The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts flatbed wood

I'm ready to finish Emily's bed but need suggestions on what wood to use. Emily will be an indoors truck, maybe occasionally staying out all night.

My choices are white oak, which would be fresh cut, not dried, or yellow pine. Either would get a couple coats of black implement paint. (If I gouge it, I won't cry, I'll just slop on more paint).

The advantage of the oak would be durability, but I'm concerned with it drying and shrinking over time opening up large joints. The estimate from the local mill for kiln dried white oak was $1,800! Rule out kiln dried white oak!

The advantage of the yellow pine is that it would be kiln dried.

Price of each is about the same, $120-150 for the 12 x 8 bed.

Would the pine hold up fair considering it will seldom be wet?

Thanks,
Scott

And I think you need to check for better prices on white oak.

Actually air dried may be preferred over kiln dried for a truck bed. Kiln dried can sometimes be a little brittle and if it does take on moisture it can move more than air dried.

You can buy the green white oak boards and in a year or so they'll be dry, faster if you store them inside in the AC and keep a small fan on them.

Really either will work, but I prefer oak and will use it for my flat bed.

Grigg

Good quality yellow pine is very weather resistant. The main issue with yellow pine is the darker part is very hard and the lighter part is very soft, causing uneven wear. If that price is for 2" oak it sounds fine to me. Don't let the oak dry too quickly or it will crack. That kiln drying cost is ridiculous.

That sawmill was just trying to run you off. It don't cost $1600 to kiln dry That much wood. If your not going to use the truck to haul heavy junk, with dropping it from a front in loader, the pine will be fine to use. Just be sure to pick your boards, and don't get them with resin coming out of them, they won't take paint.

Treated ship lap yellow pine in 2x6 dimension is an ideal lumber for useas a truck body floor. I've used it in 90% of the bodies I've built and or sold over the last 40+ years in the business. Far too many of them to count and they hold up fine if properly installed and cared for.

In another thread it was asked if KampCo is a good supplier. Of course they are or I would not have originally recommended them. Lots of personal experience with the owner. Most of the rails are made for 1.5" dimension material so forget about using 2" mill run oak. Typically they do not sell to individuals so don't expect wholesale prices.

We used Southern yellow pine on flatbed trailer floors as far back as I can remember, and that goes back to the 50's. We moped on linseed oil on a hot day as a preservative. I was always told to leave the bottom side natural to let any moisture out the bottom. Floors lasted many years being parked outside. I don't care for oak because it splits so bad. A couple of years ago I put Brazilian Ironwood on an 18' bumper hitch trailer and it looks like it did the day I installed it.

who does kampco sell to they wont return my email asking for prices. philip

What ever you use, you want it to be dry. You'll also want to finish both sides, and the ends for sure. That will help with warping, and it will look nice while you are under the truck greasing it!

Followup:

The $1800 was from a lumber yard for 2x10s in white oak, kiln dried. Kiln drying white oak takes much longer than other species to keep it from internal checking. 1x material was much cheaper. The local sawmill doesn't have a kiln and just sells green lumber, in fact, when asked if it was a stock item, they said they'd cut it when the order was placed.

Should I space the yellow pine solid or leave a small gap between the boards? Tight against each other would look the best, but I'm not sure if that would be the best approach.

Thanks for all the replies.

Scott

Philip - as I mentioned they are not a retail outlet but are in the business of metal stamping/forming. Call them on the phone. They may have a block on unsolitited e-mails, I know I do.

Never use oak for any structural or bed wood that will be exposed to the weather. Oak reacts to moisture and will warp.

All wood reacts with moisture and warps.
The dimensional change coefficient of white oak is .00365 as compared to.00265 for southern yellow pine, which means oak will warp ~ 30% more than pine. However white oak is still entirely suitable for outdoor use. In Wisconsin we use it for truck and trailer decks, truck side boards, horse fencing, barn beams, landscaping, and packaging, and it works fine.

I thought all the commercial flat decks were oak. My brother in law had a mill near his house in KY that made oak for the trailer making business if I remember correctly.

Many new trailers and flat beds use tropical hard woods of different species/names, such as Apitong, IPÊ, and purpleheart. I've seen all of the above and they look nice and very durable.

Around here quarter swan white oak is still be my first choice, but if I wanted to spend some money apitong would be great.

If you use green wood put it down with no space, when it dries you'll have a space.
If you use dry wood you should leave a space so it doesn't swell up enough to bind and buckle the floor.

Grigg