I've read through lots of posts looking for issues experienced buy current owners, but if I'm in the market for my first mud motor (and thus don't have history with a particular motor)... what thing would you tell me to look for or ask about when searching for a used motor? I'm leaning towards a PD but if there is a generic "make sure it doesn't have this / Look for wear here or there / ask when the last time they replaced XYZ" that blankets the major player, it would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Buddy that's a hard question to answer. They are mechanical machines, & everything mechanical will break at some point. That being said, a mud motor is made to be abused. They are all well built and heavy duty. and overall, they are somewhat simple in design as compared to an outboard. Pretty much all modular, so most anything on them can be changed w/o too much hassle.

I'd look for stress cracks around pivot points and inspect impact points.

I've owned 3 longtails in the past, 2 used & one new. My son has a used one on his boat at the present.

The issues I've seen were where previous owners tried to "mod" the frames somewhat. One "upgraded" the upper bearing, & it turned out crappy. Had another that the guy added a "t" handle to the shaft housing for lifting it off his boat. He had it fixed when I bought it, but he told me he created new issues when he did it.

Also, if possible, run the motor on a boat in the water before you buy. I bought a longtail that ran great on a sawhorse. Brought it home, dropped it on a boat & it puttered. Had an exhaust valve issue that wasn't fixable.

Hope this helps.

well, it isn't law but first thing i look for when i pull up is the condition of their other shit and maintance on their house, lawn,etc. IMO if someone cant cut his 3 foot tall lawn or considers aluminum foil on a broken window fixed probably has the same outlook on his other possessions. When you look at the motor check for a smooth idle, clean oil, listen for sounds of tapping or pinging in the motor. Check to see how high rpm he running his engine. Move to the clutch and listen for sanding or grinding noises, see how much freeplay the clutch has up down left and right. make sure you dont have any cracked metal or bent aluminum on the frame. Look for excess ammounts of rust. Move to the prop and check it's condition (pretty expensive) grab the prop and see how much freeplay it has. Start the motor and listen for gringing or odd sounds from the bearings or bushins. check all electrical conections for excessive corrosion. Pull the spark plugs and do a compressin test. Simply look for equal compression in both cylinders. check for small oil leaks on the back of the case. And im sure i check about double what im telling you but thats a pretty good base.

If his house And everything looks like sheet don't buy from him!

check to see if he's got a hot sister

lol i did say it's not law but if you dont take care of shit that matters you probably wont take care of shit that dont. But that aynt the case for everyone iv seen some pretty horrible garages with great mechanics in them.

Ask him about the regular mtc. Find out how often he last changed the oil, gear oil or lubed the drive, checked/tensioned the belt (if applicable), checked/adjusted the valve lash, etc... Ask how often you need to do these things and then compare his answers with whats recommended for the brand.

The hours on the motor are not what you should be concerned about if its maintained, its the hours on the outdrive and its condition that I would focus on.

Once you get one in your sites post some pics and specifics on here and get the opinions on the deal.

Thanks for all the great info, especially since I know it is a wide open question. Every bit of advice helps since I like to make informed purchases when it comes to K's of $. This board and its members have provided great info (and some comical BS) contained within.