Do these serve any other purpose than to help your lower slide onto the mount? If not I may take it off as it sticks out over the front of the boat and I am constantly idling in thick cypress trees bumping off of them. I’d rather not hit them with the trolling motor and risk messing it up or it start making my bow weak. Thanks guys.

If you can't take the nose piece off, consider a sliding mount that will retract the motor into the boat. Our mounts were designed specifically for that purpose - help avoid any outside interference that can damage the motor. For the Fortrex, you would need the TMA-1 plate: https://www.shuttleslide.com/product/tma-1/ AND our mount.

Our standard mounts offer 7 inches of retraction: https://www.shuttleslide.com/product/ss-7-hd/ or 9 inches of retraction: https://www.shuttleslide.com/product/ss-9-hd/

Give us a call if you have questions 321-345-3315 or email: support@shuttleslide.com