Trolling Motor Installation Question

[Teri C.]

Here comes the first of many questions on installation:



Boats says it's prewired for a 24V trolling motor. I looked at the wiring and there are 2 wires for the current battery (one + and one -). There is another loose wire with a connector on the end but there is only one wire not two. My Triton has a small connector wire that runs only between the two batteries, from battery one neg to battery two positive or the other way around. What does the one loose wire go to and do I need a additional connector wire?



The plug receptacle says 12v-24v so I am assuming I don't have to change the plug, correct?



Also, the Motorguide mount on there only has 4 screws and the Minnokota has 6. Velcro said the holes should be the same. Do you think the 4 holes will line up and then I only have to drill 2 additional holes?

 

[Marty Klein]

The trolling motor goes on front. You now have the full extent of my TM installation knowledge.

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

?? you might have me on that one - I know the larger 36 volt mounts use the same pattern, on the smaller ones I'm not so sure now. Look at your mount and see if there any additional holes just inside/outside of the middle mounting holes in the base. I believe the motorguide has middle holes that are closer together than the minn kota.

 

[Tony Payne]

if it's a 24v "only" -



- you have 2 wires to the receptacle - one from positive of one battery and one from neg of other battery and there is a 'jumper' from neg of one battery to positive of other.



If you have a 12v/24v setup -



- same as above, but you also have one additional wire - from one of the two batteries going to the TM plug. (both pos/neg from one battery to plug, jumper to other battery, neg from it).



At teh plug - no changes should be needed, but you should ensure that the right voltage is going to the right spots on the new TM. (You';re likely going to have to take the plug from the existing tm and wire it to the new one... just make sure you line up whats what).



Is the new TM 'just' 24v? if so, that's the easiest - you should only have 2 wires at the receptacle side... again, 1 from pos of one battery, 1 from neg of other battery and a jumper from neg to pos between them....





I hope like hell that makes sense.



As for the mounting bolts - it will depend greatly on the model your going from/to - if you can get 4 holes to line up, that's really all you need.



Have fun!

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

The loose wires are at the battery compartment and they are red, black, and orange?

You current setup has a 12 volt motor with the red and black wires hooked up?



If the above is true, then you will only need to put another battery in, hook up the orange wire the to the positive post, and put a jumper in from the negative post on the new battery to the positive post on the existing battery. After you are done, use a voltmeter to confirm your receptacle should have 12 volts or 24 volts depending on which prongs you check.

 

[Teri C.]

I can't remember off the top of my head. I will have to tackle this one tonight. I will post about the wires when I look at everything again.

 

[Berry Lindley]

I'd check the boat T.Motor wire gauge and the requirements on the T.M. before installing this. The standard TM is a 42 or a 43, you don't want to pull more current than the wires can handle. It could be OK but I would not assume.

 

[Pierre Voisine]

Here's a link for ya....



http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/gear/power_play4.shtml



I would recomend hard wiring the motor (no plug). It eliminates potential things to go wrong.

Pierre

 

[Berry Lindley]

If you hard wire you need a disconnect. When stored they need to be unplugged or disconnected, especially in a garage.

 

[Teri C.]

Maybe I just need to take it to a professional.....:blink:



Here is a picture of the current trolling motor battery with wires:

What is this loose connector thingy (yes, that's a technical term)?? It looks like it belongs somewhere and it's just hanging:

How do I know what size fuse is in this. The side of the plastic box says 12/24v k30 20A? The parts person at Tracker said I should have a 40 fuse and need to upgrade to a 50? Do I have a 20?

The wiring is #6. Is that good enough?

 

[Bob G.]

Teri,



1. Your trolling motor battery is wired for a 12v TM. If you are installing a 24v TM, you'll need to add another deep cycle battery. Then hook the black wire to the negative (-) battery post of the 2nd battery and a 6 gauge jumper wire from the negative (-) terminal of the 1st battery to the positive (+) terminal of the 2nd battery. The orange fused wire is not used in this application.



If your trolling motor is 12v/24v, then you'll need to connect the orange wire to the positive (+) terminal of one TM battery and the red wire to the positive (+) terminal of the other TM battery. You'll have to figure out the connections at the other end where they connect to the TM connector.



2. I'm not sure what the loose connector thingy is.....maybe a cable for a livewell valve. Do you have an Empty/Fill selector near the throttle like your old Nitro had? It might go to that.



3. The connections at the starter battery should be ok. The 40 amp and 50 amp fuses that the parts person referred to was probably the fuses for the trolling motor. If your TM wires are 6 gauge, you should be ok.



And if you are totally confused by now....seek professional help!!



Bob G.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

UHHH Pic two look more like a throttle cable than a fuse? The 20A on the bax means 20 amp. You should probably replace it with a 50A circuit breaker, this way you can reset it if it trips instead of having to replace. It's also less likley to get jarred loose. You can get them at almost any auto parts place but I recomend BPS since they are close to you so you can get one that is resettable?



BF

 

[Tony Payne]

The second picture is undoubtably a throttle cable - when they put in the hot foot, they left the other cable in place....



What is the second battery picture? Is that the main battery?



Otherwise, what Bob said....



If you have a voltmeter, it should be very easy to tell what you have at the front.... the looks of the second battery picture make me think they used it for the second TM battery (if they indeed wired it for 24v) - you wont want to keep it that way - add a third battery - 2 for TM, 1 dedicated to engine/accessories.

 

[Berry Lindley]

The installation manual should give you minimum wire size. Mine has the second hookup too, I'm betting it is for connecting 2 batteries in parallel for a 12V TM. For a 24V you want a series connection (like a flashlight). This is not rocket science, but if you need help you can call Tommie (lady) Mason at Tracker Boat Centers, she has been of good help to me. They are in Hendersonville, so anything you may need for your boat they can get or will already have without having to order something and not being able to see or pick it up. Their number is 615-264-6318.

 

[Teri C.]

Berry, I actually spoke with Tommie yesterday. She is the one who advised me to put a 50A fuse in it. I ordered a ski pylon that should be in today. So I will get the fuse and battery tray when I go pick up the pylon. She did tell me that Tracker wires their boats with a lower grade wire than on the 9 series Nitros. She said as long as I didn't run it on high for long periods of time I should be fine. She said she hasn't seen a Tracker come back yet with burnt up wiring. Lord don't let me be the first. Ha! I think the wires are fine and from everything above I think I can get the wires right. It's the mounting to the fiberglass I am worried about. I would take it to Tracker just to be safe but they have a 2 weeks back up. I am going to try to do it this weekend.



Need to buy a fish finder. Any suggestions under $500? I'm sure I can do a search and find some info.



Thanks for all your help!

 

[Teri C.]

P.S. I don't have a manual for the trolling motor. Bought it used.

 

[Teri C.]

Just realized that 20A was for the cranking battery. The trolling battery doesn't have the circuit breaker box connected. Where would I find the fuse for that?

 

[Tony Payne]

in the first picture - that looks to be a big inline fuse/breaker right there on the pos wire....

 

[Marke Cicero]

Terri,



Your trolling motor fuse is "in-line" on the positive cable (the red one).



Look at your fist photo in this thread. See the large bulges in the red cable? That houses your fuse. Pull them apart and your fuse right inside.

 

[Marke Cicero]

yeah....what Sim said.

 

[Teri C.]

Do you guys feel like you are talking to a 2nd grader??? :lol: I missed shop class in high school.

 

[Marty Klein]

Blonde maybe, but not a second grader-:lol::lol:



Some folks recommend replacing those big fuses with a circuit breaker. Those fuses are hard to find in KS.

 

[Mini]

All good answers. The holes will line up. You only need 4. I just put a MK on in place of a MG on my Ranger.....



I would replace the wires or use the 40amp circuit breaker. BECAREFUL, I have melted plenty of fuse holders/wires running on high. Just keep an eye out....



If you need any more help just call, but not tonight (tuesday), I have a tournament....



Mac and Ken both have my cell number if you dont already.



Fish finder....look on ebay. There are some deals on some of last years model Lowrance units.



Mini

 

[Teri C.]

I think I got it! My TM is 24V only so:



1) Install new battery tray and put 2nd deep cycle battery in it.

2) Connect red wire with 50a fuse to the positive post of battery 1

3) Connect black wire to negative post of battery 2

4) Take #6 jumper wire and connect it to negative post of battery 1 and run to positive post of battery 2

5) Take of MG mount and mount Minn Kota in same 4 holes

6) Go fishing!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mini]

you forgot number 7!!! CATCH FISH!

 

[Teri C.]

BECAREFUL, I have melted plenty of fuse holders/wires running on high. Just keep an eye out....

Where would the wires start to melt so I can keep an eye out?

 

[Mini]

Mostof them are near any connection (at the battery, the circuit breaker or at the plug in the bow).



After running on high open the bilge and CAREFULLY feel the wires. They may be scorching.....be careful.



Mini

 

[Gene B]

Contrary to public opinion, fuses are superior to circuit breakers for protecting equipment. My trolling motor got so hot it melted the prop. See my post about back from canada lessons learned I think a fuse might have blown before the damage was done. Circuit breakers are definately more convienient.



Gene

 

[Marty Klein]

Hmmm ... I don't know about public opinion; most of the folks who told me to replace the fuse with a breaker were at marinas and auto repair shops where I was trying to find a replacement fuse.



Aren't fuses more about electrical surges than heat?

 

[Tony Payne]

Niether a fuse nor a breaker will stop a wire from overheating/melting - they only come into play if too much amperage is being drawn at a given moment.



Corrosion, improper wire gauge, etc... are all the culprits when it comes to the overheating scenarios.