Whacked trolling motor now foot pedal hard to turn...

The motor itself runs fine, I just can't turn the head but about from 5 o'clock to 10 o'clock and then it's pretty hard to do in one direction. I see a slight bend in the upper tube about 4" from the head of the motor.

I tried loosening the tension on the pedal, didn't change anything. Took the head plate off to inspect the gears, they look, sound, feel good. The blade turns fine and switches speeds like it should.

I suspect the bend in the upper tube is binding things as it tries to rotate. Any other ideas?

Ideas on how to fix it myself?

If not, recommendations on a Minn Kota repair place that would leave me without my boat for as short a time as possible?

Thanks.

Buy a new one, been there done that!

Bent shaft possibly

B.o.a.t.

If it's a Minn Kota, you bent the upper tube. Did the same thing a few weeks ago. Easy fix but cost $116.

Yes, it's a Minn Kota Edge.

I like the sound of $116 vs buying a whole new trolling motor.

Did it take them long to get you taken care of?

Yep you bent the tube. Just had mine replaced. Took them 3 or 4 days..

The outer tube is less than $30.00 if you can diy. Not hard to do.

Had mine fixed by pro line trolling motor in San Angelo. Scheduled an appt to make sure they had the part took it to them and they fixed it in 2 hrs.

bent mine last year took it to greg at i think lakeside marine had me done in 1.5 hr

Thanks guys. I took it all apart today, wasn't that bad. The tube and bearings need replacing. I ordered everything from Minn Kota online for about $35. Should be here this week. I'll report back when it's fixed in case it helps someone else in the future.

right on, glad you got a cheap solution.

i hit a stump hard on fork one time had the same problem, this was back when the MK shop was right there by lake fork marina. they came out and fixed it in the parking lot in about 10 minutes and it was covered under warranty. i just signed a piece of paper and re-launched in no time. I am not sure if there's a shop around you can get that kind of service anymore.

Minn Kota shafts are guaranteed for the life of the TM. I think you have to pay the labor if out of warranty.

Just an update...

Thanks. I ordered the upper tube and new bearings (might as well, they were $2/pair) from Minn Kota online and they shipped them Tue, I got them yesterday, and had it all fixed in about an hour for under $40.

I am about to go test it out.l but everything seems to be working fine in the driveway. In case it helps anyone else in the future, this is an easy fix for anyone moderately mechanically inclined.

A very helpful video:

https://youtu.be/OVllhgySESw

Thanks for making the video. I I tried to find something like that last week and could not find anything