FYI Regarding Mega 360 Transducer mount to shaft

[ChampionDon]

Some of you may know but I bet most don't...so I was getting ready to roll my boat out Saturday morning and the M360 Pod did not look right, meaning it was out of alignment. I tried to rotate the shaft and it was rock solid, then I put my hands on the pod and it moved around...thought maybe the screws were just loose, nope they were tight as well. Got to the lake and realigned the pod by hand as it move about 1-2", kind a weird, water got rough later and it moved out of alignment again. Thought oh great, what has happened. So when I got home I removed the 2 screws and put some slack in the wires and removed the pod. The piece that is marked in the pic below is screwed on the shaft and the pod is screwed to that piece. What a relief. So you all may want to be sure that it is nice and tight on the shaft. I unscrewed mine a good ways and put two wraps of plumbers tape and then screwed all the way back on nice and tight by hand before I mounted the pod back to the shaft with the 2 screws. I will need to realign while on the water, but sure did feel a sign of relief when it was a simple fix.

So you all may want to check yours and that specific piece to make sure it is screwed on tight.

Mega360.png

[Wayne P.]

I think the threads are supposed to have Locktite or a similar material on them same as with a trolling motor shaft since it is a trolling motor shaft.

[ChampionDon]

I think the threads are supposed to have Locktite or a similar material on them same as with a trolling motor shaft since it is a trolling motor shaft.

Can you confirm that? If so, then I will put a bead of blue loctite on them, which I would prefer anyway.

[Wayne P.]

Judging from my experience, I have a 360 shaft from a Fortrex to Ultrex conversion kit. I have a couple of transom trolling motor mounts with new shafts that I use for testing sonar transducers. They are the same. I cannot unscrew the pointer from the shaft on the 360 shaft so it is bonded quite well, IMHO. You can contact Humminbird to confirm its construction.

[Sirius Rich]

I just checked my m360 pod and it is easy to rotate in either direction. I tightened the two external screws on the top of the pod, but made no difference as far as ease of rotating the pod on the shaft. I have a fishing trip tomorrow so I just wrapped some duct tape around the top of the pod and shaft (the part the above arrow is pointing to) to make me feel better until I fully understand how the pod is removed and tighten to the shaft. I can’t mentally see what the two external screws do, they are tight, but the pod still can rotate. And are the smaller screws around the pod removed to pull the pod off the shaft or can you just tightened the pod to the shaft without totally removing the pod? AND this makes me wonder if the loose pod causes my waypoints to be in the wrong position (when they show up occasionally) on my M360 display.

[Wayne P.]

I just checked my m360 pod and it is easy to rotate in either direction. I tightened the two external screws on the top of the pod, but made no difference as far as ease of rotating the pod on the shaft. I have a fishing trip tomorrow so I just wrapped some duct tape around the top of the pod and shaft (the part the above arrow is pointing to) to make me feel better until I fully understand how the pod is removed and tighten to the shaft. I can’t mentally see what the two external screws do, they are tight, but the pod still can rotate. And are the smaller screws around the pod removed to pull the pod off the shaft or can you just tightened the pod to the shaft without totally removing the pod? AND this makes me wonder if the loose pod causes my waypoints to be in the wrong position (when they show up occasionally) on my M360 display.

The screws in the pod pointer attach the shaft pointer to the pod. They have nothing to do with unscrewing the shaft from the pointer. The shaft and its pointer are supposed to be bonded.

There is a long hex nut that goes inside the shaft pointer that the two screws go into to attach the pointer on the shaft to the pointer on the pod. The Ultrex conversion kit to change the 360 shaft has the instructions in the manual and so does the manual for the 360. The instructions are included with the 360 so you can remove the shaft to shorten it or change it, or send the pod in for repair without the shaft. Pages 23, 24, and 25.

The MEGA 360 does not have those manual pages since the transducer plug will not fit through the shaft.

[Sirius Rich]

The screws in the pod pointer attach the shaft pointer to the pod. They have nothing to do with unscrewing the shaft from the pointer. The shaft and its pointer are supposed to be bonded.

There is a long hex nut that goes inside the shaft pointer that the two screws go into to attach the pointer on the shaft to the pointer on the pod. The Ultrex conversion kit to change the 360 shaft has the instructions in the manual and so does the manual for the 360. The instructions are included with the 360 so you can remove the shaft to shorten it or change it, or send the pod in for repair without the shaft. Pages 23, 24, and 25.

The MEGA 360 does not have those manual pages since the transducer plug will not fit through the shaft.

That is nice to know now after I just spent an hour reading the Mega 360 manuals, lol. Thanks Wayne, back to reading.

[Champdshull]

Fixed mine as well....very easy thank God

[JESTERJACKSON]

How would you remove the mega 360 pod to send it into service if you can’t feed the cable through the shaft due to the plug size?
I have to send mine back to hummingbird and don’t want to damage it while I do so

[Wayne P.]

How would you remove the mega 360 pod to send it into service if you can’t feed the cable through the shaft due to the plug size?
I have to send mine back to hummingbird and don’t want to damage it while I do so

You don't. Ship with shaft attached.