TR-1 autopilot

[Troller]

Just ordered one to put on the boat. Cant wait to get it. Anyone out their using one of these have any tips for using and installing it. Even managed to talk them down a 100 bucks off their web site price. :grin:

[Tagster]

I am jealous!!

I cheaped out and bought the Panther steering system. It is nice for lakes, but, I wouldn't trust going out to buoy 10 or even Tillamook with it as there is no throttle control.

You might want to search the archives for info on the TR-1. They have been discussed a few times!

Enjoy!!

Tag

[wishntobefishn]

I bought one at the Portland sportsman show. It's a great invention, but there are some things that I wish I would have done different.

I installed my TR-1 myself. Took me more time to figure out where everything was going to go than to actually install it. I ended up putting the pump/brains in one of my storage boxes. To do this I needed to build a wooden box to put it in. Since I'm going to be throwing various things in the box I didn't want to damage the unit or knock one of the hydraulic hoses off. Even though this took a lot of extra time, it was well worth it.

Once I got everything hooked up I had to go through the steps to add the hydraulic fluid. This is a messy messy job. You WILL get fluid everywhere. Inside the boat and out. What I wish I had done different was to plan for this, like packing paper towels everywhere around the "brains" where fluid might go. What I did was try to mop up the fluid as it came out. I couldn't keep up with the mess. Second thing was to put an oil tray or something on the drive way right under the kicker, and several feet in every direction. I've still got stains on my drive way where the fluid spilled. I expected the fluid to only go straight down from the kicker. Not true. It will go everywhere.

Once your ready to take it to the river for the first time to program it, make sure the guy you bought it from comes with you. This will save you a lot of time and frustration. He can program the unit in a matter of minutes and put in all of the different settings that you want. I tried to do it myself, and totally screwed it up.

The salesman also upgraded my fittings for me right at the boat launch. Seems the new generation of the TR-1 puts out higher pressure than the older ones. Problem is.... they didn't upgrade the fittings to account for the higher pressure, so they may fail. Mine sucked in water through the fittings causing the fluid to be damaged.

Bottom line... install the unit yourself, but do NOT put fluid in it. Setup an appointment with the salesman. He will upgrade the fittings and install the fluid at the same time. This will save you a lot of time and frustration.

[Wang]

A couple buddies have them and like them. They have had a problem or 2 with the hydraulics though. Pull your boat to Newport and they will help you out.

[wishntobefishn]

Troller,

There is a sales rep named Peter that comes up to Portland several times a month. Call the company and get his number. Setup the appointment to meet at the ramp so you can have him programming and river test it. Trust me... It will be well worth it. Only takes an hour for him to upgrade AND program the unit.

Enjoy your TR-1. I know I have.

[Bob Barthlow]

Troller, I put one on my super vee in '97, still works great, easy to install, just make sure you get all the air out of your hyd. lines.

[Red]

I have a TR-1 with throttle control. It's about 2 years old. I wish the throttle control was easier to set. It seems that when I depress the button for 1 second it doesn't always increase or decrease 10 rpms. When I depress the buttons for 3 seconds it really takes off or slows down. Anyone else have this problem? Otherwise the unit has performed admirably. I have it on a honda 9.9.

[Troller]

Thanks for the info I was going to install it in the shop . Sounds like I should pull it out and do it in the yard. Hate mowin the grass anyway. I ordered it from the factory In south beach so Might be a little far for them to travel up to hear to help me. If i have any problems I will call them right away.

[Deleted User]

I was quoted $1700 for the unit and Peter would come to your home and install it for $250. He would also take it on the water for a test and setup. I tried to refinance my loan to include the TR-1 but no dice. Every time Im sitting in the rain I wish I have one!!

[Mofish]

I have a TR 1 on my boat . It works great when you have extra clamps. Thats on the Honda, **** poor conection. Make sure if you are running a Honda you have extra clamps for the braket mount.

Mercs you should have know problem.

[Small Fry]

How much room for all the added gear is need on the transom?

[Mofish]

Very Little room needed. Maybe 6" X 8" .

I e-mailed TR-1 about my clamp problem. They are sending me out updated bracket. No cost.

Keep in mind it is over 2 years old.

Thanks TR-1

[Troller]

Thanks to everyone that responded I cant wait to get it and get out of the rain. Gotta love a new toy.

[Biteme]

I ran both a tr1 2000 on my honda and had several problems with it I worked with pete and got it upgraded to the tr1 gold which is a much better and more durable unit. I also had many clamp failures on my honda application. I came up with a fix for it though. Go to a high performance auto parts "hot rod" shop and get a heavy duty t bar clamp intead of the regular hose clamp that comes with it. It takes some doing to get this style of clamp installed but it is possible. I have suggested to nautimatic that they switch to this style of clamp Im not sure that they have done it. Also loose the push lock connectors on the cylinder and go with rubber hose and barbed fittings you will have a ton less problems.

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