What wood for wagon deck?

[fpappal]

What is the "recommended" wood for the deck of a farm wagon? I was always told that ash is a good choice so I went to the saw mill to order some. He told me the price of ash is sky high right now because it is all going to Canada. He suggested I use hickory. The deck is going to be around 6ft wide by 11 feet long, one inch thick. Any suggestions? I live in central NY, north of Syracuse.

 

[Shetland Sheepdog]

Hemlock treated with old crankcase oil

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Funny, I'd think ash would be cheap from so many dead ones. I used poplar for mine.

 

[RandyB(MI)]

Here in cent. MI there are lot of portable sawmills run by the Amish and they cut all my wagon deck out of 2" (actual) dry ash. They cut the two stingers also..actual 3" X 10" and enough edge boards . $ 200

I have since finished up the " hinged door" in back rack for hayride entry. Steps slide up between rails for transport.

 

[RandyB(MI)]

Treated with linseed oil...lots of it.

 

[rustyfarmall]

Pressure treated pine.

 

[Leroy]

That would be my choice. I don't want the weight of the hardwoods. And no oil ever on any floor for me.

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 21:52:46 03/24/19) What is the "recommended" wood for the deck of a farm wagon? I was always told that ash is a good choice so I went to the saw mill to order some. He told me the price of ash is sky high right now because it is all going to Canada. He suggested I use hickory. The deck is going to be around 6ft wide by 11 feet long, one inch thick. Any suggestions? I live in central NY, north of Syracuse.

I'm up north of Watertown. I'd go with pressure treated yellow pine, the better stuff that rated for ground contact. Outside of Locust or White Oak, which is heavier than a dead preacher, there isn't any local wood that will really last more than 10 years or so. You CAN use native pine, hemlock, popple, ash, red oak, maple, etc, but it's got to be cleaned, treated and under cover to last.

 

[Jim Phelps]

I have to agree with most of the others, pressure treated pine, around my parts rough sawn lumber is way to expense for a trailer bed, unless you have your own logs and pay to have them sawn. Besides pressure treated will last longer exposed to the weather. Rough sawn lumber we used to paint with used oil once or twice a year and let dry to weather proof it.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

I'd skip pressure treated pine unless you have fairly flat ground. It will weather OK but extremely slippery with hay on it. I bale some pretty good side slopes and can barely stand on it. Randy, nice idea on the steps. Do your riders have to climb through the slats or do they swing away for entry?

 

[Part Time Pete]

I use rough cut Larch (Tamarack), it's very tough and weather resistant. I treat it with used motor oil.
Pete

 

[fpappal]

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I have a lot of options. I want to stick with rough cut because it is an antique wagon, the pressure treated would not look right. The tractor may be outside somewhat during the summer months but it will always be stored in the barn when the weather turns. It will only see minimal use.

 

[RandyB(MI)]

After the photos I finished cutting the swinging door in gate. The very top board stays to tie uprights together. Works great. Used it in our towns homecomming parade as our class of '69 was invited because it was our 50th anniversary . Full of ole classmates on new straw. great time.

 

[RandyB(MI)]

pics

 

[RandyB(MI)]

o

 

[Brian Dan]

White oak holds up very well and is rot resistant.
Brian

 

[Joe W.]

I build parade wagons as a hobby and I use 5/4" x 6" x 12' red cedar boards for both the floor of the wagon and for the built-in seat tops. I used treated pine once but gave it up as a waste of money after a few of the boards twisted and shrunk. Red cedar is dimensionally stable.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Yep I vote for White Oak,go to the local saw mill and pull some fresh off the saw.

 

[C.Amick]

Ash is in short supply due to the emerald ash borer. Do you have a source for hemlock? It is rod resistant and stays straight. It does shrink pretty bad though, if its not dry when you install it.

 

[Leroy]

Don't think it is avaible around me but how does cost compair?

 

[Leroy]

Cottonwood will do what you want. Can have that rough cut look and it will last 50 years out in the weather if kept off the ground without any treating. And it is not overly heavy like some of the other woods are. It was commonly used for wagon beds but usually planed. Lasted over 50 years as siding on my barn. It had shrank some thow years ago when it dried out. Only reason it was covered was the shrink gaps let in the weater and was starting to rot the inside framework.

 

[hd6gtom]

You don't want smooth lumber. When it gets hay dust on it then the floor becomes very slick.

 

[Joe W.]

Leroy - the cost for 5/4"x6"x12' cedar decking is $19.27 at Menards while the same size treated pine is $12.79. On my wagons I use 10 boards for the deck. The more expensive cedar is worth it for me to have all the boards lay flat and not shrink.

 

[Leroy]

Do they special order it for you? Our local stores (3) do not carry it. Lowes that did not stock size I needed said they would order it but I would have had to take a whole skid load of over a hundred pieces when only needing a couple. And that was when my Wife was working for them. I can understand your need for something like that in what you are doing. Actually the local Menards seem to have droped a lot of sizes of lumber.

 

[Leroy]

We had planed smooth painted toung and grove floors for years and never had that problem.

 

[Leroy]

Actually the bed on the wagon Great Grand dad had that was factory build back in late 1800's was plained smooth. Other beds of same style were also plained smooth. These were box beds for grain.

 

[Zachary Hoyt]

I sell ash for $1 a board foot, 12"x12"x1". Wood to cover an area 6'x11' 1" thick would cost $66, rough cut. I don't have anything over 8 feet on hand now, but I'll be cutting more once the snow melts and I could custom cut boards to fit your wagon. I'm near Pulaski, so not too far from your area if you're interested.
Zach

 

[Joe W.]

Leroy - The Menards I shop at in Lansing, Michigan, always has cedar decking in stock. I just drive in their big barn, park next to the cedar decking, sort out the boards I want, load them into my pickup, and go home.

 

[BigPapa53]

A buddy of mine put some of that composite plastic decking on his. He had a bunch left where he'd built a boat dock and the walkways. Turned out real nice and I don't imagine he'll ever need to replace it.

-Scott

 

[Bill VA]

Don?t know if I?d recommend it for walking around on stacking hay, but...

I?ve got one wagon I converted to a kicker wagon. The deck was rotted out, but the frame still had some life left in it. I used exterior plywood for the deck and am very satisfied with it,

Bill

 

[fpappal]

My uncle had a wagon for as long as I can remember with a plywood deck. He always stored it in the barn in the winter and it seemed to last forever.
Unfortunately that is not an option for me because I am trying to keep my wagon as original as I can.

 

[Leroy]

Unless your wagon had a bed with a loose floor for ease of putting on when you took the grain box off it likely had plained lumber. The ones with rough sawed lumber were boards fastened to cross boards that were half the width of the bed so you could lift a half of each time you wanted to switch from box for grain to flat for hay as 2 men could handle the flat bed in 3 sections but not if it was all one section. It would only have been rough sawn if a homemade bed and plained if a boughten bed as a lot were as the farmer did not have the ability to make a bed.

 

[Leroy]

Lucky you.

 

[fpappal]

The wagon was never used for hay or grain. It was used on my great-grandfathers onion/lettuce farm. All it hauled was bushels from the field to the barn. The floor was just rough cut boards, I am sure it was modified many times over the years. We are restoring it to what my father can remember from 70 years ago, that is all we have to go on.

 

[JK-NY]

If you want rough sawed I would go with either white oak or hemlock. What I have done is use salvaged treated deck boards when I rebuild my hay wagons. I have gotten 2 decks worth of lumber for the hauling and used both 2x8 and 1" deck boards with good results. Usually the older deck boards show weathering but when turned over look like new.

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 12:32:04 03/25/19) Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I have a lot of options. I want to stick with rough cut because it is an antique wagon, the pressure treated would not look right. The tractor may be outside somewhat during the summer months but it will always be stored in the barn when the weather turns. It will only see minimal use.

Then I would try to find white oak.

 

[mtf]

The co-ops and fencing supply store in my area sell 16 foot rough sawn treated poplar boards. Used for wood plank fencing. They are around 7 dollars each. I have at least 4 wagon beds made out of them and they hold up well. Nathan

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 22:49:38 03/28/19) The co-ops and fencing supply store in my area sell 16 foot rough sawn treated poplar boards. Used for wood plank fencing. They are around 7 dollars each. I have at least 4 wagon beds made out of them and they hold up well. Nathan

I think there are several types of "poplar" across the country. I think what we call "poplar" (or "popple") up here on the NY/Ontario border is actually "Eastern Cottonwood". I understand in other areas there are "Tuplip Poplars" and other types. Maybe this explains why some folks use a wood they know as "_______" and someone else several states away can't understand how it lasts at all. ???

 

[jaoneill]

(quoted from post at 01:52:46 03/25/19) What is the "recommended" wood for the deck of a farm wagon? I was always told that ash is a good choice so I went to the saw mill to order some. He told me the price of ash is sky high right now because it is all going to Canada. He suggested I use hickory. The deck is going to be around 6ft wide by 11 feet long, one inch thick. Any suggestions? I live in central NY, north of Syracuse.

I'm 50 miles north of Watertown been farming up here since early seventies. I've found best economy and longevity is local rough sawn hemlock; if kept under cover in the off season it will last 20 years or more.