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Member
Posts: 163
Location: Oshkosh | Hi Everyone,
I have a Panther lift (not sure what model, but I believe it is the 35) that was purchased new last spring when I got my Ranger. I have a 2000 Merc 15HP 4 stroke on it. Toward the end of the season last fall I noticed that it seemed to be running sluggish and the sound it made when I operated it was louder than it was when I first got it (almost like a grinding sound). Anyone have any experiences similar to this or would anyone know if there could be something wrong with it? Does the hydrolic fluid need to be checked or topped-off on a regular schedule or is there other basic maintenance that I should be aware of to keep it running good?
Thanks,
Mark |
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| If memory serves me correctly, the Panther lift has no hydraulics. It's a screw mechanism and servo-motor that does the work. Look underneath and you should see a grease fitting. Give it a couple shots and then try running it.- -jerr |
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| I had the same trouble that you are talking about. first my servo-motor went out replaced that, then a year later the (Actuator)screw mechanism went out and replaced that.
The grinding noise is the Actuator starting or is stripped out, you will want to replace it asap or it will leave you stranded on the water with it in the down position. You can get parts at http://www.marinetech.info/parts/.
good luck
Dan
if you hav any questions e-mail me at [email protected] |
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Member
Posts: 859
Location: Appleton wi | Otis typically what happens is that water got inside through the breather tube so after you replaced parst make sure you put the breather tube thats in your kicker in a spot that water wont go into it! I would replaced the actuator assembly along with the servo motor at same time . |
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Member
Posts: 580
Location: Green Bay, WI | I had this same problem last fall. I replaced the actuator and I would recommend getting the bushing kit too.
The problem eye lunker described can cause the can cause the actuator to go out, but mine went out because the bushings were disengaged. That caused the lift to get sloppy and started to move up and down too much. It acted as a hammer on top of the actuator. I added the pro strap to tighten it up, but by that time the bushings were basically gone. Now with the new actuator everything is nice and secure.
One other note when I got the new actuator it was shaped a little different than the old one. I had to "machine" the lift with the grinder to get it to stop rubbing. Thankfully it's aluminum.
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| Couple things, there is a fitting on the top of the actuator that uses an allen wrench. This is access to the gearing and needs to be lubricated with fogging oil . usually best to do it in the fall so as to not let moisture sit in the unit over the winter.
Also give the grease fitting one shot of grease.
Tight Lines
Eric |
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| Remove the panther lift and replace with a cmc or a motor with an integrated lift. The Panthers are not waterproof and WILL ALWAYS fail. And often, at the worst possible time. |
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| Makes me glad I spent the extra bling on it when I bought my boat 
According to the instructions, the breather tube is to be installed so the end is under the hood of the kicker. I believe this is the way it is done. Adding grease seems to be my first option.
I have the pro-strap on mine but one thing that always worried me was when riding in rough water, after hitting a large wave the kicker would still slam down- you could clearly see it move a good 6 to 10 inches down before springing back up again. I rarely run it hard in rough water (no longer a tournament fisherman).
Do any of you suggest taking this in to a boat mechanic to get their opinion? Panther provides a 1 year warranty and if they are built as poorly as some of you say, I'd like to try to get something from the factory...
Thanks,
Mark |
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Member
Posts: 340
Location: McFarland, WI | If you are running in rough water put a ram mount on the motor and fastenen to the splash well. I had a CMC that needed that addition. My CMC also needed reinforcement at the pivot points because the gauge of aluminum was to thin for the weight of a 15 merc bigfoot. I welded on another piece and used a longer bolt. They may have fixed this since I made them aware of the weakness. |
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| Buy a Yamaha T8 and all these headaches go away  |
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| Yes, tell us how well you do with customer service. A buddy's Panther jackplate split in half on him a few years back and when he talked to customer service, the reponse was "your insurance company should cover it". |
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Member
Posts: 163
Location: Oshkosh | So get this- I got my boat out of storage today. I installed a freshly charged starting battery, trimmed the big motor up to put the transom saver on, hit the up button on the Panther lift and nothing happened.
While driving home, I speculated that perhaps I missed hooking up one of the power cables. Once I got home, I checked and everything was hooked up. Next, I removed the access panel in front of the kicker motor to see if there was an inline fuse to check. I didn't see one. I then started to follow where the wires went to. I saw the wires coming from the lift and followed them to the solenoid. I saw the three wires that ran to the remote. I then saw the 2 power wires running to a spot they shouldn't have gone to. After scratching my head some, I confirmed that the power cables were routed to a hatch that houses one of my trolling motor batteries.
When MW Marine rigged my boat, they have one trolling battery and the cranking battery in the rear starboard hatch, and the other trolling battery and the oil reservoir in the rear port hatch. A little weird but what do I know about rigging a boat?
I do know that if you double the voltage to something, over time it is going to burn it out. If I had 24 volts running through the Panther lift all last year, that would have certainly burned it out!
Now, let's see if MW steps up to the plate and takes responsibility for this... By all rights, I should have a new Panther lift coming to me...
Mark
Edited by Brother Otis 3/14/2009 8:56 PM
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Member
Posts: 3899
| Doesn't sound like you had 24V going to the panther. If you did, one wire would go to one side of the boat, and the other would go to the other. Now, thay may have connected it to the TM battery, which may be dead, and that's why it doesn't work. |
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| Time for me to eat crow... Both trolling motor batteries were dead. They didn't hold a charge at all when I would top them off.
The folks at MW were top-notch (I never really expected anything else). They didn't charge me for the labor to test everything and gave me a decent deal on 2 replacement batteries.
Today's lesson... if something doesn't work, check the battery! 
Mark |
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| WOULD ANYONE HAPPEN TO HAVE YOUR OLD PANTHER ACTUATOR? I NEED THE NUT ON THE MAIN SCREW. MY POWER UNIT WORKS REAL GOOD AND IN GOOD SHAPE BUT THE NUT IS STRIPPED. I HAVE A MODEL 55. I WOULD GLADLY BUY YOUR OLD ONE FOR THE NUT. PANTHER WILL NOT SELL ANY PARTS JUST THE HOLE UNIT. THANKS, JIM EMAIL ME AT [email protected] |
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Panther Lift