i have a few questions for you prodrive guys........

anyone know what it costs to add reverse to a pd? the rachet kind...not the hydro.

is the wheel trim a pain to deal with? i like the thought of having trim but not having to worry about having to replace a trim unit.

i know alot of you guys are x-mb owners. thats the only kind of sd i have ever owned/driven. i really liked the squeeze throttle. is there any way to put the same type throttle on the pd or is the twist grip the only way to go...?


thanks.......and i do plan on trying to find one and run it. Crews already offered a while back.

1. 475.00 if you install yourself. Its simple to do.

2. Fork a wheel unless you workin on your biceps. You don't hear about hydro trim issues. Sure anything can break but this is a tough unit.

3. I imagine you could retro fit a squeeze throttle if you wanted. I like the twist.

fork dat damn trim wheel to hell....power trim is the only way to go

i ran a buddies 27 with a trim wheel a few times and hated it.

I had the wheel and upgraded to the hydro. The wheel is not that bad in the sence that on a PD you dont have to adjust the trim alot unless you are in bad mud or veggies. As far as normal riding, you just set the trim and go, so you dont have to mess with it all that much, but the hydro is great.

well if ya buy one with the wheel...any idea of what it runs to put the hydro trim on? is the winch trim old news?

i just had my wheel trim changed and went with a winch trim. it is ten times easy, faster to use and it did not brake the bank. And about the reverse i hardly never use it but if i need it , its there and i have full power!!

do yall think the pd is harder on the transom since it's a weighted back motor? like hitting stumps and logs. my primary use wont be in mud like alot of you guys in la. running the river and bad stumps is where i usually hunt.

thanks for the info thats been posted up.

no issues with my transom on my PD boat or my brother boat and we run the same lake...but yes it is harder on the transom than balanced engines..

I operated a wheel trim for over a year. Once you get into mud like Uncle J said, you start getting a workout working on that wheel. I had thought that the Power trim was not reliable but I was mistaken. They had a few bugs early on mostly with using the steel hose. They got away from that and the units they are using now are extremely reliable. I installed mine myself, $475 plus shipping and it took me about an hour. All you need is a place to momentarily hang your motor. A local dealer would probably do it for you for an extra $50 labor if needed.

There are some people on here that are still using their original winch trim and they love it.

One thing the Hydro trim does that works well is that you can lock it out so that it doesn't "float"

So if you have a root, branch, or section of bog pop up behind the boat and hinder you from putting it in reverse. Just lock it out, trim up all the way, then place the skeg over the obstruction and force it down into the mud to clear the hull.

med,

I used to run Hypers until I changed to Prodrive in 2008. I had the PD on the back of a Gatortrax boat with short transom and then I converted the motor to a long transom for the Phowler I run now.

The hydraulic trim is heavy duty and nearly bombproof. I see that Mudbuddy has finally gone to hydraulic trim...it's about time, and I say that after replacing a few non-hydraulic electric trim units.

As far as the full power reverse, that to me is the greatest thing about PD motors. I can't imagine running a rig without it now that I have experienced it...just my opinion.

The twist throttle isn't bad when you get used to it. If you have ever seen the mechanism you will agree that it is a beefy design. And not as prone to freezing up as the cable that connects a squeeze type throttle to your carb.

appreciate all the responses from everybody. i gotta move this lt before i do anything. before i buy another sd i will for sure try to hook up with someone and drive a pd.

idabilly......the trim on my mb was the first thing i replaced on it. the reverse is what has caught my eye with the pd. the mb i had did everything i asked it to.....except backup.

Owen i wish i could have hunted those cold days. i was boatless at that time. i talked to a few guys that put the donkey stomp on 'em tho.

reverse sure is nice for those grass mats we have

dude toward the end of the season i was hunting in a place that had bad grass. waded out to get a downed bird and started sinking. i was alone and honestly thought about drowning in there. it freaked me out pretty bad. i had to place my gun across it and lay on top of the grass and crawl. it was around 30 degrees and i was soaked to the bone but i had made it to the middle of that mess and that was the only way to keep from punching through. i was glad it was cold tho cause there was gator shit everywhere from when it had warmed up a few days before.

i just got my PD like 3 months ago (finally away from the long tail go devil) the manual trim doesn't bother me but im young and in really good shape if money is a issue as in my case u can deal with the manuel trim i never use it unless i stop in some thick stuff but as for the reverse the best thing ever im never worried about getting stuck when im running new places and exploring new areas and the fact that i hunt near the bay tidal water kinda makes things worst.

Med, I had an original 35 MB & decided to change when PD came out with reverse. I've never regretted that decision.

Mine still has winch trim. I'm sure the hydro trim is much smoother & nicer, but I haven't had the need to replace it. The winch works fine.

I just dropped my boat at a welder's shop for some transom reinforcement. Not sure if it's b/c of the weight back design, but I do believe that the most damage was caused by trailerin it down these great La roads. Make sure your transom is well braced, & you should be fine.

B/c of the weight back design, you will feel the hard impacts more with the PD than with the MB. The balanced design & floating handle absorb it more. It'll be something to get used to, but now it's no biggie for me. Just remember to have your knees facing forward when you sit down to drive. Ask me how I know.

I liked the squeeze grip, & freezing isn't as big an issue down here. Transitioning to the twist grip isn't a big deal. I find that if I'm on a long open water run, I slide my hand back on the handle & hold the twist grip with my thumb & forefinger. Seems to reduce vibration.

I'm thoroughly pleased with my PD. Never considered another since I bought it.

what kind of transom issues are you having? i had a gd witha 31mb and it seemed kinda heavy for that boat. i have since bought another 1644 and with thinking about the pd i might go with a 27 especially since the weighted back design is a factor. anybody know the weight diff between a 27 and 36? i know it wont be a speed demon but the only time i really want any speed is running the river. if i can get 25-26 then ill be fine. maybe a carb would be an addon in the future.

its not that i wouldnt like a 36.....its more that a 27 would fit my budget better at this point. i'm trying to save a little money these days instead of spending all i have gotta do something with the lt before i do anything. when im ready tho and i can find a tall transom motor i may do what you mentioned above. i will be checking the foam before i start painting. i may be removing or cutting into the rear boxes. im gonna ive gd a call tho and make sure as to whether they are a part of the structure of the boat or if they just hold foam and water.