What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I have an older trailer that needs some work. A couple of the
carpet covered bunks are rotted and need to be replaced.
I am interested in hearing what type of wood I should use.
Also what is a good carpet covering for them. Can I use
just any outdoor type carpet or do you need something
made for use on a trailer?

Thanks!!!

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I use treated lumber, with galvanized bolts to hold off rusting as long as possible. You can get marine carpet at most big box home supply stores. I bought mine at Home Depot, and I had them cut the carpet in 12 inch strips so I wouldn't have to do more than trim off a little excess after I wrapped the lumber and stapled it tight. And I recommend using stainless staples. A bit more in price but again, anything to keep rust from setting in.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I've never had any problem using pressure treated 2x4 or 2x6 wood.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I used pressure treated 2X4s and the cheapest patio carpet from one of the box stores. Seems to work OK.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I went to the local marine repair and bought bunk material in a roll. Simple and quick.

As far as the wood goes it was pressure treated. My bunks are a standard Home Depot length so no saw was used in this project . folded over the ends and secured with a staple gun. Self tapping lag bolts and done.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Want a good cry?

The airport where I work just tore down an old WWII hangar. Bulldozed it to the ground, and while I didn't see it, I assume they did the same to the hangar doors.

At one time I had worked in that hangar and the doors were sandwiched TEAK 2 x 6's.
Hundreds of them stacked face to face over a 120' opening.

Lovely little splinters now.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Are you sure none of it was salvaged?
Recycling lumber companies love that stuff.
That lumber could be worth ten of thousnads.
What a crime.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

TheWoodCrafter said:

Are you sure none of it was salvaged?
Recycling lumber companies love that stuff.
That lumber could be worth ten of thousnads.
What a crime.

Click to expand...

No, I'm not sure. As I said, I didn't see when the doors came down, but I also didn't see any sort of salvage operation or trucks loaded with lumber.

Just bulldozers and a wrecking crane.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Back to original question. I read where the composite Trex from Home Depot were used. So I stopped at Home Depot today where they said that it can be used for bunks and they sell 2" thick but special order. A 20' length is about $60. Using this material eliminates having to use carpet and having to replace the wood every 4-5 years and should last forever.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I've read where the pressure treated wood can warp a lot?

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Seon said:

Back to original question. I read where the composite Trex from Home Depot were used. So I stopped at Home Depot today where they said that it can be used for bunks and they sell 2" thick but special order. A 20' length is about $60. Using this material eliminates having to use carpet and having to replace the wood every 4-5 years and should last forever.

Click to expand...

I would be very careful about using Trex for bunks. It has very little structural strength, and has to be supported every 16" to even support foot traffic. We use it to make diver benches in several boats, and have found that if we space the supports any more than 16", even the weight of a diver sitting on a bench (with gear) will snap a 2x6 section of Trex.

The material is easy to work with, and is great for salt water (no rotting or rusting), but I can't imagine that it will support even a moderately heavy boat. Food for thought.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Boydski said:

I would be very careful about using Trex for bunks. ...even the weight of a diver sitting on a bench (with gear) will snap a 2x6 section of Trex.

The material is easy to work with, and is great for salt water (no rotting or rusting), but I can't imagine that it will support even a moderately heavy boat. Food for thought.

Click to expand...

But wouldn't a diver sitting on a bench have a single point being exerted oppose to a boat's hull which would spread the weight to a larger area?

Let's hear from anyone that's replace their bunks with Trex?

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Seon said:

But wouldn't a diver sitting on a bench have a single point being exerted oppose to a boat's hull which would spread the weight to a larger area?

Click to expand...

Hi Seon,

Actually, he was sitting on his butt, which was well padded and should have spread the load out. If you walk on a trex deck, even with 16" centers, you'll feel that the material bounces a lot more than a wood deck will.

I could be wrong, but I don't see how a 2x6 (or smaller) section of trex will support a 3000 lbs. boat when it won't support a 200 lbs. diver, even though the weight of the boat will be spread out over a larger area.

If the bunk was supported adequately with brackets (maybe every 12"), it would probably work, but I'm not going to try it.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Thanks for all the great replies. It's great to be able to
learn from the experience and wisdom of everyone here.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

$60 I would not even think about it. The structural intergraty is not id say 1/2 as strong as SYP. What type of wood are you buying to replace it every 4-5 years. Around here lowes sells good ole southern yellow pine (SYP) treated 2x4x8's for $2.49 and a 2x6 is only like a $1 or $1.25 more? Not sure about carpet but cant be that expensive if a roll is purchased. If worried about warps put another bracket inthe center of the 8 or 10 ft bunk it wont warp that much? Treated wood should last 20 years if not more at the least 15?

-nate

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

pressure treated with Teflon bunk sliders and skip the rugs ,they only keep moisture on the wood anyway.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I just slapped a fresh coat of paint on the untreated 2x4's on mine and stapled new I/O carpet on the bunks. I grabbed a 4 x 8 rug from Menards. the old carpet was crumbling, but the Bunks were in fine shape. Im sure Ill get another couple fo years out of these and it only cost me about $10

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I can't find Trex in a 2x6 on their website.
Trex deck boards are weak as stated but they are 5/4", not 2" which should be significatly stronger.

If your down south you could call up a local saw mill and see if the have any rough sawn cypress. Which would likely out last the trailer.
Use bunk carpet as it does not retain water like other carpets and water will leach the preservatives out of treated lumber.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

I have used several types of wood over the years, for short term, pressure treated works fine. When I say short term, I mean over the next 5 years or so.
I have also used plain fir 2x4's with marine or outdoor carpet. Both will warp and shrink a bit with age.
The best wood I've found is either a cedar, cypress or redwood. Cypress seems to have the best strength. It doesn't rot, its resistant to warping, and doesn't need a lot of care.
Most factory boat trailers sold with basic carpeted bunks use plain fir or pine, I've yet to unwrap a factory bunk and see pressure treated wood.

As far as covering them, you can use either stainless staples or stainless roofing nails. The nails hold up better and are less likely to need future attention.

One material that I've considered using is either nylon or what we used to call mock-up plastic, it's about the same material as is used for those white cutting boards or for gallon milk jugs. Its often used for test runs in machine shops to verify a machine program and to save material and tooling during set up.
It's super strong and has many of the properties of wood. It holds screws well, is super strong, and won't rot. But I'm not sure about UV protection. It seems to hold up fine as a cutting board on my boat for the past 10 years or so. It is heavier than wood by about double. It also would not need to be covered. It would work best on end rather than laying flat for strength but the same for wood in some cases.

Re: What type of wood to use for trailer bunks?

Well, I've got trex decking on my trailer. Only had the two center bunks when I loaded the boat onto the trailer off the ground ( tilt trailer ). They flex, but they are supporting the boat pretty well. I plan to add another set of brackets to the longer outboard bunks, but beyond that they've performed well. Without the cap on the boat, I can slide the boat back and forth on the trailer with one hand ( 17 foot trihull, check my links for pictures of the set up ).

One thing I will agree with though, it isn't strong for pinpoint pressure. I used the tabs at the end of the boat to get in and out of and snapped one off right along the line where the bolts went through it.