I still prefer the treated wood but if you do go with the expanded metal, you've got the right idea to run some support lengthwise directly under the wheels. All of the mesh deck trailers I've seen without this wind up bending wherever the ATV sits for a while and bounces around.

I think your costs will be about the same for wood vs metal. If you are more of a welder than a carpente, go with it.

Jaybee

 

Go with the wood. It's easier to replace 1 piece at a time than patch up rusted out weak spots. Also your right about the mud going right through it as you wash it off. But remember that cruzing at 70 mph down the highway. Rocks and road trash will fly right up through there at 70 mph and hit the underneath of your quads. With wood that want happen.

 

No, you need to go with something like 2x8's. You could have went with expanded metal but your crossmembers are too far apart, 2' centers would make it sag alot. The wood will not sag. You can load up 5,000 pound vehicles on 2x8's and it won't sag. This is a typical setup on utility trailers even with that same space between the crossmembers and you can load up pretty much anything. Even with 5,200 pound tractors often the crossmembers are still 16" apart even on top of the axle, often 18" elsewhere. As far as the wood adding strength like that one post said, I'm not too sure about that. Typically utility trailers are made so that the front and rear are sandwiched in and the middle of the boards are loose. You can screw them down if you want but it's a pain, but even then, it's not going to add strength to the trailer itself, your strength must come from the frame and crossmember construction. If you go with wood, which I recommend, you need to go with treated lumber. Water will collect around where the wood touches the metal, especially on the rear if you use a cap over the end, and untreated wood will rot within a couple of years if left out in the rain. The problem is that the typical construction requires that you whip out the grinder and cut off the end caps to replace the boards then weld it back on, so you might as well do them all at the same time insteaad of one at a time like that other post said. Anyway, I used to be a trailer dealer so if you have any more questions I'll try to help.

 

I suggested that it was easier to replace 1 piece of wood because each piece of my wood was bolten down by my dealer. I couldnt imagine that guy saying that he was a dealer and not bolting down his wood. Going down the highway without a load would be a nightmare. That wood would bounce around all over the place. And with wood being bolted down. It keeps the trailer from twisting.

 

If you can't imagine a dealer not having boards bolted down then you haven't seen many trailers. Boards are rarely bolted down. I know dozens of dealers whose trailers aren't bolted down, only the most expensive ones are bolted. Actually they're usually not even bolts. If you pay an extra $75 to $100 to have it "bolted" down, then that means that they go around and put one screw through each point where a board goes over a crossmember. If you know anything about construction, you'd know that one screw like this only creates a pivot point, so you're not keeping the trailer from leaning side to side, that comes from the frame strength. Also, wood is not going to keep it from twisting. If you build a long trailer with a weak frame, I don't care what kind of band-aid you put on top, it's going to twist, meaning that if you take a jack and jack up one corner, the opposite end may not flex much at all, or if you jump up on a corner, it feels like a trampoline. Now if you make a strong trailer with a good frame out of like 6" channel and put alot of crossmembers in there, THAT is what keeps it from twisting much. Also, surprisingly, no the wood doesn't bounce if you don't bolt it in. You've probably only had one that was bolted and assumed the worse if it was otherwise, when in reality you just paid too much because your dealer overcharged you for your bolts. Most are just sandwiched in there tight, they don't go anywhere. A good trailer with good suspension and a tight fitting deck is not going to have bouncing wood. The only problem that ever comes up if you don't bolt/screw the boards down is that some of the trailer manufacturers that pay some high school punks very little to throw some boards on a trailer sometimes provide trailers that have wood that's a little warped, the guys working with the wood will pick up a piece that's already warped and throw it on the trailer with the bow pointing upwards, so the middle of it never touches the crossmembers, and those will bounce a little if they don't have a load. However, if you put in flat boards that aren't warped, or even if they are warped put the bow pointing down, then this is rarely if ever a problem, basically the sun will dry out the boards on top, so the boards will want to warp a little by pushing down in the middle, the outsides will want to come up, but they are sandwiched down, so the boards stay flat and tight. So yeah, usually bolting/screwing down the boards is just a waste and it doesn't help anything other than being a total PITA if you try to replace one.

 

corndog. Dont drink and post at the same time.

 

Actually drinking is what makes me think better. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

As for the bolts, if you guys feel like doing that, have at it, it's not going to hurt anything and it will keep things a little tighter, it just won't make a huge significant difference. I'm not saying it's bad, just that alot of people think too highly of it. The only bad part is that yeah it's a pain taking out. Most places refuse to bolt it down unless it's treated lumber. Also remember that since they got rid of the arsenic based treated lumber that this new type is really eating into bolts and screws, they will rust out and rot MUCH faster than with the old style of treated lumber. Combine that with the abusive nature of a trailer deck, and normal screws just aren't going to last long. You're supposed to use stainless steel on the new lumber if at all possible but most people don't. Even galvanized screws and bolts are getting eaten up.

 

LOL cornwhiskey

 

I vote for treated 2x6's. Keep in mind when you mount them on your trailer - treated lumber is still pretty 'wet'. The 2x6's will shrink in width a little. However, if you leave gaps in the deck anyway, (for drainage) the gaps will just get a little wider. No big deal.

 

I think in the long run you will regret if you choose either of the metals. Treated 2x8's are probably your best bet and bolting them down will add some strength.