was just wondering what the lifespan is for wood floors. i have a '04 CornPro stock 4h, and want an idea about it (it's kept outside btw). thanks! --- Trish (ps - did a search here but found nothing)
Posted 2008-12-28 6:29 PM (#96596 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522 Location: Tucumcari NM
If you are careful to sweep out the manure and bedding after using the trailer, a wooden floor will last many years. I have a 16 foot stock trailer that we have used to haul cattle with for about 25 years, and the floor is still in good shape. It also is stored outside, but we never allow wet manure and straw to remain in the trailer after use. We also give it a good coat of wood preservative once a year.
Posted 2008-12-28 7:36 PM (#96598 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
I installed Lexan windows in the slats of our CornPro, and when we sold it at aprox 15 years, the flooring was like new. We religiously washed out the manure and urine, especially around the flooring perimeter, against the outside frame. We also used floor mats since it was new. It was always stored outdoors and never covered during our NE winters. I would think that 25 years is entirely possible, if it is looked after and maintained.
Posted 2008-12-28 9:33 PM (#96604 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383 Location: Texas
I would say 25 years is possible with care. We've got a WW that my parents purchased new in 1986, still has the original floor in it. It's been mopped down with Diesel or a mix of Diesel and linseed oil every year to help preserve it. The floor isn't perfect anymore but I have no worries about it yet.
If not cared for a floor might only last a couple of years so it really depends on care and likely the climate you live in plays a role too.
Posted 2008-12-28 10:08 PM (#96606 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Location: KY
Even if not cared for, wood floors will last quite a long time....it just depends on the wood as well as the other factors......As Chadsalt said, it never hurts to poke it and make sure though......
Posted 2008-12-29 4:50 AM (#96610 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Member
Posts: 13
Location: NC
this is encouraging....i have rubber mats over the flooring, and the only place that keeps dampness is along the edges (and i'm meticulous about removing debris/manure/etc). if we EVER get some dry weather, should i remove the mats, & after it dries completely, apply a sealant? oil?thompsons waterseal? what's best? and just to the top of the floor?? (can't imagine crawling underneath to do the bottom!) <<>> sorry!!! i fee guilty barraging this forum with so many questions! but you guys are an invaluable source of good info :) thank you -- Trish
Check the trailer floor for rotten spots, particularly along the edges and front corners. In older trailers, this may be your most critical inspection! Once the wood sealer wears through, manure and urine can quickly start to rot the floor. You can probe with a large screwdriver to find soft spots. Replace soft or rotten boards. Sand down discolored areas. Rinse with bleach and water to kill remaining fungus and bacteria. Allow to thoroughly dry (dry - keyword) and apply two or more coats of water sealer. Check the underside of the floor. It may also need cleaning and treatment.
Posted 2008-12-29 9:00 AM (#96618 - in reply to #96610) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Originally written by shoveltrash on 2008-12-29 5:50 AM
if we EVER get some dry weather, should i remove the mats, & after it dries completely, apply a sealant? oil?thompsons waterseal? what's best? and just to the top of the floor??Trish
When we rinsed the wood flooring, we would lift the edge under the butt side and roll it to the head side exposing one half of the floor. This is the side commonly being soiled. Using a pressure washer, it was an easy process to flush out the wood to metal joint. It also eliminated the need to completely pull the mats. Let the flooring air dry over night and replace the mats.
We wash the bottom of all of our trailers, by attaching a garden hose to a lawn sprinkler, and pull them back and forth over the spray. We have never used a sealant, but any oil based product should help. I would not recommend a latex product, as they do not penetrate into the wood and instead become a surfactant. As they wear, fluids will penetrate the surface, and become trapped in the wood cells. Instead of protecting the wood, the coating will contribute to its rotting, not unlike the old rust proofing on automobiles. An oil based product will penetrate the individual cells and coat the wood, preventing any subsequent fluids from doing the same. Subsequent applications will be necessary to renew the materials that eventually evaporate.
Posted 2008-12-29 9:33 AM (#96620 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Expert
Posts: 1723 Location: michigan
we have a featherlight steel stock trailer that hauls only cattle. It has a wood floor. We occasionally sweep it out but only because there is so much straw and crap we cannot swing the middle gate shut and we live in the north country so the weather changes often ( cold one day, wet another then hot and dry) Safe to say we don't take care of it very well. Yet its nearly 15 years old, the rust is getting the better of it yet the floor is great, likely to outlast the steel. The point is- wood floors are pretty darned good, they hold up well. If you are hauling horses and keep it bedded, the floor will do fine for you.
Posted 2008-12-29 5:29 PM (#96646 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Member
Posts: 13
Location: NC
KCW - thank you for the link. i was following along with the whole process until it got to step 8:
When the floor is dry, put the mats back in, and close up the trailer. (If you plan to store your trailer outside until spring, leave the mats out; otherwise, moisture will condense under them, hastening wood rot.)
this worries me, i don't want moisture to condense under my mats, my trailer is ALWAYS stored outside! i wonder if the use of oil-based products on wood floors encourages condensation with rubbers mats on top??? maybe i'll just leave them alone, clean them good & air out in spring........at least i feel more encouraged about their life span! :) Trish
Posted 2008-12-30 2:15 PM (#96694 - in reply to #96646) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Veteran
Posts: 252 Location: Hunting Valley, Ohio
I'd leave the mats out and the air will obsorb any moisture that forms much quicker (Not traped). Moisture is a result of heating & cooling. The key is not to have that moisture traped between the mat and wood floor for a long period of time. The water sealant will prevent any moisture that forms from soaking into the wood floor.
Leave the mats out (winter storage) and seal the floor. Simple!
Posted 2008-12-30 5:08 PM (#96707 - in reply to #96594) Subject: RE: wood floors - lifespan?
Expert
Posts: 1391 Location: North of Detroit, MI
In areas where there is rain weekly, you'll have more trouble keeping the wood dry, obviously, with a stock trailer.
Even with an enclosed trailer, I found that putting 4x4 blocks of wood or milk crates or even 5 gallon pails, on their sides, under the matts to keep them off the floor helped a great deal to avoid trapping moisture under the matts, between uses.
The edges are the hardest places. I have also used Sweet PDZ which is a moisture magnet type of product in horse trailers to absorb wet and moisture. Stall dry is another product like that. It absorbs the ammonia also from urine.
Lastly, I think that hauling mares on slant loads is harder on the butt wall. Whenever I've hauled mares for friends, I take EXTRA care to neutralize any urine and dry up that edge under the matts. That's where the Sweet PDZ works wonderfully. Once it absorbs and redries, I can sweep it away.
wood floors - lifespan?
