Replacing decking on 015 Doonan Stretch Step Extendable

Try Trailer decking.com their in Tenn.
I used the self tapping screws but they would not go through the crossmembers unless pre drilled.
I also found a multi tool with a new blade made it easy when piecing in boards.
A grinder with a metal cut off wheel makes quick work of the old screws.
A magnet to pick up old screws !!! Their hard on tires...
Mark your cross members with metal paint stick .......!!
The composite stuff was in new trailers that CF built
Two rows down each side of trailer worked ok to toe nail into but if something hit it wrong chunk would break off.
I have seen a few use Yellow pine treated lunber to save money and cut out area over junior beams so it would be flat on deck ( also a few just screwed it down and left it sticking up) Cracks and broken pieces does not hold up well.
One last thing.
I rolled on my used oil with a paint roller a few times on my step deck after a few years the wood became soft .
I believe in my mind that the oil shortened the life of the wood in the long run.
But it looked good and was water proof for awhile.
If you had to get down on the wood it would ruin a shirt or pair of pants rubbing off.

 

The clips are the way to go. Only drilling the wood and not the cross members is a game changer.



And the wood and clips will have a little give when the trailer is flexing.
Doing it this way yourself, will change your life.
And if you break a board, very easy to replace.

 

Very true.

 

9/32” drill bit for 5/16 screws

7/32” drill bit for 1/4” screws

The taper on the screw make there own threads

 

Totally. I will never use screws again

 

Problem with that is the shop can't justify bending over the trailer owner with jacked up 16k quotes.

 

maybe/ sunk money fallacy: dudes get stuck on “i know what i got” like that thread the guy wants to inframe a 466 INT for the money they want you could buy several of those trucks, running.
“I’m gonna rebuild!” Is a famous saying of people with emotional attachments-myself included.
All this to say: just bc it wouldn’t make sense to do it; doesn’t stop the people being paid to do it from doing it at full price for the people who let their emotions overrule their better judgement.

 

That thread almost made me lol irl. Been guilty of it in the past myself unfortunately.

 

I’ve never seen those. That would be a game changer.

 

When I did the floor on my lowboy I just cleaned the tops of the screws so the bit would bite in, 90% of them just snapped off. Those that don’t just smack with a hammer as @ElmerFudpucker mentioned, they break right off.

Drilled the pilot holes and starting sinking screws, they will cut their own threads….