Posted 2009-11-08 6:20 PM (#112921 - in reply to #112919) Subject: RE: Matts
Expert
Posts: 2614
gard is probably the best person to answer this,but,from my own experience even the best care can't prevent some corrosion.Keeping your floor rinsed underneath the mats is the best and plain water or trailer soap and water is what I like to use.I don't like my floor to stay wet underneath after I wash it,so,that requires the mats to be pulled.
Posted 2009-11-09 4:23 PM (#112958 - in reply to #112919) Subject: RE: Matts
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
CRG has it exactly correct. Urine trapped between the mat and flooring will corrode the aluminum, or rot a wooden flooring. The best advice on an untreated floor is to wash the area of contaminates and let it dry before the mats are reinstalled.
Our present two trailers have flooring constructed of aluminum planks, interlocked and laid length wise. The extrusions have ridges , which prevents fluids on one side of the floor to migrate to the other. This limits the amount of area that routinely becomes wet.
A one piece floor will allow the urine to wick throughout the entire area, between the mats and flooring. For the best maintenance, these mats should be pulled and the flooring washed. The flooring and mats should be dry, before the mats are reinstalled.
The mats on all of our trailers have fit together tightly and don't move about. The only really wet flooring areas have been on the butt side. Instead of pulling the mats, we just roll the butt side over the head side, exposing only the wetted spots. We rinse and let the area dry, then just flop the mats back into place.
By having the aluminum flooring coated, we no longer pull the mats and just "spot" clean as necessaary.
Posted 2009-11-09 6:41 PM (#112965 - in reply to #112958) Subject: RE: Matts
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 379 Location: Columbia, TN
What did you coat it with? I have thought about putting some Rhino ( knockoff ) on it and then put the matts down. Don't want to spend the money for the triled on stuff. Mine has the corrosive stuff building up. I thought about using a weak solution of acid wash but didn't know if that was a good idea.
Posted 2009-11-10 7:18 AM (#112975 - in reply to #112965) Subject: RE: Matts
Expert
Posts: 2614
Originally written by iCE CRM on 2009-11-09 6:41 PM
What did you coat it with? I have thought about putting some Rhino ( knockoff ) on it and then put the matts down. Don't want to spend the money for the triled on stuff. Mine has the corrosive stuff building up. I thought about using a weak solution of acid wash but didn't know if that was a good idea.
Acid wash,weak or not will not remove or reverse corrosion on the aluminum flooring.I've tried it,it is a waste of your time and the product.Next spring we are going to treat and coat all of our trailer floors following the instructions that Gard has provided on the thread and forget hauling those mats out that take the strength of Hulk Hogan to deal with!
Posted 2009-11-10 11:55 AM (#112990 - in reply to #112919) Subject: RE: Matts
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Me too!! I am just waiting on it to be cool enough (nearly there!) and for the ground to dry up so that I can pull the trailer to the house without making huge ruts in my trailer parking area... NOT that I am complaining about the rain!! Our horses have all of the green grass that they can eat for the first time in over a year.....
Posted 2009-11-10 5:34 PM (#113001 - in reply to #112990) Subject: RE: Matts
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 379 Location: Columbia, TN
Thanks Gard the information was very informative. I've just cleaned them and put the matts back in and am taking it to be waxed tomorrow( my shoulders are wore out) maybe I can do it when I get it back. Sure hate to fight those matts again.
Matts
