IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Equipment => Topic started by: Ilovelamp on Feb 10, 2017, 04:19 PM
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I've had to send my flasher in 3 out of the last 4 years for motor replacement. I think i use it about 60-80 hrs per year and like to think I take pretty good care of it. Is motor replacement normal? Company's service is great, but I always loose some time on the ice(because now I'm too spoiled to fish without it). Should I switch brands, switch to digital, or get a backup unit?
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I have run a fl12 for 15+ years and have never replaced the motor or anything except battery for that matter on my unit. i would say you have issues somewhere else in the unit or battery that is causing the problem of burning up the motor
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Should I switch brands, switch to digital, or get a backup unit?
A true chart sonar is worth the effort to check out.
Some brands allow inspection/reading of the operators manual online and maybe even an online demo for download to adjust/play with. ;)2
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What is the brand that you are having issues with?
I went to a graph readout and I love it. Hell just having the flasher vertical is great . The circle flasher just seems funny to me now.
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Both my Vexilars have never needed a motor replaced.
I use mine as much as you do if not more and have for over 10 years without a motor needing replaced.
I did have a transducer go bad but I think the operator (13 year old)was a bit hard on it when moving it out of the hole with it a fish.
Other than that just had to replace batteries a time or two.
You've definitely got a problem somewhere.
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ive replaced the motors in my Marcum vx1pro and lx3tc neither one was a year old.bro in law had his replaced once also in a year.ive heard guys have to have Marcum motors changed every year.my vexilars keep on going.i sold every Marcum unit I had with new motors and warranty card.
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my hb ice-55 needed a new motor. i took a look at before i sent it in. they look like toy motors and nothing like you would expect it to be, that's for sure. 180$ plus shipping for a new one.
just go digital and no more motors!
that's in part why i bought a marcum lx-9! too many other great features to not go digital. in the past we didn't have a choice. glad those days have come and gone.
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Had to put 3 in an FL8. The original did last for a number of years and then they started to crap out yearly. Went with an FLX28 and it just never worked the way I felt it should. Went digital after that and haven't looked back.
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I've had my vexilar fl- for 12 years. The only thing I had to replace is the battery.
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I've had to send my flasher in 3 out of the last 4 years for motor replacement. I think i use it about 60-80 hrs per year and like to think I take pretty good care of it. Is motor replacement normal? Company's service is great, but I always loose some time on the ice(because now I'm too spoiled to fish without it). Should I switch brands, switch to digital, or get a backup unit?
Do you carry it around when it is running?
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Yes I do. Hole hopping.
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Never replaced any motors in my FL8. I did buy a brush replacement kit that I've still never needed.
If I had even one needing a motor replacement I'd switch brands and never look back.
:tipup:
Lobes
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Yes I do. Hole hopping.
I used to do that too with my 55, until the motor burned out the second year I had it. The repair facility told me to not carry it around with it running, as that is what probably caused the problem. I compromised and now carefully carry the unit from hole to hole in an upright position, trying not to jiggle it. I have not had a problem in the 5-6 years I used it after the repair.
I have since went to using my portable Lowrance HTS-5 graph, really prefer running it over the flasher units.
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Are there any Vexilars made that do not have motors which could burn out?
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from all of the vexilar fans responses, that would be a BIG no.
too bad vex chooses to live in the past with mechanical technology like that.
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from all of the vexilar fans responses, that would be a BIG no.
too bad vex chooses to live in the past with mechanical technology like that.
And yet have none of the issues MarCum users are constantly on here and on icejunkies complaining about.
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What about the brushes? On the Vexilar website they show the repair guy talking that they wear out over several years depending on its use.
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you are right! brushes are like pencils, the more you use them the more they wear down. even car starters loose their brushes and that's why you have to replace them.
they are just graphite block contacts with springs pushing them into the commutator ring. the spring gets weaker as the brush gets shorter.
the other aspect of this is the splits in that commutator fills with the graphite and graphite is a conductor. meaning it carry's electricity. these split are supposed to be left open for the commutator to function correctly. so by replacing brushes that have deposited into those splits/voids they now carry electricity too and leave an impact on the motors performance.
i rebuilt plenty of dc motors and you have to under cut these splits so this isn't occurring any longer when you replace brushes. your also supposed to check the armature while it is broken down with an armature checker. and then you have the bearings to deal with too.
the brushes also leave their imprints onto the commutator that can not be relieved in any way, thus wearing it down as the brushes rub against it. sooner or later you will have a motor malfunction.
it's a real shame with the followers they have to not move forward into the digital age most of us live in.
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And yet have none of the issues MarCum users are constantly on here and on icejunkies complaining about.
they can't have the same issues. they are not the same technology. each have their own issues.
icejunkies only has 193 posts ever. and their are no complaints about marcum there.
http://www.icejunkiesoutdoors.com/forumfor-sale-or-traderecipes.html
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they can't have the same issues. they are not the same technology. each have their own issues.
icejunkies only has 193 posts ever.
http://www.icejunkiesoutdoors.com/forumfor-sale-or-traderecipes.html
Im talking about the icejunkies group on facebook, mostly midwestern guys, and they all seem to have issues with MarCum too.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/195143467342989/permalink/646757935514871/?comment_id=647047012152630¬if_t=group_comment_reply¬if_id=1488220776310679 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/195143467342989/permalink/646757935514871/?comment_id=647047012152630¬if_t=group_comment_reply¬if_id=1488220776310679)
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okay, i don't face book. that links makes you log in and i can't so.
i wish vex would make digital ice sonar. they do make one for open water, but seem to be weary of moving into the ice realm with digital. it would make a huge impact on the ice fishing world. i would be interested in learning more about them, if they bothered to make them.
marcum is only in it because they bought it (showdown) from aqua-vu and reverse engineered it from them to make the lx6/7/9 and now the rt9. so it would seem. that was a smart buy out.
i have a mechanical sonar (the very best hb has to offer still) and a digital unit. i like digital much more because i like being able to have full control or more control over what i see and how it functions. the mechanical unit is much too limited in about every way possible in comparison.
now with garmin making an entry and only digital units, they become the ones to follow next. the small bobber style could become better as well and most every one already owns smart phones and that's what those use. in essence, this is what marcums rt9 is.
it is exciting to me to watch these units grow with time and it bothers me to see a company remain stagnant like vex is doing now. i don't understand their thinking other than if they keep buying it we will keep making it concept. but that is a wasted opportunity in my eyes. they have devoted customers now and could keep them instead of loosing them to advancements other companies provide to the end users.
i don't care who's name is on the unit, it is who is the best at making and standing behind a product i want. i don't want motors any more and only want digital sonar. so far it is marcum, hb and garmin. hb is out of it for me because of very poor customer service and high flat rate repair costs. that leaves garmin. lowrance quits supporting their products even the high end units, so they are also a no go.
after you pay a huge amount of money for a repair ticket and they refuse to honor their own words, you quit supporting those people. only support those who support you is the only good way to shop. i didn't know hb would do that going in, but now i do and i warn others every time i think some one might read about it.
so yes, mechanical units have their own problems and not just motors. the knobs have issues too and so do their center digital displays and their sonar engines (the digital workings of any sonar). and for some, customer service has the biggest issues.
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i don't care who's name is on the unit, it is who is the best at making and standing behind a product i want.
so yes, mechanical units have their own problems and not just motors. the knobs have issues too and so do their center digital displays and their sonar engines (the digital workings of any sonar). and for some, customer service has the biggest issues.
We completely agree here. I don't understand why vex hasn't started to push the envelope. As soon as someone comes out with something digital that will catch me more fish than my old fl-18, i will be all over it. I would much rather have something digital, solid state if you will. More moving parts means more things to go wrong and that is the main reason I switched to an electric auger.
There's so much room in ice fishing electronics for improvement. We already have 360 degree tech for open water, the fact that companies haven't adapted it to ice fishing yet really sucks.
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There's so much room in ice fishing electronics for improvement. We already have 360 degree tech for open water, the fact that companies haven't adapted it to ice fishing yet really sucks.
I thought seriously about this. I have one of the Humminbird 360 transducers. I think I would use it more icefishing than open water to be honest. It would take a mount. That wouldn't be too hard. It might really use battery, but the 360 sitting stationary might be fun whether spearing or jigging.
(http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee363/sra61/2017%20Icefishing/360_1column_800x284_360_section1.jpg) (http://s1224.photobucket.com/user/sra61/media/2017%20Icefishing/360_1column_800x284_360_section1.jpg.html)
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I have read that Garmin's Panoptix will work for ice fishing, but its a steep price tag. I have a Echomap 93 SV and Echomap 73 SV for my boat. They will work for icefishing, but it becomes a hassle to rig it up. Power cable $23, Mounting bracket $25, Ice ducer $120, 8 to 12 pin connector $20, 8 pin to 4 pin connector $17. That adds up to $205 without a battery or anything to put the mounting bracket and battery on. You might be able to use a Genz box. After you have all that you have to go into the menus and manually select the transducer. Garmin Tech support has informed me that this procedure will work and that they rigged something similar to verify it.
The Garmins replaced by color Eagle Fish Elite 502 igps. Last year I bought the Lowrance ice kit for it for $120 on sale and I was good to go.
As much as I would like to try and own a Vex, I can't justify buying something I know will eventually need to get serviced.
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I've never replaced a motor.....I run vexilars.
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I've never replaced a motor.....I run vexilars.
I have but not on any vexilars. I have 3 now soon to be 4.i had 3 Marcum units and every one burnt the motor up under warranty and lasted a season.im glad Marcum dropped that line of flashers but I will never look at a Marcum product again.i do like the lx7 and Marcum is advancing in tech but should slow down a bit and work on reliability.jmo.i don't need a bunch of settings to pull a fish on top the ice.locate fish is all I need my flasher to do.
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never replace my motor on my marcum, 3 years old fished very hard last year. Don't know what people do to burn out motors as much as they do
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never replace my motor on my marcum, 3 years old fished very hard last year. Don't know what people do to burn out motors as much as they do
the motors don't really burn out.. they slow down and speed up causing the whole display,bottom,fish and jig to rock up and down on the screen.alls I did was fish with mine every weekend and they all ended up doing it.the older models don't seem to do it but around 2012 and up did.
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8 years and my ice55 is all original...even the battery.
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vexilar are pretty much bullet pro and get the job done, marcum gets the job done but consistent repairs in my experience.
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8 years and my ice55 is all original... even the battery .
Same with my Marcum LX1.....
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I've had my Marcum VX-1 for ten years now, not one hiccup, same battery too!
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I had a older original marcum vx1 that still running with no repairs over 10 years or so and my bud is still running it.. but my newer vx1 pros all went bad,same wih the newer model lx3tc.must of had a bad run of marcums on the newer models.idk.however my old vexilar fl8 is going on 15 years with the same battery and works still.never tried a bird yet.
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The fl8 is over 20 years and the fl18 deep is like 14 years and no motor issues with either, I have passed them on to others
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Mine is 4 years old now and runs great. Marcum VX-ip
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I have an old LX5 and LX7, original motor on the 5. The Marcum vs Vex war will never end so try to use both and you decide. I do recommend dual beam units especially when fishing around brush and weeds.
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My fl8 has to be 15 years old. Never had any issues with it. My oldest sons lx3- not tc- has to be close to that old. No issues with it either. Youngest son has vx1 about 5 years old with no issues. The fl8 and lx3 I am sure have well over 1000 hours on them. Are the problems just with newer marcums? Buddy has a lx3-tc and I really like it. I have been watching for one I can afford. But if its problem prone, I will stick with my old fl8. Is there any way to know if a marcum was made during "problem years"?. Don't want to waste my money on something that needs fixed all the time. Thanks. Steve