My new SBT2 bait tank has arrived!

[aero320]

My wife informed me yesterday that my new Super Bait Tank II had arrived. It has been on order for nearly 3 months. I now own a Grayline, Bluewater, and SBT2. I don't get back from this business trip until mid-week to actually see the new bait tank. Wifey will probably be speaking to me by then!

[FloatNFish]

Let me know if you want to get rid of one of the old ones! I'm entering the bait tank market soon. Cash should help smooth things over!

Alex

[aero320]

Originally Posted by FloatNFish

Let me know if you want to get rid of one of the old ones! I'm entering the bait tank market soon. Cash should help smooth things over!

Alex

The Grayline fits in front of my console in case I need more tank capacity or decide to use the leaning post behind the console. The Bluewater is used as a bait tank as well as a seat behind the console. It will be replaced with the SBT2 but you never know when you will need a backup tank!

Right on the cash, you had better budget at least twice what you paid for the toy to smooth things out.

[agelesssone]

I'll go over to your house, pick up the tank, and take it out for it's initial break in. Should have it back to you in June.

[aero320]

Originally Posted by agelesssone

I'll go over to your house, pick up the tank, and take it out for it's initial break in. Should have it back to you in June.

Have you caught any fish lately? My wife won't let me retire.

[tacklemake]

Originally Posted by agelesssone

I'll go over to your house, pick up the tank, and take it out for it's initial break in. Should have it back to you in June.

You keep adding more weight to your boat it's going to look like a barge coming down the lake and not a boat.................woody

[agelesssone]

Originally Posted by aero320

Have you caught any fish lately? My wife won't let me retire.

Haven't caught any fish lately. Haven't been fishing much lately either. With all of the bait (small fry) in the lakes, fishing has been very tough.

I spent yesterday replacing the 13 inch wheels on my boat trailer, which entailed cutting off the old fenders, buying replacement fenders, cutting 2.5 inches out of them (shortening them from 32inches to 29.5 inches), buying a set of 14" rims and tires, buying a set of heavier springs, replacing the set (that was too light for my boat) that came with trailer, mounting the new fenders to the trailer and rewelding the footboards back onto the trailer.

Hopefully this will fix the problem of wearing out a set of tires every 800 miles. The 13 inch setup wasn't working for the weight of my rig.

The trailer was custom made for the boat. The original purchaser of the boat (who defaulted on the loan and never picked up the rig) had told the boat dealer that he wasn't going to trailer the boat back and forth to the lake, he was going to take it to the lake in the spring and retrieve it in the fall so make the trailer as cheaply as possible. Hence the "too light setup" for the rig.

Here's hoping this cures my tire wear problem.

[aero320]

Originally Posted by agelesssone

Haven't caught any fish lately. Haven't been fishing much lately either. With all of the bait (small fry) in the lakes, fishing has been very tough.

I spent yesterday replacing the 13 inch wheels on my boat trailer, which entailed cutting off the old fenders, buying replacement fenders, cutting 2.5 inches out of them (shortening them from 32inches to 29.5 inches), buying a set of 14" rims and tires, buying a set of heavier springs, replacing the set (that was too light for my boat) that came with trailer, mounting the new fenders to the trailer and rewelding the footboards back onto the trailer.

Hopefully this will fix the problem of wearing out a set of tires every 800 miles. The 13 inch setup wasn't working for the weight of my rig.


The trailer was custom made for the boat. The original purchaser of the boat (who defaulted on the loan and never picked up the rig) had told the boat dealer that he wasn't going to trailer the boat back and forth to the lake, he was going to take it to the lake in the spring and retrieve it in the fall so make the trailer as cheaply as possible. Hence the "too light setup" for the rig.

Here's hoping this cures my tire wear problem.

Merv, I would bet tire size is not the problem but rather the axle is too light and is flexing creating the weird tire wear. UFP in Winchester makes the axles for most of the boat trailer companies. One of the spindles may have been welded incorrectly. I had that happen once and it would wear the tire out very quickly. That's why it usually makes sense to replace an axle rather than just a spindle. You will eventually get things working (at least you can do the welding, Merv is a retired pipe-fitter).

All the boat trailer talk has reminded me that I have the parts at home to switch my trailer hubs from oil bath to the "Vault" system. Got all the parts and supplies from UFP down in Winchester. Guess I am one of the few who has not had problem with the oil bath system. It seems that when you have a problem, it is catastrophic. I just need more time. Work is really getting in the way of my fishing!

[agelesssone]

It is a 3500 lb axle but it had 2000 lb springs on it. I went from a three leaf spring to a four leaf spring. My boat weighs 1750, motor weighs 455, all the gear I have added to the boat and trailer, maybe 300 lbs (big MAYBE), 20 gallons of gas (approx 160 lbs), and sometimes a full bait tank, 30 gal, 240 lbs, for a total 2905 lbs. The new springs should handle that with ease.

And since the tires were wearing consistently on each wheel, I think maybe it was springs. Only time will tell.

I checked the axle with two squares lined up spindle to axle shaft, rotated and checked in four quadrants, everything looked to be straight.

We'll see in a few months.

With fall/winter coming on, the fishing trips will be fewer so it will take longer to see any wear patterns, but they will come eventually.

[aero320]

Originally Posted by agelesssone

It is a 3500 lb axle but it had 2000 lb springs on it. I went from a three leaf spring to a four leaf spring. My boat weighs 1750, motor weighs 455, all the gear I have added to the boat and trailer, maybe 300 lbs (big MAYBE), 20 gallons of gas (approx 160 lbs), and sometimes a full bait tank, 30 gal, 240 lbs, for a total 2905 lbs. The new springs should handle that with ease.

And since the tires were wearing consistently on each wheel, I think maybe it was springs. Only time will tell.

I checked the axle with two squares lined up spindle to axle shaft, rotated and checked in four quadrants, everything looked to be straight.

We'll see in a few months.

With fall/winter coming on, the fishing trips will be fewer so it will take longer to see any wear patterns, but they will come eventually.

I think the spindles are actually at a slight angle so that when the axle is loaded, they align correctly. I had UFP make a replacement several years ago and they used a jig to insure the alignment. If your fix doesn't correct the problem, take the trailer to them and I am sure they can resolve it. If my memory serves me correctly, their pricing was very fair.

These tandem trailers wear the front tires when you make sharp turns on pavement. The front tires get dragged side ways and wear the tread away. I went through a period that seemed like there was a tire problem every time I went to the lake.

Good luck!