Check your Nuts and Bolts...

[DDBethke]

All,

A quick heads up if you fished the Wonderland Tourney Sunday

I'm sure most of you already check your stuff after a tourney, if not you may want to look @ your outboard/jack-plate bolts! We made the run to the SC River and it was a little rough at times.

When I got home my fishing Partner noticed my outboard bolts backed off a half inch or so (not cool  ).

I went through everything and just about all the bolts needed to be tightened.

Duane (btw, congrats to the winners)

[motocross269]

Is there a torque spec for those bolts??  I keep hearing to check the motor mount\jack plate bolts.  I was just reading in Wayne Carpenters writing last night where he talks about someone running across LSC and looking back to see his motor coming off of his transom...That would not be good. 
The trailer lugnuts keep coming up too..I saw a nasty picture on another site that showed a single axle trailer that lost a wheel Not pretty tore up the boat pretty good..

[SethV]

I keep my jackplate/motor bolts at 90 ft-lbs.  Never had one come loose, but I still check them to make sure every few weeks. 

Trailer lug nuts at 80 ft-lbs.

[motocross269]

Thanks for the info

[DDBethke]

FYI,

Tech Dept @ Triton said to use Loctite™, but they will still loosen up...

Duane

[Revtro]

Good advice.  I checked all my motor and jackplate bolts the other week and nearly every one of them was a little loose. 

[JL]

Thanks for the heads up...

[Eric]

All my nuts and bolts are tight, but I think I have a few screws loose.

[Cheetam]

All my nuts and bolts are tight, but I think I have a few screws loose.

Uh, you THINK..?

[djkimmel]

I still don't like Lake Erie. Took a beating most of the day, and then as usual, took a beating from the lovely SE Michigan roads on the way home.

You might want to check your nut to the hitch ball too often. It can seem fine one weekend, and the next your boat is popping up in the air, swinging around a little behind you (causing all those idiot tailgaters to hopefully change their wicked ways) and then bumping into the back of your truck as you hope the safety chains hold until you stop.

Not fun. Call the partner up who lives not too far away when you remember your spare ball is in the camper. Wait for him to drive up with another ball while you reconnect wires and wonder why people won't get over (a little nerve-wracking wondering if a looky-lou will come along and smack into your boat while you're jacking it off the ground (because your dolly wheel is mostly ground away)...

Always an enjoyable way to end a nice weekend on Lake Erie... with another bumpy nervey ride on one of those uncrowded SE Michigan highways...

I just tested my ball and hitch last Sunday... I gotta find some smoother roads to drive on... I'm thinking of a new web site... greatlakesbassexceptlakeerie.com

[SethV]

Wow Dan, that sounds way too exciting!!!   

I tighted my hitch ball to 150 ft-lbs and then a smash the threads with a hammer.  That way, even if it would come loose, it won't come off.  Also, be sure to get the large diameter stud on the hitch ball, close to the diameter of the hole in the reciever.  One other thing, never ever reuse lock washers.  Always use a fresh lock washer when retightening.

One other thing, for the motor mount bolts, if you can use a fine thread, they hold torque better than coarse thread.  Also, the nylon lock nuts are great - better vibration resistance than loctite (unless you use the loctite that requires heat to remove - prob not a good idea).

Seth

[Dan]

That Lt. Dan is a funny guy and I mean that in a weird sort of way:)