Bent trolling motor prop pins.....

[Staci Matheis]

Blankety-blank-blank little suckers don't want to come out of the shaft once they're bent..... I got it though.....



What causes these things to bend and how can I prevent it from happening in the future?



Once bent, is there a trick to getting them out that I should have asked about before I mangled the old one?



me?

 

[JEFF WHITE]

i usually tap it out to the edge with a hammer and then use a small pin punch to drive it out the rest of the way.ive bent quite a few on my motorguide.



i think it is the torque of the motor starting it on high speed and the initial shock bends them.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Does MinnKota have the same problem with their prop pins?

 

[David Kohler]

Scott, I haven't had a problem on my new MinnKota yet but I did have the same trouble with my old Evinrude trolling motor. You are right - there is almost no way to get them out unless you do as Ron said and cut them off flush with the shaft and tap them out. Miserable little pain in the buttside, aren't they?

 

[Staci Matheis]

I don't mind that I had to destroy the pin..... What ticked me off was that I destroyed the prop just getting to the pin.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Scott, they usually bend if you hit something with the prop. If the TM is on high and you wrap up the prop or hit something with it, it will bend in not shear the pin. The only way to get them out neatly is like everyone said, cut off one end clean at the entry into the prop and then punch it out. If you have a spare pin and are VERY careful, you can use the spare pin and a hammer to tap the old one out as you put the new one in. Be sure to always keep at least 1 if not 2 spares pins and prop nuts in the boat, plus a prop. Cheap insurance.

 

[Greg Meyer]

Spare Props... spare pins are a very good idea. I got a nice MotorGuide Prop for $38.50 at a "podunk" Marine shop...same prop at home is $20... That's a big lesson! I now keep two spare props... so I don't have to replace the spare at "scarce" prices...

 

[Scott S.]

For those of you with Minn Kotas, remove your prop and inspect the pin periodically.. It is easy to bend a pin if you make contact with a rock or stump etc.. A bent pin can cause the trolling motor to sometimes but not always give a vibration, especailly at higher speeds.. Bent pins also dig there way into the groove they rest in on the back of the prop.. Over time it destroys the prop. Your blades may look good but its worth a closer look. I learned the hard way, twice.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Well..... You remember that "howling noise" that I thought was a bearing going out? I think I found the answer.....