How to Set Up Hydraulic Jack Plates on Boat Hulls
- 1). Have your assistant turn the wheel to make sure that you have enough slack in your steering cables or hydraulic hoses to prevent binding or kinks.
- 2). Loosen the 1/2-inch bolts that hold the motor to the transom with an adjustable wrench and remove the motor from the boat. Removing the motor from the boat may require the use of an "A" frame for larger motors.
- 3). Level the boat by laying a 4-foot spirit level on deck of the boat, then using an automotive floor jack to slowly raise the "low side" of the boat by raising that side of the trailer. Leveling the boat ensures that the jack plate will be mounted squarely and the bolts holding the jack plate will be tightened correctly.
- 4). Set the jack plate into place on the transom and snug it up to the transom with its mounting bolts, turned hand tight. Use the level to verify that the jack plate's motor mounting holes are level, then tighten the bolts to the torque recommended by the jack plate manufacturer.
- 5). Mount your motor to the jack plate using new mounting bolts. Tighten the bolts with a torque wrench to the torque recommended by the jack plate manufacturer. Once more, have your assistant turn the wheel and check for kinks or binding in steering cables or hoses.
- 6). Make the hydraulic connections for the jack plate according to the manufacturer's instructions. The hydraulic supply line runs from the hydraulic motor on the jack plate to the control valve, then to the hydraulic reservoir; installing them in this order keeps things organized. The return line from the hydraulic motor on the jack plate runs to the reservoir. Run the hydraulic lines along the same side of the boat as the hydraulic lines for the steering--they can share a conduit.
Source...