Motor Guide/ Gator Mount Question

[Joshthebadbear]

Bought my boat about 10-12 years ago and this trolling motor and mount were on it when I purchased it. Several years ago I started having a problem with the mount. Took it to local tackle shop/repair shop and they advise they didn't know how to fix problem so I've just lived with it. Tonight on the water thought to post here. So anyway here's the problem. The breakaway feature on the mount . . . breaks away almost any time I turn the TM around in reverse. I'd estimate that if the motor is anywhere in excess of 20% power the front of the mount breaks away. (hoping I'm making sense here). I have the side tension lever as tight as it could possibly get, but it seems to make no difference. Any thoughts on how to adjust the tension so the unit doesn't breakaway every time I turn it around to reverse ? Thanks in advance guys/gals.

[MikeKz]

Since it is simply a slide mechanism that - if the side knobs are tightened enough - keeps the breakwaay from engaging, it must have become rather smooth...so smooth that no matter how tight you turn the knobs, it still engages.

maybe someone else will chime in here, but to me, if it were mine, I'd try taking it apart and rough-sanding the contacts inside vertically (vs. along the friction surfaces), see it it helps.

Mike

[MSC]

I just drilled a hole in the slide part and put a bolt through so it won't move. I'll probabley bend the shaft some day but I was tired of it.

[Hawkman]

I would bet that the bolt is bottoming out before it makes solid contact with the mount. I would take the nut off, and put a washer with a slightly larger than the bolt diameter on it. I think that would take care of it.

[trb1977]

I have the same problem with mine i was told to check the pin that is on the pull rope and make sure it is locked in tight.The bracket that is bolted down to the boat may have a loose bolt causing it not to be flush.

[trb1977]

Where exactley did you drill the hole? In the part that folds up when you lift up the motor?

[haveme1]

Sounds like two different things being talked about here.

The clutch ... lets TM fold under boat to keep damage down when a stump is hit.

The stowing/running lift not fully latching/locking down while in the running position.
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* washers are supposed to be between the mount and the pressure knobs for clutch pressure to be adjusted.

* The "T" obviously is not locking into the slots. Either the slots are worn/broken or the "T" is not engaging into the slots fully. (Maybe spring trouble.)

On mine, I oiled the edges leading into the slots and full slippage started happening !

[trb1977]

How big a hole did you drill?

[DocLines]

I got real tired, real fast with my motor guide FW75FB 20.8 "breaking away" and diving under bow of boat whenever I applied power 4 or 5. Not matter how hard I tried to tighten the rubber knobs - it wouldn't help. So I took off the knobs (left the same square shouldered bolts in place) and got two stainless steel nuts and lock washers. After I tightened the nuts/washers as tight as I could get them with a breaker bar and a 9/16" socket - the sucker hasn't "broken away" since. I may bend the shaft someday but I had an old MK for ten years and never ran into anything under water. Why in the hell they made and sold this model TM without auto reset springs is beyond me. (you can buy an aftermarket spring kit, ..... of course).

[taeheel2az]

If somehow it got even the least bit of lubricant on it . . . . .

You might loosen whatever necessary to access the parts that rub together to make the friction & clean and sand them. See if that restores the friction.

[iFISHforLAUGHS]

You can put a little bit of glue on the part that slides out. That way when in reverse it doesn't break away but if you hit something it will break away. May have to glue several times depending on how much you hit stuff. Would not recommend heavy duty glue or epoxy though.

[Riccochet]

Same thing happened to me. Got tired of it and fashioned up some dremel metal cutting discs to use a friction washers. Used a strap wrench to tighten the knobs down as tight as I could get them. Hasn't happened since doing this.

My only other complaint about this trolling motor / mount is that when it's deployed there is a lot of play in the mount. So it rocks and racks side to side when doing short bursts on the motor. I've tried tightening everything down as much as possible and can't see how to get it to now do this. It's rock solid when pulled up and locked in, only deployed is it loose. It's fulled seated and locked in place when deployed, so, I don't know. The old mount for my old Digital Tour 82 was rock solid when pulled up or deployed. Might just try to find one of those mounts and use that instead.