Thoughts on this trailer (project)?

So this trailer is at my shop and the owner has no real use for it, 8'2"×16', new 5200 lb axles, only one axle has brakes. It needs decking of some sort and it will be a firewood trailer.

What are your thoughts on decking?

 

PT 2 x whatever (6-12).

 

I love that style coupler on the tongue, mine has that same style and it works flawlessly for me even in ice cold winters.

 

Looks solid to me. One heck of a deal for you, even if you fix it up to sell.

 

Wood flooring would be my first choice. Metal flooring is slick as snot when wet. Does it have stake pockets? Cool boss.

 

Metal mesh floor will allow the crap to fall though. But you'd have to get heavy enough gauge steel to hold up. My 4x8 has the metal mesh, and it works grate.

 

The outer rail is set up for stake pockets.

 

I see what you did there

 

I would go with a wood floor. The trailer while intended for firewood is capable of hauling just about anything. A metal grate floor limits what can be loaded.
If you pick up logs they can't be dragged off a metal grate floor.

 

The cross members look a little chintzy. But beefy otherwise. Wouldn't be hard to ad extras while the decks off.

 

I don't see why you couldn't drag logs off a metal grate floor.

The only thing I can think of that you can't haul would be mulch/ gravel/ dirt. For that you just need to put a tarp down first.

 

I'm going to price C-purlins Monday.

 

I like the wood decks, I’d use 2x8 PT. My car hauler I use to tote my jeep around has a wood deck, not my first choice when I bought it new but glad I did. You could even screw cleats and such to it if needed down the road for whatever.....also easy to replace down the road, doesn’t require paint. The stake pockets will also come in very handy

 

Also not sure if you’re in the snow belt, but a good coating of fluid Film to her under carriage will go a long way to preservation of investment

 

Well as I was dismantling my old pool deck I wondered if I had enough Choice deck to use on this Trailer? I have 15 boards @ 17.5 ft so I'd have to come up with 2 more boards using the staircase pieces, it might just work..

 

That stuff is like spaghetti, may not be what you expect....you’ll find a lot of deflection in between attachment points. But of coarse you could place a board or two in place for testing. Anything more than 16” on center will likely not be satisfactory

 

That is true not very ridged.

 

I found a pile of 2x8" galvanized Cee purlins for $1 a ft on CL, I'd have to use two per board as there not 16 footers. Should I just pay for the steel ones?

 

Here's my thoughts, that trailer would be the right setup for hauling my tractor, I think you should sell it to me LOL. I've even got a nice 16' wood hauler I'll through in. Wood deck for sure, the expanded steel is hard to keep clean & you will puncture it at some point. Nice looking trailer BTW.