should I be worried?

[blue_healer_guy]

Bought a trailer for the fish house last fall from a dealer in Perham. Built a 6.5 by 14ft on it and have taken it to Mille Lacs and other lakes with no problems. I have been really happy with it but the other day I was just doing a little inspection of the bottom of the house and noticed something that scares me a bit. The solid pipe that slides into a coupler, about 2" in diameter, has only a bolt with a nut holding each wheel from being able to pull the whole wheel assembly off the house. It's probably hard to picture from the description i have given but the whole thing scares me a bit. Its basically the same concept of a cotter pin. Should I get a solid pin for this or does someone have other ideas. Thanks, joe

[Grabs]

Joe if your up at Mille Lacs again stop in, right now I am in the same spot I was when you stopped up last season. Fishing is slow, but you never know when it might get HOT!!

[blue_healer_guy]

grabs, I do that and this time i'll try not to smack your buddy in the head when I walk in. That was embarassing! Maybe looking at two weeks. Joe

[Guest]

MJ....I'd make sure the nut was self locking if I were you. Or one that's castellated that you can put a cotter pin into....

[Aqua Eye]

Mjgrose-I don't know whether or not you need to worry about this issue. I'm not a welder or manufacturer of frames so I will not even comment on this. To see that you purchased your frame from a place in Perham is what caught my attention.
While comparitive shopping the new FM retractable frames against other distributors, I spoke to a rather large frame manufacturer from Perham and was surprised to learn that he was the main supplier of frames to a couple of well known fish house distributors in my neck of the woods. He was very nice to talk to and I informed him I was checking prices.
Now I know this might not interest you at this time, but if we are talking about the same place, I priced out a 14' FM retractable frame against what he could offer me and here is what I found. His base price for the same size frame with the crankdown hitch would be $1,350.00 not including fenders. The frames from this distributor were rated for 2200 GVWR in comparison to 3500 for the FM frames.
I am in the exact position you sound like you are in right now with your shelter. The honeymoon phase has faded a little bit and we might be picking things apart a little to much on our shacks. The one thing that does look crystal clear to me is how awesome the price and quality of the new frames available here at Fishing MN.appear to be in comparison to the rest of the market. Especially when we take into account that we are doing something to keep this site free to all users by purchasing through FM.
Thanks for posting,...it allowed me an opportunity to step up with some info that might be beneficial to some other members here who might be considering a shelter project this year. I am hoping to hit a couple of FM gatherings later on, perhaps we will get the chance to hook up on the ice somewhere?Good luck fishing-TROY

[This message has been edited by Aqua Eye (edited 01-15-2003).]

[blue_healer_guy]

Troy, I think there are two suppliers in Perham. Mine was just a little shop that had only two on hand. At the time, he had by far the best price I could find 800$.

[Big Dave2]

Aqua eye, where do I find info on these FM frames? Are they available on this web site yet? I can't seem to find them, but I have never claimed to be a genius either.
Thanx, Dave

[Guest]

Go to Used Gear for Sale or wanted, about the 3rd page and look for 'Crank-up style frames-interested? There will be pictures there as well.

[Aqua Eye]

Thanks for the clarification MJ. That's why I didn't name anyone specifically because you never know,right? Besides, everybody's got to eat.The information is true about the pricing , and the fact that he was very nice to talk to.
$800.00 sounds pretty good to me, considering I paid $675 for mine last winter knowing what it was missing. There are a lot of frame makers out there that's for sure. I know my next house will have an FM frame under it. Very interesting topic to me,thanks-TROY

[Guest]

Assuming the stress on the bolt is in the shear direction, (across the threads)I would have to say "GET A PIN!!!", even the strongest of bolts have comparatively lower shear strenth than that of pins. for a buck or two, you could save yourself a big headache at the least, perhaps even someone's life.

[Aqua Eye]

Big Dave 2- The frames and information are right where Rod Holder said. I think that Rick plans to create a separate topic or something for the FM retractable frames in time but right now the guy is swamped! It will be easier for people to find once this happens. Go ahead, check 'em out.-TROY

PS-I've never been called a genius either. I doubt if I ever will

[This message has been edited by Aqua Eye (edited 01-16-2003).]