Input needed

[yankee]

Ok fellow boaters, I have a situation coming up that is weighing heavily on my mind.  I have inherited a 22' pontoon boat that is sitting on a LoadRite pontoon trailer.  It fits nicely on the trailer.  My brother owned the boat and lived in a private community with a small lake and was driven to the lake in the spring and removed from the lake in the fall.  The boat was moored throughout the summer and the trailer sat beside his garage, uncovered, throughout the summer empty.  My concern is that the trailer stock tires are sized at 205/65-10, and I am going to transport this pontoon from Pennsylvania to Texas.  I talked to the service dept. at LoadRite and was educated to the fact that pontoon's are much lighter than fiberglass boats and need to set low to the ground to prevent a draft of air getting underneath and tipping the trailer, and also the smaller tire size keeps the boat lower behind the tow vehicle to avoid drag while towing due to their lack of aerodynamics.  My take is the number of revolutions that these 10" tires are going to experience during the transport and heating up the axle spindle?  I am starting out with a complete bearing change and new tires and rims.  Any advice or recommendations sure would be appreciated as I am nervous as hell.  I am flying up on April 22nd and renting a full sized pick-up to pull this back with.  The cab of the pick-up should be very close to the same height as the trailered pontoon which would help with the drag.  Also, I'm not in any hurry coming back to Texas, me and my wife will be the drivers and we are going to take our time and try to enjoy the ride.

Edit:  The LoadRite service rep. also checked all the weights of the trailer, boat, and motor and we are 500 lbs. under the GVWR of the trailer.

[gnrphil]

I'm gonna stick my neck out and say you'll be fine, stop often and check tire and hub temps.

[Juan]

I tend to agree with Phil. I know most don't carry that much load but there are millions of utility and small boat trailers running 10" wheels. I think you'll be fine.

[freezerfiller]

Pontoons are like a kite. Don't be in a hurry and you'll be fine. As inexpensive as 10" tires are, I'd consider getting an extra spare tire on a trip that long. Buy one of those infrared temp guns and periodically check the hub temps. Don't be surprised if the ones on the sunny side are 15 degrees warmer than those in the shade.

[gtinga]

Not only would I take a spare tire (or two) but have it mounted and bring a spare hub with greased bearings, and tools to change these out. Also a grease gun and a couple of cartridges. A tire pressure gauge is required also, and keep your tire pressures up to max, they'll run cooler if they don't flex as they would if at lower pressures. Check your lights and bring so spare bulbs. Make darn sure the boat is tied down to the trailer with all that surface area and light weight.

[yankee]

Update on moving this boat. After giving this much thought, I have decided to have a mover grab this boat and bring it to Texas for me. With the price of fuel right now it's going to be close to the same costs as me driving it back. The shipper is taking a load to Pittsburgh then was looking for a load back south. Since his parents live 15 minutes from my place in Texas and shot me a price ($1800) that I couldn't refuse. He is picking up this Friday and says God willing he will be having Easter dinner with his parents in Sanger Texas. I'll give an update after the weekend. Happy Easter to everyone. Enjoy your day.

[freezerfiller]

Good deal!

[yankee]

Boat arrived Easter Sunday with no problems. The shipper said it was smooth sailing. Thanks for all the support and ideas.