conocean Posted June 20, 2017 Report Share Posted June 20, 2017 Dude, tuck your pride in your under-roos and take it to a trailer shop. They will have it done in half a day. I've had friends hurt themselves and/or had a mishap like JEM's doing this cr@p. Think about your family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEM Posted June 20, 2017 Report Share Posted June 20, 2017 If he can work with the boat off, it should make changing a pair of springs a piece of cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradM Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 It's pretty simple either way...Support the trailer on jack stands; I like to get the whole trailer up which means 4, one in front of and one behind the axle on both sides (you can block it too - with wood). I also like to have the trailer hitched to my truck. This will keep the tongue from randomly popping up. After that I like to slide my floor jack under the axle and give it a bump to unload weight of the axle from the bolts. Then get with it....if you leave the boat on it, duct tape some tin foil where the sparks hit the hull...or use the opposite side of the wheel and throw sparks the other way. I'd cut and replace them, personally. The rest is pretty straight forward. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted June 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 Got 'er done. Thanks for the recommendation to just get the boat off the trailer - found a local marina that I could dock at for a couple of hours. Boys and I knocked it out in less than two hours. Nothing like cheap child labor to get a job done! Funniest thing was when we finished, my 5 year old walked up to his momma and looked her dead in the eye, made a very dramatic sigh, and said "Man, I'm gonna be sore tomorrow." Poor guy, lifting all those rusted bolts and putting them in a pile really wore him out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 good job !! Glad I could help with advice.........I just know from experience "take the boat off" before working on axles, springs, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conocean Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 Aren't there child labor laws in NC?!? Sheesh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted June 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 There are indeed. At least at my house, the child labor laws go like this: "Wanna eat? Good, go help your dad!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacerxV6 Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 Glad to see the kids helping out!! sweet job on saving money and getting it done at home. I am the same way....just can't pay someone to do something I know I can handle...just the way I was raised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whichwaysup Posted June 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 It was funny - I only had a few hours to get it done, so I originally envisioned having my wife get the kids settled in for bed while I knocked it out, but during dinner it hit me that this was an awesome opportunity to teach the boys how to work on your own stuff. I knew there was nothing in this job that they could break. Initially, I thought that getting them involved would make the job longer, but I was shocked when my two older boys went at those spring bolts like dogs on a bone. While I was dealing with the ubolts, they got the spring bolts taken care of and all I had to do was tighten them. They probably cut 30 minutes off the job at least! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted June 21, 2017 Report Share Posted June 21, 2017 That is the best way to teach. Let them learn by helping you now and they can help themselves in the future. Favorite quote from helping my dad "Hold the da#% light so I can see not so you can see." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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