Horse Trailer Tip of The Month July 2007

Flooring 

One of the most important areas of your horse trailer is the floor.  Floors generally come in 3 types, aluminum, wood and rumber.  Each of these floor types needed to be cared for in different manners.  Each flooring type should be inspected monthly to ensure integrity.  If you floor system fails, your trailer is rendered useless, so this is an important trailer maintenance procedure. 

Aluminum floors are generally covered with rubber floor mats.  These mats need to be removed every 3 months and the floor should be thoroughly washed.  Horse urine is acidic and will erode aluminum floors if they are not washed.   A easy way to remove heavy, bulky mats is to use a welding type or duck bill locking plier.  This allows easy movement and handling of floor mats.  Inspect the floor for pitting or bowing.  Pits are an early sign of wear and something that should be inspected frequently.  Bowing can occur on many floors and create floor problems due to pooling of urine.  

Wood floors should be treat the same way as an aluminum floor as it relates to removing the rubber mats and cleaning them.  You should consider replacing the wood floor every 5-7 years for stability.  Inspect the wood blanks for cracking and dry rot. 

Rumber is a rubber composite wood plank floor system.  These should be washed and inspected every 3 months as well.

A small amount of horse trailer floor maintenance can save thousands in costly trailer repairs and ensure the safety of your animals.