EXPERIENCE: I got the boat back and motor back in March 2013. We pulled up to pick it up the boat and Mike and his crew were putting the finishing touches on. At first glance I was pleased with the boat and motor. We drove back that day and put it in the water for its first ride. The first time we had it out the throttle/gov were not set so we could not go above half throttle. It was no big deal because I didnt want to run the piss out of it anyways being the first time out. After I brought it home I wanted to set the idle/gov which turned into a major pain in the ass. In the mean time I was taking the boat out and running it about 3/4 throttle because thats all I could get without sending the idle through the roof. One day I was fishing out of it and moving to a new spot when I smelt something burning and looked and saw that smoke was pouring out of the housing for the trim/clutch/kill switch by my hand. I shut it off and discovered every wire that ran up my handle was fried...called mike that day it happened and told him the situation on the idle/gov and told him and what happened. The next morning mike drove to my house and took the boat back to macon for a day and returned it With a new lower unit ( idk why) all new wiring and a new handle and a new throttle that allowed more slack in the linkage for adjustment. I was a little frustrated about the whole wire ordeal but I was pleased with the customer service mike had. I take the boat out and the same thing happens again, all the wires get fried and im dead in the water...again..I notice the clutch switch was loose and not working 100% and the wire was burnt all way up too it inside the housing. I was trying to be positive of the situation and blamed it on the switch maybe shorting out. I replaced the switch and shrink wrapped everything to make sure there was no way possible for the switch to cause anything to go wrong. Next time out im cruising along and and it does it AGAIN. This point im furious and stranded on the lake again. I called mike and shared my experience with him..he was understanding and very apologetic. He sent all new wires and a brand new clutch ( which I guess was the problem the whole time ) and a new handle with switches and wiring. I bolted everything on and it has run like a champ since.

SPECS: Dixie mud motor 1648 and 35

Load: 2 people ( 185lbs and 225lbs ) , 2 batteries,6 gallons of gas, cooler

speeds: deep water I run 26 in the sweet spot. skinny water I run 28 with the same load.

Boat: 1648 with .125 bottom 16" sides with huntdeck open floor plan

Motor: 35 cdi. All stock with a gutted exhaust.


CONCLUSION: Dixie mud motors are cheaper than other leading brands in mud motors. I knew what I was buying and was hoping for the best. The motors are simple and if you can spin a wrench you can pretty much fix anything that goes wrong. Where I hunt its mainly vegetation and no real mud so I felt the dixie would do just fine. I believe mike has the right idea and right direction but in my opinion he needs to charge a little bit more money and beef up the electronics, and dress up the motor up a little better. Sure the motors will get the job done just a little rough around the edges. The customer service is A+ I must say he has answered every phone call and every text I have sent him. Im going to hunt with the motor for a year and see how it holds up now that its running 100% and ill see how it does. All and all dixie mud motors I believe is a great starter mud motor...has great customer service...will do the job I need it to do..but In the mean time im saving my pennies for a Gator tail If anyone has any questions feel free to message me. Im going to try and get some pics up later.

Set your governor and then adjust the idle with the screw by the carb.

Everything is golden now but trust me I did that.

I hope it works out too. Its kind of BS to have that many issues out of something brand new but at least hes taking care of everything.

How r u liking the boat?

No complants at all. Its everything I wanted. I put some screws into the floor to stop the vibrations because the rivets werent getting the job done. Under the back seats he tack welds the pieces that hold the lids down..I broke one of those but nothing a little jb weld could not fix. This being my first mud boat I dont really have anything else I could compare it too but so far so good.

Lemon law 0_o

Every mud motor mfg. has had birth pangs and then some more than others...I do hope Dixie survives- competition helps the marketplace and the consumer, because these "glorified" lawnmower engines have gotten mighty pricey. Me, I still run a longtail.

Hey Whitson I am having the same problem out of my governer. I even put it in the shop and still not fixed. It won't turn over 3000 rpm's out of the water, but it sounds like you had much better customer service. I have been calling and leaving voice mails but still no resolution. What did you do to fix yours?

Is it the stainless throttle handle on there ?

yes it is but i completely disconected the trotle from it. to get it to idle at 1,00 rpms it will only rev up to 3,000 (out of water). To get it up to 4,000 i have to idle it at 2,100 rpm's (out of water)

You need a handle to pull the throttle cable more so you can set the idle lower.

Thanks man, I thought about trying a jet ski throtle. But where I am lost is it is doing it without any throttle hooked up.

Well after a day of using the motor it was fine and I Was happy it ran as well as it did. I was planning on taking it Alabama today so I went down in the basement to check some last minute things charge the battery etc...I notice the clutch wire is extremely loose. After I look at it more I discover THE CLUTCH IS HANGING OFF TO THE SIDE ON A BENT BOLT AND IT HAS COMPLETELY BROKE THE OTHER BOLT HOLDING IT ON IN HALF!!!!! THERE IS 2 BOLTS HOLDING THE CLUTCH ON...ONES BROKE IN HALF AND GOD KNOWS WHERE IT IS AND THE OTHER HOLDING THE CLUTCH ON IS ALMOST BENT IN HALF. Now how this thing did not blow up when I was running it I have no idea! But the next time I would have engaged the clutch it would have torn every wire off of that motor. SO with this being said Im going to find the hardest screws I can find and fix it MYSELF because clearly dixie used some cheap ass screws from a hardware store. Im so over this motor. I have goten to take it out twice and everything run fine. I guess Ill just keep fixing the half ass job these guys do to where eventually nothing will break.

I still don't understand why some of you guys still buy these pieces of shit? I can't recall reading one good thread about Dixie mud motors.

Sorry about ur luck dude, it sucks when u give someone hard earned money and get shit in return. Good luck man.

Whitson Quote :SO with this being said Im going to find the hardest screws I can find and fix it MYSELF!
Don't get the hardest! You'll be in for more headache and heartbreak.hard bolts such as grade 8 cant handle the stress for the application yur gonna use it for. You have to get something that has give and will handle heat transfer better. Someone explained it to me better by using a nail and a drywall screw as an example. You can hit a nail on its side with a hammer and all it does is bend
over,hit the screw on the side and it is going to break off.same thing with the hardest bolt your gonna try to find. I told Ben way back when that the design of how the clutch

Was bolted on the motor was such BS told him he had to flip it around the other way told him he needed to add another bolt but after i did some r&d of my own i used something else and submitted it to him i guess he ignored me.i went thru what your dealing with trust me i broke my fing belt putting out deeks the night before opening day because one of those bolts broke and fell between the bottom pulley and belt.