Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Fisher - 12/21/2012 3:17 PM
I have a 180vs ranger with a 12volt power drive with a plug in up front.
Can I plug in a 24v maxxum and wire the batteries in the back for 24v?
Will the plug in work still or do i need a different plug in?
Thanks
First you need to identify the current requirements for the new trolling motor. Usually listed in the installation instructions. Very important to use the recommended fuse or circuit breaker at the battery end of the circuit.
Look at the bottom chart to find the right wire ->
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvisorView...
It's also important to use marine grade stranded tinned copper wire. Standard stranded copper wire will quickly corrode when exposed to moisture etc. That's why a lot of folks have problems with their boat trailer lighting. they use cheap un-tinned copper wire - typically found in the "rewire your trailer" kits. To confirm its tinned strip a small portion of insulation off, if its copper colored its not tinned (should be silver color).
Next review what is installed in the boat - does the plug/receptacle & cables/wire's match the new trolling motor requirements? If not you'll have some work to do.
Voltage drop is important for trolling motors- less is better - you are using your batteries more efficiently and not wasting power in the cables (voltage drop = heat loss in the cables - less heat loss = better efficiency), more voltage & power is getting to the trolling motor.
There are some tricks you can use for bigger boats- like using larger cables from the battery and reduce the cable size at the trolling motor receptacle. f.ex. if the plug/receptacle are rated for #10AWG wire, you could use #6AWG at the battery to receptacle, then splice it down to the #10AWG size required for the receptacle itself - you could also just cut a few strands off to make the larger cable "just fit" the receptacle terminations. Beware there may not be space to do this on the receptacle itself. So splicing is usually the safest/best option. If you do that you need to make sure the splice is also waterproofed after you're done. The fuse or circuit breaker at the battery end always has to be rated for the plug/receptacle ampere rating. - don't use a larger fuse or circuit breaker! If you do you might need your fire extinguisher in the future!
Actually "12V power drive & 24V Maxxum" is just to limited information to offer any precise advise about your boat.
Merry Christmas!
Al
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