Buffalo board for trailer floor

[Birker2020]

Hi any idea if this is the best thing for trailer flooring?

Replacing my Bahill Sportsman double trailer flooring. We are getting the steel slats reinforced with additional steel struts welded onto the bottom of the trailer, then instead of replacing the planking which was in there before (see photo which was about 10 years ago) we are placing either Option 1 an aluminium floor OR Option 2 buffalo boards OR Option 3 both aluminium floor and buffalo boards and then adding the hardwood slats which Dad screwed on top of the existing planking (photo of him removing existing floor prior to screwing in slats). The whole lot is then covered with 2 x 2 x 4m rubber matting where the horse stands.

Thoughts please? Trying to keep the weight down as much as possible. Thanks for your PM Jerry, we feel replacing with planking will weigh too much.
Anyone commenting unkindly on this post will be ignored.


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[Identityincrisis]

Make sure you seal the whole board, including the edges! We made that costly mistake with the ramp and had to redo it after a year

 

[Birker2020]

Make sure you seal the whole board, including the edges! We made that costly mistake with the ramp and had to redo it after a year

Thank you so much

 

[Tiddlypom]

If you can get an ali floor in and cover it with one piece rubber matting as per Ifors, then that's what I'd go for.

We've had various Rice trailers in the past and replaced wood floors with new wood, and it never lasts that long. My Ifor (owned from new) ali floor is 17yo and like new, matting and all. So much less hassle than wood.

 

[Birker2020]

If you can get an ali floor in and cover it with one piece rubber matting as per Ifors, then that's what I'd go for.

We've had various Rice trailers in the past and replaced wood floors with new wood, and it never lasts that long. My Ifor (owned from new) ali floor is 17yo and like new, matting and all. So much less hassle than wood.

Thanks, I'm not sure which way to go with it. Is it easy to bolt down an aluminium floor to a steel subframe though?

I ruled out it wasn't a Rice or Rice Richardson after sending out photos to both Warwickshire Trailers and the chap at this place http://horsetrailersales.co.uk/ who sells trailers for a living. He said it was a Bahill Sportsman

 

[Identityincrisis]

Again, ali has it’s own issues when bolting to the body, it can corrode. I’m not sure how to prevent this but ali isn’t as infalible as people think.

Are you on FB? There is a great page called DIY horsebox renovators, people are very knowledgeable and you can search past posts, i’d highly recommend joining it

 

[Merry neddy man]

Be cautious that the total thickness of the new floor remains the same thickness as the original floor or the partition wont fit.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I'm no expert but I'd definitely go for aluminium over any kind of wood , yes it may not be infallible but definitely will be more infallible than wood

 

[Annagain]

There's someone not too far from you Birker (he's in Warwickshire) - calls himself the Horsebox Handyman. He's very knowledgable and would take a look and offer you advice I'm sure. Tell him Stuart's wife sent you and he'll probably do you a deal if you wanted him to do it for you too.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

There are pros and cons to both wood and aluminium. You also have to be careful in areas where aluminium meets steel.

A properly treated and cared for wood floor offers some levels of noise insulation and heat reduction over aluminium. It will also last, and be easier/cheaper to replace. There are still high end trailer manufactures that still use it, so it's not total crap.

People often get overly confident with aluminum and forget that it does corrode or get more lax on cleaning thinking that it's much tougher.

Is Rumber flooring available in the UK? I think it's more of a US thing, but that's another interesting material that isn't straight wood or metal.

Whatever you do get, care for it. I don't leave bedding sitting in the trailer, regularly inspect, treat my wood, and don't let moisture sit between mats and the floor.

I've also seen a sort of rubber flooring over wood before too. That's what my friend got when her wood floor had to be replaced. To be fair the trailer was 20+ years old and she never replaced the wood before (owned it for 15 some odd years). It sort of sealed the wood between two layers though, so makes it harder to inspect.

I know some people are diehard anti-wood, but really, it's fine flooring if you use the right wood, treat it, and inspect regularly (as you should with any floor).

I once bought a wood floor trailer that used the right wood and the previous owner treated it every 2 years with some sort of sealant. The trailer also didn't really leak (was in it after a few rainstorms) and sat over hardtop. So I think it was maintained and stored decently, which helped.

 

[NeverSurrender]

We replaced the floor on my old Bahill trailer with 21mm buffalo board - as above, make sure you seal all the edges etc. I always stored mats over the partition and didn't leave bedding, hay, dung etc. In to make sure the floor dried properly and got lots of air.

Lasted a good 5 years with me and was still going strong when I sold it.

 

[PeterNatt]

As regards Aluminium floor you will need a membrane between the aluminium and the metal frame as otherwise corrosion willl occur and weaken the aluminium and the metal frame.

 

[Merry neddy man]

Use hard rubber spacers between the alluminium and steel.

 

[Birker2020]

Use hard rubber spacers between the alluminium and steel.

That's what my project manager has literally just said to me. Not about rubber spacers but to have a layer between the two.

 

[Birker2020]

We replaced the floor on my old Bahill trailer with 21mm buffalo board - as above, make sure you seal all the edges etc. I always stored mats over the partition and didn't leave bedding, hay, dung etc. In to make sure the floor dried properly and got lots of air.

Lasted a good 5 years with me and was still going strong when I sold it.

So that's 0.8 of an inch. Partner said 1" would be better but to keep weight down we could probably get away with 3/4 " so either sounds about right.