Aero Trailers Floors and Support System

All standard motorcycle trailer floors are either ½" or ¾" think and considered light duty. Most all motorcycle trailers set up for motorcycles are built exactly the same, despite the fact that motorcycle range in weight from 600 pounds to 1,300 pounds. Seldom will a trailer dealer install 5,000 LB D-Rings in a trailer floor, and when they do, it will be installed in a light duty floor not intended to support 5,000 LB D-Rings. Installing a 5,000 LB D-Ring in a ½" or ¾: floor to hold down an 800 to 1,300 pound motorcycle would be like using a fresh water fishing rod with 10 LB test nylon line to haul in a 250 LB shark.

When a trailer transporting a motorcycle hits a bump, the motorcycle will coil downward, compressing the fork tubs and suspension. A split second later, the motorcycle will re-coil upward with tremendous force and pull the bolts that fasten the D-Rings completely through the floor. If there are two motorcycles in the trailer, they will collide prior to falling and generate thousands of dollars in damage! Often times there will be no insurance coverage, as there was no 3rd party collision and comprehensive covers most all other occurrences, except collision.

Aero Trailers' floors are 1" thick and are topped off with Black and White Checkered linoleum. You can not lay linoleum over plywood that manifest 4-5 seams, or the linoleum will develop cracks above each seam. A 1/4" thick piece of plywood the length of the trailer must first be installed over the floor seams. There are few outlets to purchase a piece of plywood that is 12' to 20' in length with no seams. This giant plywood is purchased from the Weyhauser Corporation in Texas and shipped to the Georgia factory. This top layer of plywood that is 1/4" thick becomes a buffer layer between the 3/4 " floor with seams and the linoleum and results in a floor that is now 1".

The Black and White Checkered Linoleum protects the wooden floor from many unforeseen exposures and spills, such as water, gasoline, oil, grease and other chemicals that can and will hurt a wooden floor. Unprotected wooden floors generate splinters, valleys, dry rot, soft spots, cracks and eventually holes. They will deteriorate at a much faster rate than protected wooden floors. Aside from this, they are flat out ugly and detract from an otherwise attractive trailer.

After the linoleum is installed, the 5,000 LB D-Rings are installed and held in place with carriage bolts. The bottom of the floors, below the trailer are steel plated with 10 " wide and 1/8" thick steel plates that run from the front to the rear of the trailer. The carriage bolts extend through the steel plates and are fastened with thread right lock nuts. 

At this point the Steel Plates alone will bare the Entire Weight of one, two or three motorcycles of any Size or Weight. The Floor, Sub Floor and Linoleum can be considered decorative, when taking into consideration the unlimited Load Capacity that the Steel Plates add to the Trailer's Ability to Manage and Transport Heavy Motorcycles and Cargo.

The linoleum in a 6' x 12' or 7' x 12' trailer with the 1/4" plywood sub-floor is installed by the factory at the cost of $120.00 There are 9 - 5,000 LB D-Rings installed at the cost of $15 each and these are held in place by carriage bolts per above that extend through the floor and also pass through the steel plates below the floor, at a total cost of $135.00. The actual retail price for the above referenced floor and tie down system is $750.00. The customer pays the factory wholesale price of $255.00 for the floor, linoleum, trim moldings and steel plating.

Much of the Plywood made today is PARTICLE BOARD, which consist of a multiplicity of wood particles and variety of SAW DUST that is salvaged from Large Saw Mills and held together with GLUE. There is no Consistency and every piece made is different. Ply Ratings Range from 1 - 4; the Particle Board in most Trailers today comes from SAW MILLS throughout the U.S. and almost always is a low cost 1- Ply base. It can almost pass for Real Plywood, but is far from the Real Deal. When Particle Board is frequently exposed to water, it will SEPARATE, lose its composition and BREAK apart, as it has no continuous fiber like a piece of un-cut wood!

Recently, Aero Trailers has Developed and Installed an All New BLACK RUBBER DIAMOND PLATED FLOOR COVER which is Simply Striking in Appearance. This Material is 1/4" Thick. This Thick Rubber Mat does not require a 1/4" Buffer Layer on top of the 3/4" Plywood Floor, as the Floor Seams will not generate any hair line CRACKS in the Rubber Mat, as in the case of the Linoleum. Instead we Engage 3/4" Yellow Pine with a 4 - PLY RATING and INSTALL 3 - 10" WIDE STEEL PLATES (RIGHT, LEFT, CENTER) on the BOTTOM of the FLOOR, that Run from FRONT to REAR and are Bolted and / OR Welded to each of the CROSS MEMBERS. In January of 2007 we Sold a 7 x 12 Trailer with the above Floor to a Pennsylvania Customer, who Loaded a 5,000 LB WITCH DITCH into the Trailer with two 700 LB Barrels of Fuel and hauled it back to Pennsylvania Trouble Free.

Many things can be done to Wood Floors to add STRENGTH, PRESSURE TREATING is one. Engaging Wood with a HIGH PLY RATING is another way. The Yellow Pine we engage is in the Cypress Family and grows in water just like Cypress. When wet, the fibers expand and actually become STRONGER. It is very STABLE and STRONG wood with enough FLEXIBILITY to avoid CRACKS or BREAKS. Presently, we are Experimenting with a NEW COMPOSITE that is made from MILK CONTAINER BOX and CONCRETE. This may be our next Floor at a Future date. We Strive to be a Leader in EXOTIC DESIGN, STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY and ORCHESTRATION of OPTIONS and FEATURES that FUNCTION in HARMONY.

A floor is the heart and stability of a trailer. A sub-standard floor will bend and mis-align the frame beneath it, bow in the walls, generate wall & ceiling cracks, trigger water leaks, off-track axles, off-set caster / camber of the wheels and jeopardize the trailer as a whole including its cargo. Aero Trailers maintains WORLD CLASS, STATE of the ART FLOORS with the most SOPHISTICATED TIE DOWN SYSTEM of its kind anywhere. Aside from this, you will pay FACTORY COST for every OPTION and UPGRADE the trailer is comprised of and not a penny more!

You can own a row boat or an ocean liner for the same price. 

Which one will you choose?

Cordially, Aero Trailers