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Floor board treatments
Got the brakes working and am now ready to replace theFloor boards on the horse trailer. I plan on using 2x8 Doug Fir. Any suggestions as to what I could treat these with that wouldn't be harmful to the horses and still help resist rot?
Thanks
German
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Floor board treatments
If you can get it, Red Oak is a much better choice. It is stronger and stands up better.
As for treatment, saturate them in Thompson's water Seal or similar, it's just basically parafin wax in solution, no nasty chemicals.
The most important thing you can do to extend the life of the floor is the maintenance, keep it clean, lift out or stand up the mats whenever possible to let it breathe and dry. Also, park the trailer on a hard dry surface, gravel, asphalt or concrete not grass that will hold moisture near the wood.
Best of luck.
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Floor board treatments
I am not an experienced horse person but it sure would seem to be more cost effective and cheaper to go with a good pressure treated lumber coated with some type of skid resistant paint or coating if the chemicals in the boards are an issue for the horses. The pressure treated lumber will last so much longer.
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Floor board treatments
Treated lumber is saturated with an arsenic. Probably not the best choice for use around livestock.
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Floor board treatments
Hemlock has been used for Barn floors around here for many many yrs. Last along time and the barn animals take care of the treatment
David
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Floor board treatments
Most treated lumber is now treated with a copper compound which is safer than the old arsenic compounds. Whether it is safe for animals should be well known.
Dave
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Floor board treatments
DSG has the answer, eastern hemlock is very strong, it's used for barn beams to decking on constuction trailers. It is also very resistant to salt and is used on docks around the ocean. Believe it or not,when used as a fence post,it will out last a cedar. Pressure treated has been changed, no more arsnic, but if a lumber yard still has it in stock they can sell it. I got some the other day, got 4 splinters in one hand and the next day I couldn't use it. Had to cut them out. Most important, Hemlock is alot less.
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Floor board treatments
There is no doubt that Hemlock is a good, strong, durable wood.
The problem with using it for an application like floor decking in a horse trailer is it's not strong enough. Unlike the floor of a transport trailer where the loads are spread over a larger area, a horse puts all of their wait on four small areas, their hoofs.
Even a small horse weighs about 1,000 pounds, and it stands on 4 relatively small hoofs, the span between frame rails is fairly wide and both the 2 front and 2 rear hoofs end up on the same span. This is doubled when you load 2 horses. A pair of good sized horses can exert 1,500 pounds on two smallish areas of flooring.
For that kind of load you need something pretty substantial underneath or you will end up with 'Flinstone brakes' on that trailer.
Best of luck.
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Floor board treatments
Eastern Hemlocks compression strength on parrallel grain is 5410 pounds per square inch, on Douglas Fir it is 6900 lbs per square inch. The shear strength , what it would take to shear it off if laid across another square edged object is 1400 pounds per square inch on Douglas fir. So a horse would have to stand all fours on a thimble on a 1 inch wide piece to shear it off and would never compress it to failure. It looks like Western Hemlock is even stronger all around then Fir, if that matters. Since you are in the west either would be fine, which one is more rot resistant? We use quarter sawn douglas fir for decks in the east. But to answer your question, Benjamin Moore Exterior Wood 088 penetrating finish and sealer.
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Arcenic is no longer used in pressure treated wood. Or at least it is not supposed to be. Lowe's and Home Depot both sell the product.
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