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Trolling motor fuse holder issues

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hntesox
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7/30/12 11:24 AM CST
As anyone had issues with this type of fuse holder? I have had 2 episodes in 3 years with the HOLDER melting WITH the fuse and leaving me dead in the water till I get home to replace. The holder on the top is a new one and the other is what my issue is. I had this happen once before about 3 years ago and I just replaced it figuring it was old and brittle and just failed. Now I'm questioning if I have another issue. I have a 2007 Minn Kota 55pd/us. I had gutted the boat in 2007 and replaced all wires with the same existing gauge thinking it was fine back then. I want to say its 8G. The questions are: Is my 40 amp fuse too big? Is the holder just prone to this? Is the wire gauge too small? Is there any BETTER holders out there that I might benifit from? I'd hate to do it, but should I rewire?...

Opinions on this... just fire away

mendota
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7/30/12 3:46 PM CST
If Minnkota says to use a 60A breaker, I would recommend that you follow their lead. It will run cooler, and be less prone to nuisance trips and premature wear-out.

On the wire gauge, I would not worry about using #8 vs. #6. It is not a safety issue, just a voltage drop issue. It is routine to oversize the cables in a 12V system, simply because you don't have a lot of voltage to begin with, and if you drop even 1/2 volt on the wires, that corresponds to nearly 5% of your power being wasted.

I would recommend using #6 only if you are running the cables the length of the boat - as Major Mark indicated.

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hntesox
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7/30/12 3:36 PM CST
My wires are only about 7'0 or less long... the battery is about 5'0 away from the switch panel and its darn near a straight shot. I'm gonna give the new breaker a try. Otherwise I'll rewire it with heavier wire.

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Major Mark
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7/30/12 2:03 PM CST
hate to contradict Mendota, but before I bought my Terrova I sent an email off to MinnKota asking for specifics about what gauge wire I should wire my new rig with. They responded with a pdf file showing requirements for all their models. Specifically, your 55# unit needs 6 gauge wire if your wire run is 10 to 20 feet. 8 Gauge is only sufficient under 10 feet in length. 20 to 40 foot run requires 4 gauge. Additionally, the 55# & 80# units are the only units that require a SIXTY amp breaker. All other units a 50 amp is enough. Anyone wishing to have a copy of the pdf file emailed to them, I'd be happy to forward to them. There is no way to post the actual file here in the forum. Put "pdf file request" in email header so I don't move it to the junk folder & delete it.

Mark majormark@wi.rr.com

[This post was last edited on 7/30/12 at 2:06 PM]
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hntesox
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7/30/12 1:11 PM CST
That was pretty much what I was thinking about an auto breaker. I have soldered before so it is no big deal. I just figured when it went the first time if it was good enough for "OE" it should be fine. Now a second time?... I should fix the problem.

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mendota
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7/30/12 12:41 PM CST
in-line cartridge fuses are the worst for reliability of the contact itself. They tend to be excessively loose, then it becomes a bad connection altogether as the joint corrodes from the arcing.

Replace it with an automatically-resetting breaker. Minn-kota and others make them. A 50A unit will protect your #8 wire just fine.

As I recall, you will need to solder some ring lugs to the wire ends to make a good connection to the breaker. Don't just crimp them, because unless you have the correct tool, it will be as bad as before.

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