Has anyone heard if Minn Kota has any plans of updating the Ultex with a brushless motor? I want to upgrade my Fortrex to something with spot lock. I’d also like to stick with Minn Kota, but they’re not brushless like Garmin and Lowrance.
Has anyone heard if Minn Kota has any plans of updating the Ultex with a brushless motor? I want to upgrade my Fortrex to something with spot lock. I’d also like to stick with Minn Kota, but they’re not brushless like Garmin and Lowrance.
Last edited by 1GThompson; 10-25-2020 at 11:44 AM. Reason: Spelling
You would think they need to improve on the Ultrex in the next year to stay competitive
They certainly have room to improve
Brushless motor
Interchangeable transducers
Quieter steering motor
Better mount giving it a lower profile
Bluetooth heading sensor that pairs with HB units
Ability to adjust auto pilot heading by degrees
"The handicapped angler"
Why do you want a brushless motor? Many thousands of boaters out there with never an issue.
Ever had TM interference with a PWM motor?Originally Posted by STRETCH1
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
I would like it for efficiency. It may be true there are thousands who have never had a problem with their brushed motors. I’ve never had a problem with my Fortrex. But the DC small motor world is getting away from brushed and going brushless because it’s more efficient and reliable. It’s not just trolling motors. Power tools, RC cars and the list goes on are going brushless. Seems to me like it’s time for Minn Kota to do it also. And if they have something in the works I might hold out for it.
I'm also waiting for it...
They may be more efficient but they are not more reliable and certainly not easier to service! My brushed tools can be serviced if a motor gets weak or goes out, brushless is garbage if the motor stops. I personally prefer brushed motors.
I agree. There are very few motor issues associated with brush wear. The average guy can troubleshoot a brushed motor. If someone wants to make an improvement, change that heavy steel housing for aluminum and make motors series wound and stop using magnets.
All that said, I'm sure trolling motor makers have staffs full of engineers that have design ideas.
Brushless are more reliable than brushed motors. Really nothing to fail but bearings and brushed motors have them too.
Removing the brushes also removes some major sources of inefficiency.
Motor-wise, brushless motors are better than brushed in every way. The control circuit is more complex, but that has nothing to do with wear.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
Does anyone have a reference regarding motor efficiency? What I have found is 10% better with brushless. IIRC they say brushless is at 85 to 90% efficient and brushed is 75 to 80 %. While 10% is nice, I don't see that as a major thing that would get me to spend big money unless I had to buy a new motor anyway. Also I have had electric trolling motors for 10 years(with the same motor) and have not had to replace brushes. I think it is a plus to have a brushless motor, The next time I need one. JMO Bob
Last edited by bobcoy; 10-26-2020 at 08:17 AM. Reason: grammar
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
10-15% is a pretty good number for efficiency over brushed motors. There’s another factor that is TM specific, and that is physical size. A brushless motor can be smaller than a brushed motor, so that can make the lower unit smaller for less hydrodynamic drag. Or you can use the extra space to put a more powerful motor in the same LU or to squeeze a bigger transducer in there.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity,
nothing else matters.
Just went to the Minn Kota website and most of the Ultrex models are out of stock so if I had to guess I would say they are about to release some thing new
"The handicapped angler"
You could be right. However it seems to be par for the course for JOI sites in the fall. They don't seem to want excess inventory. They would rather they were starting the next years runs. They need time to work on the wish lists of it's customers.
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
[QUOTE=bobcoy;11451711]Does anyone have a reference regarding motor efficiency? What I have found is 10% better with brushless. IIRC they say brushless is at 85 to 90% efficient and brushed is 75 to 80 %. While 10% is nice, I don't see that as a major thing that would get me to spend big money unless I had to buy a new motor anyway. Also I have had electric trolling motors for 10 years(with the same motor) and have not had to replace brushes. I think it is a plus to have a brushless motor, The next time I need one. JMO Bob[/QUOTE
I don’t have any hard numbers. The only personal reference I have are RC cars. My son and I have the same car. He upgraded his to brushless. With the same battery the difference is dramatic. It’s way more than 10-15%. That percentage would be hard to recognize. My guess would be 30-35% faster and the battery lasts that much longer too. I understand those are RC cars not trolling motors but I would think trolling motors would have similar results. I have read reviews of guys who had similar experiences going from a 24v 80lb Ultrex to a Force wired to 24v. Maybe someone with that experience will be along soon.
Please understand I wasn’t trying to start a brushed to brushless debate. Spot lock is the reason I want upgrade. My son and I were on the smallies on Erie and the wind kept blowing us off our spot. But if I’m putting down my hard earned Benjamins on a new Ultrex I’d like it to be competitive with the other models. I also understand that will probably inflate the price but I’m ok with that.
is there a particular problem to solve here? I certainly see the benefit of a brushless motor for depth finder interference but that rarely happens nowdays and there are batteries nowdays that seem to handle a full days fishing in heavy wind with no problems. Therefore what problem is this solving other then having new cool stuff.
Noise or RF interference is still a major issue with a lot of setups and anything we can do to eliminate this is a plus
Like others have said you can put a larger thrust motor in the same footprint
or the same thrust in a smaller footprint
With better efficiency we don’t need to spend as much on batteries and considering you can spend just as much on the batteries as the motor these days that’s saying something
And let’s not forget less maintenance
So there is plenty of reasons to consider an upgrade
"The handicapped angler"
[QUOTE=1GThompson;11452117]Don't know if that translates either. No debate about it. Brushless is a step up. Minn Kota will probably go there sooner or later. It is certainly not new tech, just new to trolling motors. I would guess there is a reason this has not happened before now. Could just be the cost, if that was the reason I am sure MK will offer a premium model now that the price of poker has gone up. Or it could be something else they don't want to get involved with. We shall find out eventually. Bob
Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go
Look at the Ghost for efficiency.. 96lbs of thrust at 24v.. what's the next closest 24v thrust for brushed motors?
Minn-Kota says 80lbs at 24v.. same for MotorGuide.. So that's 16 lbs of thrust from being brushless, or about 20% more.. Not to mention the battery life! I was out a few weeks ago on my Ghost and 5 hours on the water on spotlock in 8-10mph winds charged to full in under 30 minutes when I got home!
1997 Stratos 295 Pro Elite DC
2010 Mercury 200 ProXS
Dual Lowrance Ti2's / Ghost TM
Can't stay out of this one. Brushless motors are certainly the future. I'm sure MK will have them before long. But they won't free.
Take one of them, run it into a tree, pop a seal, get a little water in it, and see how much you like buying a whole motor, rather than drying out the old one, putting in new seals and going back to the lake.
I really don't care whether brush, no brush, nuclear turbines, or what power source. I want a motor that's relatively quiet, as powerful as I want to buy, one that will stand up to to the abuse of fishing Lake Truman flooded forests. I ain't going to add "I have a brushless trolling motor" to my profile.
That depends on how the power is measured. I heard that they are all not measured the same way.
Reply With Quote