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Trailer Decking

Started by 4x4American, June 12, 2016, 12:10:30 PM

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4x4American

For white oak trailer decking, I figure I gotta be getting ~$1.50/bf, but I seem to be scaring people away with the cost.  Am I too high?  (or are they too cheap?)
Boy, back in my day..

Peter Drouin

A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

4x4American

Thanks..yea..finding oak 16' long is a challenge (and $$) and then handling it is another, so I'm not about to be giving it away! 
Boy, back in my day..

Peter Drouin

Don't cut it ahead,  No 2 Orders are the same, I tell the customer only 8" to maybe 10" wide. More than that it will cup.
Alot of customers will take off 2" and have me cut it 2¼" . So the new paint job will last a while. The new deck is ¼ to ½ Proud of the steel.
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

4x4American

Never thought of that, good thinking!
Boy, back in my day..

ladylake


As mentioned don't cut ahead. At $1.50 a bf it might cost a little more than treated pine but is WAY stronger and last longer, make sure your buyers know that.  I do a lot of custom sawing but when home 90% is trailer decking and fencing which has good profits.  Send out price lists to excavators, construction company's etc .  You will get business. Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

4x4American

Thanks, Steve.  That is a good idea to talk with excavators and construction companies.  What are typical sizes of trailer decking that I could jot down on a price list? 2x6, 2x8, and 2x10?  For length I would guess I'd put anything from 8-16' which is what I normally saw. 
Boy, back in my day..

ladylake

 Yes do full 2" x 6,8, 10 but also 1 1/2" as there are lots of trailers with 1 1/2 treated pine which might last 8 years or so, good white oak will last 15 to 20 years.   Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

warren46

I also charge a premium of lengths greater than 16'.  There is some demand for 18' and 20' trailers.
Warren E. Johnson
Timber Harvester 36HTE25, John Deere 300b backhoe/loader.

barbender

With the limited amount I have ran my mill, I have probably sold more white oak trailer decking than anything else. I sold it for $1.00/bf in the past. Too cheap. I'm thinking $1.50/bf in the future, and more than that on anything over 16'. Here's a few frustrations I ran into- 1. Most of the people I dealt with wanted me to figure what they needed for a trailer deck. That's not a big deal on a rectangular bed, but on a low boy with lots of irregular spaces...let's just say I realized I was investing lots of time I wasn't being paid for.
2. On the long length lumber, it isn't unusual to get a knot or other defect on one face that isn't acceptable. The 18' board you just sawed is now a 14'. What are you going to do with it? With the marginal quality white (bur) oak I have access to, I found that for a 500 bf order, I would probably have 250 bf of lumber that had to be trimmed and couldn't be used for the order. Lacking proper storage space, it got stacked and stickered, which means it has to be handled again if someone wants to buy it. I guess my point is, charge enough to make it worth your while.
Too many irons in the fire

4x4American

Thanks Barbender.  Good points!
Boy, back in my day..

pineywoods

I saw a good bit of trailer decking, post oak is first choice followed by white oak. Mostly 16 foot by 6/4. I usually get involved in installing the new decks. some want 6 inch, some 8, a few 10, seldom use 12 inch. Usually start at both outsides and work toward the middle, rip the last board to fit the center. Down here in the deep south, that pt pine is good for maybe 2 years if left outside.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

4x4American

That seems like a good way to do it, starting from the outsides..


up here in the shallow north, PT pine lasts until we load the D5, then the grousers tear it right up
Boy, back in my day..

ozarkgem

They are paying 1.75 a ft for the logs here.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

Peter Drouin

4x4, For trailer decking or any kind of orders I get a list of what the costomer wants, I do not do the math for them. Like a guy will call and want 2,400 sq feet of 1" boards to cover a wall or say I have a wall 20' long and 10' high at one end and 16' high at the other end.
Or a trailer with all kinds of sizes on it. Sometimes a guy will call and say give me 150 feet of 2x8. I won't do it.
I get a list that way if they're short it's their fault.
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

drobertson

If you can get that price, do it,, I usually get the measurement, then find the equal number of boards to cover that width.  Seems like they average around 7-1/2"  but each one has to be measured for sure, they all seem to vary a little bit.  Many have the 1-1/2" flange the boards fit in, I either go to the number or heavy then cope the end to fit, which allow loads to be slid off without dragging or hooking the angle iron.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

Timster

This seems like the right place to ask. I need to re-deck my car trailer and as luck would have it a friend is putting up a new garage and there is a large white oak in his way 8). He is having it cut down so it will be available in what ever size I want it bucked to. Do you air dry or fit it to the trailer right off the mill? Would I  be able to strip the trailer and fit the boards as they come off the mill?

barbender

     Timster, I like it installed green. Put them on tight, when they dry you will get small gaps of 1/8 to 1/4 inch between the boards.
Too many irons in the fire

sandsawmill14

we always put it on green too :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

barbender

  If you air dry it first, some pieces will warp, twist, bow etc. Then you get to cut another 16' back to 12' or whatever length you need to get rid of the defect. Put it on green, screw it down, and it will stay put ;)
Too many irons in the fire

Timster

Thanks, now I just have to wait till the arborist gets around to cutting the trees down. Another project added to the list of mill projects  8). At this rate it won't be long before I can justify buying the mill to the wife :D she had her doubts.

jmouton

we do alot of trailer decks too,  put it on green , and screw it tight ,,, works every time ,  we get  on the low side 1.50 up to 2.50 depending on size,  we install alot too,  , make good money doin it too,got a system,,  gotta have a system, i am a welder too so i can fix their trailer also ,, double bonus,,  i like trailer decks,,  8) 8)


                                                                                                            jim
lt-40 wide ,,bobcat,sterling tandem flatbed log truck,10 ton trailer, stihl 075,041,029,066,and a 2017 f-350,oh and an edger

4x4American

Boy, back in my day..

Jim_Rogers

Some trailer decks that I have done is just supply the with the stock list they provide. If they make a mistake and don't get enough that's their problem. But usually I'll make one or two extras so just in case they call up and say "I need one more board/plank" I'll have it.

Lots of "diggers" don't know wood and ask me to measure the trailer for them.

I provide this "service" for them. And I try most of the time to copy the width and lengths of the trailer decking that is there already. Unless it's a mix and match mess. Then I start from scratch.

I will measure between the rails and some trailers have the two outside rails as well as two center rails. So the distances between rails can vary.
I also measure the "rib" spacing so that I can figure out if I need to make a seam somewhere along the length to put in two pieces to make the length.

After I measure the complete trailer, and figure the thickness, I come back to the computer and use my drawing program to layout the trailer decking.

Here is a picture of one of my drawings:



  

Then I paint the colors of the planks on the plan onto the ends of the lumber. I color code it for the mechanic so he can just follow my plan and install the planks once he cuts them to the proper lengths.



 

And I get big buck for these, even with a few small knots in them. And lots of times the customer says: "is that all?".....

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

4x4American

Wow, Jim, that is very thorough.  I hope you charge accordingly!
Boy, back in my day..

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