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Old 06-19-12, 12:33 AM   #1
Colio13
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Default Trolling Motor Problem..

Hi, I have minn kota 55lb 12v trolling motor and I have a problem I have it hooked up on a 12/24 system even though its only 12V and the batteries only stay up about 4-5 hours pushing my 17' Fiberglass boat, batteries are new but I was wondering what I could do to make them hold up longer maybe it has a short? Bad trolling motor I don't know Please help thanks.
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Old 06-19-12, 01:24 AM   #2
bassboogieman
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Running a 12v t/m at 24v will burn the motor up. If you have two batteries on board dedicated to the t/m they should be llinked in paralell not it series. If they are hooked up in paralell the 12v power should last longer than running off a single 12v then switching to another battery. This should explain it: http://www.zbattery.com/Connecting-B...es-or-Parallel

If you have a true 12/24v pre-wired plug for the t/m, you should have 3 wires to the plug - a common ground, a 12v positive and 24v positive. A 12v t/m only has two wires, a positive and negative.


If I understand your question correctly then your t/m can only access the 12v supply at your plug, the other battery (suppling the 24v part) cannot be used. You're actually running off only one battery, then 5 hr duration is about right. What you'll need to do is rewire (or replace) the plug. Connect your two batteries in parrallel, with two wires running forward to the plug. Or replace the trolling motor with a 24v as the dual voltage ones are difficult to find, and I don't believe are still being produced by either Minn Kota or Motorguide.

To utilize the 12/24v system properly you need a 12/24v t/m which has a switch on it to select the proper power level. The 12/24v system was common on older boats. Newer boats just have a 2 wire feed to the t/m regardless of voltage. It is important to have the proper gauge wire, though, if upgrading to a higher voltage in addition to a breaker/fuse between the batteries and the t/m plug.

Last edited by bassboogieman; 06-19-12 at 01:55 AM.
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Old 06-19-12, 01:40 AM   #3
Colio13
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It is in Parallel
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Old 06-19-12, 03:47 AM   #4
Hoosier
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Boogie maybe you can shed some light for me as well then(as usual). I have a 70# thrust maxxum that is on a 24 volt System. There are only 2 wires off of the t/m to the plug but its a 24V system. Mine doesnt seem to last very long at all it seems. Maybe 3 to 4 hours max. Could this be my problem as well.
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Old 06-19-12, 08:18 AM   #5
bassboogieman
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I wouldn't think so. A straight 24v is a 2 - wire feed from the batteries, connected in series. My experience with 24v t/m is that you should get an 8-hour day (normal conditions, excluding high wind or strong current situations) easily with good batteries

I'm no expert and there isn't a lot of info to go on, so I'll hit every possibility I can think of, all may not apply.

1) How old are the batteries, and are they the same age?

2) Are they wet cell? If so make sure of the water level (add distilled water only), low water level will reduce the output on a daily basis (they
won't take a full charge) and kill the battery pretty quickly.

3) How good are your connections? Check that all connections at the battery terminals, the plug and socket are tight and clean.

4) How old and how good is your battery charger? If you have a battery tester or voltage meter, charge the batteries and test each one -
voltage on a fully charged (good) battery should be just over 13v, less and the problem is with the batteries or less likely the charger.

I hope this helps.
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Old 06-19-12, 01:18 PM   #6
merc1997
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if you have a 12v troller and you batteries are still wired up for 24v, this is why you still do not have the battery length you would like. you need to wire you batteries parallel. just go from positive to positive, and negative to negative on your two batteries. hook your trolling motor wires same as usual, hot to positive, and ground to negative. you will now have twice the run time because you are using from both batteries and not one. if you have anymore questions just post a note.

bo
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Old 06-19-12, 01:23 PM   #7
merc1997
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoosier View Post
Boogie maybe you can shed some light for me as well then(as usual). I have a 70# thrust maxxum that is on a 24 volt System. There are only 2 wires off of the t/m to the plug but its a 24V system. Mine doesnt seem to last very long at all it seems. Maybe 3 to 4 hours max. Could this be my problem as well.
you get the 24v by jumping at the batteries, or sometimes the jump is made in the trolling motor plug. the best way to tell is to see if you have a jumper cable going from negative on one battery to positive on the other battery. this how 24v are made. if everything is hooked up right and your troller is truly running on 24v and your batteries are done in 3 to 4 hours, you either have one or both batteries bad, or they are very low on water.

hope some of this might help you chase down your problem.

bo
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