New Decking for M870A1

[M1075]

As part of the refurbishment process on my M870A1, I need to purchase new wood decking for it. I know the trailer manufacture Load King uses full 2" rought cut Apitong on all their trailers, but what other suitable alternatives are there for a 40 ton lowboy? BTW, Local prices on Oak are almost as much as the Apitong from www.trailerdecking.com

 

[Westech]

AH just use 5/8 OSB T&G.

But really The price of "large cut" hard wood is $$. Do you have a table saw? you might be able to save a few bucks if you rip it your self.

 

[m16ty]

We use white oak on all of our trailers. We've had trailers with apitong and I wasn't impressed. Apitong is good but it's not the wonder wood alot of people selling it make it out to be.

We bought some white oak last week to floor a trailer for $0.80 a board foot. I haven't priced apitong lately but last time I did it was WAY more than $0.80.

We've tried several different types of wood over the years and have come to the conclusion that white oak is the best all around. You can get stronger stuff and stuff that will last longer but alot of it will warp really bad or bust.

If you do buy lumber directly from a sawmill (the cheapest way to get it) you're going to need to let it dry for atleast about 6 months before you install it. If not you could have as wide as 3" gaps bwtween the boards when it dries out.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Can you get yellow locust in your area? Cranetruck has made up several sets of wood for our pipeline trucks using the yellow locust and its tough stuff.

 

[m16ty]

I just checked out the link about apitong flooring. Their price is over $3.50 a board foot .

What were you priced white oak? As I said above, I bought some last week for $0.80 a board foot directly from the sawmill. That price was for green unfinnished wood though.

 

[Bighurt]

We use Teak...but you don't want to pay for it.

I mean it's cheaper than a $100 hammer...

 

[NDT]

Here in Houston, Olson and Guerrera Lumber has the 2" x 12" (true dimension) oak boards for $1.00 a foot.

 

[Bighurt]

Here in Houston, Olson and Guerrera Lumber has the 2" x 12" (true dimension) oak boards for $1.00 a foot.

That's $3 cheaper a board foot than it is here...

 

[m16ty]

Here in Houston, Olson and Guerrera Lumber has the 2" x 12" (true dimension) oak boards for $1.00 a foot.

I assume that is board foot (not running foot). There are two board feet in a foot long piece of 2X12.

 

[4x4 Forever]

Best bet would be to find a sawmill, the smaller the better. Good luck and please post pics!

 

[m16ty]

Seems like I remember your trailer didn't have a floor in it when you got it. If so, did you happen to get the clamps that hold the wood down?

 

[M1075]

Seems like I remember your trailer didn't have a floor in it when you got it. If so, did you happen to get the clamps that hold the wood down?

Your right, no clamps. Got a source for those? Are they a commercial item? I thought about just using some flat bar stock, angle or some channel; cut into pieces.

 

[M1075]

BTW, I went ahead and purchased 2x12" apitong lumber for the deck. If it meets OEM specs, good enough for me.

 

[m16ty]

Your right, no clamps. Got a source for those? Are they a commercial item? I thought about just using some flat bar stock, angle or some channel; cut into pieces.

I had a guy tell me that you could get them at most trailer parts places (the ones that sell parts for semi-trailers) but I don't know firsthand. I bet a quick google search would come up with some clips that would work.

Flat bar or anything like that doesn't work very well. The flat bar will twist and come loose from the crossmember over time. The correct clips are bent and have a point on one end that digs into the wood to keep them from working loose.

 

[Bighurt]

http://www.pioneerhdparts.com/new/deckclip.pdf

Like these...

Tried uploading a pic...but it failed each time...even the thumbnail...

 

[M1075]

Okay, thanks for the info. I'll look into those clips.

 

[Bighurt]

Okay, thanks for the info. I'll look into those clips.

We use the clips for deck replacement. Typically the first set of boards is installed with self tapping screws. However it's next to impossible to do it a second time.

So we drill a hole adjacent to the frame rail and use a carriage bolt, self locking nut and the claw. Works great, looks stupid if you only do a repair, looks fine if the whole deck is done.

Only issue with have with them is they effect maneuverability of J-Bars, or MA-1 wheeled pry bars. Other than that no issues. The first trailer we did was nearly a decade ago and nothing has loosened up yet, and even if it does you can simple tighten the nut.