Switching to 24-volt system

[Justin Lavely2]

Hi All,

I'm thinking about switching over to a 24-volt system for my 1996 170DC. I'm already using two batteries (hooked up in parallel) for a 12-volt, 55 lb thrust Minn Kota Edge. I'd like to upgrade to a 70 lb thrust Maxxum. Will I need to upgrade the wiring (pretty sure it's factory) from the bow to the bilge. What about the inline fuse? I found the following diagram for hooking it up, is this right? Anything else I should know? The following link has a diagram. Is it correct?
http://www.ehow.com/how_4812007_wire-volt-trolling-motor.html

 

[Jim B]

The diagram looks good, i have one in my library that i did years ago that i put below.



As far as the wires go, im not sure what you have but if they are not 6ga that i would upgrade for sure. A 70lb motor can draw a lot of current and if the wires are 8 or 10ga they may not be able to handle it. I would also upgrade the fuse too. Minnkota makes a really nice 60 amp breaker that will do the trick perfectly. Another thing to look at is the plug on the bow, depending on what is there it may not handle the new amperage requirements either, you may have to replace it. Minnkota makes one and there are also plenty of others from Marinco that would do the job.



The only other peice of adivce i can give is on the motor itself. Minnkota makes two 70# models, get the variable speed one. The variable speed ones are superior to the 5 speed ones on battery life and the greater control of over the motors speed is a nice feature. Persoanlly i could never go back to a 5 speed motor after having variable. Another thing to think about is bumping it up to the 80#, in my opinion there is no such thing as too much thrust.





24v wire diagram

 

[Richard Majewski]

How easy is it to pull out the old wiring and put new 6 guage wires in? I assume you pull the new in by attaching them to the old wires or is there a better proceedure?. I am also thinking of updating my LX700 to a 24 volt system. Also, is it easy to secure a second battery in the rear compartment?



Thanks,

Richard