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  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Auburn Alabama
    Posts
    69

    520r and power poles

    When I ordered my boat I wasn’t sure I wanted power poles. (I have never had any and really didn’t think I would use them. ). My dealer said it would be no problem to add them once the boat came in. Well the boat came in and they only had one 8ft blade and weren’t sure when they would get another one. So I decided to just pick the boat up ,use it for awhile and think on it. Well I’ve been convinced by my buddies that I must have them , they can’t believe I can catch anything without power poles. So is there anything I should know or have the dealer do when installing them ?? Would anyone have done something differently if they were doing it again?
    2022 z520r

  2. Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Pryor, OK
    Posts
    2,770
    #2
    I went with 12ft Talons and love them so far. I like getting the extra depth out of just 4ft height.
    2022 Ranger Z520R, 2022 Mercury 250 ProXS 4s
    Dual 16” Lowrance Live’s at console, 12” Live with Active Target, Garmin 8612 and Livescope, and Humminbird 12” Mega 360 at the bow
    Lowrance Ghost TM

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2021
    Location
    Convoy, Ohio
    Posts
    668
    #3
    I chose 10' Blades & had to become more aware of what door heights, bridge heights, drive-thru heights I could & could not go thru. If that is a concern where you fish & travel & store your boat then recommend you consider tilt brackets. Mine are 99 inches floor to top with trailer level. Have had to drag spikes few times to go under some shallow water , low bridges. Don't know how heights would compare from my 521L to your 520R but think they would be close.

  4. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Auburn Alabama
    Posts
    69
    #4
    I didn’t know tilt brackets even existed. I fish Guntersville a lot and constantly go under low causeways . Great info thank you !!
    2022 z520r

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Auburn Alabama
    Posts
    69
    #5
    I didn’t even think about Talons. I will research them. Thank you !
    2022 z520r

  6. Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Pryor, OK
    Posts
    2,770
    #6
    There are tilt brackets for Talons also
    2022 Ranger Z520R, 2022 Mercury 250 ProXS 4s
    Dual 16” Lowrance Live’s at console, 12” Live with Active Target, Garmin 8612 and Livescope, and Humminbird 12” Mega 360 at the bow
    Lowrance Ghost TM

  7. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Auburn Alabama
    Posts
    69
    #7
    Can any of them be operated from the RIDE system or will a separate switch need to be installed on the console?? Thanks
    2022 z520r

  8. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    855
    #8
    Sounds like you don't need them. I had the 10' on my last boat and hated having to think about lowering them to get in/out of the garage. New boat came with 8' Power Poles and they are so much better. If they didn't come with the package I wouldn't have added them though based on the way I like to fish. I will say though, Power Pole has the absolute best customer service period. Not just in the fishing industry, but that I've ever had. For that reason alone, they will always have my vote. Have to support a company that backs their products the way they do.

  9. Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Pryor, OK
    Posts
    2,770
    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Cmart334 View Post
    Can any of them be operated from the RIDE system or will a separate switch need to be installed on the console?? Thanks
    I haven’t even checked on doing it from the Ride system. The Talons come with a remote on a lanyard. You can also do it from the Talons themselves and I installed a stomp switch up front. It’s wireless. It’s worked flawlessly so far.
    2022 Ranger Z520R, 2022 Mercury 250 ProXS 4s
    Dual 16” Lowrance Live’s at console, 12” Live with Active Target, Garmin 8612 and Livescope, and Humminbird 12” Mega 360 at the bow
    Lowrance Ghost TM

  10. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Auburn Alabama
    Posts
    69
    #10
    You’re probably right about me not needing 10ft . Most of the lakes I fish here in Alabama are fairly shallow. I’ve been reading comments on the power pole BBC forum and people can’t say enough good things about their customer service and product quality. Talons seem to have a pretty good following also. I’ve got a few days to decide , the boat show is next weekend so my dealer is focused on that this week.
    2022 z520r

  11. #11
    i ordered a 521R in June and just got it about a month ago before i ordered it i thought about it a lot i went entirely hummingbird. 3 12inch soliixs up front with mega 360 and the target lock with mega live and two 12-inch solixs at the console and when i did this i also thought a lot of the power poles versus the raptors versus the talons. with talons i don't have to worry about hydraulic pumps in the boat also the talons connect to my solixs so i can control them from anywhere in my boat with the solixs plus if i ever have a problem with them i can disconnect two battery wires and a couple of bolts and pull it from the boat i also have the tilt backets that allows me to go pretty much go anyway i want for me hummingbird was the easiest and the right choice hopefully that helps with the decision

  12. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Auburn Alabama
    Posts
    69
    #12
    Yes it’s helpful!! I didn’t even consider the talon being essentially self contained. I can see where that could be a big advantage if there is a problem . Not sure how heavy they are but I could probably remove it myself and not have to drop the entire boat off to get it worked on . Thanks.
    2022 z520r

  13. #13
    that's another thing i thought of when considering which one i wanted on the boat weight was not an issue and yes you can lift it off urself and drop it off to get fixed without tying up Ur boat. Hugh advantage over power poles or raptors definitely less hassle

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Huntingtown, MD
    Posts
    2,564
    #14
    Quote Originally Posted by paultangherlini View Post
    that's another thing i thought of when considering which one i wanted on the boat weight was not an issue and yes you can lift it off urself and drop it off to get fixed without tying up Ur boat. Hugh advantage over power poles or raptors definitely less hassle
    It's not a huge advantage buy power poles from the start they don't need to be worked on like Talons.
    04 521VX 250 Pro XS
    14 521C 250 Pro XS

  15. #15
    i have only owned talons for 4 years and i never had an issue with them hopefully i never do and the less hassle i was talking about is hydraulics or electricity which one is less hassle when its time to fix

  16. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Cincinnati, OH
    Posts
    228
    #16
    I put Raptors on my 520R and I control them with a lanyard and I can control them with my Humminbird control heads, but I never do. I think the Raptors are better than the Power Poles I had on my old boat. They are all pretty good and I’ve never had an issue with pumps on either set up. Good luck

  17. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Auburn Alabama
    Posts
    69
    #17
    Yes it seems they are all good now a days. I have never seen any Raptors in person but they look very well made and the active anchoring system is interesting , it looks like I can turn that off if I don’t want it. Do they flex/bounce when running down the lake ? Where did they mount the pumps in your boat ?? I think even if they could connect them to the RIDE system I’m going to stay away from that and do like you and others just use the lanyard/stomp switches . Thanks for the reply
    2022 z520r

  18. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Cincinnati, OH
    Posts
    228
    #18
    The raptors are very well built. I like how they reposition when the wind picks up, otherwise they don’t move. I don’t know if they connect to the RIDE system, but I do know Power Poles do. I generally put the poles down when I’m at the bow, so not sure I’d use it if it was connected.

    The pumps are mounted below the battery compartment. You can reach them to pair it with my Humminbird graphs. Plenty of room for them

  19. 2022 Ranger Z520R Cup
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Lincolnton NC
    Posts
    206
    #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Cmart334 View Post
    Can any of them be operated from the RIDE system or will a separate switch need to be installed on the console?? Thanks
    I added Power Poles to my Z520R, you need a CMoster Gateway to put control of the Poles on the NEMA network. Then you will need to ask your dealer to enable the feature in the ride configuration. Don’t have a clue if other poles can be controlled by the RIDE system.

  20. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Gilman, Wisconsin United States
    Posts
    28
    #20
    My personal experiences with Talons would make me stay away from them. I've seen them have issues holding the boat and if you fish in any vegetation with gunk on the bottom, they will eventually get buildup inside of them and have issues. I saw it happen to a guy within a week of having them installed on his rig. Luckily he had the tilt brackets because his 10' Talon was about 9' out and wouldn't budge one way or another. With Power Poles if something does happen you can still retract them and keep them up. Aside from them having issues with some of the original hoses they're pretty much trouble free. If you need to take one off, it might be messier, but just unscrew the lines and unbolt it. Your boat wouldn't be out of commission. When it comes to length, 8' is great. Any deeper than that, just use spotlock.

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