How tight should the cables be on trolling motor foot control? I have a minn kota 74lb thrust maxxum. There should be some slack in the foot control right? But exactly how much slack does it need?

Just bout "that" much. Yep. just bout right. snug but not sloppy loose to hop off the guide wheels.

lol

Not sure I understand the question. What cable are you asking about? Please be a little more specific.

Big Ron is right, LOL - not aware of some device that will tell you they are too tight or too loose - snug, but not sloppy loose is correct. Not Banjo strings, but not cooked spaghetti noodles, LOL. Just snug them up.

Something I had to learn the hard way - When you stow the motor & shaft in the cradle -loosen the clamp and rotate the head of the unit back & forth - watch what happens- the steering pedal will move back & forth as well. If you don't have the head (and motor) of the unit in the correct position when you stow it - it will put huge strain on the steering cables, and you'll end up replacing them (a lot) if you don't allow it to be in a relaxed position. Here's the test - when you stow it -does your steering pedal go all the way to its stop in either direction? If it does -loosen the clamp and move it to within the steering range of the pedal - save you a lot of grief stretching & ruining cables & the sheaves it runs in.
Maybe everybody already knows this -I had to learn the HARD WAY, LOL

Yeah I always try to stow it so the pedal is flat and not in a bind. I was just wondering how loose the cable needs to be, say if you have it stowed up and u move the pedal back and fourth how much should it move because my foot pedal moves about an inch before the motor turns. This is how I got it from a trolling motor shop and he said it was fine but It seems to be a problem from what I am hearing and seen video on youtube about it. Thanks for the input guys. Im gonna tighten it up snug and see what happens.

the coax cable that plugs into the back of the tv lol

The more slack, the less the binding, less eventual wear and longer life of the cable, but too loose and it will jump its' track requiring removal and putting it back.

If not jumping tracks, it seems not too loose and is fine if you can live with some slop in foot control.

There should not be any "slack" in the pedal before the unit moves. If your pedal is moving up and down and the cables are NOT moving then something in the pedal "hinge" is loose. If you are moving the cables then there might be a miss wrap under the head cover. It has a special special direction wrap. If it is too loose the cable will hop off either at the foot wheels or the head. Now having said alllllll that this was all for Motor Guide TM's.

I just replaced both if mine, with brand new cables it will still give a 1/4-1/2 inch in either direction. Definitely doesn't flop back and forth.