Fiberglass vs. Wood Sideboards on M105A2

[brasco]

I have a few fiberglass sideboards on my M105A2 trailers that are cracked and I'm thinking about replacing them sometime. I also have a M105A2 that has wood sideboards. I'm thinking that I just may replace the fiberglass sideboards with wood but I am wondering why the switch was made by the military in the first place. Were fiberglass sideboards better in some way? Cheaper? Stronger? Lighter?

For my personal use, I think wood sideboards may be better. I've also noticed that on trailers with fiberglass sideboards, the pointy ribs rub on the tarps and they wear holes in the tarps, particularly on the front corners. Perhaps wood side boards would be better just because of this issue alone.

What type of wood was used on the original side boards? I've searched a few threads here and I see oak, treated pine, and cedar all mentioned.

I'm probably not going to do anything right away. I am just planning for a future weekend project when I have time and the weather is nice; it would be good to have conversation with others who have history on the wood vs. fiberglass question.

Thanks,
Don

 

[m16ty]

For the most part, the fiberglass is better. Lighter, hold up better in the weather, and probably a little stronger.

If your trailer sides aren't exposed to the elements, wood should work just as well.

I'm not sure what the original wood is but red or white oak would be a good substitute. Even pine would probably be ok for display purposes or if you aren't too rough with them.

 

[Woodsplinter]

I looked into this some time ago and discovered the military wood of choice was Mahogany! Expensive, but our tax dollars at work, eh?
White oak is a good choice as it withstands the weather better than red oak. Cedar and pine are too soft and weak.
Ipe (Ironwood) would be a good choice as its very strong and dense but expensive. Hickory would work too.
Personally, after doing woodworking for over 20 years, I would go with white oak.

If you choose wood, it needs to be properly primed on all 6 sides and then painted with a quality exterior paint. After curing for several weeks, the paint will be tough as nails.

 

[brasco]

Thanks for the feedback. I thought that Mahogany might be a good choice for this application. I actually have a few mahogany boards stashed away but not enough for this project. I'll need to check out what kind of oak I can get my hands on.

I was also thinking that I could rip some boards out of plywood and that would probably give good strength and durability...just kicking that idea around too. A good quality plywood is not cheap but should be durable, especially if painted.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I have some fiberglass material if you wanted some. The stock m105 fiberglass is wider than what I have, but I figured I'd offer. PM if you want to know more.

 

[tobyS]

Thanks for the feedback. I thought that Mahogany might be a good choice for this application. I actually have a few mahogany boards stashed away but not enough for this project. I'll need to check out what kind of oak I can get my hands on.

I was also thinking that I could rip some boards out of plywood and that would probably give good strength and durability...just kicking that idea around too. A good quality plywood is not cheap but should be durable, especially if painted.

I would not use plywood unless you want to have a larger sheet. If you rip strips, it is not as strong and it de-laminates with wet weather. I used to have several places in Indy to pick up hardwood but am further north now. White oak is good but some clear poplar or walnut might be good also. Finishing, like woodsplinter said, will give years of use. Check out a marine supply for mahogany boards if you already have a few.

 

[Woodsplinter]

I would not use plywood unless you want to have a larger sheet. If you rip strips, it is not as strong and it de-laminates with wet weather. I used to have several places in Indy to pick up hardwood but am further north now. White oak is good but some clear poplar or walnut might be good also. Finishing, like woodsplinter said, will give years of use. Check out a marine supply for mahogany boards if you already have a few.

I agree- plywood would not be very strong. Also, only exterior grade plywood is made with waterproof glue- interior grade would come apart pretty quickly. The wood used in exterior plywood is not suitable for exposure to the weather even if painted- it's intended to be covered with something waterproof.

Poplar or walnut would work well but walnut is quite expensive (at least it is here)

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

White oak is good but some clear poplar or walnut might be good also.

Poplar isn't nearly as strong as oak, and rots rather quickly. White oak is listed among the most rot resistant woods.

 

[tobyS]

Poplar isn't nearly as strong as oak, and rots rather quickly. White oak is listed among the most rot resistant woods.

If kept dry, like slats of a trailer(with a finish), poplar will last a very long time. I use it all the time. In fact I prefer it because it does not give as nasty of a splinter as most other woods when you run your hand down it. Strength, no problem unless for extreme use.

But hey...we all make choices for different reasons. On my 817 dump top extensions I used white oak...but I would not have hesitated with poplar if I had it. Where it rots, is the intersection with the ground when used as a pole or where it holds water.

I became very partial to poplar after doing a removal job at a potato chip factory that had it in a racking system. They were clear boards 1x4 x10' (.75+ x 3.5+) and I had several stacks when done. I used it for years on lots of projects and would not hesitate to use it for slats. But my stock has been nearly used up in my home construction. I miss having that stock, probably the most useful all purpose wood one can find (and very nice paneling). I have built sawmills and related equipment for 30 years. If you want to talk rot resistance, I'll fix you up with some osage orange or Brazilian ironwood (splinters are poisonous, give a nasty infection) at about 5x the cost of walnut.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Osage orange will ruin a chainsaw blade in a heartbeat! Tough stuff.

 

[brasco]

Thanks for the feedback. I like the idea of using Poplar too. I have worked with that in the past when I was in the Casket business. We made tons of caskets out of that stuff and it was usually nice and smooth and didn't splinter much. I looked up poplar boards at Lowes and they are more expensive than I recall. We also used Pecan which really, really hard too; I think it is like Hickory if my memory serves me right. That would be strong but also dense and heavy.

I really don't think I'll be putting a lot of load on these sideboards so a softer wood will probably work OK. I will mostly just use them to support the tarp and keep stuff from falling out of the trailer.

 

[tobyS]

Osage orange will ruin a chainsaw blade in a heartbeat! Tough stuff.

That's why I was so impressed with a man's sawmill that cut wide boards. He paneled his kitchen. Absolutely amazing...and bright orange. Who has seen OO logs large enough for wide boards? He had 10 and 12" wide.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I'd love to see a pic if you could post one.

 

[tobyS]

I'd love to see a pic if you could post one.

Sorry gimpyrobb, my contact with him was many years ago. I think the owners brother had an accident at the mill (death) and they closed it down. It was back when I did research on primary mills by going around and purchasing a pickup truck load of various hardwoods. Osage was $15 a bf at the time while I could buy most others under $1 (green). I bought lots of wide and thick cherry while visiting about 50 mills, very small to large (for a hardwood mill). I found the owners were much more informative and would tell details of their mills when I made a purchase. My research was for design of primary sawmills (and veneer). I've designed built and installed sawmill and veneer machinery for 35+ years.

 

[Woodsplinter]

For all you ever want to know about wood, try:
www.woodworkerssource.com

I buy most of my hardwoods from there.

 

[M35A2-AZ]

I had replaced some wood on my m35a2 seats and the wood on them was Mahogany. Could not replace it with that for sure$$$$.
So I used poplar, If you keep it covered most of the time it should last a long time.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

Osage orange will ruin a chainsaw blade in a heartbeat! Tough stuff.

Chainsaws don't have blades. They have, oddly enough, chains.



As for poplar not rotting, well, if you keep it dry it's okay. It does get used for siding. People try to give it away on Craigslist around here all the time for firewood. I don't bother picking it up.

If you can fix em up with some Osage orange for free, I'll take it. I've heard it's the best firewood.

 

[OldTow]

Osage orange will ruin a chainsaw blade in a heartbeat! Tough stuff.

So will Iron wood.....trust me

 

[Whiterabbit]

The boards Uncle Sugar used is mahogany. The side boards and seat boards in deuces and 5tns were. Back in the 80's my maint. shop used to replace the decking on the bigger flat bed trailers and we had mountains of thick wide mahogany boards. It was said the chief's home off post had solid mahogany floors and furniture. LOL! His furniture in the office was all hand made mahogany too!