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Posts: 51
| On a 54" or 60" Terrova do you use a ram mount. For stabilizing when on the trailer or in rough water? |
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Posts: 74
Location: Brainerd, MN 56401 | Several people I know wouldn't be without one. Terrova saver. Cheap insurance as they have been know to deploy on their own. |
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Posts: 2021
| IMO not needed. just move and tighten the ring collar at the base of the trolling motor when travel on the road or heavy chop...impossible to deploy if you do that. |
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Posts: 476
Location: St. John, Indiana | I have 60" terrova, I have one on mine, it bounces like heck without it. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | not necessary in my boat..like Justin said just lower the collar |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | You don't even need to do that...if you lock it in place and the green light goes out, it's locked as it ever will be. Of the two accidental deployments I personally know of, neither was fully locked and they deployed. I use one because it does bounce like hell while even in a moderate chop. I see it just like a transom saver...yeah, the TM pad is reinforced to hold the TM, but that bouncing gets pretty bad and I don't want all of that vibration going right into the front of my boat 5 days a week all season long. I like having it "settled down" and not going nuts either in the water or on the trailer. |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | esoxfly - 2/12/2013 5:58 AM
You don't even need to do that...if you lock it in place and the green light goes out, it's locked as it ever will be. Of the two accidental deployments I personally know of, neither was fully locked and they deployed.
Agreed! You don't need one. I have the 60" long shaft and do not use one. Yep it bounces like heck, but that bouncing does not affect the head of the unit. In fact I am willing to bet there is less shock to the head of the motor while letting it bounce then there is if you have it straped/locked down. All the shock is obsorbed in that shaft flexing and the motor head is as happy as a baby in a swing.  Lock that shaft/head down and now the head is seeing the same shock the rest of your boat is seeing. That is unless the ram mount has a free flowing shock obsorber in it. |
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Posts: 833
| I have trailered my boat about 120+ miles a week during the season for the past 3 seasons and haven't had a ram mount on my terrova. Have had zero issues with the head. (have had some issues with the gen 1 remote, but was all under warranty) Also have had zero accidental deployments. I switched to a mounting bracket my second year, I do check that screw regularly as it does tend to come loose over time.
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Posts: 1
| I have no issues other than the mounting screws loosening up, even with locking nuts.
I am getting a mount. Just ordered this unit as it looks very stable.
http://www.ciscofishingsystemsltd.com/shop/trolling-motor-stabilize...
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Posts: 246
| I use a Rod Saver Velcro strap on mine about half way up the shaft.Cheap and easy and keeps shaft from bouncing too much and If you slipped or accidentally stepped on the shaft it will still flex downward on the gunnel where as a Ram mount won't give and could possibly cause some damage.Hope this helps!. |
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Posts: 833
| I should add that by loose I mean "not lockdown tight". |
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Posts: 163
Location: lake st clair michigan | i have the ipilot on my terrova and didnt think i would need one .....but when i saw how much that thing bounces in the rough stuff i added one just for cheap insurance |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | i have one on mine cheap insurance. my old boat had one self deploy by the time i shut the motor down it was to late and the shaft snaped i was 300 miles from home weekend shot had to drift and troll |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I would highly suggest getting one for the added insurance...I have had my Terrova deploy twice while running in big waves...and I stoy and depoly my trolling motor about 1,000,000 times a season, so I know how to do it correctly...one of the times it deployed I had the collar all the way down and tight...I just hit a wave at weird angle and the jarring of it exploded the collar and down when the trolling motor....busted EVERYTHING from the mounting bracket, the collar, splintered the shaft, etc...had to get the entire trolling motor and base from the WATER....then run in and find a new 101 Terrova so I could continuing guiding that week...it's a CHEAP and easy insurance. I won't run in any chop without it now...even with the collar down all the way and tight. |
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Location: 31 | CiscoKid - 2/12/2013 7:44 AM
esoxfly - 2/12/2013 5:58 AM
You don't even need to do that...if you lock it in place and the green light goes out, it's locked as it ever will be. Of the two accidental deployments I personally know of, neither was fully locked and they deployed.
Agreed! You don't need one. I have the 60" long shaft and do not use one. Yep it bounces like heck, but that bouncing does not affect the head of the unit. In fact I am willing to bet there is less shock to the head of the motor while letting it bounce then there is if you have it straped/locked down. All the shock is obsorbed in that shaft flexing and the motor head is as happy as a baby in a swing. Lock that shaft/head down and now the head is seeing the same shock the rest of your boat is seeing. That is unless the ram mount has a free flowing shock obsorber in it.
I have to disagree Travis, no way do I want the trolling motor bouncing around. Me thinks if you have it locked down tight to the boat, there will actually be less shock. Maybe I'm wrong here too, but I think all trolling motors should be locked down tight when not being used to keep them from bouncing in rough water and on the road.
I've also had my bow mount deploy under power, and have had bolts break/get loose/strip out when left to bounce before using a Velcro strap, and more recently the RAM mount. The RAM mount is a rock solid way to lock it down, and even though it would be a hassle to lock it down everytime, I still highly recommend it.
On my boat now I have both the RAM mount at the head of the motor and Velcro strap in the middle. Although this may seem like massive overkill, there is zero movement when both are secured, plus it's good to have the option of only using the strap between spots when I'm casting.
It's pretty rare that I start my big motor without the strap because it only takes three or four seconds, the RAM mount probably takes me a minute... having a bow mount deploy at 50 MPH really SUCKS.
IMHO, cheap insurance.
Edited by Jerry Newman 2/19/2013 12:38 PM
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Posts: 87
Location: Red Wing, Minnesota | Depending on how you mount your motor of course: If your head rides above your gunnel, the head can slap the gunnel in rough water. It happened to me once on Vermilion. That was a 60" shaft. My new Terrova rides higher off of the gunnel but I still use a RAM mount for that reason.
Just sayin... |
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Posts: 74
Location: Brainerd, MN 56401 | For all the guys who don't need them......take the airbags out of your car! : ) |
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Posts: 51
| Thanks guys for all your replies |
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Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI | jranderson - 2/20/2013 8:29 PM
For all the guys who don't need them......take the airbags out of your car! : )
That’s pretty funny, although a terrible comparison. Airbags give to absorb the impact of your face. Ram mounts don’t give to absorb the impact of the motor bouncing. |
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Posts: 74
Location: Brainerd, MN 56401 | CiscoKid - 2/21/2013 11:55 AM
jranderson - 2/20/2013 8:29 PM
For all the guys who don't need them......take the airbags out of your car! : )
That’s pretty funny, although a terrible comparison. Airbags give to absorb the impact of your face. Ram mounts don’t give to absorb the impact of the motor bouncing.
There is no impact on the motor because it's not bouncing, and it wasn't a comparison, just an example of a device to save you "headaches ". |
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Posts: 791
Location: North Central IL USA | So what's worse for the head unit of the troll motor - it bouncing up and down or it taking all the shock of each wave you hit when it's fastened to a rigid ram mount? Sit on your gunnel when you're hitting those wave. That's the same impact that head's getting. |
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Posts: 74
Location: Brainerd, MN 56401 | See comment by Mike Hulbert.....what's worse is buying a new Terrova because yours is completely destroyed. |
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Location: 31 | gregk9 - 2/21/2013 9:50 PM
So what's worse for the head unit of the troll motor - it bouncing up and down or it taking all the shock of each wave you hit when it's fastened to a rigid ram mount? Sit on your gunnel when you're hitting those wave. That's the same impact that head's getting.
I don't think that comparing a trolling motor to a human is good, but this bouncing versus locked down question now has me curious. I would definitely be interested in what an expert or company recommends.
My instincts tell me that locked down has more upside than having it flopping around. It obviously can't deploy being locked down, plus it has eliminated the problems I had with the bolts striping, and so far no ill affects to the motor itself (even though my butt would not survive long on a gunnel).
Actually I think a fair real world comparison would be to the trolling motor foot pedal and front sonar/electronics. I've never heard of concerns with the shock they take being secured to the front deck. Why would they be so much different than the trolling motor?
Edited by Jerry Newman 2/24/2013 11:08 PM
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Posts: 791
Location: North Central IL USA | Jerry Newman - 2/24/2013 11:04 PM
Actually I think a fair real world comparison would be to the trolling motor foot pedal and front sonar/electronics. I've never heard of concerns with the shock they take being secured to the front deck. Why would they be so much different than the trolling motor?
Good point!
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Posts: 32901
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Why?
They don't deploy into the water from a spring assist release, and they don't hang out over the top of the gunnel 40" or so with no support. |
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Posts: 2097
| I was using my terrova to troll with this past weekend and it hit a log or something and it sheared all four screws. I cut it off and ran to the front and grabbed it before it fell in the water. I then bolted it to the front of my boat and it works like a charm. I was worried the ipilot would have been messed up due to the impact but it wasn't. I was lucky, those shafts are indestructable. I was traveling along at a little over 3mph. If I was going faster I am sure there would have been more damage though.
Edited by cave run legend 2/25/2013 2:34 PM
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Posts: 74
Location: Brainerd, MN 56401 | My theory is those "indestructible" shafts absorb much of the impact of heavy chop. They do deploy in to the water without pushing the lever, just ask Mike Hulbert, or read his comment above. |
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Location: 31 | sworrall - 2/25/2013 1:28 PM
Why?
They don't deploy into the water from a spring assist release, and they don't hang out over the top of the gunnel 40" or so with no support.
Steve; yes, I was a little unclear with my comparison (and I'm not saying that it's spot on either), but in my mind there are two separate dynamics here.
1. The shaft and actual motor flopping around and possibly deploying/bolts loosening, or stripping. (I would hope that most reading this would agree that the motor and shaft flopping around isn't a good thing).
2. The electrical components in the head of the trolling motor “possibly” taking extra abuse because it's locked down with the RAM mount.
With that said; my comparison was more specifically directed at the head of the bow mounted trolling motor. In my mind, if you're going to be concerned about it being locked down, you should also be concerned with the bow mounted electronics being locked down. (A lot of them are even mounted on the same style RAM mount).
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