David Varghese Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 Hey guys, I just bought a jon boat and i am thinking about buying a little trolling motor- http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4016522 Wat all do i need to get my tolling motor working? Do i have to buy a battery(and which one is the cheapest) How do i charge it? Thanks,Appreciate it Quote
thetr20one Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 Yes you need a 12 volt deep cycle battery and a charger. Here is the best advice I can give you DON'T BUY A CHEAP BATTERY!!! And unless you have a very small boat buy a more powerful trolling motor as well. Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted January 25, 2009 Super User Posted January 25, 2009 Get the Everstart size 27 deep cycle battery at Walmart and a 6A-10A automatic charger there also. I agree about getting a more powerful motor. Walmart also carries the 50# thrust transom mount motors. If you will be fishing waters bigger than small farm ponds, you will appreciate the more powerful motor. Quote
nick76 Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 We could use a little more info from you before giving and opinion. If you have a 10 foot jon boat you might be alright, if you are looking at a 12 or 14 foot hen I would definitely move up to a 40lb thrust or more. I have a buddy who built a deck on his 12 foot jon boat and installed a 40lb trolling motor.....it hauls butt. You will need to get a 12 volt deep cycle battery- check wal-mart they actually carry a decent one. You will need a charger for that battery as well. Might be able to find one in Wal-Mart or check out a Tractor Supply if you have one near by. Most of all.......Have fun. Quote
jimmieO Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 yep...need a little more info. You planning on big lakes or ponds? How big is the boat? Quote
Super User Way2slow Posted January 25, 2009 Super User Posted January 25, 2009 I've used an old MinnKota 36 lb transome mount motor for about 30 years on 12 and 14' jons and never had any complaints. Granted, if you're going to be fishing large open spands of water subject to high winds, it might have a problem, but then again, I'd never be on a lake like that with a jon and TM. Yes, you will also need a battery and those Biggest Yellow batteries at walley world will work just find. Then go over to their automotive and get you a 10 Amp automatic charger. A couple of life jackets, a paddle and a throw cushion and you should be good to go. Might want to add a piece of 3/8" rope and a 18 pound mushroom anchor. Should be between $250 and $300 by the time you walk back out. Quote
CFFF 1.5 Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 also get some type of inline fuse or circuit breaker for your tm. Quote
surfer Posted January 26, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009 Way2slow sumed it up nice. No need to spend big bucks. You'll get plenty of use out of that setup. Quote
David Varghese Posted January 27, 2009 Author Posted January 27, 2009 ya the only thing i dont get now is the battery?why do u need a deep cycle marine battery?wats wrong with the cheap battery?it wont work good enuf or charge or sumthing? Quote
Super User Way2slow Posted January 27, 2009 Super User Posted January 27, 2009 Any 12 volt battery will run the TM but the first time you're a mile from your vehicle and paddling back, you just ain't gonna like. Plus, you buy a car battery and wonder why it's only lasting about 30 minutes and it's less than a year old. Deep cycle batteries are design to deliver minimal current of a long duration of time and a built to be relatively deep discharged and recharged a couple of hundred time. Car batteries are designed to deliver large amounts of current for a short duration of time. They are not designed to be deep discharged and it doesn't take many deep discharges for them to start going south in a hurry. There is a lot more involved but this is the short version. By the way, even in deep cycle batteries, all are not the same. The difference in price is not always just more the person selling it is going to make. Also, the smaller the battery, the less time you're going to run it. One word of caution also. Even that biggest battery you can get at Walley World will only run that TM on high for about less than two hours, so don't jump on the lake and go cruising or you will be paddling back. Quote
David Varghese Posted January 27, 2009 Author Posted January 27, 2009 thanks guys for ur replies...helped me a lot so i mite just wait and get me a deep cycle battery,and one more question,why do i need the circuit breaker? Quote
Super User Bassn Blvd Posted January 27, 2009 Super User Posted January 27, 2009 Get the Everstart size 27 deep cycle battery at Walmart and a 6A-10A automatic charger there also. I agree about getting a more powerful motor. Walmart also carries the 50# thrust transom mount motors. If you will be fishing waters bigger than small farm ponds, you will appreciate the more powerful motor. I just got that battery and charger this past weekwnd from there. Quote
nick76 Posted January 27, 2009 Posted January 27, 2009 The inline circuit breaker will keep you from burning up the motor. If you get into some weeds or heavy cover or for some reason you get a short in the equipment the inline circuit breaker will pop before it burns the TM up. You can also get things overlaoded by using too small a gauge wire. Mine was installed using too small of wire, an inline fuse, and I replaced it two years later after the inline fuse melted and darn near burnt the boat down. I had no idea until I was listening to others on forums like these. I changed the wire, added in inline circuit breaker (not a fuse) and now it runs flawlessly. I also found that my battery charges better and I can run for longer periods of time. Just my 2 cents. Quote
bassmedic46 Posted January 27, 2009 Posted January 27, 2009 Go with a good trolling motor and good battery. Nobody likes to paddle back. Quote
surfer Posted January 27, 2009 Posted January 27, 2009 You don't NEED a circuit breaker. Just a safety device. I don't have one, but I don't run my motor through thick salad or the mud and I have heavy gauge wire. Quote
nick76 Posted January 27, 2009 Posted January 27, 2009 You are absolutely right Surfer, you do not NEED a circuit breaker. Yet for the small cost of adding one versus running the risk of accidentally ruining your TM, it seems like a little bit of insurance at a very low cost. Cheaper to buy a circuit breaker than it is to buy a new TM. Quote
David Varghese Posted January 28, 2009 Author Posted January 28, 2009 how much u thinkt he circuit breaker is going to cost me and how do i hook it up..sorry for to much questions Quote
nick76 Posted January 28, 2009 Posted January 28, 2009 Here is a link to a circuit breaker. Make sure you get a manual reset one so you do not have to wait for it to rest itself after overloading. To install just run a wire from the positive terminal to the breaker, then run another wire from the other post on the breaker to the device you are wiring. No need to do anything with the negative battery terminal. Just run the negative terminal on the battery directly to the trolling motor. Pretty simple, get some wire connectors to make the connections easier and some heat tape to seal the connections good. probably cost less than $15 to do it all with shipping and less than 10 minutes. Not saying you have to do this, but for me it was cheaper than buying a new T.M. http://www.iboats.com/Resettable_Circuit_Breaker/dm/cart_id.062020380--list_time.1233181349--session_id.607294580--view_id.39690 Quote
David Varghese Posted January 29, 2009 Author Posted January 29, 2009 DO I JUST NEED THE 20 AMP ONE?THANKS FOR THE INPUT GUYS.... Quote
nick76 Posted January 29, 2009 Posted January 29, 2009 According to the Motorguide website where I loked up the manul they recommend a 50 amp. Recommendations Battery Type The recommended battery is a 12- volt Deep Cycle battery. Circuit Protection MotorGuide recommends installing a 50 amp manual-reset circuit breaker in line with the trolling motor positive leads within (1.8 m) 72 inches of the battery(s). To order a circuit breaker kit, contact your local Service Dealer, request kit number MM5870.\ Wire Size For optimum performance, MotorGuide recommends the use of six (6) gauge (13 mm) wire if extending existing wire beyond the standard battery cable supplied with the product. Bow Plugs For temporary trolling motor installations, MotorGuide recommends the use of a quality plug designed for marine applications Here is the manual link: http://sites.mercurymarine.com/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/MOTORGUIDE/MOTORGUIDE%20SUPPORT/ONLINE_MANUALS/MANUAL_CONTENT/MM6900%20-%202004%20-%20OWNER'S%20MANUAL_0.PDF There is also a nice diagram for how to install the battery and the circuit breaker iin the manual. Quote
David Varghese Posted January 29, 2009 Author Posted January 29, 2009 thanks man appreciate it a lot! Quote
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