Do It Once, Do It Right, Do It Out Of Sight!™
Strength made simple. DeckWise® Trailer Deck Screws are OEM quality, thread cutting screws for installing hardwood planks on flatbed trucks, trailers, drop decks, utility trailers, low boys, dry vans and van bodies.
These Torx® ttap® drive trailer board fasteners are made from C1022 steel with a black phosphate coating for corrosion resistance. Each trailer deck screw is pre-oiled and comes with a thread cutting tip for easy installation.
(TORX® and ttap® are the registered trademarks of Camcar Innovations.)
NOTE: These screws are not recommended for ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) pressure treated lumber. Use stainless steel screws or galvanized steel screws for ACQ pressure treated lumber.
In order to be eligible to make a warranty claim, you must complete the registration for warranty here: www.deckwise.com/warranty/register.html
1. Almost any 1/2" electric drill will suffice. We do not recommend battery powered drills. They do not have the torque and power needed.
The bit size for pre-drilling should be the same diameter as the inside diameter of the screw threads - for 1/4" x 20 trailer deck screws, we recommend a 7/32" (0.2188") drill bit, for 5/16" x 18 trailer deck screws, we recommend a 9/32" (0.2812") drill bit.
See below 7/32" and 9/32" Industrial-grade NAS High Speed Steel Trailer Deck Drill Bits. Tough enough to drill through both decking and metal crossmembers. 1/2" Countersink Bit and Trailer Deck Oil Finish also below.
2. After the decking is laid, find the crossmember and mark their location for hole drilling. At each location where the trailer deck wood passes over the trailer crossmember, mark two holes about 1" in from each edge of the board. With the appropriate drill bit, drill through the wood and underlying metal crossmember
Depending on the width of the wood being installed, the crossmember width, and personal preference, either 1 or two screws can be installed. We suggest 2 screws for proper board hold down.
3. With a tapered bit (countersink bit), place in drilled hole to cut a bevel around the top of the hole. Don’t go too deep. Estimate with your eye comparing the hole to the head of the screw. This allows the head of the trailer deck screw to be below or level with the surface of the deck board.
Before inserting the self-threading trailer deck screw, be sure to clean out the hole completely with compressed air. Any saw dust or metal filings left behind can bind the deck screw threads and prevent it from doing its job. The trailer floorboard screw needs to be secured down to the wood tightly and to the metal crossmember below. Do not allow the wood or the screw to sit above the trailer deck surface.
4. Continue driving the trailer floor screws through the wood and crossmembers just below the surface of the wood so nothing is sticking up. Move on to the next crossmember and repeat.
Board Replacement: Old screw holes are generally centered on the crossmember and are not recommended for reuse. The screw threads need a smooth hole to allow them to grab and cut threads into the crossmember. Trying to use old holes can damage the screw’s threads or possibly angle the screw. New screw holes and new screws should be installed 1/4” away from the edge of the crossmember, towards the vertical section of it. The new holes and screws will be close to the old ones which is fine.
5. We recommended DeckWise® Ipe Oil® which is the finest quality exterior wood stain ever made for trailer floorboards. A proprietary blend of components including Linseed Oil, Trans Oxide Pigments, UV Blockers and a Fungicide give our Ipe Oil® the longest lasting protections available.
