Re: Horse trailer flooring
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 8/7/00 7:05:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << The moral of the story is to do a through check of the whole trailer. Don't forget to check the all the tires, especially the spare tire, for dry rot (cracks on the outside of the tire.) Have a safe trip!! >> A very succinct post. Lots of good advice. Well, I pulled up my mats and found just the slightest bit of dry rotugh tomorrow morning she goes in for new flooring. And found a tiny bit of rust on the inside by where the mats go. The trailer repair person will be replacing boards, fixing the small rust hole and putting in cross beams. While the floor is out I'll make certain that the metal supports are in good shape. Also tires, etc. I'm so very glad for this subject heading coming up. It was on my list of things to do, to check the flooring, but now I have an even better checklist. Pamela
Re: Horse trailer flooring
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Ann Restad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > we need to replace the floor of the horse trailer. Oak is really > spendy here. What do you all recommend, and has anyone ever used > the synthetic deck "boards" this way? In California, the standard for trailer floors was pressure-treated Douglas fir boards---Doug.fir for strength, PT for rot-resistance. Oak was sufficiently expensive that it was used for interior trim boards, only! We looked into using the synthetic boards for a deck. They have firm limits on the spans that are permitted, which says to me that they'd probably snap easily under sudden heavy loads (e.g. horse standing on hind legs while scrambling in a trailer). I don't think I'd use them in a trailer. Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 15 mi SW of Roseburg, Oregon
Re: Horse trailer flooring
This message is from: Curtis Pierce <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Pamela wrote: "It has been on my list to pull up our trailer mats and get a screwdriver out and test the boards for rot. Is there anything in particular I should do in addition?" Pulling your trailer mats up and checking the boards with a screw driver is an excellent start. Check carefully near the ends of the boards and any dark areas that are urine soaked. Also check under the trailer. Don't forget the check the metal supports for rust holes or cracks. When we only use the trailer about three or four times a year, we used to take the mats up after every trip to dry the mats and the boards. Now we do it about every month. If you have to replace a board, use pressure treated wood. You can also use marine treated wood, but it is even more expensive. A couple of years ago, these people were bringing two horses to 4-H horse camp in an old trailer. They had checked the floor in the trailer before the trip of ten miles. About one mile from the camp, the trailer broke where the tongue attaches to the trailer. The trailer flipped off the road at a curve and stopped upside down next to a fence. The horses were only scratched-up, but could have been killed. The trailer had a lot of rust and several weld points were cracked. The moral of the story is to do a through check of the whole trailer. Don't forget to check the all the tires, especially the spare tire, for dry rot (cracks on the outside of the tire.) Have a safe trip!! Curt Pierce Bristow VA
Re: Horse trailer flooring
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 8/6/00 4:59:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << A fellow here was transporting his stallion to a breeding and felt some rocking in the back. He kept going and when he arrived he found his stallion balancing on the side rails with no flooring under him. Not a scratch. I am going to ask about oak availability here. >> Wow! Talk about good luck! And a smart horse! That must have just about made his heart fly out of his chest to see that! I also wonder why they don't make more solid flooring to go under the wood. Maybe rust? I don't know. But they COULD go (from bottom up) aluminum with steel bars, rubber mat, wood, rubber mat. Lots of padding I know, but it seems to me it would offer complete protection. Pamela
Re: Horse trailer flooring
This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Pam, my trailer's boards have been there for fourteen years. It is stored in a garage and I just had it thoroughly checked where they said the boards were sound. My big horse weighs at least 1800 and I still worry about him. I have often wondered why they do not use aluminum over steel cross bars with rubber mats over it all. I bought especially thick mats hoping that if a board did let go the mats would prevent a leg from going through. A fellow here was transporting his stallion to a breeding and felt some rocking in the back. He kept going and when he arrived he found his stallion balancing on the side rails with no flooring under him. Not a scratch. I am going to ask about oak availability here. Jean Gayle Aberdeen, WA [Authoress of "The Colonel's Daughter" Occupied Germany 1946 TO 1949 ] http://www.techline.com/~jgayle Barnes & Noble Book Stores
Re: Horse trailer flooring
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 8/6/00 12:48:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << I know of all too many cases where a horse or cow has put a foot thru the floor of the trailer. Of course they always wait to do it until they are headed down the highway. >> This is very timely advice. We're going to a clinic an hour and a half away in 2 weeks. It has been on my list to pull up our trailer mats and get a screwdriver out and test the boards for rot. Is there anything in particular I should do in addition? As a relative novice to trailering I sometimes get cold sweats worrying about what is happening back there. So far, I've had happy, healthy horses at the end of the trip. And I want to keep it that way! It was recommended by the previous owner of my trailer (a 1980 Miley in great shape) that I linseed oil the boards periodically. This would help the top I guess, but what about the bottom of the boards, where all the road wear is? Pamela
Re: Horse trailer flooring
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ann, This is one area that you definitely don't want to skimp on. I know of all too many cases where a horse or cow has put a foot thru the floor of the trailer. Of course they always wait to do it until they are headed down the highway. The owner doesn't realize it until they get to their destination and then they find the animal with nothing left but a bloody stump. Go with the best quality lumber that you have available and be sure to check the floor before going on a trip, especially if the trailer has sat for awhile. Steve White Waterloo, Nebraska
Re: Horse trailer flooring and therapeutic riding/ hippotherapy
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 8/5/00 8:53:43 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << Any advice on getting this started would be appreciated. We have started hippotherapy with our little boy with Down syndrome, and hope this will help him walk. >> Here's NARHA's website. Hope it will get you on the road. http://www.narha.org/index.html I cannot say enough good about hippotherapy. Raymond could not climb stairs. He'd either lean too far forward, too far back. His very first riding lesson (therapeutic, of course) had enormous benefits. The very next day I was with him at his speech therapists. We were talking and Raymond headed for the stairs. I told her not to worry, he couldn't climb them. He proved me wrong! He sailed up the stairs!!! Of course, riding helps with his self esteem and general sense of happiness. Good luck in pursuing this. You've got the right type of horse for this! If you, or anyone else wants to see how well fjords do for handicapped, please email me, and I'll send you a picture taken several weeks ago. Of an extremely happy boy and his beautiful, sweet gentle horse. Pamela
Re: Horse trailer flooring and therapeutic riding/ hippotherapy
This message is from: "Mike May, Registrar NFHR" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> At 05:42 PM 8/5/00 -0500, you wrote: This message is from: Mark and Ann Restad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> hello, list! I havn't written for about 16 mo, about the time my baby was born : ) Two questions: we need to replace the floor of the horse trailer. Oak is really spendy here. What do you all recommend, and has anyone ever used the synthetic deck "boards" this way? I don't think I would try the "plastic" type of deck material for horse trailer flooring. At least the stuff we can get around here just doesn't have the structural strength needed for a horse to stand on. I think you will find oak is still the best bet. See if you can find a local saw mill someplace nearby. It doesn't have to be the real good finish and all, the rough sawn stuff is fine. 1stUp.com - Free the Web Get your free Internet access at http://www.1stUp.com
Horse trailer flooring and therapeutic riding/ hippotherapy
This message is from: Mark and Ann Restad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> hello, list! I havn't written for about 16 mo, about the time my baby was born : ) Two questions: we need to replace the floor of the horse trailer. Oak is really spendy here. What do you all recommend, and has anyone ever used the synthetic deck "boards" this way? Also, it looks like I am going to be involved in therapeutic riding in our little town. Any advice on getting this started would be appreciated. We have started hippotherapy with our little boy with Down syndrome, and hope this will help him walk. He does say "Up" and "-ide" when we take him into the barn! Thanks, all Ann Restad Homer, Alaska
