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Reset the preload?!? What the heck does that mean? Dual axle only thing? I've never heard of such an operation for a trailer. I'm super curious.
I'm betting you did it just called it something different. Basically taking a good size breaker bar, tightening down the castle nut until you can't anymore, then back it off until finger tight, put the cotter pin in. Over time the amount of torque it takes to reach it being that tight can change. If you lift your axle up, wiggle your tire back and forth, and there's more than just a little play it could be that this "preload" value has changed.
 
This thing still rips! What a blast, forgot how much fun this thing is. Some screws on one of my carbs rattled loose. Found the screws, but can't find the washers. So I'll run to ace and pick up some new ones tomorrow. If I was to use this more I'd need a better game plan to get this in/out of the shed and on/off the trailer. Rather than me manhandling it by myself.20240814_163557.jpg20240814_190148.jpg20240814_190156.jpg20240814_191440.jpg
 
I'm betting you did it just called it something different. Basically taking a good size breaker bar, tightening down the castle nut until you can't anymore, then back it off until finger tight, put the cotter pin in. Over time the amount of torque it takes to reach it being that tight can change. If you lift your axle up, wiggle your tire back and forth, and there's more than just a little play it could be that this "preload" value has changed.
Yeap, done that a ton on trailers, and industrial bearings. Just never heard it called that.

Interesting enough though.....and this is gonna bite me in the area soon. I've never even had the bearing buddies off in my boat trailer. Bought brand new in '17 and haven't touched them. Even did a 2,500mi trip that way in June!

I just probably check those eh?
 
My brother went biking in Columbia and came back saying he should retire there! Steak dinner at a restaurant was $6. So how is it???

Restaurant prices vary depending on the area and current exchange rate, but yeah, it's possible to have lunch for like $5-$10 at a restaurant. Colombia is amazing and the weather is perfect. I've been thinking about buying a 2016+ AR190 in Florida to ship to Colombia because there is a lake nearby that I could make a business doing tours. But for now, I am still looking for my next car. I found a really nice 2018 the other day, but I need to sell my 118i first. I blew the strut on the 118i and it's backordered in the country so my friend in Portugal will send it to me

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Yeap, done that a ton on trailers, and industrial bearings. Just never heard it called that.

Interesting enough though.....and this is gonna bite me in the area soon. I've never even had the bearing buddies off in my boat trailer. Bought brand new in '17 and haven't touched them. Even did a 2,500mi trip that way in June!

I just probably check those eh?
I haven't checked my boat either. I've put close to 5k miles on the trailer and the only thing I've done is pump a little grease in at the beginning of the season. LOL! I need to check mine as well. The boat is a little more complicated with their weird seal than the jet ski trailer is. When the time comes I'll probably just replace the whole dang hub as it'll save me in frustration, which will save me in time/money. LOL!
 
@suke I had a 1997 Spx (same hull and engine just a different name. It topped out at 58mph. Anyway, if you get the right harness you can easily move it around the shop or onto an off of trailers with a cherry picker.

@2kwik4u and @suke I highly recommend that you top off your bearing buddies before you hit the road with them again. I blew it off a few years back, during a 100 mile trip my son was following me and called to tell me one of my tire was smoking, a few minutes later it was leaning inward from the top, seconds after that it detached from the spindle and rolled by me in a ditch on the side of the road. Aaa never showed up. The brake caliper was shot as well. I ended up replacing the axle and both calipers for about $1,200 that I could have availed spending if I just took a minute to pump some grease in.

A few months later my bother and I were hauling his jeep back from Moab on a U-Haul rental trailer. It lost a tire on the freeway and was nothing but a hassle to address. In both instances the tire was from the passenger side, good thing because it they came off on the drivers side they would have ended up in the lane traveling the other direction or in the fast lane on a freeway.
 
@suke I had a 1997 Spx (same hull and engine just a different name. It topped out at 58mph. Anyway, if you get the right harness you can easily move it around the shop or onto an off of trailers with a cherry picker.

@2kwik4u and @suke I highly recommend that you top off your bearing buddies before you hit the road with them again. I blew it off a few years back, during a 100 mile trip my son was following me and called to tell me one of my tire was smoking, a few minutes later it was leaning inward from the top, seconds after that it detached from the spindle and rolled by me in a ditch on the side of the road. Aaa never showed up. The brake caliper was shot as well. I ended up replacing the axle and both calipers for about $1,200 that I could have availed spending if I just took a minute to pump some grease in.

A few months later my bother and I were hauling his jeep back from Moab on a U-Haul rental trailer. It lost a tire on the freeway and was nothing but a hassle to address. In both instances the tire was from the passenger side, good thing because it they came off on the drivers side they would have ended up in the lane traveling the other direction or in the fast lane on a freeway.
My ski GPS'ed at 59.7. It's not quite stock, though. :) Challenge is I'm moving it from my shed that's elevated from the ground by about 8" and there's grass/my yard. When I had it in the garage I could just pull it from the stand to the trailer. Was stupid simple.

This is the situation I'm dealing with. Aside from the derpy face my kid is making there. LOL! I've gotten slightly more crafty as that is back in 2018 when I first built the shed.
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Sun setting thru thick smoke from wildfires.

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My ski GPS'ed at 59.7. It's not quite stock, though. :) Challenge is I'm moving it from my shed that's elevated from the ground by about 8" and there's grass/my yard. When I had it in the garage I could just pull it from the stand to the trailer. Was stupid simple.

This is the situation I'm dealing with. Aside from the derpy face my kid is making there. LOL! I've gotten slightly more crafty as that is back in 2018 when I first built the shed.
View attachment 225342
Can you back the trailer up to the shed with the ride on mower and use the winch on the trailer to get the ski onto it? If so to get it off the trailer and back in the shed maybe install a winch in the shed and I use it to pull the ski in.

I was thinking about my Spx after seeing your xp. It performed really well even by today’s standards. Nearly 60 mph top speed, accelerated like a bat out hell, only weighs about 400 lbs. and cost me $1,500 used around 2005. By comparison, my wife’s 2021 fx Waverunner (“touring/luxury” class) tops out at 59 mph and it accelerates great even though it weighs about 800 lbs. the out the door new price on it was about $17k. Admittedly it does have all the bells and whistles other than a super charger, the reverse/brake is awesome and the display is a lot more than just fuel and trim guage. Still I miss almost everything about the Spx except that it was a two stroke, which I have had a lot of problems with in other skis and boats.
 
Can you back the trailer up to the shed with the ride on mower and use the winch on the trailer to get the ski onto it? If so to get it off the trailer and back in the shed maybe install a winch in the shed and I use it to pull the ski in.

I was thinking about my Spx after seeing your xp. It performed really well even by today’s standards. Nearly 60 mph top speed, accelerated like a bat out hell, only weighs about 400 lbs. and cost me $1,500 used around 2005. By comparison, my wife’s 2021 fx Waverunner (“touring/luxury” class) tops out at 59 mph and it accelerates great even though it weighs about 800 lbs. the out the door new price on it was about $17k. Admittedly it does have all the bells and whistles other than a super charger, the reverse/brake is awesome and the display is a lot more than just fuel and trim guage. Still I miss almost everything about the Spx except that it was a two stroke, which I have had a lot of problems with in other skis and boats.
That's what I do. The mower doesn't quite have the balls to pull the trailer with the ski. It's also from 1996. 😂 I move the trailer by hand. Grass is also too wet to get a vehicle down there. Hard to see but the yards are graded to drain right in between both houses. So that area of the yard is generally pretty wet. I installed an electric winch on the back of the shed to pull it up and somewhat off the trailer. There's still a height difference in the trailer and the ramps so I just deadlift the ski onto the stand. The biggest problem is all 4 wheels turn and they love to try and fall off the ramps. I use those ramps to get the lawnmower out too, so putting a rail system isn't exactly realistic. What I need to do is make a removable ramp that spans the width of the opening of the shed. I rarely think to build something like that as I quickly forget how much of an inconvenience it is. I don't want a full time ramp there that big cause it'll take up so much yard space.


I bought this ski for $800, after the complete restoration I think I had about $2300 total into it. I've since put probably another $1k or so into performance parts. Still a far cry from what even the cheapest skis go for now.
 
Lake Champlain Poker Run is tomorrow. A few boats at the marina tonight.

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Love the utility of center consoles.


 
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Changed the filters in the Yukon this morning. Computer said they were at 33% life at 48,000 miles. New engine filter has a foam element that the original did not.
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I see another PDQ, a 34 motor cat from Florida in our marina. A PDQ 36 SV and a 34 MV on Lake Champlain in Burlington.

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Ya, that is us in the background.

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