I beat the [censored] out of in rocks mud stumps you name it.. short of getting a defective one I don't know how you would destroy unless that was the goal
I second that. I've fished mine HARD for 3 years, had the side cover plate shatter and come apart coming off a hard wave, but that was due to me not keeping those 4 cover plate screws tight. Service trailer guys replaced that and put in some spacers in the lift mechanism (MK service is outstanding). Had Steve's run a ground wire through the shaft to the head for the graph, that's the only time the lower portion has been opened up. I've ran it through and over most everything in the water, it looks like it's been drug down the highway, but has not even hiccuped one time. I use it as my "poor man's power pole" when I beach the boat to park the trailer. I just drop it down on the rocks, gravel, mud, whatever is there and it holds. They really ought to rename the Fortrex "The Tank". It will go over or through anything, and like Boostin says, unless you're trying to destroy it it's going to keep on trucking.
No joke, I'd pay for a Minn Kota before I'd take a free Motor Guide, been left dead in the water in two tournaments over the years by Motor Guide, fried circuit board on Palestine and broken cable head on Rayburn. Throw in the fact a Minn Kota shaft will bend and come back, while a MG will bend and stay bent, it's a no brainer to me unless you fish deep water lakes with no grass and no stumps.
MG may have a great product now, but I'll never know because MK is all I'll ever have from here on out.
