New bed for trailer - suggestion for materials

Chris Ivin · Post by **Chris Ivin** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:13 pm

I've just bought a Bamford 3 ton tipping trailer.

It has a sound chassis but needs a new bed(wooden), any suggestions on a suitable cost effective material to use?

Hardwood would have been the original material but probably too expensive unless anyone can suggest reasonable priced supplier?

Any suggestions appreciated.

Mike Kuscher · Post by **Mike Kuscher** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:20 pm

Chris,

Just my thoughts although maybe not that cheap an alternative.
Why not use a wood alternative. Try the building supplies place on the Heathcote estate and take a look at the recycled plastic wood replacements. Range of colours, grained to look like wood, cuts and drills like wood, lasts forever.
They are making picnic benches of it now and it's stong enough that a couple of horse trailer manufacturers are using it for flooring.

Mike

Chris Ivin · Post by **Chris Ivin** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:30 pm

Thanks Mike,

That has got to be worth considering, I hadn't thought of recycled plastic, it would certainly last.

Bensdexta · Post by **Bensdexta** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:05 pm

Is this what Mike had in mind - 'Stockboard'?
http://www.slecladding.co.uk/stok.htm
Seems to be quite widely used in agriculture.
I guess it also depends what you plan to use your trailer for. Stones will be much more demanding than say hay.
All the best,

Post by **Brian** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:36 pm

I used marine ply on mine but it did not last. Last year I did it with jack-cured pine planks. Was not too costly, around the same price as the ply.

The Swanndri Guy · Post by **The Swanndri Guy** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:50 am

Over here, on trailers that I have built I use either 35mm or 50mm wooden truck deck.Has a stepped overlap. (20 to 30mm)While it might not be cheap,if its looked after,it should last the life of the trailer.

Cheers TSG.

Tubal Cain · Post by **Tubal Cain** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 8:47 am

I renewed the bed on a trailer, made from an old caravan chassis, using recycled plastic sheets 1/2" thick. It was perfect for the job until one sunny day when the sheets expanded and buckled, presumably because the plastic has a very high coeffecient of expansion.

So I removed the plastic and replaced it with aluminium chequer plate.

Gerald

Bensdexta · Post by **Bensdexta** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:06 pm

I see there is a Fitting note for Stockboard, which bears out Tubal's experience:

FITTING TIPS: For best results Stokbord should be fixed where possible at or near their upper service temperature. Where significant temperature changes or applications in direct sunlight are envisaged the fixings should make an allowance for expansion and contraction.

GERRY · Post by **GERRY** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:25 pm

For the bed on mine used old builders scafold planks do a good and if worn can be eaisly be replaced , makes a strong job , make sure the ribs or cross members are in good shape these hold the weight, ihave 4/3 for these hard wood. Gerry

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 4:39 pm

Brian,
I've never heard of Jack-cured pine. We have treated pine here, but I've never heard of this process.

Popular is a good wood for lining beds. Most people thinks it is a soft wood, but actually it is a hard wood, that's lighter than oak or other hard woods. If you can get by with putting a little used oil on it to treat it would be good too, but you probably can't get by with that.

Post by **Brian** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 5:14 pm

Jack-Cured is where the preservative is forced into the wood under pressure rather than painted on and allowed to soak in.

We also used to paint on waste oil but Health and Safety today won't allow this because of the skin cancer-causing properties of modern used oils.

Then there would be the problem of carting foodstuffs in the trailers not to mention the hazard to the environment

You could end up with a bus-load of officials camped outside your door if you did that here today.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 5:37 pm

Brian,
Jack-cured is the same as pressure treated wood here. Jack cured is an interesting term.

The EPA or environmental protection agency is getting strict here to. We used to have a gravel road in front of my house years ago, and to keep the dust down we would use used motor oil. That's a big no no now. Like you said they would be camped out in front of our house with the sheriff to take you to jail.
We have to take all our used oil to someone that heats there garage with and oil burner, or to place that collects used oil to have it recycled, which is a good thing I think. A lot of changes since I was a boy, and most for the better.
Thanks for your explanation.

Chris Ivin · Post by **Chris Ivin** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 7:06 pm

Thanks for all your suggestions chaps, plenty of food for thought.

The only other option I have thought of is garden decking, this is tanalised(jack-cured) and is 38 mm deep so would be stronger enough.

I have found a couple of suppliers of truck decking but haven't got a price yet, probably cost prohibitive?

I'll let you know what I eventually go for.

Post by **Brian** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:29 am

Another thought. The timber I used was "rough planed" rather than perfectly smoothed. Might make a difference in cost.

michael dyer · Post by **michael dyer** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 3:09 pm

you could also try dung walling which is pressure treated soft wood (pine) which is tongue and grooved, about 47 mm thick, 200mm width, reasonably smooth; available from Countryside Merchants and timber yards. Usually availble in 4.2 or 4.8m lengths for about £12-14 per length (

I have used it to re floor on an old 3t F.....n trailer about 5 yrs ago and its still going strong despite the trailer always being left in the open and being used to haul dung.

Chris Ivin · Post by **Chris Ivin** » Fri Nov 20, 2009 5:55 pm

you could also try dung walling

This must be a West Country term, I haven't heard it used around these parts. I googled it and Tavistock Timber and Mole Valley Farmers supply it. It sounds some good stuff.

I used was "rough planed" rather than perfectly smoothed. Might make a difference in cost.

I've got a quote for lorry decking - about £250; garden decking would be around £100-£120 and rough sawn tanalised probably about £50-£60. I haven't found a source of muck board yet and I haven't chased up the plastic wood either. (Prices given are for bed only)

essex pete · Post by **essex pete** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:59 pm

Our old 3t tipper has been decked with scaffold boards covered with galv sheet for about 16/17 years. I do clean it off when finished and it stands under cover part of the year. The cost of the galv sheets would be too expensive now.The trouble with rough boarding can be getting the load to slide out particularly as the angle of dump is often not great on these old trailers.
We sed some decking around some old baths for soaking hay about 8/9 years ago and considering it is always wet it has stood up well (frame underneathe rotting!).
Another thought might be a flooring company if you could find some rejected hard wood (not laminate). F in L has access to some and he burns quite a lot but sometimes there is some very useful wood in there.

Chris Ivin · Post by **Chris Ivin** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:41 pm

I did wonder whether rough boards might make it difficult to tip loads. I am inclined towards decking at the moment as it should tip ok. I am working on cleaning down the bed and chassis at the moment. It seemed sensible to give it a coat of paint while the floor of the bed is stripped off. The deck is quite substantial, it takes some man handling!!

I am not sure if it is a 3 ton or a 4 ton trailer? the dimensions are 10 foot by 6 foot.

Post by **Brian** » Sat Nov 28, 2009 8:54 am

I have no problem tipping soil, muck, hedge trimmings etc. with mine.

Chris Ivin · Post by **Chris Ivin** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 10:07 pm

I've just bought a Bamford 3 ton tipping trailer.

It has a sound chassis but needs a new bed(wooden), any suggestions on a suitable cost effective material to use?

Hardwood would have been the original material but probably too expensive unless anyone can suggest reasonable priced supplier?

Any suggestions appreciated.

In the end I found a reasonably priced source of sawn planks of Keruing, 6" x 1 1/4" in size, it cost me £150 so hopefully a good investment.

Post by **Brian** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:55 am

That is the ideal stuff and you got it very cheap too.