Replacing The Floor Of Horse Trailers
You will agree to the fact that horse trailers do not last for eternity, that means that you will have to replace them when it time. Replacing the floor of horse trailers would ensure that they do not rot. Replacing the floors is an important task that must be accomplished, this is to ensure that your animals do not come crashing. While replacing the floor of horse trailers, there are certain factors that you might just have to consider. They are;
- Durability; ensure that the material to be used is durable. This means that the wood to be used should be strong enough to stand the test of time.
- Transfer of heat; during summer, the inside of your trailer could turn to an oven. Ensure that the flooring material you choose does not contribute to this.
- Vibration and noise transfer; noise would add to the stress level of your animals while vibration would cause fatigue. These are the reasons why you should choose a flooring material that is capable of dampening the vibration and noise from the road.
- You have to also consider the maintenance cost as well as the time that is spent.
- Finally, the cost of the flooring material is another factor that must be considered. If you can, endeavor to get a flooring material that can offer the necessary features at an affordable price.
Replacing Horse Trailers
Step 1: Prep The Trailer
This means carefully examining the metals in which the wood is attached to for rusts.
- If the trailer floors are rusted, it becomes more difficult for you to remove nails that were used to lock the woods down.
- To remove the nails, you have to turn them around. This is important because if these rusts are not dealt with, it would become difficult to replace the floors.
- An important part you have to check is the steel where the woods meet. You have to carefully check for any sign of rusts. If there are any signs of rust, you have to clean them, how?
- To ensure that the rusts from the metals are cleaned, you have to make use of these tools;
- Descaler
- Airbrush
- Airflow tube
- Headphones or ear cover
- Light mask or nose mask.
- A fan that would be placed near you
How to use these tools:
Generally, there are two types of descalers. You have to use the bigger one which comes with twelve nails. Basically, these descalers are like little hammers that you would use to break down all the rust scales.
To begin cleaning, you connect the airflow tube to the descaler. This could make a lot of noise, so it is imperative that you use headphones or ear covers so as not to damage your hearing. Once connected, you use the descaler to clear all rust scales across all parameters of the trailer.
As a preventive measure, ensure that a fan is placed near you. This will help push the rusted air out, you could also use masks to ensure that you do not breathe in this air. It could be detrimental to your health.
What to do when the metal has deteriorated
You have to remember that these tools are used only when the rust is not very bad. If the rust has deteriorated the metal way beyond repair, it is advised that you replace the metals.
If the rusts on the metal are worse than expected, you can weld new pieces into them. While doing this, ensure that you have properly cleaned all scraps. You can weld new metals that are smaller or identical to the rusting metal. This will allow you to make use of it for a long time.
Look for replacement steel that is at least as strong and at least as heavy as what you cut out. Do not go thinner. It is advised that you contact a good company or expert because if the metal used is not strong enough to hold the woods, your animals would come crashing, some could get injured or worse die in the process.
Step 2: Choose The Flooring Material
As mentioned earlier, the flooring material you choose would determine if the trailer would last or not. So while choosing a material, take to heart those factors that were mentioned at the beginning of this article.
It is advised that you make use of pressure treated lumber woods. Why? These woods reduce heat transfer, level of vibration as well as noise. They are also durable and could last you for a long time, although that is if they are properly maintained. Most importantly, it is quite cheap compared to other flooring options.
With this flooring material, you have to properly take care of it as it is quite difficult to clean.
Step 3: Painting The Trailer
After properly prepping the trailer and doing away with the rusts, you have to paint the metal right before placing the woods you have chosen.
You have to paint the trailer with rust inhibition paints. This is done to prevent or reduce the rate at which the metal rusts. It is a very important aspect and must not be overlooked for any reason.
After painting with rust inhibitions, you leave to dry then you paint with the regular paints. While choosing paints, choose one that does not cause heat or one that could make the animals uncomfortable.
Step 4: Placing and Watering The Wood
Before screwing the floorboards to the trailer, shim them together
Endeavor to keep even spaces between the boards. To do this perfectly, you could make use of door shims or point stir sticks.
After the shims have been placed properly on the floorboards, you have to properly wet the floorboards and leave them for about 24 hours. This is done to ensure that they swell and conform.
As these woods begin to dry after you have watered them, the shims would come out easily. Once they come out, your trailer is ready to use. You could decide to paint the floorboards as well.
Rotten floor or rust in the frame?
Floor work is only worth doing once the steel under it is sound. Bring it by either lot and our service team will look it over and tell you straight what it needs. Book a horse trailer service appointment.
About the Author
