I have had my aluminum trailer for 1 1/2 years - had the mats pulled and interior acid washed when I first got it.  Trailer dealer said all was well...no corrosion.  I need to do it againa nd the dealership has closed.  I think I can wrangle the mats out but don't know what I'm looking for or what to do if I see corrosion.  Help!

Gard will be on-line soon to help you.  He's an Old Pro at this stuff.

I don't think you have to acid wash all the time under the mats, simply washing with water will do a huge amount of good.

My dealership told me that at the minimum trailer owners should pull the mats out twice a year, wash the floor and mats (both top and bottom) with water, and allow to air dry. Make sure you get out all the manure, urine and debris. The dealership told me that urine is the big problem, that it will cause corrosion on the aluminum floor, which shows up at pitting and rough spots. Minor pitting and roughness isn't an issue, but you certainly want to monitor that it isn't getting worse, and that there isn't any actual holes. Once everythings totally dry, pull the mats back into place. By the way, moving mats is often a two-person job, they are very heavy and awkward. But if I'm stubborn I can do them myself (and I'm a small and middle aged woman!) by rolling them into place, almost like rolling a crepe into a tube! I can roll them, but can't drag them alone.

If you use shavings under your horse it will help prevent urine from getting under the mats so much. Just be sure to clean out the dirty shavings after every trip, and put in more as necessary. My mare NEVER pees in the trailer, so she's easy to maintain, but my darned gelding honestly pees almost every time we take a trip. So with a horse like this good cleaning under the mats is more essential.

I'm not sure if acid washing under the mats will actually do more good than simply washing with warm water. And I do know that my dealership told me that acid washing done inproperly, or not cleaned off correctly afterwards, causes more harm than good. You aren't going to hurt anything with plain old water!

gard, retento or Paul should check in soon to confirm, but here is a start.  If I remember from these guys other post the corrosion is going to look kind of white in color and chalky looking powder.

I only wash mine with soap, water and a brush.  The only time I have acid washed the floor is on trailers I am getting read to sell or if it is one I just bought and is NASTY from lack of cleaning.  Other wise good ol' fashion soap and water does the trick.

Most of the time twice a year is fine, we do ours every other month, but we go places every single weekend too...

We finally got around to putting duraliner on the trailer floor, so hopefully, won't have to be as concerned--THANK YOU GARD!

But before that and since we haul ~2k miles a month, we pulled ours out every month. Also put baking soda under the mats before we put them back to neutralize the urine. Previous trailer actually ended up with several holes in the floor when we were just cleaning it out 2-3x a year....really don't want that to happen again. Always had at least 3 bags of shavings in them also and IMO, that helps as previously mentioned.

FYI, to pull mats, vise grips work great to get a better handle on them.

Agreed on the vice grips, they come in handy for a lot of horse chores..   As for the mat pullers in the magazines, my friend bought them because she has hand grip issues and loved them, but in about 15 uses, the gripper part wore out!!!  They are warrantied for 5 years and the company she bought them from called the manufacturer and they are going to replace them.  But I don't know for how long, she uses them to pull the mats out of her run in.

Jbsny

Just noticed my last post got wierd & in w/the post I quoted.

So, where do you find the duraliner roll on?  I can't seem to find it anywhere.

I pull my pads, sweep out what ever might got underneath and hose out my horse area each spring and fall. I keep shavings in the trailer when ever I have horses in the trailer.  Seems to be working well, But the Logan Trailers us a Spray In Bed liner when they build the trailers. So the floor and walls have already been sprayed before I got the trailer.

I really see the matts as more just cushoning than anything else.