Trailer Flooring

Leo Walker

Leo Walker

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I'm just starting to think about the replacement flooring for the trailer.

Buffalo board (phenolic resin coated ply) seems to be the best thing, but I cant seem to find it wide enough. The main body of the trailer is 165 x 215, and the sheets I can find are 240 x 122. I have 6 supporting frames going width ways across the floor but nothing going length ways so I dont want to have a join in the middle with nothing to support it.

It originally had planks length ways from what I can work out. I can source some floorboards to put down length ways. I can get hardwood from the reclamation yard or new softwood ones. I can seal these so they are waterproof, but not sure I like the idea of floorboards!

Can I use these then put thinner Buffalo board sheets or something else on top?

I dont want a metal floor, so thats out. Any other safe suggestions?
 
Leo Walker said:
I'm just starting to think about the replacement flooring for the trailer.

Buffalo board (phenolic resin coated ply) seems to be the best thing, but I cant seem to find it wide enough. The main body of the trailer is 165 x 215, and the sheets I can find are 240 x 122. I have 6 supporting frames going width ways across the floor but nothing going length ways so I dont want to have a join in the middle with nothing to support it.

It originally had planks length ways from what I can work out. I can source some floorboards to put down length ways. I can get hardwood from the reclamation yard or new softwood ones. I can seal these so they are waterproof, but not sure I like the idea of floorboards!

Can I use these then put thinner Buffalo board sheets or something else on top?

I dont want a metal floor, so thats out. Any other safe suggestions?
Click to expand...

You can get BBin 3m X1.65m sheets but you need to go off piste to find them . Travis perkins can get them sometimes however most go straight into manufacturers for construction . There are alternatives to BB anyhow.
 
popsdosh said:
You can get BBin 3m X1.65m sheets but you need to go off piste to find them . Travis perkins can get them sometimes however most go straight into manufacturers for construction . There are alternatives to BB anyhow.
Click to expand...

I've run round everywhere and I cant find any. I found some 3m x150 but thats still not big enough and the costs for delivery were astronomical pushing it to £300 a sheet nearly.

What are the alternatives? No one seems to be able to suggest any when I ask them. And googling just brings up loads of threads on marine ply and why not to use it.

9tails said:
Do your floor in sections across the trailer, not one board. So you will need two boards of 215 x 122.
Click to expand...

215 x 122 wouldnt do the floor to the battens. I dont want a join with nothing under it. So even if I had it cut to 165 x 110 that join would sit on nothing. Theres 3 cross battens 70cms apart, but I'm really not happy with having the floor done in 70cm sections like that.
 
The floor would be rigid, with buffalo board, especially the depth you require which I would suggest is 24mm, you will have no sagging. I would also have extra supports mounted under the floor as you're not doing like for like. You said there were 6 supporting frames but now there are 3?
 
Theres the 3 sections of the main frame, and 3 support frames, all width ways. The support frames are clearly not meant to have joins on them as they are thinner in depth and width. I dont want a floor made up of small pieces of wood when it differs so much from the original design.

Its obviously meant to have the flooring running length ways. I've found hardwood floorboards and green oak locally, so I'll look into those. I was interested to see what other people have used that isnt buffalo board. Theres just endless threads of people using marine ply and then threads telling people not to use marine ply :lol:
 
Keruing (or keruang), almost totally rot-proof hardwood used for lorry floors. Heavy but very tough.

18mm should be fine, or go up to 25mm.

Green oak a total no-no, it shifts shape!
 
Would any of the aluminium floor kits fit? Are the dimensions close enough to another manufacturer that you could fiddle them a bit? I know my trailer guy has replaced floors in Wessex trailers with IW aluminium kits as the dimensions are very similar.

ETA - sorry, just seen you don't want a metal floor, ignore me.
 
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Single floors were keruing planks fitted lengthways, and double floors had widthways planks fitted on top. The posher trailers like the Beaufort had double floors as standard, whereas I had to specify it as an optional extra on my Europa. My Eventer had a single floor.
 
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