Extreme Difficulty Getting Minn Kota Trolling Motor into/out of Cradle (folded up)

[rlrobinhood]

Hi all,

I bought a used boat (my first) and it has a Minn Kota Autopilot electric trolling motor. It is extremely difficult to get it into and out of the cradle. Once it is out of the cradle, it drops down very nicely, so I don't think anything is bent or anything.

My gut feeling is the shaft needs to be lube to make it slide easier. Any thoughts? What should I lube it with?

Thanks all!

 

[rickclark]

Re: Extreme Difficulty Getting Minn Kota Trolling Motor into/out of Cradle (folded up

Had the same problem. Called Minn Kota customer service to see if there was some technique I needed to know. Their suggestion was to lubricate the shaft with ARMOR ALL (not WD40) Soaked cloth with Armor all and wiped up and down shaft. It works for me Have to do t before each outing. Give it a try.

 

[bassman284]

Re: Extreme Difficulty Getting Minn Kota Trolling Motor into/out of Cradle (folded up

I'm assuming you have the original Powerdrive with the Grip/Glide pull handle. It is a matter of technique and if you're doing it right, it will deploy fairly easily without any extra lube. Perfecting the technique can, however, be annoying and frustrating. A friend of mine has one of these on a boat he got a couple of years ago and we were both getting pretty irritated trying to deploy it. I finally did something (accidentally) which caused the motor to shoot off the cradle with very little effort. Here's how I do it: Pull the release lever back and hold it there. With your other hand, put some outward pressure and slightdownward pressure on the shaft. Then give an extra pull on the release lever (which is already in the full back position). It works for me most of the time. Just have to practice. Amazingly, even Minn Kota doesn't seem to have any idea how this is supposed to work or, at least, no inclination to explain it.

If you're looking for a small project, I found this (link below) on iboats where the poster upgraded to the Powerdrive V2 deployment lever. If you're going to lube something, it should be the top of the bunk where the motor itself rests, not the shaft.

Powerdrive upgradel