Look on youtube for the power pole torture test...………. they are hard to break.

I had one that wouldn't come up one time, called Power Pole and they said just put it in gear and take off. Scared me but it worked. It came up half way, turned out to be an electrical problem. Hate to say this but one time I had both poles down to hold the boat after launching. I got in the boat and took off to go fishing, noticed the boat acting funny and looked back and both poles were half way up. I had forgotten to bring them up. they both broke loose and came halfway up. I ran them up and down a couple times and they worked good so guess it didn't hurt them. I've talked to friends that did the same thing, just hate to admit it...!

Just curious...I’ve got a Tracker 175.

How much am I looking at to get power poles installed on my boat....and is it possible to install yourself?

It’s an easy do-it-yourself project. All you need is a drill, sealant (for your install), and a set of wrenches. Bolt it on, install the hydraulic lines, mount the pump, hook up power and ground, fill it with fluid, then run it up and down a few times to bleed it. Mine took me less than an hour. I wouldn’t pay more than the going rate for one hour of labor. The poles start at $1299ea and top out at $2199. The cheaper ones are fine. I have the top of the line and it’s only difference is looks and it quieter. Don’t hold a boat any better though. Get the cheaper ones. IMO.
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I just put it in gear and bump the bottom with it... it’s only happens a few times. But this works

something to keep in mind as well, if you put the hose in a bind when deploying, it wont come up. If you ever find it not wanting to retract, check the hose. This happened last week and it was a PITA to get it unstuck.

You should have an owner's manual. If you do, and you read it, you would see the following:

Q: What should I do if my Power-Pole anchor is stuck in the deployed position?
A: If your Power-Pole anchor will not retract for any reason, simply drive toward shallow water and the pole
protector valve will allow the anchor to stow.

In other words, there is a pressure relief valve that will be triggered as you force the pole up by moving to shallower water. At some point you can probably get a rope under the arm to pull it up further.

👍🏻

I had to cut the line one time mine got stuck down.. Didn't know ATF reacted to water in such a way

Driving to shallow water wouldn't force it up? Or....you didn't know what else to do, so you cut it?

Kinda hard to drive to shallower water when you already have the bow of the boat on the bank, and you're on Lake Belton where it's 20ft deep a few yards off the bank lol. The pump quit working, I was already as shallow as you can get on that lake, nothing much you can do beside relieve the hydruallic pressure and tie with a rope to hold it up. I probably could have accomplished this without cutting a line if I had a creasent wrench, but a pocket knife is all she wrote that day.