07-21-2004, 02:04 PM
I have an older pontoon that used large truck/small tractor tires vulcanized at either end for bladders. I was puttering around the garage after work last night and to my horror I looked up and one side of my toon was completely flat. I immediately decreased the pressure on the other toon, just incase the recent heat here got to the one side.
I pulled the bladder out and found the hole. I inspected the cover for any thorns, etc., and nothing. I did notice that there were no flaps of the shell to cover the zipper. I've seen some interesting patterns on the bladder that look alot like zipper marks from where the two meet. Also, when inflated fully, I saw some small cracks in the bladder as well.
So here are my questions, how can I prevent further decay of the bladders in my toon? How do you know when it is time to retire a bladder?
thanks,
nate
[signature]
I pulled the bladder out and found the hole. I inspected the cover for any thorns, etc., and nothing. I did notice that there were no flaps of the shell to cover the zipper. I've seen some interesting patterns on the bladder that look alot like zipper marks from where the two meet. Also, when inflated fully, I saw some small cracks in the bladder as well.
So here are my questions, how can I prevent further decay of the bladders in my toon? How do you know when it is time to retire a bladder?
thanks,
nate
[signature]