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Tuesday trailer question

arse_sidewards

arse_sidewards

Contrary to everything
Joined
May 19, 2020
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I have a 6ft x 14ft old Hudson equipment trailer. It's a rusted out POS that needs everything except the main rails and tongue. The frame rails are 6" channel. The current crossmembers are rusted out 3" crap on 24" centers. The deck used to be wood.

Unless a deal on 3/16 or 1/4 plate falls into my lap the deck thickness will be 12ga because I am a cheapskate who will use cut up residential oil tanks rather than pay a few hundred for steel.

What is the minimum crossmember spacing I need if I want to be a dumbass and haul oak logs, machine tools and small heavy equipment on it (think fork lifts and scissor lifts) without turning the deck into shit too quickly.
 
I wouldn't bother decking it if you're hauling logs around.

With an open deck you can access the bottom of the logs easier for picking them up.


And a thin deck is gonna look FUBAR rather quickly with what you're doing.


See....I just save you money ya cheap bastid
 
I'm worried that logs will dig and grab too much with a wood deck and that the typical pry-bar operations required to get it to all sit nicely and sliding with chains to unload will be made harder with wood and chew up the wood deck. Open deck is a non-starter because this isn't a single purpose trailer and needs to be able to haul all the other normal stuff trailers haul. I'm also trying to save weight here hence the preference for steel over wood since it's so much lighter for equal strength.

Suppose I were willing to spend the money on 3/16. What would be a good crossmember spacing then?
 
leave it open, slap a sheet or 2 of 1" ply down when you need it decked?
 
because the spot load of a forklift on a trailer is gonna punch thru the 2xs if you have 16-24" crossmember spacing.
 
What would I have to do to get 12ga to work?

Underlay it with a bunch of stuff going lengthwise?
 
about the logs getting caught on the rippled sheet metal...are you not gonna put on a removable log arch?
 
This is what I mean:

maxresdefault.jpg


and this came up in the search. Fits thread. :lmao:

low_budget_log_handling_3.jpg
 
3/16" is more than 5.5x as strong as 12ga.....loosely meaning you'd need about 5.5x as much support to keep it around the same deflection. Don't bother.

1663113467559.png
 
Muckin_Slusher said:
about the logs getting caught on the rippled sheet metal...are you not gonna put on a removable log arch?
Click to expand...
12ga is 1/8. Bent, sure. Ripped, probably not.

And yes a log arch is in the plans.


Muckin_Slusher said:
and this came up in the search. Fits thread. :lmao:

low_budget_log_handling_3.jpg
Click to expand...
Incredibly fitting. :smokin:

bgaidan said:
3/16" is more than 5.5x as strong as 12ga.....loosely meaning you'd need about 5.5x as much support to keep it around the same deflection. Don't bother.
Click to expand...

But I don't need it to not deflect. I just need it to not be a complete and total mess. I have zero expectations of this trailer being nice for more than the first trip. I just want it to be functional for a long time.
 
11ga (1/8") treadplate is what is on my flatbed
it's rusted through the deck on most of the crossmembers, and it has oilcanned down just enough to hold 1/8" of water in some places but it seems plenty strong to me...
I wanna say the crossmembers are spaced at like 16" or so on average and they're 3" channel

Why would you go thicker on the decking? that's a fuckton of weight for not much strength
just double the crossmsmbers and you'll gain a fuckton of strength in comparison to adding a sixteenth to the deck thickness
 
Hell, got an equipment trailer and it it's decked in expanded metal, the stuff that's made outta 7ga plate with the holes in it big enough to drop a 5/16 grab hook through.
It is also dished in all over, but that thing is mucho nice, to the point that I'm considering the same stuff if I ever need to reskin my flatbed. Also the visibility through the deck makes it real easy to park the skidsteer with the tires sitting centered on the crossmembers (which are channel laid flat as it is a very low profile tilt deck)
 
[486] said:
11ga (1/8") treadplate is what is on my flatbed
it's rusted through the deck on most of the crossmembers, and it has oilcanned down just enough to hold 1/8" of water in some places but it seems plenty strong to me...
I wanna say the crossmembers are spaced at like 16" or so on average and they're 3" channel

Why would you go thicker on the decking? that's a fuckton of weight for not much strength
just double the crossmsmbers and you'll gain a fuckton of strength in comparison to adding a sixteenth to the deck thickness
Click to expand...
What kinds of dumb point loads have you subject it to to get it like that so I have a frame of reference?

[486] said:
Hell, got an equipment trailer and it it's decked in expanded metal, the stuff that's made outta 7ga plate with the holes in it big enough to drop a 5/16 grab hook through.
It is also dished in all over, but that thing is mucho nice, to the point that I'm considering the same stuff if I ever need to reskin my flatbed. Also the visibility through the deck makes it real easy to park the skidsteer with the tires sitting centered on the crossmembers (which are channel laid flat as it is a very low profile tilt deck)
Click to expand...
Actual expanded or bar grate? I've never seen expanded that big.
 
arse_sidewards said:
What kinds of dumb point loads have you subject it to to get it like that so I have a frame of reference?
Click to expand...
that forklift of panzer's, I guess...
All sorts of normal shit like vehicles and pallets of cement, those are fairly easy to load poorly so the pallets are bearing all on the deck rather than the crossmembers

Normally you just load things and place dunnage timbers so that the load is held by the crossmembers. Typical "don't be a retard and it'll be fine" sorta use case I guess.

dropped an engine on it and the crank snout did punch a good divot in it but it prolly woulda done similar to 7ga
 
My PJ is 11ga Diamond plate, they auto upgrade to 12” crossmember spacing with the steel deck option. Normal usage over the years and it’s still pretty straight.
 
RPS1030 said:
My PJ is 11ga Diamond plate, they auto upgrade to 12” crossmember spacing with the steel deck option. Normal usage over the years and it’s still pretty straight.
Click to expand...
[486] said:
that forklift of panzer's, I guess...
All sorts of normal shit like vehicles and pallets of cement, those are fairly easy to load poorly so the pallets are bearing all on the deck rather than the crossmembers

Normally you just load things and place dunnage timbers so that the load is held by the crossmembers. Typical "don't be a retard and it'll be fine" sorta use case I guess.

dropped an engine on it and the crank snout did punch a good divot in it but it prolly woulda done similar to 7ga
Click to expand...
Sounds to me like cross-members 8" on center and 12ga should be fine for my use.
 
11g tread plate, 12" oc cross members.

The $200 in extra channel eats into your deck savings pretty good, and you still end up with a shit product.
 
arse_sidewards said:
If I'm gonna use wood why not pull a 45acp and use steel roofing purlins and space the crossmembers way out to take advantage of the strength?
Click to expand...
6" C-purlin, BUT I think my crossmembers were 18". Or maybe 24". My memory sucks.

Hauled an 11klb skid steer (non-tracks) no problem, no flex, no deflection. But it's just a standard issue 20ft 7500lb car hauler that normally does car hauler stuff.

Herculiner to keep it from being slick.

I'm on year 8 or 9. Would never have wood floor again.

20200917_125627_resize_85.jpg
 
45acp said:
6" C-purlin, BUT I think my crossmembers were 18". Or maybe 24". My memory sucks.

Hauled an 11klb skid steer (non-tracks) no problem, no flex, no deflection. But it's just a standard issue 20ft 7500lb car hauler that normally does car hauler stuff.

Herculiner to keep it from being slick.

I'm on year 8 or 9. Would never have wood floor again.

20200917_125627_resize_85.jpg
Click to expand...


I remember that thread and that's a legit deck. OP's plan is pure hack.
 
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