Do I Need A Kicker With A 140 Four Stroke?

[Walt]

I just bought a Suzuki 140 four stroke for my Lund. Do I need to get a kicker or will this motor allow me to troll with it?

[muskrat]

It will depend on whether you intend to backtroll with Lindy rigs or forward troll with crankbaits. It will probably do just fine with crankbaits.

Can you supply who you bought it from and how much you paid for it as I'm interested in the same motor.

Thanks

[Dave in Walker]

Most definitely, either a powerful electric or a kicker, remember no matter how good these big engines run, it is still a big prop pushing a lot of water. Everybody has a different idea of what slow is but in my book you will need to go slower then any big motor will go

[Dave34]

I'm also very interested in this motor. What Lund do you have it on?

[David Anderson]

Walt,

Check with your dealer. The 140 is the same platform as my 115. Granted, mine is on a 620 which comes in at 1750#, my forward trolling speed at idle is 1.8 mph with a 20" prop. I would suspect that the 140 would run close to the same, however would definitely depend on the weight and amount of hull resistance.

[work2fish]

Walt,

I've got a DF140 on a 1700 Fisherman and a 20" SS. The slowest I can go with the DF140 alone is been between 2.5-3.0 MPH. I've got a bowmount for anything slower than that and it works out great.

Regards,
work2fish

[alex]

Yes, in my opinion, you need a kicker. First reason, the big motors don't go slow enough. I like to be able to troll under one mile per hour. I can do it with the big motor but have to employ the use of drift socks or back troll. I don't like doing those things and also like the control of the small kickers.
Second reason, trolling just can't be good for the main outboard. My F115 will troll all day but why punish it? Eight grand for a motor constitutes a high level of care and idling all day just doesn't sit well with me. Torture your little motor, it only costs 2 grand.
Finally, the kicker adds a margin of safety. If the main power plant fails, you can still get back to the dock. On the secluded lakes I fish, that is an imporant thing.
For me it's a no brainer, I'd never own a boat without a kicker.

[REELMAN]

YES
By all means get the kicker if you plan on pulling any plugs. I wouldn't be with out one. The safety factor is another thing, you always have the kicker for back up to get in on. Also the kicker gives you a lot better speed control compared to your big motor. THe option to troll down to 1 mph is something that the kicker will give you that the big motor won't.

[The Eyes_Have it]

I'm running a 175 hp on a Lund 2025. The 175 will troll down to 1.7 mph. The engine is at about 700-750 rpms and runs fine.

[Rod Holder]

I just talked to my brother, who has a 115 Suzuki four stroke. In order to have a slow enough trolling speed he uses a prop with less pitch. In doing so, he gave up speed at the top end, which dropped from 50 to 45. I think, if you have room for the kicker, put it on. If you put one on with a tiller, but also with the linkage capability for forward trolling, you won't regret it and can keep your top end speed as high as capable with the main engine. You certainly would be able to back troll with the kicker if you wanted which isn't possible with your main engine in an effective manner. My brother's engine is on a bass boat, so for him there is no room for the kicker and he tolerates the slower top end. My boat's kicker engine is set up for dual purpose and I like it better than front controls, now that I've fished with it enough to get an idea.