How-to: Car Hauling Trailer Gets a Refresh with Blackwood Rubber Infused Lumber Decking…
Our mid-1990s car hauling trailer needed attention. Wooden trailers decking has a lifespan, and our trailer’s deck was done. In this how-to video coverage, we strip, paint and completely restore the Parker Performance trailer with Blackwood Lumber’s Rubber Infused Lumber decking.
Like our 4×4 trucks and SUVs, mileage adds up. We bought the Parker Performance Trailer in the mid-1990s and put it to work. Hauling the Jeep® XJ Cherokee to Moab, the Land Cruiser FJ40 to the SEMA Show, moving vintage vehicles and our 4×4 compact diesel tractor, even our household, there was no end to the chores. With its wooden deck and our high desert environment, the time finally came to restore the deck and refinish this trailer.
We debated whether to re-deck the trailer with metal diamond plate. The added weight would cut into the net weight of the trailer and limit the weight on board. This trailer has two Dexter 3,500 pound rated axles. They have carried a 1951 Packard and a 1957 Chrysler convertible with its 392 iron hemi V-8. The Jeep® XJ Cherokee and vintage CJ-5 were light loads by comparison. So was our John Deere 4310 4×4 diesel compact tractor with a scraper box and skip loader. The heavier loads are behind us. A better wood deck will easily meet our needs.
After considerable research, we found the optimal solution in Blackwood Lumber’s Rubber Infused Lumber decking. Used by ranchers, farmers, contractors and utility companies, the product provides a durable, high traction surface with high grade lumber as its base. This is the best of both worlds: lighter weight than a metal deck with stamina way beyond the typical wooden trailer decking.
A wooden deck has always been the wild card on open deck trailers. While the frame, axles and suspension often last well over 100,000 miles, the wood deck always falls short of that mark. The introduction of Blackwood Lumber’s Rubber Infused Lumber now makes it possible to get maximum traction plus a long life deck.
