Better kicker tie bar option?

Has anyone found a better tie bar for there remote kicker? I currently have the one that came stock on my Skeeter. This is the second boat that has had the same model installed on there. After a few trips my current tie bar is all bent outa shape again. Also when you trim the kicker down, it loosens the bolt that holds the bracket ball. So time to time I look back and that bolt is just dangling in there, and have to try to tighten it down on the water a few times a day.

Seems to me there should be a stronger version that some people have installed. I should be able to trim any combination between big and kicker motors with out getting bent and loose. Looking for suggestions.

Here is a photo of the stock tie bar from SBC.

Thanks

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Is it worth looking at the Sea-Star cable-style kicker link?

http://www.seastarsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/101202h.pdf

http://www.seastarsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/6-page-kicker-cable-single.pdf

HRG

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That mount doesn’t look quite right to me but before I say any more, I would like to be clear as to what the picture is showing.
I have the same tie bar but not the problems your experiencing.

Are we looking at the kicker motor?
If so, is your kicker mounted on the starboard side of the boat?

Are you leaving the tie bar connected all the time or just when you are trolling with the kicker trimmed down? I’ve had the same setup on two boats over 7 years and have never bent one. I don’t leave mine on when the kicker is trimmed up. I only hook it on when I’m going to troll and steer with the wheel.

John Schultz wrote:

Are you leaving the tie bar connected all the time or just when you are trolling with the kicker trimmed down? I’ve had the same setup on two boats over 7 years and have never bent one. I don’t leave mine on when the kicker is trimmed up. I only hook it on when I’m going to troll and steer with the wheel.

Yes, you should be removing that system when you are not using it to keep it in best shape.

That is not a photo of My boat, just a online photo so you guys could see the part in question.

I leave the tie bar connected at all times. The way I fish, I troll cranks 99% of the time. I run big water with the 300 turn it off trim the kicker down and go. I stop trim up kicker.. run back down to do the same run again and trim it back down. and so forth. lots of up and down from spot to spot. Eventually the bolt loosens up.

If I had to go back to kicker every time and connect the tie bar that would take alot of time out of my tournament day for the way I fish, and i wouldn’t want the kicker motor just flopping around loosely back there if I did disconnect it. That is why I bought the extra throttle, so I can use the trollmaster and kicker from the wheel.

I haven’t bent my tie bar yet (between 2 skeeters) but I do have a problem with the tie bar on my wx2060 loosening up all the time. I can say that my tie bar is tied into the bolt just below and to the right of that picture though. I will dig into it more after I get home from work today though. I also never disconnect my kicker from the main motor and I’m like you in that I troll 99% of the time. I run from spot to spot, put the kicker down and troll, bring the kicker up and run again.

I’ve had the same problem sktr and I also love running and gunning with cranks and agree about disconnecting each time. After spending a bit of time on shore looking at range of motion when turning the wheel with the kicker both trimmed up and down the solution turned out to be moving my attachment point about 4″ forward from where it was originally mounted when I purchased my boat. All it took to fix was a simple T shaped bracket that you can get at any hardware store.

Will

NDskeeter wrote:

I can say that my tie bar is tied into the bolt just below and to the right of that picture though.

That’s how mine is also and it had a tendency to loosen up on me as well.
I added a lock washer and used some loctite threadlocker to the threads of the bolt before assembling. No more problems with the bolt coming loose.

Loctite Threadlocker

I have some what of the same setup. Shouldn’t the ball mount end be in the center of the gray bar ? So that would put it out a couple inches and in the center for range of motion.

the solution turned out to be moving my attachment point about 4″ forward from where it was originally mounted when I purchased my boat.

Mike Burke wrote:

Shouldn’t the ball mount end be in the center of the gray bar ?

That’s where mine is.

Mike Burke wrote:

Shouldn’t the ball mount end be in the center of the gray bar

Not sure if its right or wrong, but yeah, thats where mine is also.

I have the same tie rod joining my main motor to my kicker and I never disconnect it. I’ve never had a single problem with it coming loose or bending in 4 years.

i have that same style connecting rod on my optimax to a yamaha t8 kicker mounted on the starboard side. i have never in ten years had the connecting ball on either end loosen up. the first couple of times that i trimmed up and down each motor, the connecting rod did bend a little bit where it needed to to accomadate the range of motion. i only connect mine when using the kicker, but leave it connected while traveling to a different spot. i have a ball mounted on the rear deck, just in front of the main motor that i connect the bar to while not in use, this holds the kicker from turning side to side when not in use. try nylock nuts on the ball and see if that helps keeping the balls tight. If I was to get a new boat, I would use the same setup as I have now.