Minn Kota is a trademark of its owner. Amp Hour Supply isn’t affiliated with Minn Kota.
The short answer. The PowerDrive 45 and 55 run on one 12 V battery; the 70 needs 24 V. Breakers go 50 A, 60 A, 50 A in that order, straight from Minn Kota’s table, and the 55 is the one that needs the heaviest wire. Lithium is allowed with Minn Kota’s standing caveat: the motor is “specifically designed” for lead-acid, and prolonged speeds over 85% on lithium “could cause permanent damage”.
Three motors, three rows
| PowerDrive | Volts | Max draw | Breaker | 5 ft | 10 ft | 15 ft | 20 ft | 25 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 lb | 12 | 42 A | 50 A | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 AWG |
| 55 lb | 12 | 50 A | 60 A | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 AWG |
| 70 lb | 24 | 42 A | 50 A | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 AWG |
Yes, the 70 takes a smaller breaker than the 55. At 24 V it pulls 42 A for 70 lb; the 55 pulls 50 A at 12 V. That’s our explanation; Minn Kota just prints the table. Leads from the factory are 10 AWG. Lengths are batteries to leads, and over 25 ft Minn Kota wants a marine technician.
If you’re moving the battery to the bow to shorten the run, the 55 is the motor that rewards it most: 10 ft of 4 AWG instead of 25 ft of 1 AWG.
The battery
Minn Kota’s lead-acid size is 105 Ah or more. For lithium it gives no size, only this: the motors “can run on Lithium-Ion batteries” but are “specifically designed to run on traditional lead-acid batteries”, and “running a Minn Kota trolling motor at speeds higher than 85% for a prolonged period could cause permanent damage to the motor.”
Our fit (voltage match, continuous rating over the max draw), with hours from the Run time calculator in trolling mode (amp hours x 80% usable, divided by the amps, warm weather) as a worked example:
| PowerDrive | Pack we’d fit | Continuous | Hours at peak draw | Hours at half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 (12 V, 42 A) | Pro-Guide 24M100 12V 100Ah Group 24 lithium | 100 A | 1 h 54 min | 3 h 49 min |
| 55 (12 V, 50 A) | same 24M100 | 100 A | 1 h 36 min | 3 h 12 min |
| 70 (24 V, 42 A) | Pro-Guide 24VM90 24V 90Ah lithium | 90 A | 1 h 43 min | 3 h 26 min |
| 70 (24 V, 42 A) | Pro-Guide 24VM115 24V 115Ah lithium | 100 A | 2 h 11 min | 4 h 23 min |
The 12 V pair gets a charger from the shelf: Victron Blue Smart IP22 12/30, lithium setting, Pro-Guide’s 14.6 V. The 70 can also run two 24M100s in series (charged one at a time on that unit); a 24 V lithium charger isn’t in the store yet.
Peak draw happens in bursts; Minn Kota’s table says not to treat it as a continuous load. Add the 85% caveat and the half-draw column is the closer guess for a day’s fishing.
Wiring the PowerDrive
- 45 and 55: one battery. Positive lead via the breaker to the battery’s plus post, the black lead to minus.
- 70: a pair of 12 V batteries in series (diagram in Trolling motor battery: 12V, 24V or 36V, wired right) or a single 24 V pack, breaker on the final positive.
- Inside the motor a bonding wire runs through a 3 A fuse. Minn Kota says alternator or DC chargers that join the trolling negative to the crank negative “can damage” the motor and void the warranty. Give the motor its own bank: no sonar or radios on it, and any accessory negative lands on the low-side battery.
- Pull the plug before charging and whenever the boat is parked.
Minn Kota’s 60 A breaker is the MKR-19. We don’t list a 50 A or 60 A breaker yet.
The meter and troubleshooting
The Push-to-Test meter on the mount reads four lights full down to one light recharge, only with the motor off. The manual’s short troubleshooting list: check polarity, clean the terminals, check the charge. For the 24 V motor, check each battery, then the pair.
Quick answers
What size breaker for a PowerDrive 55? 60 A, manual reset, per Minn Kota’s table. The 45 and 70 take 50 A.
Will a PowerDrive run on lithium? The 2026 manual: it “can run on Lithium-Ion” but is “specifically designed” for lead-acid, and prolonged speeds above 85% “could cause permanent damage to the motor”.
One battery or two for a PowerDrive 70? Two 12 V in series, or one 24 V pack. The 45 and 55 take one 12 V battery.
What wire for a PowerDrive 45 at 15 ft? 4 AWG, per Minn Kota.
Sources
- Minn Kota PowerDrive owner’s manual 2317128 (Rev A, 10/26), pages 6, 28-31, 36, 45, 48-49, 54, 57, 60
- Minn Kota PowerDrive product page: https://minnkota.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/freshwater-trolling-motors/powerdrive
- Pro-Guide brochures and product pages; Victron Blue Smart IP22 manual (our product page)
- Trolling motor battery: 12V, 24V or 36V, wired right, Run time calculator, Wire gauge calculator
