7.5t Floors Pros/Cons

[lottiepony]

On the basis you only live once I’m looking to upgrade to a 7.5t.

Plenty out there it seems but talk to me about floors.

My first choice would be aluminium of course, all the obvious reasons of safety, maintenance etc but are wooden floors really to be avoided? If you maintain it well assume all should be well?

Can you have it changed or is it some prohibitive cost?

Any other hints and tips gladly accepted for things you wish you knew or had done or what I should avoid lol

 

[Jambarissa]

Aluminium rusts and fails just like everything else. But does save on payload.

My box has buffalo board at the bottom and hardwood planking on top. Absolute overkill but the guy I bought it from was very safety conscious.

Whatever floor you have you need to ensure you lift mats if someone's peed and check it regularly. I do prefer boxes without skirt lockers so you can easily inspect the underside and it improves airflow to the chassis too.

 

[expanding_horizon]

I’ve got a 27 year old lorry with a wooden floor. I ask my lorry mechanic to check it a few times a year.

I’d buy another one with a wooden floor.

 

[DabDab]

Aluminium rusts and fails just like everything else. But does save on payload.

Aluminium doesn't rust. It develops surface corrosion as soon as it is exposed to air that protects the bulk structure of the metal underneath. It can develop structural corrosion in certain environmental conditions, e.g. High PH, which horse urine can be.

I would consider any floor OP, they all need checking regularly, but wood will generally require more care and regular surface treatment

 

[Jambarissa]

Sorry yes, rust/corrosion are the same thing in my mind.

My friends horse went through the floor of an IW trailer because she thought it could never fail. Just trying to get across that it does.

 

[Cowpony]

My lorry has an aluminium floor and a wooden ramp. The ramp got a hole in it and the guy who put the new ramp in said that the wood previously used wasn't the right quality. So there's wood and wood.....

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

On the basis you only live once I’m looking to upgrade to a 7.5t.

Plenty out there it seems but talk to me about floors.

My first choice would be aluminium of course, all the obvious reasons of safety, maintenance etc but are wooden floors really to be avoided? If you maintain it well assume all should be well?

Can you have it changed or is it some prohibitive cost?

Any other hints and tips gladly accepted for things you wish you knew or had done or what I should avoid lol

I was advised if a horse pees in it you need to hose the pee out from inside and also under where it drips out round back tyre, hose it so it does not corrode the brakes etc. That is what I do, not had a preference, I quite prefer the wood floor with rubber mats as gives a lot more solid sound when horses walk on it.

 

[lottiepony]

Thanks for your replies everyone.

It's interesting to hear that wood is certainly ok if given the correct maintenance and care but also rightly pointed out that metal floors need the same!