Sliding Wood

Installing the boards into the trailer hasn't been that hard so far....knock on...um...wood, LOL.  The boards are placed in via the slot in the tack room and then slid into the channel.  A rubber mallet has to be used on each end, inch by inch or else the board will get stuck when at an angle.

The narrowest areas with the most friction is below the divider and where several welds seem to congregate by the escape door in the horse area of the trailer.

Once past that area you could slide the board, even pressure down the rest of the length.  Sometimes one side would be pushed too far and you needed the mallet to unwedge the wood.

The first board had to get hammered into the back groove as far as we could get it.  We'd had trouble getting the old piece of wood out so getting this one in took a little finagling. I was so excited at the first boards' installation.

Here's a close up of the groove that holds the boards in place.  On a lot of trailers the boards sit on top of the supports and you drill bolts into the frame to hold them in place.  That would be a little easier I think for the initial installation but if you need to move the boards when they dry, and produce larger gaps than you wished, it seems that would be a difficult thing to adjust.  Each way has it's pros and cons; just depends on how the trailer was made.

I did most of the moving the boards into place, the boys wanted to do all the manly stuff with the mallet.  Fine by me, even though I know I can do that part, it's less sweat for me!

I bought five 2x8's that were 12 feet long, we only have a couple inches of "wasted" wood per boards.  I have to get 8 more of that size and then one 2x6 at 12 feet long to finish out the tack room with the wonky cuts we'll have to do there.

It's looking good!  I'm so excited; hence the trailer floor and I's selfie.  Tomorrow I'll get the rest of the wood we need and we'll hopefully be able to finish it up!

We kept the boards for the front of the trailer and will have to use the jig saw to cut those curves.  We'll have a piece leftover that we can then hold onto in case the wood dries and creates a little too much gapping in between the boards.  

Like I said earlier, place the boards right against each other if it's fresh or pressure treated.  It will dry and shrink slightly.  It shouldn't shrink too much lengthwise; it's mainly the width.  I don't want too big of a gap between boards but I want some for drainage and for air circulation.  The point is to reduce the potential of wood rotting.  I'll post pictures of the completed floors once we are fully done!

Reports from the barn:

Dani is eating while wearing her grazing muzzle!!!  She has finally figured it out or finally giving up the idea that pouting will change her situation.  Nicolle says she's doing well.  I haven't been out much this week because of the trailer work.  I miss her but it's a sacrifice I need to make right now so I can get the trailer out there and have all my tack and supplies handy....plus conduct more trailer training for the pony!

Trailer Frame and Pressure Treated Wood

The frame of my trailer is in good condition, phew!  Some areas have a little more rust but nothing terrible, none of the support areas are affected badly or have holes.  I've run a wire brush over all areas and have brushed away the remains of loose rust and dust.  Corroseal is amazing so I have been applying that starting from the back of the trailer.

Using a brush for the underside has been a bit difficult but I was out of small rollers and didn't feel like driving out to buy some.  It's been fun using a mirror or standing upside down at times to get the underside covered.  So the rust is converted, encapsulated and protected from further rusting.  Yippee!  Love this stuff!

Our next step is to install the new flooring into the grooves.  After much research I've come to some conclusions:

*Rumber flooring would be ideal but needs extra bracing to be added to most trailer floors.  Once that is installed and the rumber is in you simple just clean out the floors, it's pretty low maintenance and doesn't rot like wood.  It usually lasts a really long time too.  The price is WAY high for me right now so it's a no go....

*Oak or hardwood that is pressure treated or even if it's not would be the next best thing.  Try finding that in Colorado and try finding it at a decent price!  No luck here.

*Most trailer shops and trailer builders now use pressure treated wood for their floors unless they use the aluminum tongue in groove floor with Rumber or some other rubber top surface.  Pressure treated wood is often Southern Yellow Pine, Fir or Spruce. People I know that have recently done floors have used this wood as well with great results.  This is the option I'll be going for.

The last bit of Corroseal added, it's still wet and you can see that it's a
thin white material.  This is NOT paint.

The chemicals used in pressure treatments slow decay, and usually prevent bugs.  They do need to be handled carefully, meaning wash your hands before eating after handling, wear a mask when cutting etc.  It's safe to use with horse trailers especially since matts will be on top of the wood.  I wouldn't feed a horse directly on top of the wood since I'm extra cautious in that sense but I don't intend to since it's a trailer.  Hay nets will be used and fallen pieces will land on the matts anyways.  

I've looked at Lowes, Home Depot and one lumber yard determining what types of treated wood each carries.  I've found a good wood at the lumber yard; All Weather Wood  This is safe to use with metal contact so I don't have to worry about adding additonal protection elements to my frame.  There should be no acceleration of rust from a reaction with the wood preservative since this type does not have Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ), Copper Azole (CA) or the Micronized Copper Quaternary (MCQ).  So here is some information from the company about my particular 2 x 8's:

The developers of Wolmanized® pressure–treated wood, acknowledged Leaders in wood preservation, now introduce their Latest breakthrough: a Long-sought Low-impact preservative providing Lasting resistance to termites and fungal decay that's backed by a Lifetime limited warranty. The result is Wolmanized® L³ Outdoor® wood, the first decking product protected by a nonmetallic, carbon-based solution. This wood is intended for out-of-ground use only. 

I would suggest anyone using any pressure treated wood find the exact information from the company to determine if there are addition steps you need to take to protect your metal.  Some pressure treated wood should not sit in direct contact with naked steel or aluminum.  The chemicals Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ), Copper Azole (CA) or the Micronized Copper Quaternary (MCQ) can leach into the metal and cause accelerated corrosion.  Also for those that bolt their floors since they don't have the floor channel design, use galvanized steel or some sort of coated fasteners.  Where ever you buy the wood the company should be able to provide you the MSDS (material safety data sheet) and information about the products used to pressure treat the wood.  Never burn or chip the remnants of pressure treated wood after a trailer install.  Disposal in the landfill is recommended.

The floor channel/groove in which the wood will be installed

If you can't find pressure treated wood that is safe to have direct contact with the metal I would suggest adding protection to the horse trailer supports.  Various people on forums have used flashing tape often used in house window installations.  For my application I was worried this would make my narrow floor channel even harder to work with but luckily since I found the pressure treated wood that is NOT corrosive to certain metals I don't have to figure that part out!

 

I research things to death and my hubby has been saying that I over think things.  Honestly in this case I don't think I do.  Some pressure treated would can corrode metal at a faster rate and I don't need my floor supports going before the boards do.  I want a secure trailer, nothing wrong with gathering as much information as you can!  He's used to me and just lets me do what I need, if he won't listen I just remind him of all the times I was right about things and he then concedes.  LOL.

More to come on the installation of the boards!

Removing the Floor

The unexpected project, aka the trailer floor, has so far gone smoothly.  I have the most awesome horse husband!  My in-laws have been out visiting the past couple weeks and Mac helped Steve with removing the floorboards.  The trailer did have an opening in floor channel/groove in the tack room to remove boards.

It wasn't wide enough to get them out easily since we wanted the front boards intact to use as a template for the new floor.  Steve used an angle grinder to open that top lip, then started prying out the boards.  

It's hard to see below with the rust stains but you can see right at the end of the boards near the top of the picture a white piece of metal.  If you follow it you then see rust color and then near the right lower edge you see some whitish metal again.  That is our gap where we will be able to slide boards out and then slide the new ones in.

I was the stacker and hauler, so I took the pieces for the tack room floor and stacked them in the garage.  You can see the curved edges we'll need to replicate.  After Steve removed all the boards he needed for templates he took a skill saw to cut the rest in half to speed up removal.  He was careful to not hit any of the braces.  Mac and Steve still had to work on some boards because the floor groove/channel had a lot of debris and was not exactly smooth.  It will be better once it's treated to get boards in since there won't be rough areas hold the board edges so tightly.

I wonder if these were the original floor boards.  That would be surprising since they are tongue in groove which is not the best idea for horse trailers.  You want to place new wood into the trailer nice and tight so when it shrinks a little there will be gaps to allow for drainage and circulation.  The tongue and groove collects debris and can accelerate rot.

These boards were actually in good shape, and very hard. Several were suspicious hence the reason for redoing the floors.  Perhaps I'm a little over cautious but this is my baby I'll be hauling!!  I' pleased to address and treat the frame with rust converter and prevent further erosion.  The frame and braces are actually in excellent shape!  I like being able dissect this trailer and then know that when it's done it's as sound as I can make it.

The welds are good and strong and there is only surface rust.  Take a look under your car and you'll see the same thing.  Rust is not something to be overly scared about and anyone with a steel trailer would be fooling themselves if they thought they'll never have to deal with rust.  Even aluminum trailers corrode but I think sometimes people forget that and don't take the time to really check things out before the situation gets bad.

I have some work to do this week, cleaning up the floor grooves, treating them and priming them.  It's not a lot, I don't have to fix any braces or cross bars.  I've seen pictures of trailer remodels that needed whole sections redone since they looked like Swiss cheese!  Glad this trailer is very much structurally sound.  

My hubby is also looking at wiring diagrams to get working on that project soon, he used to work on the wiring of helicopters so this trailer will hopefully be a piece of cake.  We've discovered that after we took the running lights off the brake lights didn't work correctly.  That should not be the case so he's going to get that fixed after the floors are done.

Hitch cam

I purchased the iball hitch camera.  I wanted to get a camera for hitching my trailer but also for viewing the inside horse area of the trailer while driving.  Pony cam!  I search and read reviews.  A lot of them were quite complicated looking and the price tag...pretty high.  Plus not all had the ability to do both functions.

Introducing the iball camera.  It is magnetic and sits near the ball for hitching.  Then you can move it somewhere in the interior of the trailer to view what ponies are up to.  The price was about $149.  I was very pleased.  Using it the first time meant that hitching was a breeze.  I just had to figure out what view showed the proper alignment.  I'll be able to hitch up myself and in a flash!!  I was so excited that I literally jumped up and down for joy when I came out to see the ball perfectly aligned.

The screen that you see inside the truck just simply plugs into the charger (cigarette lighter).  The only issue noted is that having devices with Bluetooth on will interfere with the picture.  I rarely use Bluetooth on my phones so not worried about that.  I am always happy to find a good deal on a product that actually works they way they say it will!  I definitely recommend this camera!

Darth Vader Pony!!!

My pony has transformed into a Darth Vader horse.

Hooo-purr, Hooo-purr, Hooo-purr, Hooo-purr, Hooo-purr, Hooo-purr....

No seriously, it's just a grazing muzzle.  She's wearing it part time, if we can keep it on her.  The grass is lush with recent rains and she's not used to grazing 24/7 so we want to keep it slow with her intake.  I was sad to leave her today with the muzzle on.  I'm sure she'll learn to eat and drink just fine like all the other horses that wear them do, it just sucks and I'm in worried mom mode.  Hopefully it will only be for a month or two and then she can be free as the grass dries out a bit and we turn more to hay.

Today I walked her around the easement around the pastures.  It's a 10 foot wide path that we'll have to ride sometime, very pretty views, open plains and the mountains in the distance.  It was a gorgeous evening even though I got bit by a mean fly.  Dani was good mostly at staying where she needs to while being led and didn't get too excited with nearby horses running up to her and running off.  She has settled in well and one boarder who does the feeding often (she keeps her Morgan here and only lives about 4 miles from the place) loves Dani.  She's partial to Morgans.  I get that.

After our walk we passed by the goat pens.  I love goats but these guys weren't too sure about us.  I guess looking at the shadow we did look a little monstery!  I adjusted Dani's muzzle, gave her some treats and led her into her pasture.  Hoping things go well.  It wasn't adjusted right before so I was told she ended up having a funny necklace on.  So far the new barn is smooth sailing.  I was sick for two days so didn't get to see her.....I think she remembers who I am.....LOL

The New Barn!!!

Dani was brought to her new barn on Saturday.  The trailer loading went well aside from a minor freak out and her rope getting caught on the divider panel making it bang against the side of the trailer.  Once she stepped on L's boyfriend closed the divider.  No struggle at all.  Then their next horse was loaded on and we headed out.  She unloaded nice and slow when we arrived.

She went into her pasture, by herself for now, until the next horse arrives.  She settled right in and very matter of factly met the horses across the fence and then went on to grazing.  I came by Sunday to see how she was doing and take some pictures.  After a picture session of her, the buckskin Paladin and a dark bay Missouri Fox Trotter that is in love with her I lead Dani out to groom and walk around the property.

She was sniffing and blowing a bit so I decided to round pen her to get her thinking better.  I need to work on some of the attitude she give me sometimes, pinned ears and a shaking head when I ask her to change directions or speed.  We walked around a goat pen and one of the far paddocks.  There are 4 main 10 acre paddocks, each with a shelter and a total of 4 horses at the max.

We walked around a smaller front pasture with a miniature horse and another Morgan.  His name is Scotty and I met his owner on Saturday, perhaps we'll ride together sometime.

The views were gorgeous from the fields and barn.  This barn is further east from the black forest area but the front range is in great view as well as some of the hills to the north headed out to the Elbert area.  In all I maybe increase my drive by 10-15 minutes, not bad and this is full pasture care so I don't have to go each day to feed.

I love that Dani has space and friends to play with.  This was a good choice.  Paladin may not be a permanent pasture mate but for now he's a good one.  He is mellow and sweet.  Dani isn't too interested in him....

She's more interested in the gelding in the next pasture.  I forget his name but apparently he's abandoned his girlfriend Barbie, the chestnut Arab with a flaxen mane, to flirt with the hot redhead.  LOL.  

Anyways after I walked Dani around the barn, into the barn and the grounds I picked her hooves and treated them for thrush.  The rainy weather has seemed to do a little number on her hooves.  She has a trim coming up on Sunday and I'm really glad for it since she needs it!

It was hard to decide to move my mare but this is a well kept facility and the owner is very meticulous.  She's putting the grazing muzzle on Dani as I request since I don't want her weight to go up with the fresh grass.  I can tell she's happy here though.  After treating her hooves I brought her back to her pasture.  The horses were at the far end of the field.  After a nice long drink of fresh water Dani whinnied loud and clear.  The other horses looked up and came galloping to her.  One day and she already commands them!  Oh my goodness.

More to come as we both get used to this new location.  Eventually I'll park my trailer here and have more training sessions with her.  We will still want to go to KCRC for fun time and I want to trail ride so badly!

Don't Get Too Caulky....

I've been working on caulking seams to prevent water seepage into areas of the trailer.  I have my caulk gun, my tool (which once I figured out how it worked made smoothing the beads very simple), and plenty of paper towels.  I'm getting the hang of it and able to caulk....weather permitting.

The last couple of weeks I've had family over and we've had tons of rain so I haven't had much luck in finding time to work.  There are places I caulked that I need to tidy up or correct.

Overall it's been pretty simple.  I'm always going to have rust bleeds at the hinges, behind bars that I can't exactly paint or caulk and the places where tie rings are attached.  Still it's coming together nicely.  Trailer maintenance is the biggest thing, especially for one kept outside.  At the first sign of rust spots you need to determine where the issue is and fix it.  I have the paint so can sand and repaint areas that get chipped etc.  I'm keeping an eye out for areas I may not have treated as well that may need extra attention.  So far so good.

The big issue I have with the Sikka Flex caulk (recommended by several trailer sites) is that the white caulk is not as bright as my paint.  At least I can touch up paint where I caulk and make it look better.  I don't like this yellowed off white look but it's doing it's job and once touched up with paint will blend back into the trailer structure.  

Trailer Training

Not feeling comfortable with my trailer floors a barn friend, L, has been so kind to let me utilize her's.  She has a similar 3 horse slant and lots of experience with trailer issues.  I'd done a first session with Dani having her at least step up into the trailer, 2 feet.  This week has been all rain so footing has been awful, I wanted to work on trailer loading every day but didn't have the chance.

Then Thursday L and I worked with Dani.  I'm still learning this trailer thing; it's such a comfort to have an experienced person along with me.  Dani copped some attitude at times but eventually she was going onto the trailer alone with no hesitation.  She would turn around to view out the back but that was fine.  The next step was to get her to stand calmly facing the right way, L was able to do that with good success and I also tried that as well.  At one point I did get pinned to the side of the trailer when Dani turned around and I wasn't quick enough.  Bruises on my belly and elbow only.  No harm to her or scare either.

New rain sheet.  She didn't need to wear it but just trying on for size.

Friday the plan is to work more on her standing calmly, facing the right way and moving the slant partitions.  Saturday she'll be moved to her new home and once I get my floor up to par I can continue to regularly work on her with trailer loading, we'll get there.  I hope to get a trail ride in soon but we'll have to see how things go.  Nothing worth it in life ever comes easy.

Serene Sunday

Awesome spiral