Minn Kota Powerdrive PD55 trolling motor

[The Rooster]

Bought a new trolling motor, a Minn Kota Powerdrive 55 lb. thrust foot controlled motor.   Trying to connect it to my boat and I'm having trouble finding a harness.  Minn Kota makes a plug and receptacle that I can use, but the motor itself has a harness on it that I'd have to cut off in order to use that other plug set up.  I'd like to find one that matches the plug coming out of the motor if I can.  The one that's on it is made to accept two male prongs into holes on the end of the plug I have coming out of the motor.  Any idea where I can find one to match this??

[Micro]

I have that motor, too.

When you say the "plug coming out of the motor" are you talking about the power lead? Mine didn't come with a plug. Mine came with a ring connector at the end of the black and red wires. I ended up clipping those off and installing a plug. I installed the matching receptacle on the leads coming from the battery and breaker.

Did you buy this motor used? If so, I suspect that plug on yours was installed by the previous owner. If that's the case, I'd clip it offer and just start fresh with a new plug and receptacle. They are pretty cheap.

Here's mine. The power leads from the motor are 10 gauge. The leads from the battery and 50 amp breaker is 8 gauge. I have plug/receptacle connecting them.

[Micro]

The one that's on it is made to accept two male prongs into holes on the end of the plug I have coming out of the motor.

By the way, this sound backwards. The lead coming from the motor should have the male plug. The female receptacle should come from the battery.

If this is, indeed, the power lead, I really think you ought to clip it off and start over. Installing them is really easy.

[The Rooster]

I bought this motor brand new only a month ago at a local boat dealer. It was out of the box on display, but had never been used. The harness that's on the wire looks to be completely factory since there's no way to remove it without cutting the wire.

It looks like it's technically a male plug that goes into a female socket, but it has four female holes in the end of it that accept male prongs that would be recessed inside of the female receptacle. Two of them are connected to the power leads. I have them marked for + and -. The other two are not used.

Here is a pic of it.

[Micro]

Man, that's a new one.  If that's a factory intalled power lead, it must be something Minn Kota has just started doing (mine's a few years old).  Looks like wrapped bonded wire.  I'm suprised the plug is not black.  The lead that comes out of mine is simple 10 gauge bonded wire ...

...with rings attahed to the ends.  

Is it possible that's a lead that the dealer installed to demonstate the motor?  I'd go back to the dealer and ask if that's something they installed, and where you can find the receptacle for it.  

[Tpayneful]

I bet ONE MILLION DOLLARS that the dealer installed that plug.   Cut it off and install whatever connector or terminals that you desire.

[Micro]

Not only the plug, but the whole lead.  That lead looks jacketed, and mine is unjacketed.  That's not a bad thing, though.  The jacket adds a bit of protection.

[cart7t]

Looks more like a connector used for plugging into a power strip on the front of a boat.  Just cut the thing off and install what you need.

[The Rooster]

Thanks guys.  I might go back to the dealer and see if he has a plug to fit that.  Otherwise, I may try to take it completely out and install my own wiring.  Since this motor suggests using 6 gauge then I might try to get something that size to put back on and then get a connector of some kind to fit it.  

[FisinCrazee]

Check with Tracker Marine at BPS.  Without going out in the cold tonight, that appears to be the male plug that is on the Motor Guide of my Tracker 165 and the Tracker Marine that I purchased my boat from carries both the male and the female as I have purchased a set to outfit another M/G as a backup.  This plug is used for the 12V or 24V connection, only two wires and they look to be in the correct placement with the insertion channel there on the top - will only go in one way.  As stated ealier, they are cheap; believe less than $10 each.  I would classify your picture as the male and the female is installed in the front plate of the casting deck.  Just too dark and cold to go undo the boat cover to really check this out for you but it is worth a check.  Hope you read this in time and that it helps.

Bob

[Micro]

Thanks guys. I might go back to the dealer and see if he has a plug to fit that. Otherwise, I may try to take it completely out and install my own wiring. Since this motor suggests using 6 gauge then I might try to get something that size to put back on and then get a connector of some kind to fit it.

The stock lead is 10 gauge, not 6.  You will not be able to use 6 gauge as the power lead because...

1) There is a screw down clamp under the cover on the motor base that is designed to hold down 10 gauge bonded wire.  I don't think 6 gauge would even begin to fit.   Use of this clamp is necessary to keep the wire from putting too much stress on the motor control board where they connect under the cover.  

2) Once the wires enter the cover of the motor base they make a 90 degree bend and connect to plugs on the control board.   I don't think 6 gauge will be able to make that bed under that cover, and I don't think you will be able to find any 6 gauge slide-on plugs that fit the little prongs on the control board.   That control board just isn't designed for a 6 gauge power lead.

3) Additionally, I don't think there are any male plugs (for the battery end of the lead) out there that take 6 gauge - just 8 gauge and smaller.  

There are 8 gauge female receptables (for the battery wires themselves) that can use 6 gauge with the use of an adapter.

Using 6 gauge in your set up anywhere is a pain in the butt and is totally unnecessary.   The recommendation to use 6 gauge is for the wiring leading from the battery to the power lead from the motor.  

Again, even this is unnecessary for a 12v 55lb thrust motor.   Using 8 gauge (but not smaller) from the battery to your motor's power lead is perfectly fine.  

Additionally, using the recommended 60 amp breaker is unnecessary.  50 amp is just fine and will give you extra protection.  A 55lb thrust 12v motor is going to draw close to 50 amps at full power - but not quite 50 amps.  If there is a power surge, say, due to getting your prop tangled in a net or an old t-shirt (like has happened to me), the 50 amp breaker will pop open sooner than 60 amp breaker which will save your motor unnecessary stress.   60 amp will stay closed longer and will allow your motor to heat up more before it pops open.  I've used 50 amps for years.  It allows the use of continuous full power on my motor, but a surge over that will cause the breaker to pop and that's what you really want.

60 amp breaker and 6 gauge is overkill for a 55lb thrust 12v motor.  8 gauge and a 50 amp is just fine.  (Just don't mix and match gauge and breaker amps - either use 6 gauge/60 amp or 8 gauge/50amp, NOT 6 gauge/50 amp or 8 gauge/60 amp)

My set up is this.  

...12v battery

...8 gauge wires leading from battery to receptacle (with a 50 amp breaker in the red (+) line.

...10 gauge from plug to motor.

This has worked perfectly for years, allows the continous use of full power, does not heat up anything, and has protection the instant power surges over 50 amps.  

[The Rooster]

Thanks for the replies.  The motor calls for 6 gauge to run from the battery to the receptacle in the owner's manual.  Also it says to use a 50 amp breaker, not a 60.  If I typed 60 before, that was a mistake.

Being an electrician by trade, the 50 amp breaker with 6 gauge wire makes sense to me since 6 gauge wire is rated to carry 50 amps at it's max.  8 gauge is only rated for 40 amps max, and using a 50 amp breaker on that would allow the wire to heat up beyond it's range instead of opening the breaker, and possibly make the wire insulation get hot enough the melt.  

I'm still looking around. I think I'll give the Bass Tracker sales places a try, I got the motor from an authorized dealer of Tracker boats so maybe he has something to match it.  Otherwise, I'll probably get the Minn Kota brand harness and receptacle kit, and also get the 6 gauge adapter for the back side of the receptacle.  I definitely want 6 gauge in my boat, already bought the wire too so I need to use it now.  

[Micro]

Since you already bought 6 gauge wire, by all means use it. But according to various AWG load carrying charts, 8 AWG gauge will handle 73 AMPs, and 6 gauge 101 amps. The 10 gauge lead Minn Kota installs on the motor is rated for 55 amps. (There's also probably a safety factor built into these ratings.) It seems it wouldn't make sense for Minn Kota to recommend a breaker that could handle more amps than the power lead they put on the motor. I've actually tripped my breaker before - got the prop tangled in an old t-shirt which stopped it cold. I didn't realize it had even stopped until I heard the breaker pop. None of the wires were even warm to the touch.

[The Rooster]

UPDATE: I called the dealer today where I bought the motor from and he says he has a receptacle that will fit that plug on the motor.  So I should be good to go once I get that.  I'll let you guys know how it all comes out after I install it.  I plan on sticking around here and posting more, I'm heavily into bass fishing (interested anyway, only decently good at it).

[Micro]

Good deal!  And welcome to the forums!

[The Rooster]

Thank you. I went yesterday to the dealer and got the matching receptacle for that plug I have. It was made by Rig Rite Manufacturing Inc. That's the brand name. They had a 2 prong and a 4 prong that both would fit it, I got the 4 prong even though I only needed 2 prong. I figured it might help to hold the plug in the socket more securely having 4 prongs in 4 holes instead of just 2 only (my old trolling motor plug on the previous motor was constantly falling out on me). Plus the 4 prong was $3 cheaper which made no sense to me, the dealer said it was just an older model :-?. Oh well, I came home and it fit like a glove so I'm all set on that.

Also got some parts to install a V shaped keel roller on my trailer to replace a metal plate that has the plastic coated surface cracked. That part was where the bow of the boat came to rest after it was trailered again. It was nearly about to be metal to metal contact on my aluminum hull so I had to fix that before bad stuff happened to my boat hull.

The previous owner of this boat did NOTHING to take care of it. The day I bought it, it was covered in 1/4 inch of ice inside and out, over seats, depth finder, wiring, dash switches and gauges, motors and all. Left it outside in an ice storm with no cover, he had no cover for it at all, so weather, rain, sun, snow, bird crap, animals, leaves, anything at all could get to it and in it. I'm restoring it now for my use.

A little bit about my boat. It's a 93 model Smokercraft V-hull, 16 feet long and roughly about 6 foot beam width. I'm restoring it with new carpet, front deck and sidewall wood, new electronics, trolling motor, seats, and one new seat mount in front, rod racks, wiring, live well hoses, the works basically. Got it gutted down to the aluminum hull mostly at the moment. Only main flooring wood still remains in the boat as it was still good. The rest of the wood was removed to be recovered (what pieces are good) and replaced (what pieces are bad). Already bought the trolling motor and a new fish finder, a Humminbird Pirahnamax 220, dual beam unit. Nice for the money I think. Motor on this boat is a 89 model Johnson 88 SPL, 88 HP with a stainless prop, and aftermarket added on tilt and trim. I love it, runs great and so fast. Faster than I'll ever need. Estimated at about 40 - 45 MPH by my buddy who had a bass boat that ran 55 MPH as shown by his speedometer. I don't have a speedometer so we're just guessing. Maybe later I'll install one. Too much else to do now.  I'm thoroughly stunned by how fast this boat will get up and plane out with such a deep V hull.  It planes out fully and does not plow water at all.  Boat hull is rated for 90 HP max, and I've got 88 HP so I'm pretty much there.  I figure that explains it mostly, to me anyway since I don't know a lot about that part of a boat.  Just how to use them and fish them mostly.  

[Micro]

Post some pics when you get a chance.  You never know when something you do to your boat will give an idea to someone else.  

[The Rooster]

Yes I will definately post pics.  I am a member of another forum, car audio related and we constantly post pics over there of our installed systems.  I'm treating this boat just like I would a top notch audio installation and it's going to be done to the letter perfect if possible.  And as much as $$$$ will allow for.  When I'm finished with this boat it will look as good as, and be as good as having a new 2008 model.  Trailer will need some work but I'm thinking I may just get a brand new aluminum trailer, no rust that way.  Priced at about $1600 I think that's a good price for a new trailer.  The boat will be like new, and the motor runs great and looks fine, just needs cleaned up some.