Ultrex vs Ulterra

[Coastal Mountaineer]

I loved the self deploy and stow on the Ulterra on my old boat, but hated the foot pedal.

I know the Ultrex foot pedal is much better, but worried how difficult the Ultrex is to deploy and retrieve.

I'd love to hear from folks who've used both and can compare the difficulty of getting motor in and out of the water.

Trying to decide which one to get for whatever deep v aluminum boat I buy.

[C0MRAD]

Not difficult at all. It has a lift assist piston that makes it pretty easy.

[Podcast]

Just put a new Ultrex on. I like it. As far as stowing and deploying go I can't say it's much harder or less hard than any other TM. Other than ther Ulterra every other TM requres you to bend over which IMO is the hardest part. The Ultrex is a solid and heavy TM but as mentioned above with the aid of the piston it's much more managable. I'm coming from an Xi5 which was easy to deploy but again, the hardest part was bending over. I despise the PD and PDV2, the foot release lever never pushed them far enough and I always had to put a lot of effort into pushing it off the base into the water.

My point is that it depends on what you've used in the past when comparing. Obviously the auto deploy can't be beat but I'm not a fan of the base over hanging the bow of the boat.

[itsahog]

I’ve got the Ultrex with 52” shaft, with the air assist I don’t find it hard at all. I thought about the Ulterra, but I’ve read about too many issues with the reliability, and then that was confirmed with a buddy of mine that bought one that immediately had and continues to have trouble. That and the way it hangs off the front of your boat getting in the way and in some cases even hitting the trailer winch. I am only getting one if I become physically forced to. Lots of people that have one love them.

[grandbassslayer]

I've had both, ultrex is 10x better IMO. Stow and deploy is easy.

[1Holeshot]

I have an Ultrex and it is much easier to deploy the the Edge ( smaller/lighter) I had on my previous boat. As mentioned above the piston really makes a difference.

[Ohio Archer]

Had the terrova on my Lowe. Have an ultrex on my Skeeter. While the terrova was not auto deploy, deploying it was easy. Retracting it not so much. The ultrex is easy either way with the cord. It seems more solid going across the lake. I did install a shaft holder on the terrova, though, to minimize the bouncing.

I know the terrova and ulterra are similar but different, the thing I miss that the ultrex does not have is a 20’ pedal cord. I could run the pedal to the back deck and still control the TM especially trolling. I have remotes for both but using your hands while casting has its own problems.I prefer the shorter pedal of both the ulterra and terrova over the taller ultrex one but I can tell where the ultrex is pointed without looking at the head. It’s all a trade off or compromise.

[padronanniversary]

I have an Ulterra and broke multiple times just outside warranty

belt broke, trim module, then control board

[Coastal Mountaineer]

Thanks for replies!

[joe3buck3]

I have had my Ulterra for over 3 years and it has been flawless. I am preparing to do a total Electronic upgrade on my boat and will be going with LINKED devices including the TM. I am seriously considering the ULTREX instead of Ulterra simply because I can get 52" shaft on the Ultrex and only a 45" on the Ulterra. My Tracker 190 rides high in the bow and in mild chop my Ulterra breaks the surface of the water making it difficult to operate from the console. Still torn a bit on the decision because I launch solo most of the time and the ability to slide the boat off the trailer and spotlock it while parking is so convenient.

[grandbassslayer]

I have had my Ulterra for over 3 years and it has been flawless. I am preparing to do a total Electronic upgrade on my boat and will be going with LINKED devices including the TM. I am seriously considering the ULTREX instead of Ulterra simply because I can get 52" shaft on the Ultrex and only a 45" on the Ulterra. My Tracker 190 rides high in the bow and in mild chop my Ulterra breaks the surface of the water making it difficult to operate from the console. Still torn a bit on the decision because I launch solo most of the time and the ability to slide the boat off the trailer and spotlock it while parking is so convenient.

Get a longer Ulterra. I had one on a boat with twice the freeboard of yours and it stayed in the water. All the walleye boats have them.

[bltnme]

I run a 60” on a champ bass boat. The
shaft is adjusted with 12-18” above the deck making it super easy to stow. If I’m on saint clair rollers/rough sees, I drop it all the way and it is rarely out of the water.

[Coastal Mountaineer]

I run a 60” on a champ bass boat. The
shaft is adjusted with 12-18” above the deck making it super easy to stow. If I’m on saint clair rollers/rough sees, I drop it all the way and it is rarely out of the water.

Thanks for reminding me mine came all the way down. I'll adjust the shaft upwards and I bet it gets a lot easier.

[Bassmeister]

I've run an ulterra 60" shaft for 3 years with no problems.

[PowerFish]

I have an Ulterra 60" which came on my Ranger and I really like it. That being said, I'd trade it today for an Ultrex with a 45" shaft because for me, it's kind of like fishing around a fencepost and I run 'em shallow... But the Ulterra has been great, solid operation, no issues...

[Parch07]

I've had both, ultrex is 10x better IMO. Stow and deploy is easy.

Same here. My last boat had the Ulterra and I absolutely HATED the foot pedal. It was completely useless. The first one broke and the second started exhibiting the same issues when I sold the boat. Further I had an issue with the deploy / stow function. My new boat has an Ultrex and it is awesome! I would never even consider returning to the Ulterra.

Good luck!