I have just had my 5th spine surgery and need some info about trolling motors. Motor Guide advertises that it is 40-50 percent easier to deploy/Stow than its competitors. I have a Tracker 175TXW with an edge 45 on the bow so I am looking for something easier for me to use. Oh and by the way, I don’t have $3000 to but an auto deploy/stow model. any thoughts?
I have a motor guide xi5 on my boat and it’s easy to stow and deploy. But my old man’s terrova seems equally as easy. The only difference is my motorguide has never needed maintenance and his terrova has needed it 3 times.
As far as for your back I think it’s hard to say. When your back is messed up, everything is a pain
The only auto/stow deploy model that Minn Kota makes is the Ulterra. If you’ve been using an Edge, you might find the Ulterra unsatisfactory. It has an electric steer as opposed to the cable steer of the Edge. The pedal is going to be very different.
Maybe someone can offer you some insight on the motorguide models. I am not familiar with them.
The only auto/stow deploy model that Minn Kota makes is the Ulterra. If you’ve been using an Edge, you might find the Ulterra unsatisfactory. It has an electric steer as opposed to the cable steer of the Edge. The pedal is going to be very different.
Maybe someone can offer you some insight on the motorguide models. I am not familiar with them.
He said he can’t afford auto stow. I assumed he’s asking about what’s the easiest manual stow deploy motor out there
He said he can’t afford auto stow.
I missed that part. The sentence was slightly incomplete.
Every back pain is different. Personally when mine flairs up the half bent over switch the lever and lift of the minn kota power drives, terrovas would kill me. Haven’t used any MGs so no opinion there
I’d be looking at a gas piston assisted TM with a handle which a guy can stand more straight up and lift from a higher point, I believe the MK offers one, maxxum?
I believe the MK offers one, maxxum?
No, that’s not it. I have a Maxxum.
I think its the Ultrex and the Fortrex. The Ultrex is the newer model that also has spot lock, which the Fortrex does not.
It’s been years since I have owned a motor guide. Mine wasn’t the easiest to stow or deploy. Can not speak for the new ones.
I run a terrova and had back surgery in December. 5 disc fusion do to a car accident. No problems with the terrova for me.
My dad runs the ultrex and it is pretty easy to deploy and stow.
The latest Terrovas have a lift assist mechanism which makes it very easy to stow and deploy. With price point being an issue, the ultrex and ulterra are probably not options for you, but you may be able to find a used one at a good price. With Utlerra you lose some shaft length versus the same size terrova due to the motor, from what I’ve read.
I fished out of 2 boats recently. one with a new terrova and one wiht the motorguide xi5.
Both stow pretty similarly and without much effort.
I will say this. not having a a readout on the remote has pretty much made running the Xi5 an absolute bear. he had it hooked up to the unit at the console but not on the older finder on the bow.
I will say this. not having a a readout on the remote has pretty much made running the Xi5 an absolute bear. he had it hooked up to the unit at the console but not on the older finder on the bow.
This is how I do it and 90% of the time Im running the trolling motor from the console. No need to stand up front.
I have a bad back and like my Motorguide. Whatever one you end up with, keeping the shaft well lubricated makes a world of difference.
I’m waiting for motor guide to come out with an auto stow/deploy so I can get rid of my ulterra. I swear it’s the worst spotlock I’ve had yet.
The terrova is easy to deploy. But it all depends on how bad your back is.
I just got home from 5 days of fishing. My boat has the MotorGuide and the other has MinnKota. I used both and found them both about equal to deploy, BUT my back was still sore after doing it a lot on any given day. I don’t really have a bad back, but it was still sore. Of course, some of this might also be from sleeping on my sleeping PAD on the ground. I am a bit old for that but still had a good time. I have noticed with my MotorGuide that if I deploy it often my back will be sore. I am saving up for autodeploy.
I fished out of 2 boats recently. one with a new terrova and one wiht the motorguide xi5.
Both stow pretty similarly and without much effort.
I will say this. not having a a readout on the remote has pretty much made running the Xi5 an absolute bear. he had it hooked up to the unit at the console but not on the older finder on the bow.
I watch my speed and what not off my graph. But I do with they had a remote like the terrovas. Either way I really like my motor guide, it has only given the issue of needing a update on the GPS. Which took 5 minutes and 1 recalibration.
Knock on wood, hope she stays going strong. I don’t want to have to buy another trolling motor any time soon.
I ran the XI5 for a few years before I sold the boat. It worked well for me and the spot lock was very good. I absolutely hated that the remote did not show what power level you were at. That was the only thing that kept me from buying another one. I went to an Ulterra and have had several issues with that I will say mostly POS. It is great when it works. I would go with a terrova vs the XI5 only because of the remote.
I will say this. not having a a readout on the remote has pretty much made running the Xi5 an absolute bear. he had it hooked up to the unit at the console but not on the older finder on the bow.
I absolutely hated that the remote did not show what power level you were at.
Its pretty simple to know what speed you are at if you use cruise control. When you turn cruise on the default setting is 1.0 mph. An up or down push using the + or – buttons increases or decreases speed by .1 MPH for each press of the button. I also always display speed on the gps. Easier yet if you have a Lowrance unit, using the app to control the motor is even easier.
It wasn’t speed I wanted to know. I wanted to know at what power level I was running at. If I ran lowrance it wouldn’t be an issue. Friends don’t let friends use lowrance. 
with the minnkota I know that if I run at 4.5 or less my batteries are good for at least 8 hours and if I was fishing a tournament I don’t have to worry about the batteries going dead. It was just an issue for me. It seemed like it would have been a natural progression for motor guide to eventually add that, but that wasn’t the case. Had I never had a terrova before the motor guide it would have been a non issue.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mojogunter wrote:</div>
I absolutely hated that the remote did not show what power level you were at.Its pretty simple to know what speed you are at if you use cruise control. When you turn cruise on the default setting is 1.0 mph. An up or down push using the + or – buttons increases or decreases speed by .1 MPH for each press of the button. I also always display speed on the gps. Easier yet if you have a Lowrance unit, using the app to control the motor is even easier.
You needed bigger batteries. I have never run out of juice in a single day no matter what I’m running at.
3 – 31 series batteries for the trolling motor, and for electronics and starting 2 agm 31’s
You needed bigger batteries. I have never run out of juice in a single day no matter what I’m running at.
I as well wish that motorguide had a display on the remote. The terrova remote is perfect. But I like my xi5 better. My spot lock and jog are top notch
3 – 31 series batteries for the trolling motor, and for electronics and starting 2 agm 31’s
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ripjiggen wrote:</div>
You needed bigger batteries. I have never run out of juice in a single day no matter what I’m running at.
Not sure why your electronics would be hooked to your trolling motor batteries but to each their own. Your two group 31’s should more than enough for your electronics motor and everything else in your boat unless you are running strobe lights or something.
Not sure why your electronics would be hooked to your trolling motor batteries
I think he’s saying he has three size 31 batteries for his trolling motor and has two size 31 AGM batteries for his starter and electronics.
If that is the case no way he would ever run out juice on trolling motor in 8 hours. I read it as he had electronics and tolling motor hooked to same battery.
Sorry didn’t mean to derail thread.
If that is the case no way he would ever run out juice on trolling motor in 8 hours. I read it as he had electronics and tolling motor hooked to same battery.
Sorry didn’t mean to derail thread.
Yeah I wouldnt think it would be dead unless the batteries were weak. The MinnKotas do draw quite a bit more juice than the Xi5. I remember seeing that before I bought my Xi5. I believe it was something like 42amps vs mid 50’s.
I’m waiting for motor guide to come out with an auto stow/deploy so I can get rid of my ulterra. I swear it’s the worst spotlock I’ve had yet.
The terrova is easy to deploy. But it all depends on how bad your back is.
I agree on the ease of stow/deploy with the terrovas.
Have you tried to update the software on your motor? After owning mine for 2 years, I discovered mine has bluetooth capability and my software was out of date……who knew! My spotlock works great but my autopilot is just trash. I re calibrated it a couple times and still same. Last time out with the software update seemed to stay on course better so maybe it helped?
There are two types of auto pilot on the newer minnkota’s. When I first started using mine I didn’t realize the thing was on advanced autopilot. The trolling motor would move like crazy and it drove me crazy. Figured out you could switch it back to the standard autopilot and it works like I am used to it now. I wish you could default it to be in autopilot mode all the time. It is so annoying every time I come out of spot lock it defaults back to no autopilot.
I have had both,and whatever you get having a longer shaft length aids in stowing.Lessens the crouching to grab control head to stow.
Xi5 remote is lightweight and floats,but if you are hard of hearing you may not hear the tones when setting-up/calibrating.Everything on MK remote is visual,no need to listen for musical tones.Xi5 foot pedal is something you have to get used to,it steers much faster than MK models.That pedal really needs a power on/off indicator,lot of guys leave it on and battery life is shorter.
Customer service,Minnkota is far better than MotorGuide.My Xi5 was pretty much a lemon until I replaced the Pinpoint module,the older ones are flaky and they know it.I wanted them to send a new one(sent photos of old one with broken wires),and they told me to send to ASC which I did not want risk of it being destroyed in shipping.
In all,I think you will be happier with the Terrova.
Yes 3 batteries for ulterra and two batteries for starting and electronics. Truth be told the trolling motor batteries have never gone dead. I’m going by the gauge on the remote after 8 hours running around 5 all day will show one dot. Then I get paranoid the batteries will drop so low I won’t be Able to stow the motor. I have had to disassemble it on several occasions due to different failures just to get in. I now have pulled the stop bolt out on the plate so I can just slide the motor off forward if needed rather than towards the back that can’t be done unless the motor is stowed. Stuck on LOTW in 4-5′ waves, or another time on lake superior will cause one a case of paranoia. I will jinx myself by saying it has been issue free for over a year.
If that is the case no way he would ever run out juice on trolling motor in 8 hours. I read it as he had electronics and tolling motor hooked to same battery.
Sorry didn’t mean to derail thread.
^^^Touche… I run a Terrova and could go two days and not worry, but I don’t have to worry about enough power to stow. 👍
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