skipper19

I like the free stuff they send when they say I've been nominated to join, sort thru it and keep the note pad and some decal stuff like the deer decal from the hunt club, etc.. Was once a member, never again, Hounding me was the turn off and when I quit they made a big issue of it. Kinda like the phone calls you get wanting you to do a survey or buy something and ya tell em NO, not interested but they just keep blabbing over you and saying how much your missing. They should save their money from wasted mailings and put it into some useful products to test, for real.

Happy b-day Jason, out to dinner?....mmmm.....lemeguess ....uhhh grilled salmon? and Hope you had a good day and many many more trips around the sun. Mark

Electric over hydraulic is the very best system. Holds on a uphill that a surge won't do, brakes when you brake, unlike de-cellerating on a downhill where you are using compression low gear controlled speed to keep heat buildup down on the brakes. When you low gear down a hill there is pressure on the actuator from the hitch and can cause the trailer brakes to do all the work. Let's you backup with brake action when you want it. Last but not least, no underwater wiring and electric components to foul up. I have suspected the bumping and bouncing of the trailer on the surge hitch has caused me to get worse fuel mileage due to the pumping of the actuator all the while. Maybe not but I haven't got anything to compare it to except a 34 foot fifth wheel camper that pulls easier and gets better mileage with the same vehicle pulling it, weighing 10000 lbs compared to a boat and trailer that weighs 6000 lbs. hard to figure why. I would go with discs on the axle. less junk to get inside of the drums and easier to maintain. Mark

Nice alligator! Mark

The Federal motor carriers safety administration has up dated the federal rules for surge brake equiped vehicles to include these guidelines. These were designed to clear up (but somewhat complicated) the patchwork of state law problems associated with interstate travel with a surge brake equipped trailer. I think if you are traveling through a "skeptical" state such as Ohio (believe me I know) that you really should have a GVWR plate from the manufacturer permanently attached to your trailer and have ready access to the GVWR rating of your tow vehicle handy in case you are pulled into a state inspection scale for safety inspection, here too in New York, (entirely possible these days due to state budgets looking for extra revenue) all trailers are being checked regularly these days, farm trailers such as stock and horse trailers are a primary target now as well. There is a ratio formula applied to the GVWR of the trailer against the GVWR of the tow vehicle. If these are not readily available for the calculation the state will probably issue a ticket for that in spite of the federal ruling. In general there are many safety requirements for trailers and tow vehicles not limited to brakes. be sure your breakaway system is intact and working and all your safety cables and chains are functional and attached securely, and of course your lights and tie down systems are working. tires etc etc etc. Remember when you are out on the water there are those law enforcement guys out there that cruise the launch parking lots looking for potential tickets, and when you come back, there is your reward stuck on your window for making it from point A (home ) to point B (fishing) without being caught. Going back to point A becomes less pleasant at that point. OK...to answer the original question, I think you are referring to the hitch/actuator system rather than the wheel brakes, I have replaced my surge brake/hitch on my trailer entirely with a new one. It was leaking from the master cylinder and the master cylinder is expensive. There was no readily available kit to rebuild it so I just replaced the whole thing hitch and all. There were some other issues with the hitch as well so it seemed the thing to do was replace the whole thing, quick and easy and less fuss about whether the parts would fit or work in a rebuild. Be sure if you replace the surge brake actuator that it is rated for your trailer's GVWR or higher so you don't run into the problem with the tow ratio thing. Also bleeding the brakes is alot easier with two people or get a one man bleeder kit (cheap at most auto supply). In general the hitch/brake combo was only about twice as much as the master cylinder at about $160 vs $80 for just a master, and it cleared up an issue with the breakaway system as well. Keep the actuator greased and it will work very well for years to come. Hope your wheel cylinders are OK and the bleed screw doesn't break off. Then there's a new project.http://shop.easternmarine.com/ (where I got my hitch, a Tiedown model 70E for 7000lbs) http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulati ... 3480023923 d) Surge brakes. (1) Surge brakes are allowed on: (d)(1)(i) Any trailer with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 12,000 pounds or less, when its GVWR does not exceed 1.75 times the GVWR of the towing vehicle; and (d)(1)(ii) Any trailer with a GVWR greater than 12,000 pounds, but less than 20,001 pounds, when its GVWR does not exceed 1.25 times the GVWR of the towing vehicle. (d)(2) The gross vehicle weight (GVW) of a trailer equipped with surge brakes may be used instead of its GVWR to calculate compliance with the weight ratios specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section when the trailer manufacturer’s GVWR label is missing. (d)(3) The GVW of a trailer equipped with surge brakes must be used to calculate compliance with the weight ratios specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section when the trailer’s GVW exceeds its GVWR. (d)(4) The surge brakes must meet the requirements of §393.40. NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Admin.) specifically states that a large number of private boat owners are personally using surge brake equipped trailers. Some of those trailers are for larger boats that would require a GVWR in the heavier range of 12,001 to 20,000 pounds. The fact that no safety problems relating to surge brake performance have been reported by the marine industry or by State and local highway safety officials, as a result of that usage on the public roads, suggests that these trailers and their braking systems are safe. General or approximate GVWRs for most models of towing vehicles covered by this rule are commonly known. FMCSA will ask the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to make these values available for use when towing vehicles between 10,000 and 16,000 pounds do not have a GVWR plate. If OSHP (Ohio State Highway Patrol) is concerned about overloaded towing vehicles, all existing enforcement procedures remain in effect for dealing with vehicles loaded beyond their manufacturer's GVWR. OSHP has the authority under the State version of Sec. 396.7 (adopted pursuant to MCSAP) to remove such vehicles from the road, and this provision is incorporated in the North American Standard (NAS) Out-of-Service criteria. Hope this helps (but then there are those isolated cases of getting a ticket in lieu of the facts and statements of federal law) Mark

Congrates Scott Glad to hear the ice is holding up. I was hoping to try this lake on the ice for the first time soon. Anybody get any perch? Mark

My fever is risin!...Here...look at this and catch the bug too! I think it's very contagious! I been lookin at a lot of other vids on here and I think I'm really sick now . Cher thinks I've got water on the brain (so do I but it's under the ice pack...the one on my skull ) I think the cure is to go out and uncover the boat and....wait ...I know someone going to the keys...hmmm wonder if he has a place to stay and gas bucks for a three month tour....what's his name? Starts with a R....uhhhhh...ends with a Y ....OMG ...I cannnn't ....I got it ...OMGanothershort(notso)fatbaldone ....how bout it bald eagle, I think a little sun and warmth will cure me dude Mark

Tom, here's wishing you a birthday engineered for king! Mark

Ray, it sounds like the circulation effect is going on here. I've had this before....but seeing how you mentioned the door is only a few feet away, maybe you had better check and see which way the circulation goes. Your wall might have jumped the line. Check for secret numbers 1 through 14 and see if that wall is the last before the curb. hmmmm.....now which way does the circulation go 1-14 or 14-1...UH OH ..You should pay very close attention to the time before the lawn sale for more details.....until then, mount some evil looking green LED lights in the eye sockets of that Euro mount and turn them on so maybe your wall will stay safe then....ooooohhhhh scary don't touch this wall Mark

Bears a strong resemblance to OMGanothershortfatbaldone, but if it is him.....he better start catchin more critters to eat or he's gonna start lookin like cousin IT ...his hair is startin to get to big for his body ....great pics guys. Mark

See ya next spring in the pea green waters of the Niagara flow and where the "red can" marks the spot! Mark ......ENJOY

Scott, I hope the scenery gets better wherever you go. I haven't had much luck getting quantity and quality together in the same place but the time spent trying and fishing with friends is priceless Mark

Evening troll back to port at the Oak.

bunnyassasin, looks like our shack on the far right by the edge of your pic there. We were just east of the point a little bit. Yeah it was crackin out there but four inches is what we had there, prolly alot more now after last weekend cold spell. Gills were a little smallish where we were. Mark..

Damm, Ray!!!!!...It's like you were really there with us Minnows spilled (not in the truck) but on the way off pulling the sled like a couple of draft horses up a slope onto terra firma And yup Mick was up before me and gone and got coffee and minnows. We did all this on one breakfast sandwich all day. Not quite fighting over the last "good" bait but we tussled over who got the bigger half of the sandwich Tipups were frozen in, so we sat inside with the shades pulled so we could watch the fishing show on the only channel we could get, but that was ok, the show went on all day and someone was catching all the fish somewhere off the channel . I think Mick had a secret channel, all I could see was my baits and he was catching the fish ....Oh yeah...while the shades were pulled and we were watching the rest of the show...Mr. big mouth bass comes and gobbles the bait of the tipup right in front of the shack, un beknownst to us, it has the bait for a couple hours, give or take, and is hangin there on the frozen tipup. Let's look outside and see what is going on...FLAG!!!!....RUN RUN...OOPS OPEN THE ZIPPER before running ..gets to the flag and then smashes the newly formed ice outta the hole with his heel so the reel don't come popping off. Looks at me and says "it's still on there" Nice time, but Ray you forgot one thing....4 inches of water came on top of the ice from us sitting there pushing it down, and wet feet ....again...169 dollar boots not good Let's do it again...come on Ray it's cold in Key West now anyway. Mark

Conesus Lake today ...Mick with his first tipup catch ever Watching fishing show in the shack Star of the show..Mr bluegill..wasn't hungry..camera shy got a few little ones like this and that was it for the north end at Vitale Park. Mark

What's that deers cholesterol #s ....poor guy that eats that meat is gonna need a triple bypass

Thanks Gator!!!, looks like the thing I was thinking of. Now I guess I need to get to home depot and find some materials. Any body have a sled dog team now for sale? Mark

I use 20lb tipup ice line. Its a braid line. Then tie a loop in the braid or use a small three way swivel and leave the tag end about 4 to 5 inches below the hook for the sinker. I like a 1/4 oz bell sinker on there to drop through the slush in the hole. snelled #6 or 8 hooks looped on the main line loop or three way swivel. some times I use a double hook one above the other to target different levels at the same time on one tipup if fishing deep water for perch. Also for a depth indicator and repeatability of the dangle from the tipup, I thread the main line through two holes of a shirt button, and slide it to the point where it meets the reel after the set. That way if it needs to be reset after a fish, you can quickly repeat the proper depth for the bite. Depends on what type of tipups you use but there are ways of setting them for a lite bite of a perch. I have the old wooden stick type and I have used a piece of fishing line about 3 to 4 inches long tied to the flag end of the spring steel with a loop on the other end that goes over the catch. The line slides off easier as the trip hits it. Mark

I'm a window licker on that site...was once a good sam poster of universal knowledge...but they (the neanderthals) changed me...had nothing good to say about info I would give...something like what you are describing IS THE PROBLEM....SO, I'm not the problem anymore...just a window licker looking for a place to fish...within an hour travel time,.. if that is not local..oh well, I spent some good ole frogskins in that far off locale. The baitshops, restaurants, gas stations, that all charged local taxes in the area and along the way are happy for it. I wonder if the internet has really changed the amount of fisherman that have always known where to go to catch fish? hmmmmm. Mark

Aw man!!!???....now how am I gonna find my way around in my vintage Corsair? 400mph compass reading ....oops... missed the runway by a few hundred miles...hey I remember a commercial flight that did that, they just turned around. I can do that Mark

I think this is what we want. MUSH I found this pic on a michigan forum. Looks cool, but needs a bigger version to haul the ice shack. Come on Gator, yer basement needs cleaning out anyhow (just kidding) was thinkin about mine Mark ps http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum ... nduit+sled This is a crude drawing from Michigan Sportsman. com and a review of its function hauling a clam 5600

I am going to make the proverbial ass-u-me that the new regulation is based on the retention time of the bait as of today and not the ...all bait purchased after today... so that my bait I bought 7 days ago is now still good for another 3 days. Any guess as to the thought? Mark

Like Pete, I like the albright knot as well. No failure yet on mine. I use the less popular 30 lb copper and it holds up with this knot tied directly to the 30 lb powerpro backing. it is smooth if tied carefully and passes the line guide on a penn 309 no problem. The flouro leader is tied with the same knot at the terminal end of the copper. Mark

Gator, The conduit you mention, is that just electrical conduit? I suppose that by cutting through the snow to the ice is probably the way to go instead of trying to surf the deep snow with as much as 200 or more pounds of sled and equipment. Makes sense to me. I remember ice skating in snow covered conditions and it was easy to keep moving. The mound of snow and slush in front of the tub is hard to move plus the tub wants to keep going over it which is like pulling uphill. do you have a picture of the frame? Mark