Thread: Motorguide X3 speed and run time

I'm thinking those "2mph x 4-6hrs" comments are about a 24v system, but

I know my 16' ProCraft w/90Merc will last for several hours being pulled at ~1mph by my 42# thrust Motorguide 12v on a Series 29 Everstart battery, and my Hook 7 is running off the same battery (and motor is not tilted up). So, I'm with you on something being off in your case.

You might have the battery load tested. Or if your "spare" battery is the same size/age as the TM battery, and you have the space to do so, you might consider connecting them in parallel. But, I wouldn't do that without testing the Duralast first !! No sense in degrading your spare if the Duralast has a problem.

Man 2 mph on a single battery if some hard work. We used a 24v terrova Friday for about 4 hours running 1.5-1.7 and that was all those batteries could handle. Now grant it they needed some acid in them. I myself have a 45lb 12v on a Tracker 17 and if I run it say 1 - 1.3mph it will last me about 4 hours. In order for me to get it to 2 mph I have to run it on high and I will probably do good to get a couple of hours out of it. I think you may be asking a little too much for a 12v.


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I did load test the batteries on Friday. Everything tested good. I have to check my batteries to see the size and dates of all the batteries I have. It would take some time and finagling to connect two batteries. The battery is next to the fuel tank and there isn't room for 3 batteries back there. I guess I could maybe move the cranking battery to another location and extend the wiring (this would probably be the easiest). Forgot to mention that I did check the acid levels in all batteries and they were good too.

2mph sounds like a dream but I can't do over 1MPH for much more than 1/2 hour. And from there it just gets slower and slower. There has been a few days that I'm going .5mph (full speed) then the wind picks up and I'm going backwards. I just thought the X3 would be doing better and lasting longer. I've had the boat a little over a year but I'm always finding out more about the boat and trying different things to make it better.

So, I'll check some more and might go with the two battery solution down the road. Heck, I'm already carrying the second battery anyway (a 'just in case' battery). I listen and learn and will listen to more suggestions if there are any.

Thank you all.

Originally Posted by Chance

I did load test the batteries on Friday. Everything tested good. I have to check my batteries to see the size and dates of all the batteries I have. It would take some time and finagling to connect two batteries. The battery is next to the fuel tank and there isn't room for 3 batteries back there. I guess I could maybe move the cranking battery to another location and extend the wiring (this would probably be the easiest). Forgot to mention that I did check the acid levels in all batteries and they were good too.

2mph sounds like a dream but I can't do over 1MPH for much more than 1/2 hour. And from there it just gets slower and slower. There has been a few days that I'm going .5mph (full speed) then the wind picks up and I'm going backwards. I just thought the X3 would be doing better and lasting longer. I've had the boat a little over a year but I'm always finding out more about the boat and trying different things to make it better.

So, I'll check some more and might go with the two battery solution down the road. Heck, I'm already carrying the second battery anyway (a 'just in case' battery). I listen and learn and will listen to more suggestions if there are any.

Thank you all.

You may be running into some voltage drop, if your boat is factory wired like mine was, with itty bitty 10 AWG wire for the troller. That's way too small, especially for extended running.

I had a 40 Powerdrive on my 17' Tracker Deep V. I didn't troll much with it, but I seldom ran the battery (Walmart 29DC) below 50% in an afternoon trip.

If you have the small factory wiring, either upgrade it, or move the battery up front. The wires should be at least 6 AWG for that long of a run.

You situation is not normal, you should be able to get much longer run times out of that setup. Running all day at 2mph is 24V territory, but there's no reason why your motor shouldn't last an afternoon. Mine did.

I've since upgraded to a 24V Terrova and battery life is not much of a concern.

I forgot to mention that there could be an issue with the motor itself, such as worn brushes. A DC amp clamp would tell you the current draw and give you an idea of its condition.

One more thing to check is pull the prop to make sure it is not bound up with monofilament and/or weeds. I had a 50# TM that slowly lost its oomph. Pulled the prop and removed about 100’ of real heavy mono, bigger than anything I ever use. Must have picked it up somewhere.


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Originally Posted by Clint

One more thing to check is pull the prop to make sure it is not bound up with monofilament and/or weeds. I had a 50# TM that slowly lost its oomph. Pulled the prop and removed about 100’ of real heavy mono, bigger than anything I ever use.

Thank you. I checked it several weeks ago, but just rechecked. Nothing, darn it.

I was finally able to get back to my trolling motor after Hurricane Barry departed central Indiana.

I checked as to what gauge of wire, it is #6 back in the battery compartment. I haven't gotten into the front yet.

I was able to borrow a clamp meter. I've never used one before and I guess I don't know how to use it. I believe that this motor does use 42 amps on high (does this sound right?). I am going to read up on the meter so I can use it.

With all of the batteries that I have, none match up with age or size. So, right now I can't connect any of them together.

The last thing I did today was to check the wiring under the pedal. I turned the motor on and listened to the different speeds. There didn't seem to be speed difference in speeds 3 thru 5. Then I started checking the pedal wiring. I found a red wire that was corroded pretty bad and some of the insulation looked melted. So I cut it back, spliced some back on, placed another connector, then plugged it back in after cleaning all of the posts. I again checked the speeds. Now there is a noticeable audible difference in all 5 speeds. I did notice that the wiring in the pedal is #10 wire.

So, right now I'm just kinda dead in the water. I'm not planning on going out until next week. For me, fishing in above 90* (and 110* heat index) isn't too much fun. I'm hoping that cleaning up the pedal wiring might make a difference.

I am still open for more suggestions.
Thank you all.