD]

Originally Posted by twoslo4five0

i wouldnt nessesarly say that, i have a scrap steel place local and i get stuff cheap. i got all the steel for my trailer for 100 bucks or less. i spent more than that on wood. that being said i still perfer wood just like i said die to all the noice metal makes. i would say you could build a steel deck lighter but it would depend on alot of diffrent factors.

In the same sense, I have my own mill. All the boards would cost is the price of fuel. Even further, if you're after recycled materials, you could probably wrangle up used decking, too. Say out of a refer trailer or even a highboy/flatdeck semi trailer. Whatever the case, if you're comparing costs, a fair arguement would be new vs. new.

[rockyota83]

Originally Posted by MR4WD

At least 2 screws per board, maybe 8. Aspen/Poplar or even Douglas Fir decking is fucking dirt cheap comapared to sheets of steel.

beauty of metal is being able to cut out what needs to be replaced and weld in a replacement, try to doing that with wood.


my comment was to point out the fact you dont need to replace an entire metal deck if you damage it, no where in my post did i argue metal is better then wood for a trailer. all depends on what you do with your trailer, if youre into hauling scrap theres nothing better then a metal deck. if youre loading your crawler up and taking it to the trail and thats your main use then wood is definitely the better choice, why has already been mentioned.

i prefer metal due to the beating it will take (do a bit of junk/scrap hauling and dragging stuff across a wood deck destroys it)vs wood and i can patch the spots that need it vs an entire piece of wood id need to go buy at the lumber yard, ive got plenty of metal laying around and looks are secondary to me.

[MR4WD]

Originally Posted by rockyota83

beauty of metal is being able to cut out what needs to be replaced and weld in a replacement, try to doing that with wood.

Seriously? Cut whatever your wood decking is attatched to at the half way point of whatever the fuck it's attatched to. Say your channel or angle, or tube or whatever the fuck is on 16" centers and you busted the end of a board. Cut 15 1/2" inches off the main board and drop a new board in it's place. I see it on trailers and decks ALL the time.

For what it's worth, personally I'd run with a steel deck.

[three60fish]

Originally Posted by rockyota83

beauty of metal is being able to cut out what needs to be replaced and weld in a replacement, try to doing that with wood.


my comment was to point out the fact you dont need to replace an entire metal deck if you damage it, no where in my post did i argue metal is better then wood for a trailer. all depends on what you do with your trailer, if youre into hauling scrap theres nothing better then a metal deck. if youre loading your crawler up and taking it to the trail and thats your main use then wood is definitely the better choice, why has already been mentioned.

i prefer metal due to the beating it will take (do a bit of junk/scrap hauling and dragging stuff across a wood deck destroys it)vs wood and i can patch the spots that need it vs an entire piece of wood id need to go buy at the lumber yard, ive got plenty of metal laying around and looks are secondary to me.

Right, but when you cut that metal section out and replace it, there is a lot more work and tooling involved than just putting a new piece of wood on there. Wood takes some type of saw and a drill; easily done on the road or in camp where you may not have access to the welder or cutting tools. Further, IF your metal deck is coated with bedliner or some other type of paint, you've just decided to prep, primer, and repaint a huge section thanks to the welding job, including the possible area of frame you've just heated up underneath from the weld job.

Metal sounds good, but i've beat on company wood decked trailers many times and they do just fine; in 5 years we never repaired or replaced any boards. Also, we had one trailer with diamond plate flooring, it worked just fine too.

[SCOUT1ton]

I prefer wood, main reason is if you use your trailer to haul multiple things and you need a block or somthing screwed down (temporarily) easily done. No welding, grinding, then just remove when the job at hand is complete. my.02

[willysrule]

Originally Posted by SCOUT1ton

I prefer wood, main reason is if you use your trailer to haul multiple things and you need a block or somthing screwed down (temporarily) easily done. No welding, grinding, then just remove when the job at hand is complete. my.02

ditto...screwing down a few blocks here and there have really helped secure some odd loads on the trailer...

for strickly car/truck hauling I loved my open deck, pretty easy to tie down even the lowest car...

[twoslo4five0]

Originally Posted by MR4WD

In the same sense, I have my own mill. All the boards would cost is the price of fuel. Even further, if you're after recycled materials, you could probably wrangle up used decking, too. Say out of a refer trailer or even a highboy/flatdeck semi trailer. Whatever the case, if you're comparing costs, a fair arguement would be new vs. new.

i can buy that. good call. along with the tooling metioned on a trip IF something was to happen its alot easier to mind wood and screws for repair than metal and welders. now with that being said wood is more likely to get damaged then metal.

that being said your gonna get a ton of diffrent anwsers to this question. i would say for your use what u can get what you can easily get cheap and whatever kind of tooling that you have to install it. if you have a welder and can weld good and can get metal at a good cost go that route. if you dont have a saw and drill to do wood you shouldnt be posting here.