Industrial Wood Technology (IWT) recently made Blackwood Pro available to all trailer manufacturers.
Previously, PJ Trailers held an exclusive agreement to use the lumber/rubber hybrid decking.
Blackwood Pro follows Blackwood Classic as IWT’s second Blackwood product. IWT says Pro boasts the same benefits as Classic, including superior traction, added strength and longer life, along with the added advantage of complete surface protection.
“When we came out with Blackwood Classic, going to complete coverage was the obvious next step,” said Kyle Gillin, owner of IWT and Blackwood Lumber, and inventor of the product. “Thanks to advances and improvements in our process and components, we were able to make it happen. We’re excited to open Pro up to everyone.”
Blackwood Pro is unique in that it is a true lumber/rubber hybrid, IWT said. Lumber is commonly used for decking because of its strength per pound. Other recent products offering an alternative to lumber have been composed of recycled rubber and fiberglass, but they’re heavy and brittle, adding additional weight and requiring additional bracing.
No other product on the market offers the benefits of lumber and rubber, the company maintained, featuring the traction and durability of rubber across the entire deck, and the strength and weight of lumber. Better traction makes loading and unloading safer and easier, and completely protected from UV rays, the lumber will last longer. That also means no more grayed wood decks. And the dense industrial grade rubber used for Blackwood Pro absorbs heavy impacts and doesn’t split, crack or splinter like lumber.
Pro is manufactured using sorted, high-grade, treated southern yellow pine, which is strong and light, and Pro doesn’t add any additional weight compared to treated pine, so it doesn’t require any additional bracing.
Several trailer manufacturers, including Big Tex, Load Trail, Diamond C and Maxxd soon will join PJ Trailers in offering Blackwood Pro, IWT said.
“We’re very excited to offer Blackwood Pro as a premium flooring option on our trailers,” said Johnathan Bradley, vice president of sales for Big Tex. “Our customers expect products that are safe, durable and that perform up to the expectations of professionals using their trailers day in and day out. Those expectations are the driving force behind product innovation at Big Tex. Blackwood Pro is a great example of a feature that can perform up to those high expectations.”
