My trolling motor plug on my boat has 12/24

[jim8861]

Was looking my boat has a 4 prong plug has 4 wires hooked up.it says 12/24 on the plug.i thank it has 2 wires to my trolling battery and 2 to my starting battery. I have a 12 volt motor now but I was going to buy a 24 volt motor.now I'm lost.

[dwightparks]

you really need 3 batteries if you are running 24 volt tm. starting battery needs to be seperate to keep from running it down. the set up you have now gets 24 volts at the plug unless you have old run/charge switch in panel up front. With 3 batteries you will only need 2 of the 4 wires going to the front for 24 volt trolling motor. You use positive on battery # 1 and negative on battery # 2. you then need short cable and hook negative on battery # 1 to positive on battery # 2. This gives you 24 volts going up to trolling motor. Make sure wires going up front are heavy enough to carry motor. 6 gauge is best

[jim8861]

Yes I was going to buy 2 for just trolling.but my new boat was 12/24 plug with 4 wires don't know why it has 4.

[dwightparks]

A lot of motors still switch over in the plug so you can do 12 or 24. dont understand unless they are giving 12 volt source to panel for acccessories

[jim8861]

Guys I thank my boat has a 4 prong trolling motor plug from factory.on the plug it has 4 wires 2 that are going to the battery for trolling and I thank the other 2 are going to the starting battery in the back.my owners book says you can charge through the plug and also run 12/24 volt thru the plug.there are one area on my plug that says 24 volt.my trolling motor is hooked up to only the + and - side of plug but the boat plug has 4 wires hooked up.

[Cray]

That wiring system was set up for the old 12/24 volt trolling motors. Today's motors are straight 12 or straight 24. If you want 24 wire it like Dwight said. Then you only need and have 2 wires running to the plug. Here is how I have mine wired and do it this way for anyone I wire these plugs for. I wire the + to one leg and the - to snot here leg. Then I wire trolling motor to match using a 4 prong plug that matches boat. Then I put a jumper in to corresponding legs on bothe male and female plugs so they match. Just trying to make sure I lose as little contact surface as possible at the plug in. Less voltage drop across plug.

[jim8861]

So just jump battery to make my 24 volt.i know how to do that.then just hook up my new trolling motor to the plug just like the old one is red and black.then just leave the boat plug alone that has 4 wires to it.

[jim8861]

Thank cray I what to go to a terrova 24 volt and when I seen them 4 wire hooked up. Thought I might have to stay with a 12 volt system.