How to Replace a Wooden Trailer Bed

Without proper care, it’s very easy for wooden trailer beds to become rotted and quickly fall to pieces. While there are several ways to avoid and repair rotted wood, sometimes it’s better just to replace the trailer bed altogether. To learn how check out our helpful guide below.

Gather Materials

To begin, you’ll first need to ensure you have all the tools necessary to successfully remove and replace the wooden boards that make up your trailer’s bed. We recommend having a hammer, saw, screwdrivers, bolts, washers, nuts, a drill with a wire brush attachment, and self-tapping screws. You’ll also need a tape measure to check the length and width of your trailer’s old boards so you can purchase correctly sized replacements. 

Getting Started 

Before you can get started on replacing your trailer’s wooden bed, you’ll first need to get the old boards removed. While simply unscrewing the bolts and screws should work in most cases, you may have to pry your boards up with a crowbar or cut them with a saw. Once the boards are removed, use your drill and wire brush attachment to quickly clean the metal frame of your trailer, ensuring that there is no rust or debris left behind. 

Installing a New Bed

Now that your trailer is clean, and the old wood has been removed, you’ll want to place the new boards in their correct places in the trailer’s frame. We recommend placing the end and sideboards first to make installation a bit easier. Using your drill, anchor your boards into place by screwing through the wood and into the metal frame of the trailer below. Double-check that the boards are secure before putting your tools away and finishing up. 

While trailer deck removal and installation is a pretty straightforward process, it can still be very difficult to complete. If you’re struggling to get your trailer’s deck back in good condition, we recommend stopping by our location here in Heber City, UT. At Mountain West Trailers, we offer an amazing on-site service center to help you care for all of your trailer’s many maintenance needs, and we proudly serve the nearby cities of Salt Lake City and Provo, UT.