Shorten the shaft on a trolling motor???

[Basschaser]

I have a transom mount MinnKota trolling motor with a 36" shaft. I would like to cut off about 8" of the shaft for using it on a canoe. Anyone out there know if this possible?

[dairyman]

Yeah--you can do it.......just remove the head and disconnect the wires(I took a picture of the wires and what contacts they went to------helps when re-assembling)get a pipe cutter and cut the shaft to what ever length you want. You'll have to drill new holes in the shaft to reposition the head in right configuration. Its fairly straight forward once you get into it

[Red Cabin]

I'm glad I came across this thread, I've been struggling with a 42" shaft on a 15" transom for quite a while and never thought to cut it!

[Down Deep]

I've never heard of anyone doing this, but there is no reason why it can't be done. I've taken a few trolling motors apart and taking photos is a good idea. When you take it apart be sure to pay attention to how ALL the parts come off as it can be quite a puzzle fitting them back together. It's also hard to get the wires to lie down in the right spot is order to get the case to fit together properly. MnKota has a way sticking springs and snap rings in their motors which like to take flight when they get a chance. I don't think that I would shorten the wires. I would just wrap them up inside the shaft. One thing you could do is pull the whole head off without taking it apart. Carefully cut the shaft and then use some cutters to cut the shaft lengthwise and pull the wires out. This might work and might save some time.

[Basschaser]

Thanks for the advise Down Deep and Dairyman. I think I am going to attempt to cut along the length of the cut piece of shaft with a Dremel tool or something to avoid messing with any wires. If that doesn't work I will take a picture before disconnecting things.

[dairyman]

buy yourself a cheap tubing cutter---------it will give you a better cut and reduce risk of cutting any of the wires

[mntatonka]

I used to assembly the transom mount MinnKota's, at least the Endura line anyway. There's only 4 wires coming up through the shaft, and your two power wires going through the plastic housing. There was a single hole drilled all the way through, or if you're very careful you can drill from both sides (which is how they're assembled, to avoid any chance at hitting the wires). I don't know if I'd recommend cutting the shaft though, you risk splitting it, and it was never good when the graphite shafts split. There won't be enough room to easily push the wires down far enough to cut the shaft off all the way with a saw, so something like a pipe cutter might work.

I can't remember exactly what order the wires went on the switch, so make sure you take a picture of how they're on there. There's also a twist to putting the switch in to get the wires to fit, so make sure you watch how it's done when you take the switch out. Also, since you're removing part of the top of the shaft, make sure you measure how long the wires are hanging out the shaft before you do any cutting, then when you finish cutting the shaft to length, cut the wires so that same length is hanging out of the shaft, and put the same type of connectors back on.

Depending on how old (or the exact model), you can pull the handle off the switch, but don't pull the handle apart or you risk losing the ball bearing that runs your extension handle. If it's a tilt handle, those were even trickier to get the pieces in just right.

Hope that helps.

[EBass]

Call Motorclinic (952) 881-0898 in Bloomington and ask for Terry. He's the guy you want to talk to before you begin. And if you mess it up he's the guy that can fix it. Good luck!

[Basschaser]

Thanks for all the good advise guys. My initial idea was to cut about 8 inches off with a pipe cutter. Then cut along the length of the 8" piece and bend it open to remove it from around the wires. I was hoping to do it this way so that I wouldn't have to disconnect and reconnect any of the wires. This trolling motor is an older one with a chrome finish metal shaft. I think I can cut it off without worrying about it splintering. If it had the black flexible shaft like on the newer models I don't think I would attempt to cut it shorter.

[mntatonka]

In that case you probably won't have any problems other than drilling the holes to mount the head back on, and assuming there's enough room to get the 8" of extra wire down in the shaft somewhere...without pushing wire so far down that it interferes with the motor itself.