tm troubleshooting

[hipster dufus]

G3 1756 CC w A 70 hp.Minn Kota edge 55# 12v bow mount. 5 spd. i think it isnt running right. does not pull boat well on any speed but 5. 4 is barely adequate. have checked battery, connections. pulled prop. loosened seal on motor and looked for water intrusion. none. single large grp 31. one yr old.battery is chargd w onboard noco genius. any ideas on other stuff to look at? boat came setup for 2 battery system. should have kept it. if the motor is just not strong enough,will hav to go to a 70# 24v system.my old rig was a 1648 w the same model tm on it. it pulled the boat on #5 at 2.5 mph. this motor pulls at 2 mph on 5.cann ot say i hav ever run out of battery. any ideas would be greatly appreciated. will go to a 2 battery 12v system this yr and get a new tm nxt yr. thanks

 

[BigTerp]

I doubt that's enough motor for your 1756. Loosing .5 mph from your 1648 sounds about right to me, especially if the 1756 is a good bit heavier. I had a 55# on my riveted 1648 and hated it from the start. Recently installed a Minn Kota Maxxum 74# 24V variable speed and it made a HUGE difference!!

 

[onthewater102]

Not sure how much water current you're dealing with. On flat water a 55# was more than enough for my old 18' fiberglass with a 150 on the back, but I suspect in current it might not have had enough power.

 

[hipster dufus]

no current, lake only. i wonder if a 2 battery 12v setup will help. my rig is quite a bit heavier then my old 1648. the old rig had a 30 hp. was never really happy w the tm. i believe the edge models are bottom of barrel.seems like the first 2 speeds are totally useless. i ran my old one on 3 all the time. my new one im on 4 just to work a bank.my charger is a 2 bank. i do like keeping the starting battery on it but do realize its not really necessary. i also have another smart charger i can use on the starting battery. now what do i do with my grp31?

 

[hipster dufus]

i remember when i was shoppoing for my new rig and looked at the trackers. thay all came with a 45# motor.one of the reasons i didnt buy one. my rig is probably close to1800 lbs w 2 guys. oh well its only money

 

[BigTerp]

i wonder if a 2 battery 12v setup will help.

Running 2 12v batteries in parallel with double the capacity but maintain the same voltage (12v). Running 2 12v batteries in series will double the voltage (24v) but maintain the capacity. Either way, a second battery isn't going to help you in your current situation, unless you're looking for longer run times from your TM. It's not going to increase the output of your current TM one bit.

And onthewater is on to something regarding current. I only use my boat on my local rivers. Fighting current to fish an eddy or seam is the norm. A 55# is WAY underpowered, even for my light boat. 74# is much better, but there are times were I could us an 80# or 112# even.

 

[onthewater102]

I recently used an Edge on a 1448 and you're right, the first two speeds are borderline worthless on anything but glass-calm water. Wind was the issue for me, no different than fighting current though in the end.

The digitally adjusted variable speed units are better, the useless range in the settings is only about 20% of the adjustment range rather than the 40%-60% you're dealing with. You can easily retrofit your Edge with such a control pedal using the control boards from one of the Maxxum 55#'s for ~$120 or so, or you can invest in a larger 24v system with the variable speed (not 5 position switched speed).

 

[thedude]

you may experiment with a different TM prop. Verify that depth is no problem and the prop is not ventilating or too close to surface. You are border lined under powered in my view. when i use my 45 lb edge on a tracker 175 is always on #5 speed as well.

agree with others that adding another battery will solve none of the symptoms you have.