New Minn Kota 65PD latching

[dcookaces]

Just bought a new Crestliner Fish Hawk w/Minn Kota 65PD already bow mounted. I am very pleased with the motor except for one thing. It seems to be very difficult to slide the lower unit out of the mount. I have to push the latch handle with my forearm while rocking the lower unit back and forth in order to get it loose. I thought perhaps it was due to the unit being new and it would loosen itself after a few uses. But, it does not seem to be loosing up. I read the manual from cover to cover and found nothing relating to "shipping" screws or the like. I even pulled off the side plates to check for an adjustment in the lower unit rest ramps. And, I adjusted the latch collar to it's highest position. It is really becoming a pain to get this motor out in the water without a lot of needless effort! What am I missing? <br /><br />Thanks, Dan Cook

 

[Silvertip]

Re: New Minn Kota 65PD latching

I experienced the same thing with a new 55PD. The following fix was recommended by a MinnKota rep at the Minneapolis Boat Show earlier this year. With the motor tilted down. Look at the backside of the pivot housing. You will see a "U" shaped part of the aluminum casting. Then look at the aluminum plate at the bottom of the mount. You will see some faint marks where this U shaped part of the casting hits the plate. Contact between these two surfaces is intentional however some motors have too much contact which is why the motor is touph to slide out. Using a dremel tool, grind a little material off of the "U". Don't take too much at a time as a little tightness is still required to keep the motor from bouncing in its mount. If you have trouble locating the area in question, post back here. I'll take a picture of mine.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: New Minn Kota 65PD latching

I keep the areas where it rubs and the shaft coated with armorall. It really helps.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: New Minn Kota 65PD latching

I forgot to add that the real culprit is not the area I described. There are two one-inch square very hard rubber snubbers on each side of the motor pivot. If you take either side cover off you will see it. There is a small metal tab at the top and bottom of the snubber. As the motor is stowed, the pivot shaft moves upward to compress these snubbers. The real fix is to remove the pivot pin and then remove the snubber so you can shave them down. That requires some disassembly however so shaving the casting as I explained earlier works well. MinnKota told me the snubbers eventually soften up but mine is a year old and until I shaved the casting was really tight and no amount of lubrication helped.