What is the better motor to push my 15'x48" alumacraft? A pd 27hp or a mb 23 mini lite? What's the pros and cons.

PD..... no contest

It's all on the conditions you run. The pro drive will run a little faster, and handles better, but may not go through as much due to it not having as long a tail as the mud buddy.

The MB is lighter and won't wreck the hull as fast as the PD.....

But if you put either one on the hull won't last but a few seasons
if you do much trailering and actual mud and stump running....

I bought a new mud buddy 5500 this past September and put 50 hours on it during duck season. I haven't had a bit of trouble with it and my friend is nearing 100 hours on a stock 35 and hasn't had any issues with it either. If you look around, you'll see a few guys on here have had problems with the PD gear cases which makes me think that the MB belt system is a lot easier to maintain and fix.

I'm having my transom re braced by a friend if that's what you meAn by wreck your hull?

Gears have proven themselves as the best option in the automobile world.

I imagine it would be easier to n!gger rig a belt drive to hobble back to the ramp though... Maybe wrap an anchor line around the pulleys..

yah that will work??????????????????????????????????????


no it wont!

I knew somebody would bring up the alternator belt, your right.. things are different on cars and boats.

They have been runnin gears on outboards for years and pro-drive just adapted it to a shallow water application.

A belt drive does a great job doin the same thing.

I was just sayin gear drives have proven themselves strong and effective in many applications.

i think the belt has some shock absorbing effect on a prop strike. ive never run a pd so i dont know about vibration in the sitck but ide think the belt would help there also. as for outboards and gears that is the week link when it comes to prop strikes. im seeing pd with broken gears, broken housings. when that prop stops something has to give. its going to stop the motor, shear the teeth off a gear or seaperate the mesh of the gears ie the housing will give and crack. there is a fine line between so strong that i wont brake and it being light enough to put into service. you could put dozer parts on a pd and never brake them. you couldnt float it, but you couldnt brake it.

that being said pd has a following. they are or seem to be at the top. pd wouldnt be there if it wasnt a good motor. if these brakes were a major problem pd wouldnt last. it seems to be reoccurring as thay have had several design changes in that area of the motor. who knows?

Where are you seeing all these broke PDs? I don't see them breaking any more often than any of the other brands and they are all running belts.

over on props section. lot of talk on the subject. ive seen it here before several times.

There both really good motors. I prefer pro drive because of how awsome they drive, but then again vie never driven a mud buddy. Just pick what you think is best and what suits you best and be happy with it and call it a day. That's all you can do. With that being said..

It's rare that you go wrong with a pd!!

Buy what you want, look at it this way if you don't end up liking it i promise you can sell it and then try anouther brand, but don't let the hype about one motor over another influence you cause you might buy something you end up not liking!

Anyone who buys a motor based on what they read on da internet deserves whatever piece of crap they may end up wit.
Test Drive.... Test Drive.... TEST DRIVE.

I think thats what i just said JC, lol.

none of them are crap

Actually.. In the end everythings a piece of crap lol

I have owned five Mudbuddy Hyperdrives and have owned / run a Prodrive for the last two seasons. I subject the PD to the same hard use I put my Hypers through and it has not let me down.

This thread is full of opinions from people who have not owned both and are basing their comments on hearsay and not direct experience. Let's give it a break. None of these motors are bombproof and all are built in very robust fashion for the torture we put them through.