# Big foot trolling motor switch



## jigman (Apr 28, 2009)

Bought one at bass pro awhile back and tried to hook it to my rear trolling motor yesterday and can’t get it to work, I ran the two wires from the foot switch to the rear and hooked one wire to the ground wire of the trolling motor and the other wire to the negative side of the battery but can’t get it to work, don’t know if it’s a bad switch or I haven’t got it hooked up right, it’s a 24 volt trolling motor that I’m trying to hook it too, has anybody hooked one of these units up on a 24 volt motor? Any help would be great.
Thanks


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## Outsydlooknin75 (Apr 28, 2009)

Sounds to me that you dont have power going INTO the pedal ...... got to have power in before you can have power out ... if all you did was attach to the ground side of a battery and to the ground wire of the motor where is the power coming from?


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## jigman (Apr 28, 2009)

the pack that the switch came in had the instructions and i cant find it but i did glance at it at the pro shop before purchase and remember but not sure that all the switch does is break the ground from the motor to the battery and when the switch was pushed it would have a positive ground but i guess not because its not working


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## Outsydlooknin75 (Apr 28, 2009)

If its a 24 volt system .... did you hook the negative up to the right battery?  

power should be on the positive of one battery ..... the negative of the first battery should be hooked to the positive of the second battery ..... leaving the negative side on the second battery open ..... that would give you a 24 volt system .... if they were wired in series..........
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





if the positive is wired to the positive on the second battery then they are wired in parralell and would only be 12 volts.





I added pics incase the way I worded it didnt make any sense ... 

I dont know if it will help or not ... but I hope it might ..... and dont worry that they batteries in the pics are only 6 volt.


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## jigman (Apr 29, 2009)

Yes I've got the 24 volt system wired correct.
Thanks


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## Slug-Gunner (Apr 29, 2009)

*Remote Switches.....*



jigman said:


> Bought one at bass pro awhile back and tried to hook it to my rear trolling motor yesterday and can’t get it to work, I ran the two wires from the foot switch to the rear and hooked one wire to the ground wire of the trolling motor and the other wire to the negative side of the battery but can’t get it to work, don’t know if it’s a bad switch or I haven’t got it hooked up right, it’s a 24 volt trolling motor that I’m trying to hook it too, has anybody hooked one of these units up on a 24 volt motor? Any help would be great.
> Thanks



Jigman,
Many remote control switches, like the one you purchased, often operate similar to automotive starter solenoids.... they use a 'low current' relay to control a 'high current' set of contacts. The purpose of this is to reduce the wear and arcing on the foot switch contacts themselves. If the "BigFoot Switch" has ONLY TWO WIRES, then ALL CURRENT is going thru the switch itself.

You need to find out what is the mfgs recommended method for wiring the switch is. This can be done by simply doing a 'Google Search' for the "Brand name and item" you purchased (i.e.  "BigFoot trolling motor switch") and then checking out the 'hits' you get. Often you can also 'download' the owners manual for the switch from the mfg web site to a .pdf file so you can print it out.

HINT:
Even if you are using the GROUND SIDE of the battery to connect a switch in, you have to remember that you will have the FULL BATTERY VOLTAGE (24 vdc in this case) up to the point the switch is located in the circuit. (Even if you're wired into the NEGATIVE side of the battery.) This means that you will likely have MORE 'HOT' WIRE exposed thru-out your boat hull by doing so. By wiring to the POSITIVE SIDE of the battery you will only have 24 vdc UP TO THE SWITCH/RELAY itself UNTIL THE SWITCH IS ACTUALLY CLOSED, thus LESS RISK of a cable shorting out the battery.

Hope this helped.

_ADDED EDIT:
I did the 'search' for you..... CLICK HERE_

(I didn't check out all the 'hits' since it covers several pages.... and I don't need the info for myself.)


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## jigman (Apr 29, 2009)

Thanks for the link, I did find the instruction and have hook mine just the way it reads on the instructions, there is two wires coming from the switch, I hooked one wire to the trolling motor negative and the other wire to the negative side of the battery where I would normally hook the trolling motor negative and it still don’t work? Or I'm reading the instructions wrong?banginghe


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## markland (Apr 29, 2009)

All the switch does is break the path between the wire, you just cut the ground wire and hook 1 wire to each end, when you depress the switch you complete the circuit!  Good luck!


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## Slug-Gunner (Apr 29, 2009)

*Trolling Motor ON ???*

Are you remembering to turn the Trolling Motor >>_ON_<< FIRST?


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## jigman (Apr 30, 2009)

LOL yes the trolling motor is on.
I think I may have a bad switch.
Thanks for the help.


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