Which replacement floor - pros and cons help needed

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Beatrice5

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So I have only gone and done it ;D

We now own a Richardson trailer......The floor was supposed to be sound apart from one plank.... Indeed it looked okay so I decided to test it and lead pony into the trailer.....well the floor flexed when he walked over it so I walked him out calmly and vowed not to do that again......

So I am going to replace the entire floor for my peace of mind and while we are at it I can repaint and treat any thing that needs doing....

BUT which floor do we go with ?

Aluminium planking ? Have heard it's lightweight but also that horses don't like it as it flexes ? Would an older style trailer (1998) need extra floor supports for such a floor ?

Ply ? which type again I have read marine ply rots easily so what are the alternatives? Thickness required etc. Local trailer man only does alluminium and wouldn't quote me for a wooden floor....

Currently it is ply then planks width ways.....Does anyone till do this type of floor and what size and type of plan is used ?

Finally what are plastic floors and who fits them and the pro's and cons and costs involved ?

Many thanks for taking the time to read this and for giving me a better idea of what I need to do and cost implications also helpful.
 
I'd go for for aluminium. It's lighter than wood and you won't have the risk of rotting. I have an old bahill with a wooden floor which needs replaced, however nothing to tow with just now so thinking of selling :( I got quoted about £300 for the floor . I enquirer about ply too but the man said its pointless, no one fits it anymore.

Not too sure on plastic , I've only heard bad things about it.
 
I have a ply floor in mine with a rubber coating. I've been very pleased with it. It is now fairly old and although it is still sound and checked regularly I am thinking about changing it next spring. I was intending to have it replaced with aluminium with a rubber coating as I thought it would be a better long term option, particularly now I live somewhere wet.

There are a few people advertising trailer servicing and floors in this area, can you search for someone like that? Never heard of plastic floors, would be interested to see more information about those.

I was intending to take mine to our local agricultural engineer to get the floor changed. One of the reasons I was thinking of aluminium as I doubt they would do it in wood.

If the aluminium floor has excess flex I would have thought it would be fairly straight forward to add additional bracing.

Whatever you choose as long as you look after it, maintain it and check it before use you should be fine.
 
i got an old trailer which had the same sounding floor like yours, ancient! and damp and certainly rotten. luckily i have a friend who has lots of tools and he helped me rip out the whole floor. luckily the metal bars underneath that support it were all sound, i removed excess rust with wire wool and then coated in hammerite paint.
i bought marine plywood from a builders merchant, it is very strong and has a 15 year guarantee. treated to not rot, unlike other wood. was pricey £200, as i went for the thickest sheet they did (think 25mm) as because of the size and shape i had to get 3 sheets, so had some excess. we did a template and measured the size, then had to cut out the right size pieces- 2 rectangles, and another piece the right shape for the front. then bolted them in place and covered with rubber matting.
was a lot of work, but thankfully with my friends help did it on the cheap as no labor costs.

i do keep my trailer in a barn so it keeps dry,
 
I've just had the floor in my Wessex Olympian replaced with a plastic planks flooring. It was done by Peper Harrow and cost about £600 fitted. I'm really pleased with it and regularly have a 16.3 ID and another horse in it. I have rubber mats over the top but had those over the top of the wooden floor.
It lasts a lot longer than a ply floor and drains if water gets inside as it is planks.
 
Thank you guys - that was helpful..... the alluminium quote was £500 but I have heard people say that an alloy floor can rot too and then do I use thick stable matting on top cut to size or uy a one peice trailer mat ? which is safer ?
 
My OH who is a trailer man would go plastic then aluminium and a single trailer mat ..

Note Mat needs fastening to the floor and rmember it will need drain hole - back corners best on your make
 
Hello TommisMum can you explain what you mean by plastic ?

I like the thought of a rot proof floor but also want the horses to be as comfortable and travel as well as possible and if an alloy floor is bouncy I cannot see them being too happy.

Would you be able to give me an idea of what OH would charge for such a floor. My Richardson is a few cm's smaller than a 505.
 
Richardson, Bateson and Cheval have all had plastic flooring in some of their trailers. So you could possibly contact your nearest Bateson dealer.
As to aluminium being bouncy it is the preferred material for most manufacturers.
As to being smaller than the 505 the Richardsons are 5'6" or 6' wide rather 5'5" which is the IFW 505... the 510 being 5' 10".
To replace with an alloy floor is parts circa 360 plus labour so 500 isn't unreasonable.
 
The issue with aluminium floors is that aluminium reacts with steel. A result of the galvanic action caused by the aluminium being in contact with the steel and the horses urine acting as an electrolyte. The Steel supporting structures need to be separated from the aluminium by an insulator that will not degrade.
You are therefore better off with a wooden floor and removable rubber matting so that you can check for any rotting. Also remember to get the ramp refurbished at the same time.
 
I'm having my lorry floor done at the mo. 18mm external ply on the bottom and marine on top, covered with rubber matting. My fitter says aluminium will flex and yes I'd have to put wood between it and the crossbars or it will corrode on contact. He did say something else that made a lot of sence to me, wood muffles noise, metal increases it.
 
My gut feeling is that I would prefer wood for the above reasons - you can check it easily, It is quiet, It wont conduct heat from the road, and it is a more stable ride for the horses who I am sure be apprehensive travellers because they are new to it.

BUT marine ply seems to get a bad press so what is the no rot ply that won't react and degrade when in contact with urine ?? This is what I would like to find out about and use.

Many thnaks for all your help.
 
we have recently just refurbed our trusty rice. We inadvertently rang mr Richard grice himself and he talked us through the design and what to use. Rice are designed to have tongue and groove long ways at the bottom, then ply short ways on top. However as the ply they made them with isnt available anymore he and several other horse box restorers recommended just using keruing which is used in freight lorry floors. We got 32mm altho 22mm is more than sufficient - i was paranoid and have it running long ways tongue and groove plus matting on top. It is bloody good stuff and have several professionals looking at it and saying it will outlast our trailer! Cost about £200. Aluminium reacts with steel and having seen the corrosion from a 2 year old floor it terrified me.
 
Interesting views on Marine ply. My dads a builder and trained marine carpenter and would only ever use marine ply. It shouldn't rot as its designed to be getting wet! I know many people who have replaced their trailer floors with marine ply as it lasts a very long time, and is easy and cheaper to replace.
Good fact about the aluminium reacting with the steel though, i never knew that! :)
 
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