My utility trailer is presenting some difficulties in getting the solidly rusted carriage bolts off the angle iron...they are ttoo short for the bolt cutter, so I am heating them with a propane torch and smacking them with a hammer...a modicum of success.

At any rate- this trailer was sided with presswood, I was thinking of using hardi-plank or panel or whatever the exact name is, and was wondering if anyone has used this in this typr of application? Thanks for your help folks!

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), November 07, 2001

Answers

Yeah - you can use Hardi Plank. It comes in a flat gray, and can be painted any color you wish. Pretty good Stuff, but a bit heavy. It probably depends on if that much weight will effect the performance of the trailer. I would not think so, but I could be wrong.

-- bill (bill@bill.com), November 07, 2001.

I've seen this stuff down at the lumber yard, and am skeptical at best. I'd go down to a local sawmill and see if I couldn't find some oak slabs - they'd probably outlast your need for the trailer.

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), November 07, 2001.

I thought the same thing, until we put it on a rent house we owned. I forget how long it is supposed to last, but it is a mixture of concrete and wood fiber. Pretty good stuff. I think you will be tired of the way it looks, and make a change before both Hardie Planks and wood will rot. I know Hardie doesn't crack. Good luck.

-- bill (bill@bill.com), November 07, 2001.

Don' know nothin about hardi planks but a suggestion. Next time you get a new tank for your torch get a Mapp gas tank. Burns alot hotter and heats quicker. Or else get a cheap angle grinder (about $20) and grind the heads off the bolts then drive them thru with a punch.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), November 07, 2001.

The stuff ain't pretty, but I was hoping it to use siding that would be stonger than plywood or particle board and last longer. I had considered using galvanized, but if I need to put my goats in it they would bang it up quickly.

Guess I will go to the lumber yard and have a look.

Thanks for tip on the torch, John.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), November 08, 2001.

Doreen,..suggest you use treated plywood..."wolminized"[sp]

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), November 08, 2001.

Doreen, I recommend plywood, it is available in 'marine' (very expensive) and 'construction' grades as well as various grades for interior use. Construction grade is what you need at about 7/16 or 1/2 inch.

As for those alternatives, have you ever heard of a boat built of hardi-plank or any of those composition boards?

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), November 09, 2001.

No, no, no, no..., no. Hardi-plank would not be good on a boat or with a goat, (or with a fox...). Hardi-plank is great for siding, but I wouldn't do anything with it where it would have to move. It doesn't stand much in the way of lateral movement before it snaps. And I'm pretty sure a goat would kick right through anything over a six foot span of the stuff. Exterior grade plywood would be lighter, but I still think a hardwood, (do you have locust or sweetgum where you are? ) would work the best and sast the longest. Our local sawmills sell rough cut lumber for really low prices... Another point is hardi-plank is fairly nasty to work with. You don't want to breathe the dust and it makes a BUNCH of dust even if you buy the low-dust $40 sawblades. Good luck...

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), November 10, 2001.

Doreen, my Dad built a box trailer in 1974 with marine grade plywood and and painted it with marine grade paint. It is still just as sound and solid as it was when he first made it. It is just now showing signs of needing repainting.

Mom and I object to him painting over Woodstock and Snoopy that he free handed on the tailgate. He originally painted the trailer to match his new truck and side rails. That truck has been gone a long time.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), November 10, 2001.

I have heard of Wolmanized playwood, is that the same thing as marine grade? If the stuff will last that long, then it would surely be worth using. Thanks for all the help everyone. I just really don't want to be replacing stuff every other year.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), November 10, 2001.