Flatbed wood suggestions

[Castiron9]

Looking for suggestions on what kind of wood to use on the dually..Getting close to putting in the new boards..any ideas...........Thanks

[longhorn71]

i have heard of people using the plastic deck "wood".It lasts way longer

[farmaller]

If its only gonna haul light stuff or for show use the plastic deck stuff or treated lumber like I did on one of my trucks, if your gonna do any kind of real hauling go with oak.

[Huck]

Big rig trailers and semi's use WHITE OAK on their flat floors. Red oak will rot fairly quick but white oak lasts a long time especially if you treat the surface with some kind of sealer. There are web sites that sell any type of wood, sizes, etc. Try doing a search under hardwoods. Also might try any local "hardwood flooring" factories as they might cut you a deal on some before they do the trimming, cutting, etc. Would go for as thick as you can get. Be aware however---I replaced some "treated wood" that had sheet steel topping it--. The "treated wood" was rotted out as the sheet steel trapped moisture--the sheet steel weighed a ton so I removed it and scrapped it. Bought enough 2x10 White oak timbers 16' long and attempted to put them in the back of my truck---ops---dam near blew out the tires! They can be HEAVY! (:>) Huck

[64fleetside]

hard pine. Brian

[724wdcopper]

my dad did his 73 shop truck with locust. really hard, looks good, lasts forever. ever pull a locust fence post? no rot.

[shifty]

Hard pine is what would originally went in them, IIRC.

Isn't Cedar resistant to weathering, solid, resistant to termites and other pests? It's expensive as hell, but ...

Don't buy the wod kits from a store. But your own wood planks and miter the edges so they fit.

[Chris H]

Here is a synthetic rubber blend that would be a fairly permanent solution.
www.rumber.com

Seems like a member with a red short stepside used this product, or something like it. It looked fantastic!

[stickshift_or_walk]

FYI, my local trailer shop uses the "synthetic lumber" product quite a bit, and recommends tighter spacing on the crossmembers if you're planning to load it like a wooden bed. It is not as stiff.

That's a big concern with horse & cattle trailers due to the PSI from their hooves. May not be needed on your truck, depending on your use.

But Chris H is right, once you've done it, it is just about permanent.

SSOW

[FRENCHBLUE72]

If its gonna be a work truck then white oak is the way to go.. If your gonna build show style truck then a birch or birds eye maple would look b!tchin.

[Sweet72]

I'm all about using the white oak, i'd use rough-sawn, true 2" thick lumber. Make sure you put the grain right so when the boards dry and "cup" they shed water.

[Castiron9]

Here is a few pictures of a little more progress made today.............Went ahead and took bed off " Had to get a little creative there"..Made cleaning easier,still have more to do......Doing more work than I had originally thought of doing..but I figure I've come this far might as well do a decent job.. ..In the long run I think it will be worth it.Need to think about painting frame soon......Need ideas about that too..Any suggestions..................No show truck here just a good work truck...........

[shifty]

suggestions for the frame on a work truck? Pressure wash the hell out of it to get it spotness (no buildup, gunk or debris, dirt clods), then go out and buy some cans of Eastwood "Rust Encapsulator" ( www.eastwoodco.com ). It will convert any existing rust and seal the metal to prevent future rust. This stuff is 10,000 times better than POR-15 for body work - sprays on smooth every time and you don't need to prime the metal. Lasts longer and doesn't allow rust from an unpainted area invade into an area you've already painted.

Be sure the frame is nice and dry before you spray it.