Minn Kota pin loose and almost fell out??

[plaztix]

On a couple of recent trips after a few hours of using the electric i have noticed the pin which holds the motor onto the bracket is slipping out of the housing.:-/

The motor is a Minn Kota 50lb transom mount and the pin is a stainless pin about 8-10mm in diameter and it is the main pin which holds the motor onto the bracket and is the swivel point for stowing the motor.

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this problem and how they overcame it.

Will email Minn Kota but probably get a quicker response here.

Cheers in advance;)

[wags on the water]

I haven't seen the pin you are talking about, but you could drill a hole thru the pin (on each end if it's long enough) and put in place s/s split pins.
Hope this helps.

[artesian]

my old minnkota has circlips on the pins to stop them moving - maybe yours has lost one? Look for a groove around the pin

[plaztix]

Wags, i will wait to see what BLA have to say before i go doing anything too major. Cheers though, that will be the remedy if it looks like being a sh!t fight to get it fixed.

Artesian, No grooves or any signs of any sort or circlip or anything. i would have thought that there would be something like that too. Seems a bit strange to have the whole motor sitting on a loose pin which is prone to falling out.:confused:

[Nico.d.R]

Do you leave it on when you travel to and from the ramp ? My mate (brandon H) used to leave his mounted while traveling and his does the same thing , a quick fix so you can still use it is attatch a safty cord from your boat to the shaft of the minnkota so if the pin does fall out you dont loss the motor . Or you could try a big blob of araldite over each end of the pin . I think you can get a new base/clamp but they are a bit pricey , hope that helps mate .

nico

[plaztix]

Cheers mate. Yeah i have bolted it to the boat so it stays on. I dont trust the standard screw/ plate mounting system.

It doesn't move when the boats on the trailer only after motoring around for a while.

I was starting to think that mine was a one off and the original pin had been replaced because it was a display model. I'm surprised that this is how they are designed standard.

[the gecko]

I had the same problem on my old transom mt 30lb. On closer inspection, there was a fine crack in the plastic bracket that held the motor up/down, and the steel pin comes loose. Local tackle shop got me a new part for $20 and I refitted it myself.

Cause was travelling with the motor up, and bouncing around. I stopped driving to th eramp with it on, but even driving the boat on the water produced some bounce and strain on the bracket. Poor design IMHO.

I went to a bow mount, no probs now.

ANdrew

[Nico.d.R]

hey gecko did your shaft lock also let the motor lift out of the water in reverse ? thats what my mates does . plaztix did you fix the bracket to the boat ? because you might also want to put some rope from the shaft of the leckie to the boat so if you do lose the pin you will not be left with only the bracket .

[Crocket]

The same thing happened to my mates last bow mount. He ended up putting a small padlock onto the end of the bolt. I guess a split pin would do the same thing.

[the gecko]

No, my motor never came up in reverse? I think it just didnt like bouncing around while the car was doing 100ks.....they should be attached at the ramp, not at home.

[plaztix]

Gecko - No cracks thankfully.

Nico - Yeah mate i bolted it to the transom. I have found a handy little length of stainless cable sheathed in shrink wrap with spliced loops at either end (knew it would come in handy one day) that i will loop around the shaft when on the water.