Tips on Safety
by
"Billy Safeway"

     I would like to introduce you to a new member of our club. He doesn’t pay dues and he doesn’t fish. He is your new "Safety Director". He will be providing you with tips to keep your boating and fishing world more enjoyable as you attend tournaments and recreational fishing trips. He is “Billy Safeway” and should always be thought of as your friend. His first article is listed below:

        1. Can you safely say that you can change a tire on your boat ?

        2. Do you have a wrench to get the lug nuts off of your wheel ?

        3. Do you have a socket that will fit your lug nuts ?

        4. Can you remove a lug nut with the tools you have ?

        5. Have you checked your wheel bearings lately ?

        6. Are your lug nuts on tight ?

        7. Do you even have a spare tire and wheel ?

     If you answered "NO" to any of the questions asked, then you are in serious jeopardy of not making your way to a tournament or back home from one. Billy Safeway’s friend had an eye opening experience recently, but thank goodness it was in his garage. Here’s what happened.

     The friend was in his garage a week after he had been to a tournament, and found that one of his tires was flat, but only on the bottom. He pondered the dilemma, and after another couple of weeks, decided to remove the wheel and get the tire repaired.

     First he would have to remove the wheel. He took a ¾ inch socket in 3/8 drive, added an extension, and began trying to remove the lug nut. He broke one ratchet and two extensions before realizing that this was not going to be an easy chore.

     Next he called his dealer and asked for advice. The dealer said he should try and use his truck’s lug wrench because it was the same ¾ size. That was true, but the tire iron had walls that were too thick to place over the lug nut and inside the wheel hole opening. Wow! What do I do now, he thought ?

     He finally went to Sears and bought a breaker bar in ½ inch drive. It was about 15 inches long and very strong. He realized that, even if he broke it, Sears would replace it free. He also bought a four inch extension in ½ inch drive as well as a ¾ inch socket that he thought would fit the lug nut.

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     The trailer was a tandem axle, so there was no problem with loosening the lug nuts on one wheel. The guy found a two ton floor jack in his garage that also was a key to completing the process of removing the wheel and tire.

     He jacked the axle that had the flat on it, and after easily removing the lug nuts with the torque provided by the breaker bar, was able to get the wheel off the trailer. He then had to take the wheel to a tire shop to get the flat fixed.

     A new shop had just opened up and it was an opportunity to try out their service. The wheel was taken there after a search had found a possible nail sticking out of it. The guy at the tire shop agreed that there was no problem because it was only flat on one side. All the comedians out of work and he has to be one of them. You get the picture.

     He fixed the tire in a matter of ten minutes, and brought it back to me with the object that made the hole in my tire. It was a rock. Doesn’t that beat all ? It was shaped in the triangle of a shark’s tooth.

     Here’s what I think you should have with you when you go a boating. Two ton floor jack, breaker bar in ½ drive, four inch ½ drive extension, ¾ inch socket (or whatever your size lug nuts take), a piece of plywood large enough to support your floor jack, and a spare wheel and tire that is properly inflated.

     One more note. I remember one of our anglers going to a tournament, and having his truck and trailer passed by one of his wheels. He got a ride on a passing motorcycle and was able to retrieve his tire and put the wheel back on using spare lug nuts he had. Maybe you should also carry a motorcycle with you ? NAH ! Just do the maintenance I referenced above. Check you bearing periodically, and make sure your lug nuts are on tight.