I am on my third ultrex and they all have had the same issue. The bracket starts creaking after a few months of use. I know others experience the same thing with the ultrex but how does the ghost compare?
I am on my third ultrex and they all have had the same issue. The bracket starts creaking after a few months of use. I know others experience the same thing with the ultrex but how does the ghost compare?
I think they all creak after a while. I was watching an Elite tournament a couple of months ago,there was a young guy with a Ghost,it was so loud you could hear it on the TV. Loudest one I’ve ever heard. I don’t recall his name now but I made a post about it here. The only remedy I know of is replacing all the bushings and wear parts. I’ve done that on the last two Ultrex I’ve had,it helps a lot.
I think it matters how hard you are on the motor. I have used both, and by far the Ghost is more quiet. I have used one Ghost for more than a year, and sold it to my tournament partner to upgrade to the 52" version when it became available. Both are silent in operation and the mount to this day. I know of one Ghost that makes a lot of noise, but the owner is really hard on it as he constantly uses his Ghost to run at full speed for long distances (I use my outboard for this) and makes hard turns at full speed. The torque will wear the bracket over time doing this. My other tournament partner had his lower mounting bracket of his brand new Ultrex completely shatter when on plane in rough water during a recent tournament. When we arrived at our first spot of the day, the bracket was in about 20 pieces on his front deck, which ended our tournament before the first cast.
ciao,
Marc
My ghost started creaking an groaning a lot but then so did all the minnkota ultrex I had. I took a hint from someone in here and sprayed all the pivot points with wd40 and that cured it. Very quiet now
he also put moleskin on the contact point wher the bracket fold down on but I haven’t done that yet
Butch Derickson
2011 Z521 w/250 hp SHO
Traverse City, Michigan
Got to say, yes the Ultrex will creak and moan after 1-2 seasons of hard use. This is the rear pivot bushings wearing and eventually they will break. They will cost you about $2 -$3 in parts. It will take about 1 hour of your time to repair. As for Ghost being quieter...not hardly. Maybe quieter motor noise but not the mount! I was fishing a tournament last weekend and a guy pulled up to me to fish the same area with a Ghost and all I could hear was the creaking and moaning every time he changed direction with his ghost. My Ultrex which is a 2017 which I did replace the rear pivot bushings last season was much quieter!
I own a ghost and it barely and I mean barely creaks when I’m on 6+ speed and make a sharp right or left hand turn. Doing that with any motor is going to be hard on the brackets and bushings. I don’t do this very often and find when using it manually while fishing I’m using on 2.5-4 speed. Not a peep.
Just my $.02, but I think some creak more than others due to a.) using fewer than the recommended mounting bolts, which allows more than normal articulation of the base of the Mount; b.) overtorquing or unevenly torquing the base Mount bolts.
I installed mine myself so I know those two scenarios don’t apply to me. And mine really doesn’t creak unless I’m using it to move from spot to spot and crank a hard left or right. Then it barely creaks. It’s just not an issue for me. I’m not fishing with the motor on 6+. No creaking whatsoever in spotlock.
the motor is just incredible. Pedal feel is awesome compared to the one Ultrex I tried out once. The Ghost is hands-down the best boat-related purchase I’ve made in years. Much better value than when I re-powered the big motor or added a structure scan transducer. If I sold my boat tomorrow, id buy a new boat only with the Ghost.
2022 Ranger z518 / 2022 Merc Pro XS 200 serial # 3B137559
Love my Ghost.....wouldn't go back to my Minn Kota's for anything
2019 Ranger Z520C DC / 250 Pro XS 4 Stroke
It’s interesting to see the different feedback on the same motor
You’re always going to hear people that love / hate had great experiences/poor experiences with trolling motors (and cars, refrigerators, etc). I personally didn’t like the pedal feel of the Ultrex but I’m sure I’d get used to it like so many others also have. I know lots of people that absolutely love their Ultrex. I also know quite a few people that had issues with the motor a bit but have since worked the bugs out. One thing you can’t compare between the two motors though is the battery usage / motor design. One uses tried and true older brush motor tech (Ultrex) and one uses newer brushless tech (Ghost). The battery drain even in full day windy conditions is unreal with the ghost. Might be my biggest surprise with this motor. My old 72lb Tour would drain my 3-season old TM batteries after a long day of fishing in wind. This shows “high” power after the same fishing conditions and I’m also using spotlock which my old tour of course doesn’t have.
Another thing to consider if putting on a slightly older/ok’d boat-make sure the TM pedal fits in your built-in TM pedal tray if you have one. My 2008 Triton couldn’t fit the Ultrex pedal assembly but the ghost does fit (barely)
2022 Ranger z518 / 2022 Merc Pro XS 200 serial # 3B137559
My Ghost has over 300 trips and the mount does make some noise. Had a lot noise initially due to the plastic side plates moving some when the motor was spinning up or down. That was easily fixed by removing the side plates and putting a light coating of silicon sealant on the side plate edges that contact the aluminum frame of the mount. I had a Fortrex before and had to replace the knuckle/spring assembly every 1.5 years. The spring starts to lose its tension and causes a loud creaking noise. The mount on the Ghost is better quality/engineered - no questions asked.
This is good information, thank you.
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