Buying a pontoon with a Mercruiser 3.0

[lakerunner]

I didn't see the shed part. I would still take 2 spares.

[WaltF]

Tires on "toys" like trailers n campers usually die due to years, not miles.
The sun dry rots em, they crack, n go poof.. but it was in a shed.
Course sitting and not moving gives em a flat spot too...but it was lifted.

Grab your 2 spares n hit da road, Jack!

Make sure you replace em with "S" type tires when you do replace em someday.. NOT car tires... the side wall strength is different.

I also have the Trailstar duel axel/duel brake bunk trailer.

the thing sounds like it's prob in good shape.... Certainly not used much as i have almost that many hours in just my first season..

Firefox is cool... once ya get all the usual plug/add ins (flash realPlayer, etc), you should be smooth sailing... plus they have some pretty cool addin's laying around out there for it too...

Once you get all this settled, grab the thing, drag it home, put it in the water, grab a beer, and enjoy the kick back style of da toon!

[beermunk]

Tires on "toys" like trailers n campers usually die due to years, not miles.
The sun dry rots em, they crack, n go poof.. but it was in a shed.
Course sitting and not moving gives em a flat spot too...but it was lifted.

Grab your 2 spares n hit da road, Jack!

Make sure you replace em with "S" type tires when you do replace em someday.. NOT car tires... the side wall strength is different.

I also have the Trailstar duel axel/duel brake bunk trailer.

the thing sounds like it's prob in good shape.... Certainly not used much as i have almost that many hours in just my first season..

Firefox is cool... once ya get all the usual plug/add ins (flash realPlayer, etc), you should be smooth sailing... plus they have some pretty cool addin's laying around out there for it too...

Once you get all this settled, grab the thing, drag it home, put it in the water, grab a beer, and enjoy the kick back style of da toon!

Thanks WaltF - less than 24 hours now until we hit the road to finally get this girl.

[curtiscapk]

well beermunk? how did it go?

[FloterBoter]

Back on topic - I called the dealership this morning because you guys got me paranoid about the tires on the trailer. I asked them if they'd go halves on putting four brand new ones on and he put the boat's former owner (dealership manager) on the phone.

This guy said the tires have been checked out along with the bearings for any signs of rot. He said they couldn't have any more than 20 miles on it because the boat was slipped. He also said that the trailer itself was stored with the tires off the ground when the boat wasn't on it. Both say they feel 100% confident trailering that rig anywhere in the states.

Since he's throwing in a spare and seems unwilling to go halves on the swap I think I may just buy another spare to bring down there so I have two at least. Thoughts?

Also our insurance comes with roadside assistance but it's not really the cost of a breakdown, it's the time it takes to get back on the road.

if it was really stored off the ground out of the sun that whole time then they may not be dry rotted. in my experience, tires often fail from the sidewalls overheating due to the flexing out at the bottom and flexing back in when not at the bottom. that's why tires fail more often when underinflated, due to the overflexing. if it's hot outside and it's sunny (making the pavement really hot), then the tires run much hotter and tend to fail more often. so if you've been towing in reasonable temperatures that will help, even if the tires are kind of old. having the extra spare is of course a good idea. with a two axle trailer, you should always have two spares, because if one tire fails and you don't realize it, the other tire on that side will be overloaded and might fail, too.

you said, "He also said that the trailer itself was stored with the tires off the ground when the boat wasn't on it." you actually want the trailer blocked up when the boat is on it, if that's any length of time, because the extra load sitting on the tires is part of the problem. i drop my boat on blocks if it's going to sit more than a week or two, to get the load off the tires. but i have one of those death trap scissors trailers (to quote some of the OPDB guys).

you also need to be sure that you have a way to jack up the trailer and that you have a lug wrench that actually fits the lug nuts. here's my hint on jacking a two axle trailer: instead of a jack, i carry a pair of patio blocks, the ones about 1-1/2" to 2" tall. i just put a block in front of the front tires (or behind the rear tires if a front tire is to come off). after getting the lug nuts cracked loose, i pull the trailer forward or back onto the blocks and then remove the nuts and tire/rim. this is how i do it to pack my bearings as well as to change a flat. to put it back on, tighten the nuts as best you can while holding the tire, then drive it off the blocks and tighten it down all the way (same as using a regular jack). i like the blocks because they're a lot safer than a jack when on a sloped shoulder with 18-wheelers blowing by.

i would've still had a mechanic look at the bearings down there to see if they need packing. you'd be really disgusted if you burn out a bearing and don't have one with you (along with grease, tools and the know how to change it). he could also make sure none of the brakes are hanging up, because if they are they'll ruin your mileage at best and overheat and/or blow a tire at worst. assuming you got it home ok, have your favorite mechanic look over the trailer for you.

you don't want your family or friends sitting on the side of the highway with the boat while you run for rims and tires. have the trailer maintained and go with the highest load range tires you can. a few hundred bucks worth of maintenance sounds pretty cheap when you're looking at two blown tires on a busy highway. i replace my tires every five years or so no matter what they look like. that means they have about 5k to 7k miles on them, tops. they are good quality load range D tires that should be good to about 20k miles, but i don't trust them when they get old. then again, they're 2-1/2 years old and look brand new, so maybe i'll let them go six years, we'll see.

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[beermunk]

Thanks all - if you haven't seen my new thread yet I'll update this one as well.

We made it back without issues. Did 62mph on the highway and stopped every two hours or so to check tire pressure and heat on the hubs and tires. They all stayed at 50psi cold and went to about 54psi in the 70f sun and at hwy speeds.

Only one hub got more warm than the other three, and that was the hub that was missing the rubber plug when we launched the boat the first day. I think some water got in there. It was warmer than the other for about half the trip then cooled to the same temp later.

At any rate all four original tires held up. Thank goodness I never had to use the spare. I am having the bearings repacked on all four tires by a local dealership before we go out again just to be sure.