Power poles wouldn't raise???????

[JoHa]

Just bought a boat with power poles and I've never used them before. 2012 Blades.

First time out I was in deep water and lowered both all the way down. Was not able to raise either one. The pumps would run, but no movement.
I ended up getting in the water and pulling up on each pole while my partner pushed the up button and they started working. Water temp was 89
degrees so not a big deal (actually felt refreshing), in early spring time this would not be an option.

Is this normal? If not, what do I need to check to fix the issue?

TIA

[STRETCH1]

Definitely not normal, actually never heard of it. Check the batteries on your up/down buttons. Also you can push the button on top of the motor. You can test in your driveway out of the water, they should go up and down readily. I bet it is your batteries.

[JoHa]

I was using both controls, initially remotes then buttons on top of pumps. Pumps would run but no movement
on blades. When I got in the water and applied pressure on the pole (like it was pushing against the lake bottom) it
started to work correctly. Again, I've never used power poles before so I wasn't even sure of how the controls
worked.

They seem to work fine in shallow water, it was just in the deep water without any pressure from the lake bottom.
I only tried this once because I didn't want to get back in the water to raise them. Boat is practically brand new
with only 12 hours on it. Poles have probably been deployed less than 20 times (if that many) in their entire life.

Could it possibly be low fluid? I'm not sure what the level should be and will check it later this evening.

[KandKKustomz]

I too, have never heard of such a thing and it is not normal no. you should feel free to deploy them in deep water even with zero bottom contact they should retract without an issue, I would check fluid level as well as the pivot bolts to make sure they were not over tigtened causing a binding issue, pumps running but not coming up is baffling me, have to say you have a very rare odd issue if you do not have a low fluid or binding situation.

[JoHa]

I too, have never heard of such a thing and it is not normal no. you should feel free to deploy them in deep water even with zero bottom contact they should retract without an issue, I would check fluid level as well as the pivot bolts to make sure they were not over tigtened causing a binding issue, pumps running but not coming up is baffling me, have to say you have a very rare odd issue if you do not have a low fluid or binding situation.

Thanks for the feedback. Just checked the fluid and it looks brand new and filled almost to the top (up to the ridge that goes around the top of the tank). It very well could have been the first time they where deployed in deep water.

Could it have been air in the system that may correct itself after the first full cycle? I'm going to make a quick trip to the lake this afternoon and try it again, will report back what I find.

[KandKKustomz]

We tell our customers after install to take them out into deep water after install and do 5 to 10 deep water deployments to do the final air purge however we have never heard of them being in the stuck down position so do not think its air, if I had to guess they are binding in the fully deployed position for some reason, odd both are doing it however and not one or the other.

[JoHa]

Made the trip to the lake and lowered both poles in deep water, no change, they wouldn't raise and both pumps
would run. I was by myself so I got in the water and moved each pole up as much as I could, probably only about
an inch or two. Got back in the boat and they both raised. Tried lowering again, and had to go through the
same process.

Again this was a 2012 Ranger Z521 with only 12hrs on it (hard to believe but true), it had been in storage for a
few years. I don't know if this would effect anything. They seem to work fine unless extended all the way down.

I will loosen the pivot bolts and try it again tomorrow afternoon.

Again, thanks for the feedback!

[JoHa]

Another trip to the lake and still not working as it should.

I was able to loosen only one nut about a quarter turn. Now all pivot nuts have the nylon at the end of the threads.
If it's still binding I don't know what else to do.

I did discover a way to get them up without getting in the water. They just need a little pressure to get started,
so I cranked the big motor and put it in gear and used the water pushing against them.

As mentioned above, it does seem odd that both poles are malfunctioning in the same manner. It leads me to
believe it has something to do with it being stored for a long period of time. The cylinders may not be performing
as they should. On the other hand they could've never been used by the original owner and could have
been doing this since new. Hopefully it will work itself out with a little use.


Edit: The poles say "Blade" on the side, which based on the online manual was introduced in 2012. The pumps are C-monster
but they don't look like the pumps in the 2012 Blade online manual. They look like the C-monster pumps offered on the
pre-2012 Signature Series. Is it possible that early 2012 Blade models where shipped with 2011 C-monster pumps? I'm
wondering if this could be the issue. I might need to call Power Pole.

[Shef]

Longshot but are both knuckles lubed with white lithium grease? Supposed to be done every 100 cycles (I think).

[JoHa]

Called Power Pole and found the culprit. Bent shaft on both cylinders. Unbolted both cylinders and then extended, it's very slight
but still there. They work fine until extended to the end of the cylinder which is where the slight bend is at. New cylinders are
$190 ea, so I'll probably just run with what I've got for a while.

Power Pole tech was very nice and helpful, to their customer service!!

Thanks guys for all the input.

[DixieChicken]

Called Power Pole and found the culprit. Bent shaft on both cylinders. Unbolted both cylinders and then extended, it's very slight
but still there. They work fine until extended to the end of the cylinder which is where the slight bend is at. New cylinders are
$190 ea, so I'll probably just run with what I've got for a while.

Power Pole tech was very nice and helpful, to their customer service!!

Thanks guys for all the input.

GREAT FIND!

Hard to imagine how BOTH ended up with bent shafts. Especially... I mean ESPECIALLY as the boat has hardly any hours on it. Sounds more like they were that way when installed. (Not saying they were... but hey.)


On another note....
When I bought my boat it only had a single PP Pro, circa Jan 2012. The guy had backed into something and actually bent the housing. Hit it hard enough to flex the MOUNT and chip the gel coat!!!!! That pole though works flawlessly (as far as action goes).

What got my attention though, (being as you mentioned cranking up the big motor and dragging them a bit) is that twice I've had it fall down while hauling arse across the lake. That's in over 30 hours of running, only twice. Last time however was last weekend in fact. Didn't look at it after doing some downstream in the dam wash trolling (without a motor for several miles). Then when we took off running 40+ and the boat was listing hard to one side. Didn't hit me that it was the PP dragging in the water for about half a mile or so. Then you can imagine my shock when I looked back there and it was WELL down in the water.

Quick hit on the remote and it popped right up, then never dropped the rest of the day.

I only mention it because even with the obvious damage from being backed into something HARD, and dragging it at 40+ MPH a couple times, it still works perfectly. (I'm actually thinking that first time it may have been partially deployed and I just forgot.)