Trolling motor very hard to steer

[32eml24]

I have to basically stand on my pedal to turn my motor.  Once it budges, it moves freely in that direction.  Or if I nudge it the opposite way then go back the way I want to turn it'll work okay.  Has anyone experienced this?  Hoping for a quick fix by some form of lubrication. 

[Manxfishing]

I'd check and see how tight the cable is
Some people crank them tight so it doesn't turn with your foot off the peddle (flip the peddle over you'll see the cable and nut)
But a little lube can't hurt a thing

[djkimmel]

It sounds over-tightened but I'm assuming that it is an older model - with the hard wire cables? I don't think this generally happens with newer models? I don't get to use new trolling motors much so I don't always remember what is doing what. I just haven't had this happen in a long, long time.

[32eml24]

Ive taken it apart and discovered the bearing in the head of the motor is dry. I need to take it out and repack it but to verify this I sprayed some lube in as far as I could. Noise went away and no binding before turning.

[Waterfoul]

Ive taken it apart and discovered the bearing in the head of the motor is dry. I need to take it out and repack it but to verify this I sprayed some lube in as far as I could. Noise went away and no binding before turning.

That is what I would have guessed from your desctiption.  You can get the bearings from a service dealer if needed.

[djkimmel]

Glad you narrowed down the correct issue and can get it taken care of while we still have tons of fishing left to do this season!