trolling motor fuses

[speedtroller]

I am putting transom mount 30# trolling motor on to a 14 ft fishing boat. The only thing that I will be hooking up to the battery will be the trolling motor. Do I need to run a fuse or can I just hook the motor straight to the battery and be good to go?

[firefish_12]

I don't have a fuse in mine but all I have hooked up is the trolling motor I run te electronics off a separate battery and I do have a fuse in those

[delcecchi]

Buy one of those 50 or 60 amp circuit breakers. They don't cost much, and if something happens they could save a mess.

[BobT]

The number of devices connected doesn't matter. The fuse or circuit breaker only protects the circuit it is used on, in this case your trolling motor. The OCPD is there to provide a level of protecting against a fire in case of an electrical short-circuit. I'd go with Del's advice.

[ozzie]

the thing is the fuse they recommend is 30-60 bucks depending on size and where ya get it. I bought my trolling motor last year endura 55 and even though I didn't get the fuse I am always thinking about it. When I am going through weeds I am just waiting for something bad to happen even though that has not been the case. I tried to buy the fuse they suggest and it would have cost me $50 at Cabela's so I went to an auto parts store (my buddy owns it) and even at cost the best they could do was $35 and we weren't positive it was going to work in the capacity we were looking to use it...Before I add another trolling motor to my boat and connect it to the same batteries as my transom I will break down and buy the fuse but until then...

If you don't get one just be aware if line gets wrapped in the prop or if it gets over run with weeds. I ended up taking my prop off probably 5-6 times last year to make sure line or other junk wouldn't get wrapped in the prop and cause a surge. Good Luck

[BobT]

the thing is the fuse they recommend is 30-60 bucks depending on size and where ya get it. I bought my trolling motor last year endura 55 and even though I didn't get the fuse I am always thinking about it. When I am going through weeds I am just waiting for something bad to happen even though that has not been the case. I tried to buy the fuse they suggest and it would have cost me $50 at Cabela's so I went to an auto parts store (my buddy owns it) and even at cost the best they could do was $35 and we weren't positive it was going to work in the capacity we were looking to use it...Before I add another trolling motor to my boat and connect it to the same batteries as my transom I will break down and buy the fuse but until then...

If you don't get one just be aware if line gets wrapped in the prop or if it gets over run with weeds. I ended up taking my prop off probably 5-6 times last year to make sure line or other junk wouldn't get wrapped in the prop and cause a surge. Good Luck

Part of the point of my last post was that it doesn't matter how many trolling motors you have connected to one battery. The load on the battery is to each motor independent of the other. Each motor should be protected by its own fuse/circuit breaker. Get your prop wrapped up in weeds is one way to end up with an on-board fire when you don't have it protected by an OCPD. A locked motor draws very high current and the wires won't take it. That's when the fuse/circuit breaker will open the circuit to protect the motor and wiring.

[SpecialK]

38.99 at Mills Fleet Farm

[speedtroller]

thanks for the help! I installed a 50 amp cirucuit breaker. Better to be safe than sorry and i will have one less thing to worry about going wrong!

[hanson]

Circuit Breaker... good choice!!

[jentz]

If your electric motor has no transducer,or anything drawing juice through the troll motor itself (sonar) you need no breaker, fused line.

At 30 lbs the motors max draw will be 30 Amps max,regulated through the speed selecter.I think breakers are over rated just a selling (profit rumer) unless something that cant handle the Amps is powered through it.

[BobT]

If your electric motor has no transducer,or anything drawing juice through the troll motor itself (sonar) you need no breaker, fused line.

At 30 lbs the motors max draw will be 30 Amps max,regulated through the speed selecter.I think breakers are over rated just a selling (profit rumer) unless something that cant handle the Amps is powered through it.

I hope you don't use the same thoughts with regard to all your electrical OCPD devices. You are sadly misguided but also correct to a point. The fuse/circuit breaker is not needed for a normally functioning motor. That's not the purpose of any OCPD. The purpose of the OCPD is to protect against the unfortunate situation where there is an excessively high current condition.

Mice have been known to chew holes in wire insulation leaving exposed bare wire allowing for short-circuit conditions to exist. Wire insulation can become weathered over time, crack, and break away leaving bare wire exposed making short-circuit conditions possible. I’m sure we all diligently check every inch of our wires every time we go out, right?

A motor with a locked rotor is in effect a short-circuit and a short-circuit will draw whatever current the battery(s) can deliver up to infinity. That much current through any wire will over-heat the wire and start the insulation on fire. If you’re lucky the wires will burn off and open the circuit before igniting. Get the motor wrapped up in weeds so the prop can't turn and you have a locked rotor condition. There is probably an over-temp sensor in the motor to open the circuit if the motor gets too hot but they can fail too. Heat damages the motor windings and you might get away with it once or twice but eventually a short-circuit in the winding will result. The OCPD adds one more level of protection against a costly incident.