TM plug

[Dany]

Hey Guys,
I have a 1996 20xrd. I currently have a 80lb thrust fortrex on it, I was curious if I need a jumper wire to connect the two batteries to complete the 24v system or does that plug up front convert it to 24v? I have 2 red wires and 2 black wires running to the plug up front. Thanks for your help in advance.

[21XDC]

The jumper is in the trolling motor plug.... If you have the right plug.

[Dany]

So I do not need a wire to connect the two trolling batteries then?

[QuickBullet]

IMO...Those plugs are junk at best. They're ALWAYS added resistance to the circuit and end up frying with heavy use.
If 6ga. or larger wires are used from the back to front, I remove one of the red and one of the black, (save a lil weight here), and wire my TM's direct, with a jumper at the batteries....never have to touch it again!!!
I've done this for years without any problem what-so-ever! AGAIN....JMO

[alli ss]

I prefer the factory setup plug and charge thru that outlet with my 35a charger but im damn sure in the minority on that. I like the 4 wires and jumper in the plug. Never failed me. I started that way due to using 12/24 motors and just kept going

[21XDC]

I have seen the melted plug jumper.... But it it is from loose screws/terminals on the jumper screws. This adds resistance and heat. Many think that the screws on the plug only need to be tightened on the ones with the 2 trolling motor wires.... The other 2 need tightened as they are the jumper connection. Removing 2 wires to the front is not a good idea... You are forcing the same amount of power through 1/2 of the copper... Not very efficient.

[QuickBullet]

I have seen the melted plug jumper.... But it it is from loose screws/terminals on the jumper screws. This adds resistance and heat. Many think that the screws on the plug only need to be tightened on the ones with the 2 trolling motor wires.... The other 2 need tightened as they are the jumper connection. Removing 2 wires to the front is not a good idea... You are forcing the same amount of power through 1/2 of the copper... Not very efficient.

20' of good braided copper 6ga. wire will carry 50a of current @ 24v, 24-7 with no problems. I understand that many peeps wanna keep their boat original and boat manufacturers have used this technique for years, mostly because other companies do it, it's simple and it works and it gives the customer a way to disconnect.
But that by no means is the best way as I have either replaced or wired direct 100's of boats through the years with problems in the plug-in area and it really sux when it fails during a tournament and leaves you without your TM!
I may also mention that 6ga wire, which almost all companies use, is borderline in size for a 20' run of 12v @ 50Ah, which you have from the factory, however it falls well into the proper size of wire to run 24v @ 50Ah....It Is much more efficient not to mention the increase in efficiency form having fewer connections to bottleneck the flow!
Take out a brand new boat and run the TM on high for 15-20 mins straight, pull the plug and feel it!!!

[21XDC]

You should let all the boat companies know that they rig wrong! Here we go again... Newer trolling motors with more thrust pull up to 60A, Especially longer wire lengths. Voltage drop kills trolling motors. Both batteries should be breaker protected and most that run you set up only protect the 1 positive lead.

A 20 ft boat uses near 30ft of wire...

My plug don't get hot, Even after 16 years of hard Great Lakes tournament use... I must have got a good one.

[rocketmanjp]

Just an fyi, Bullet now rigs their boats with two wires and a jumper at the batteries with one circuit breaker. The only change I made was direct wired at the front instead of the plug & I changed the circuit breaker from 40 amp to 60 amp.

[QuickBullet]

I Finally see the difference in our posts! I always give, (and state), MY OPINIONS....you always tell how it is with a very closed mind to other ways that have worked for me and others for years!
I have personally had 2 different boats that had TM problems from the plug-in during tourneys, a 1978 178V HydraSports and an '02 20XDC Bullet and I'm sure there are many more on here that have also had the same....How did you know about the screws if you've not seen problems here! The screws being are just part of the problem. If the plug were not a high resistance area the screws would never get hot and loosen up!
Also in actuality a 20' boat when wired with a plug-in has 70'-80' of wire just for the TM, not 30'.
When I wire a 20' boat direct, it will have 40' of 6ga. for 24v or 40' of 4ga. for a 36v system and neither will have a place for a voltage drop! I also use 1 breaker of sufficient size in the positive lead at the battery output which is all that's needed. A breaker is not needed in the battery jumper wires.
You keep doing what you do and I'll keep doing as I've done for 50 years and we'll both be happy!

[QuickBullet]

Just an fyi, Bullet now rigs their boats with two wires and a jumper at the batteries with one circuit breaker. The only change I made was direct wired at the front instead of the plug & I changed the circuit breaker from 40 amp to 60 amp.

Good to hear this....they're getting smart!!!

[DLAB]

I put a breaker on each battery and also run a plug setup. The plug setup acts like a 3rd breaker IMO. I just changed the female and male ends of my plugs, even with breakers they got hot and shorted out.......

[QuickBullet]

I put a breaker on each battery and also run a plug setup. The plug setup acts like a 3rd breaker IMO. I just changed the female and male ends of my plugs, even with breakers they got hot and shorted out.......

Thank You for giving an honest report!

Here's a lil FYI. A breaker is for protection of a circuit which usually has a long run of wire, in this case from the batt compartment to the bow. It opens the circuit if the wiring it's installed on shorts out, to keep the wire from possibly catching on fire.
A set-up with the plug-in on the bow will have a breaker on each of the positive wires going to the bow.
If you wire 24v direct to the TM and bypass the plug-in you'll only need 2 wires, (a positive & negative), going to the front of 6ga. or larger, (4ga. is best), with a short jumper wire between the 2 batteries.
A single 60A breaker will need to be at the battery's positive terminal on the positive lead going to the bow. It's not necessary to have one on the short jumper wire.
If you are wiring a 36v direct to the TM and bypass the plug-in you'll again only need 2 wires, (a positive & negative), going to the front of 4ga. or larger with short jumper wires between the 3 batteries.
A single 60A breaker will need to be at the battery's positive terminal on the positive lead going to the bow. It's not necessary to have one on the short jumper wires.
Of course the short jumper wires on either set-up should be no smaller than 6ga wire, I personally use 8ga. with good terminal rings, crimped and soldered.

[alli ss]

My new xpress with 24v ultrex has 4ga with a 60a breaker on it straight to the motor. I had the 4 wires on my bullet with the 2 breakers, 50a breaker and the wires were 6ga. Like i said though i ran a 12/24 troller and also had my blacklights and an outlet fed from the bow plug so i needed the 4 wires- mainly for using the red plug to charge from. I love simplicity and each way has its merits for sure. You just gotta do what fits your needs best

[QuickBullet]

My new xpress with 24v ultrex has 4ga with a 60a breaker on it straight to the motor. I had the 4 wires on my bullet with the 2 breakers, 50a breaker and the wires were 6ga. Like i said though i ran a 12/24 troller and also had my blacklights and an outlet fed from the bow plug so i needed the 4 wires- mainly for using the red plug to charge from. I love simplicity and each way has its merits for sure. You just gotta do what fits your needs best

True Alli....BTW, we lost a 19' xpress on Sardis Sat.! The guy hit a stump and it split one of the welds down on the side about 1/3 of the way back from the bow. It opened up a 3' long split and then hung up on the stump. They pulled it out Sunday....the guy had insurance but xpress may be at fault for a cold weld!?!
I've sure been looking at them myself, I like what they're bringing to the table!!!

[alli ss]

Man that sucks. Must have been faulty ive seen xpress boats running the rivers here with jets that you cant get a crack in. Theyve been known since i was a kid to be indestructable living almost in the same town they were made. I had one back in high school that i hit a stump so hard it broke the evinrude 3cyl clamp bracket and didnt even dent the transom. Ive sat down on stumps on fork so hard ive broke trolling motor mounts and sheared off a radio mounted in the console and it didnt even dent it. So far this one is doing real well. Ive got it going into the 70’s pretty loaded and im not near there just yet. Got the seadek interior and im loving that

[QuickBullet]

That's cool!! I've been thinking about getting one but heck, at my age I'll never wear out the boat I have!