My first time out with new boat...
.... was not a "fun" day but I consider myself very lucky:Took the day off work to take the boat out for the first time (called in
sick). My friend and I took our time getting to the lake as we had all day.
We were about 1/2 mile from the lake when he thought he heard something.
Sounded like a dog barking in the distance but then sounded like the leaf
springs on the trailer. I pull into the park with the boat ramp (40 miles
from home) and start turning around in order to back into the ramp. This is
when I see the trailer tire about to fall off the trailer! I stop and it's
about 1/2" from the end of the axel! 10 more feet and the tire would have
rolled off and the trailer would have hit the ground. Worse... this could
have happen at 40mph on the road. I inspected and there is nothing inside of the hub left except for part of
the inside seal. I take the tire and seal up to a nearby auto parts store
but they only have a set of bearings. I drive 15 miles further (stopping at
Advanced Auto to pick up some tools) to a trailer store. They inspect the
hub (connects to the tire) and suggest a new one. I agree completely and buy
everything else, including a difference size set of hubs/seals as we cannot
be sure what size axel it is.I also get 10 minutes training in trailers 101
(wait for the DVD... it's not that interesting). It's back to the trailer and I put things together only to discover that the
outside nuts I have are too large and too small. We call and the one in the
middle takes a cotter pin, which my axel does not have. I sent my friend
back to the trailer store as I'm just too beat up to do it all over again.
We need a nut with a type of thin locking washer. It locks onto the axel as
one side is flat and then you bend the edges around the nut to hold it into
place. Turns out, they don't have one. He's off to NAPA. They don't have
one. He goes to another place. None to be found. I tell him to go back to
the trailer store and pick up what we had but have them cut off this tab
that sticks up from it. They send him back with 2 originals and 2 of the cut
ones. After an hour with this we finally get it too work... but we are not
sure it will hold. We back the trailer into the water and he takes the boat out while I park.
He powers it up twice and then comes back. I get in and we go... well, not
quite. The motor dies and won't restart. To make a long store short, the
jets are clogged. The engine will barely run as long as the choke is pushed
in. I've had this happen before and it's clogged jets in the carbs. We limp
back in, load the boat, and start on our 40 mile trip home. We stop every mile of so at first to check the tire. I notice that the other
side is throwing grease. I had removed the bearing buddy. This side does not
appear to have an outside seal. Huh..? I installed one on the other side.
Did I not do it correctly. Anyway, I _finally_ manage to bang a dust cover
onto the hub and we are off again. 9pm and I'm watching the tire as best I
can while on the highway. I make it home and my new fishfinders were delivered by UPS. I put my new,
cool cover, on the boat and count my blessings. What would have happen if
the tire would have come off while driving 40mph on the road? I don't want
to think about it. What would we have done if we could not get the nut to
lock? Tried to make it to a hotel and spend the night until stores opened in
the morning? I called in sick for crying out loud. I would have been
screwed. So I know _a lot_ about my trailer now. I need to redo both side
hubs/bearing/etc. I need to clean the jets on the carb(s)... anyone know if
carb cleaner might work or how hard is it to remove the bowl and clean the
jets (1994 60hp Mariner Bass Tracker Pro)? I've done it on several cars
years ago. Now I know what I have to do so next time I can actually fish :) |
