How reliable are Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motors

[BassinSage]

I'm looking to buy a new trolling motor and am interested in the Minn Kota Ultrex or the Motor Guide Tour Pro. Anyone out there with opinions about which of these two is the more reliable and what experience have people had with customer service from the manufacturer (for example, availability of spare parts).

BassinSage

[Meleagris1]

I've had multiple Ultrex motors on a number of boats - I've had zero down time with any of them and the new Quest is significantly better.

[SoonerFan]

I got one of the first ones on the market. It's been great...a real game changer, to use a worn out phrase. I used to stay home on 20mph wind days but I can head on out with the Ultrex.

I did have one break down on the water with it. Late in the day on day, I went to raise it up and it wouldn't raise up no matter how hard I tried. It was starting to get dark so all I could do was raise the lower unit up as high as I could and plow water back to the ramp. I found that if I trimmed up it would raise the bow enough to get the lower unit out of the water enough to get a small amount of speed and get back to the dock. I looked like a wake boater. I took it to Jones Trolling motor in Texarkana. John Jones was really sick at that time and I knew it would be my only chance to meet him. He fixed the problem (I don't remember what caused it) and did some updates. I think he must have upgraded the hinge pins because I've never had trouble with them. I beat the heck out of it hitting rocks and stumps and it keep going....same as every other Minn Kota trolling motor I've ever had. I'm looking forward to getting a Quest someday.

[blakesfav]

I've had 3 ultrexes and just got the new Quest. I've got a thread below on an issue with the Quest that I think has now been resolved. My previous Ultrexes had an annoying habit of only failing at the worst possible times. So, any issues I had seemed worse than they should have, because of bad timing. When that happens, you kind of forget the many hours they worked relentlessly in between breakdowns. That said, when my Quest is working, it's pretty amazing. Issues with the older Ultrex usually have to do with the mother board to the foot pedal, or the mometary switch button on the pedal. That's been my experience.

FWIW, I had the top of the line MG on one of my boats from 2014 or 15. It sounded like a lawnmower. I hated that thing, but it never quit. I'm sure they are better now.

[blakesfav]

I'll add, the Ultrex has readily available parts and service. They have excellent customer service, and a reliable integrated app if you have HB graphs. I'm not sure on customer service on the MG.

[Bill Reynolds]

I don’t have any experience with the Motor Guide but I have had an Ultrex since 2018. It has been flawless.
Minn Kota had a problem with the foot pedal pressure switch in the first year (2016) but they redesigned it and solved the problem. There were also complaints about the cable sleeve being too hard and brittle so they changed the formulation in the plastic and provided new for free.
It’s not perfect, too heavy for my liking and sits so high on the bow it is hard to see around but but I knew that going in.

[Bradrodfish]

I must say that the newer ones are much more reliable than the older models, but the older models had a few issues. The new quest is almost sailer proof. You navy guys may now what i am talking about.

[fishin couillon]

I have an Ultrex that's probably 4-5 yrs old......never been in the shop, always working.......only issue i had was with the toggle on/off switch on foot pedal......on another note, i'll say that i dont use mine as much as the next guy so that could be a reason....

[dr14]

What are the improvements you guys are liking the most on the Quest vs the Old Ultrex ?

[bassfisher444]

My Ultrex has been great, Motorguide Tour Pro was pure garbage with horrible customer support. I will never buy another Tour Pro. If buying now I would go with the regular Ultrex over the quest, they haven't quite got all the bugs worked out of the quest yet, and the regular Ultrex is far to buy and get parts for once the warranty is up.

[Bearetta]

2018 ultrex on my Skeeter has more hours than my SHO on Lake Fork and it has taken a beating. It is one tough sob. I broke the shaft at full speed tree top hit-free replacement with lifetime warranty-paid the labor and happy to do so. One prop replaced and a few wires fried when I ran it on high too long. Manufacturer recommends long runs at less than full power. So 8 it is now instead of ten. I would easily buy another and expect the same tough sob.
I know nothing about the other model you are looking for information.

[richardZ7]

minn kota ultrex can take a lick like no other

[SLYDoggie]

2018 ultrex on my Skeeter has more hours than my SHO on Lake Fork and it has taken a beating. It is one tough sob. I broke the shaft at full speed tree top hit-free replacement with lifetime warranty-paid the labor and happy to do so. One prop replaced and a few wires fried when I ran it on high too long. Manufacturer recommends long runs at less than full power. So 8 it is now instead of ten. I would easily buy another and expect the same tough sob.
I know nothing about the other model you are looking for information.

Just so you know for the future, he new Ultrex Quest has a brushless motor and doesn't have the full power limitation.

[Chopper]

I had an ultrex on my boat and after about three years it stopped working, would not turn. I did some research on the net and found some others with the same problem. The motor that turns the unit had came loose and was bouncing around in the housing. I found the screws and reinstalled them, putting blue thread lock on them, and I was back in business. Now, about 6 to 9 months later the motor stopped running. I took it apart and found one of the magnets had came loose and was binding the armature. This time I ordered a new motor and installed it. Of course that fixed the problem. In January I traded that boat for a Caymas with a Ghost TM.

I do think the ultrex is a good motor. I admit that I’m pretty hard on trolling motors and I think this was one of the very early models. From what I was able to determine Minn Lota had since fixed the problems I had. I would not hesitate to buy another one if I needed TM.

[Phoenix Jim]

Ised to have motorguide. Been using ultrex for years. What was I thinking with having a motorguide

[chatabass]

Had mine since 2020, used 2-3 times a week. no issues!

[06 SB]

I have had 3 Ultrex motors and not a single issue. My current one is 4 years old. If it needs replaced, it will be the Quest.

[blakesfav]

The Quest is a beast. The components are beefed up pretty much everywhere. I've had an issue with mine pretty much out of the box on the foot pedal, and it's been replaced.

I have one beef with it - its so quiet, that i can't tell when it's on. I need some type of senior citizen siren on it that flashes when it's running.

BTW, it pulled my 23 foot bay boat nearly 5 mph last weekend. It's fast enough to use side imaging without cranking up the big motor. Pretty amazing power.

[2dwoods]

Just look at all the new posts below this one and you can see there just like the rest some never have a problem others have plenty its a crap shoot .I know there's probably more mk out there then any brand but also more complaints on this forum about them than any brand

[RigRatt]

First off I do really like my ultrex but it has had its issues. Mine came on my new Nitro in 2020 and the first tournament I fished the power steering quit when using the foot pedal. Thankfully I had the link remote and was able to keep fishing. Took the entire rig back to the shop as I was having issues with the vortex hubs on the trailer. They claimed they replaced the entire trolling motor as it was under warranty. Fast forward to this year and the prop wouldn’t turn when taking it out on the water. Minn Kota customer service was awesome but didn’t really help much as it started working when I got it home. Now the on/off switch is acting up but I did find out that there is an updated switch to fix that issue. I know electronics and water don’t mix but for the cost of some these things I would think they would be a little more consistent on the reliablity.