Huntingburg City Lake

The water level was the lowests I have seen it at Bluegrass since 2004 or 2005. I like it better when the water level is high.

Now I have to figure out where to get two new wheels/tires for my boat trailer and how to fix a badly bent fender.

I dropped off the end of the concrete ramp at Bluegrass the other evening and on my way home the wheel fell apart. Litterally. The metal that holds the four lug nuts was still attached to the axle but the rest of the wheel had fallen off. I went back this morning and found the wheel/tire laying in the field about 100 yards from the road. And the wheel/tire had rolled most of the way UPHILL on Zoar Church/ Stevenson Station Road. The field right to the North of Kansas road where it goes West off Zoar Church Road.

The wheel still had some water leaking out of the inside of the metal. Seems that the metal was two parts pressed together with a hollow space inbetween. This is where the water had collected over the last 30 + years. I guess eventually the metal rusted on the inside enough that when the wheel dropped off the ramp it weakened the metal on the wheel. I must have hit a hole in the road and that's when the wheel decided to fall apart.

I was lucky that someone stopped to help me. There are still some good people in this world. Lucky that I aired up my spare tire on the trailer.

I need to find two new trailer wheels/tires for my boat trailer. Anyone know of a good place to get trailer tires/wheels at a reasonable price?

I found two trailer tires at Tractor Supply on Morgan but they are two narrow and two small. I need 5.80 x 4 holes wheels. 2 ply Nylon. I'll be shopping around for them today hopefully.

It was two years ago that my boat trailer's axle broke in half. The trailer is getting old. Perhaps it time for a new one. LOL I wonder what a new boat trailer costs these days. Something that will haul a 16 foot long Alumimum flat bottom bass boat.


Just be careful when you back down the ramps. Also the ramps get slick when wet and it's hard to get traction to the back wheels. Now if you have a four wheel drive truck it will be easier to get the trailer tires back up onto the concrete from that big hole at the end of the ramp.

Man, that *****. Thats what I have been trying to avoid , ramps with holes at the end. I have 2 trailer wheels and tires , there like new , but they are 5 lug , I know it wont do you any good. Sorry to hear about your luck...

water down low small alum. boat you can float off a fiberglass boat will be hard to get on and off the trailer your trailer will drop off of the end of the ramp.
Need to wait until the water level is back up

Thank you for the update. You fish there much ? Got any advice ?

[QUOTE=Moveon;430692]The water level was the lowests I have seen it at Bluegrass since 2004 or 2005. I like it better when the water level is high.

Now I have to figure out where to get two new wheels/tires for my boat trailer and how to fix a badly bent fender.

I dropped off the end of the concrete ramp at Bluegrass the other evening and on my way home the wheel fell apart. Litterally. The metal that holds the four lug nuts was still attached to the axle but the rest of the wheel had fallen off. I went back this morning and found the wheel/tire laying in the field about 100 yards from the road. And the wheel/tire had rolled most of the way UPHILL on Zoar Church/ Stevenson Station Road. The field right to the North of Kansas road where it goes West off Zoar Church Road.

The wheel still had some water leaking out of the inside of the metal. Seems that the metal was two parts pressed together with a hollow space inbetween. This is where the water had collected over the last 30 + years. I guess eventually the metal rusted on the inside enough that when the wheel dropped off the ramp it weakened the metal on the wheel. I must have hit a hole in the road and that's when the wheel decided to fall apart.

I was lucky that someone stopped to help me. There are still some good people in this world. Lucky that I aired up my spare tire on the trailer.

I need to find two new trailer wheels/tires for my boat trailer. Anyone know of a good place to get trailer tires/wheels at a reasonable price?

I found two trailer tires at Tractor Supply on Morgan but they are two narrow and two small. I need 5.80 x 4 holes wheels. 2 ply Nylon. I'll be shopping around for them today hopefully.

It was two years ago that my boat trailer's axle broke in half. The trailer is getting old. Perhaps it time for a new one. LOL I wonder what a new boat trailer costs these days. Something that will haul a 16 foot long Alumimum flat bottom bass boat.


Just be careful when you back down the ramps. Also the ramps get slick when wet and it's hard to get traction to the back wheels. Now if you have a four wheel drive truck it will be easier to get the trailer tires back up onto the concrete from that big hole at the end of the ramp.[/QUOTE]what size tires? i have some good tires for sale

Thanks but I went ahead and purchased three new wheels and tires from Tractor Supply. Thank goodness they have two different stores. Had to drive to Boonville to get the spare tire.

Now I just need to get the fender bracket bent back into place and I want to buy a new leaf spring for the right side of the trailer. I had the left (port) side trailer spring replace in 1990 and that side sits higher now than the Starboard side. Hopefully installing a new spring will life the Right side up even with the other side and the boat will sit level on the trailer again. Right now there is about a 2" difference between one side vs the other.

I went back to the accident scene and found the tire/wheel one day and then a few days later I went back and found my bearing buddy and the bra cover that keeps the grease from getting on the wheels.

I went and picked up a new set of bearings for both wheels, a set of new bearing buddies and a pair of bearing buddy bras but I won't need them now.

I cleaned out the bearings and they look good. The top of the spindle at the back end has some spots on the metal but I think I can polish it out with some steel wool and make it work. I don't plan on making long trips anymore these days.

The hub is still good and works fine. It's spins easily on the spindle when dry fitted without any grease in the old cleaned bearings. I do have to replace the rear seal on this side of the trailer but that needed to be replaced anyway as it leaked grease sometimes. I hope I can remember how to get the new seal in properly without damaging it. It's been 30 years since I put a seal in the hub and that's a long time. But I think I can remember fitting it into the hub 30 years ago and knocking it into place with a hammer and some flat wood. Getting it started straight was the key last time.

I am not launching anymore at Bluegrass until the water level comes back up enough that I don't have to drop into that hole anymore. :) It's just hard not to go fishing there due to this drought.

It's November tomorrow head to the river with everyone else!

[QUOTE=JustinM;431270]It's November tomorrow head to the river with everyone else![/QUOTE]




Who you talking too? :) Everyone or me or someone else. If some one else sorry for hi-jacking the thread.

If you are talking to me I haven't boated in the River in a very long time.

Right now my boat has a leak in it from going back onto the trailer when it was too far out of the water. I think that I cracked a aluminum seam along the Port side up by the bow. At least that's where the water was running out onto my driveway after I got back home with the boat. So there is no way I can go boating anywhere until I get the crack welded up shut.

What's swimming in the River in NOVEMBER that's good to catch and eat?

Sauger and Stripes?

I talked to a guy over at Bluegrass Pit the other day and he said he fishes the mouth of Pigeon Creek and it's full of them Exotic Carp fish now. Can't think of the name of them. Grass carp I think or silver carp. Man I wish we could kill every one of them exotic fish in America. They would make great cat food though.


My trailer has the axle unhooked from the leaf spring so that I can get the fender repaired and put back on and so that I can get a new leaf spring and install it. I am grounded until I find a new leaf spring and get the fender support straighten out.

I was told by the repair man that he would have it ready by yesterday (Saturday 30th Oct but he never called and when I went to check on it he was closed for the day. So I am going to have to guard the boat tonight as it's Halloween and it's up on a couple of jack stands on the starboard side. I don't need any kids hanging around my trailer when it's up on jack stands.

I normally just store the boat inside the garage but now I have to take everything out of the boat since it's stored outside in the driveway.

Last year I had an aluminum truck camper shell taken right out of my driveway and beside my house while I was gone for a week. Kids in my neighborhood have had two bikes stolen in the last year and my next door neighbor had is Glock 45 taken from his vehicle while it was parked in his driveway one night. He forgot to lock the doors or they slim jimmied the lock and got into his car. And he was a sheriff deputy just a few years ago.

Rumors say that one of the 15 year old kids living in the neighborhood and his friends have the gun somewhere. The kids admitted to the break in but won't tell where the gun went. So now there are some kids running around this area with a loaded Glock 45 handgun in their possession. Time to get the Tactical Shotguns out along with the Assault Rifles.

They are Asian carp....

Got the Boat Trailer Fender fixed and reinstalled. Reloaded the boat with the fishing supplies and am ready to hit a lake again. But have to figure out if the leaking boat is from the live well or a crack or broken rivet some where on the boat. The hard part is repaired.

Took the fender and the fender bracket to B&H in Chandler, IN and he fixed it up really nice for just $20 cash. Another auto body repair shop wanted to charge me $70 to do the same thing but they did send me to B&H instead so that was nice of them to give me the tip on where to take it for repairs cheaper.

I was going to order a new spindle with all new bearings, races and a new rear seal but they wanted 45 bucks for this part and I can repack my old bearing and replace the rear seal a lot cheaper than that.

However I didn't punch out the old races in the old hub. I forgot that they were still stuck in the hub until after I found the new races in the new package that the new bearings came in. So I have a new rear seal, two old races still in the hub and two new bearings packed with new grease. I am hoping that this will be ok. The old bearings were in really good shape and I probably should have just cleaned them up and repacked them with grease and reinstalled them. The bearing buddies have been doing a great job for the last 30 years.

I reinistalled the old spare tire on the starboard side and still have the tire with the damaged wheel. The three tires are still good and I have two good old wheels. I could just buy a new wheel and have one of the tires put on it and mount that on the starboard side and that way I'll have three tires again. But two of these will have 30 year old metal wheels that could break like the one did. So I also have thought of using three brand new wheel/tires that are a slightly smaller size. 5.3 are the old ones and 4.80 for the three new ones. All of them are 12" 4" by 4 holes so I have to decide which way to go. Keep the three new smaller tires and wheels and go with them OR buy a new wheel and keep the three old tires.

One way is less expensive and I'd like to save some money but it could lead to another big mess if another wheel falls apart. So I am leaning on just going with the three brand new smaller wheels/tires and know that they are going to last for a long time. Even though they are about 1" or 2" shorter in total diameter they are new and strong. I just don't feel safe with those old tires after one of them just fell apart.

I just hate having to throw away three tires and two old wheels.

Where does one get rid of old tires/wheels these days. Does it cost a lot to dispose of old trailer tires?

Also anyone know any good aluminum welders who will take VISA credit cards for payment?

I was using AAA welding out of Newburgh but he won't take Visa. But he can travel to my house if necessary. I use to take the boat to Powers Welding in Evansville and they did a good job. But the best place I found was on the East Side of Evansville but now I can't remember where it's at or the name of the place anymore. They had a guy that welded up a few of the holes in my aluminum bass boat and he did a really good job. Nice and neat and clean weld over the hole where the rivet head use to be. I can't replace the rivets unless I dismantle the flooring and the side walls which would be a really big job. It's easier to just put some JB weld over the hole where the rivet head use to be. But a crack in the edge or seam needs to be welded. I would not trust JB weld on a crack that's 1/8" wide and about 3" long. Even a 2" long crack would still need welding IMHO.

It sure takes a lot of time and money to keep an older boat going. But I have my old boat setup the way I like it and don't have the money to buy a brand new bigger boat right now.