I have an older minn kota bow mounted trolling motor it is a model turbo 865mx 36# thrust. I have access to a good 42# thrust motor. Can i swap out the 36# for the 42# ?
That depends on what you mean by swap out. If there is a difference in the mouting that's one thing. The difference between 36# and 42# is not an issue.
im thinking of taking the shaft and motor from the 42# and mount it on the 36# controller and body. wasnt sure if the control head would work or if the 42# would pull too much power and fry the controller
Only MinnKota can answer that question. If the part numbers are the same for the two controllers the swap is possible. If the part numbers are different then there is an issue.