Switching from Bennett to Lenco

[Late Again Grady]

Anybody made the switch from Bennett to Lenco? My are so old they don't hardly respond and when they do...it is too much of a response. How difficult is the swap? What all is involved?

Thanks

 

[glacierbaze]

Check with Bennett, they have been making the electric Bolt version for years now, and you may just need the cylinders and switches, and keep your trim plates.

 

[DennisG01]

Generally speaking, Bennett's are pretty much a tank and last many decades without any maintenance. When they do, it may just be a simple repair (cheap, too). But first, check your fluid level. Remove/clean all electrical connections for good measure, too. Also, Bennett's site has good diagnosing info - and they are good to deal with, as well.

Second question... is this your first experience with trim tabs?

Just throwing these ideas out there to possibly save you time and money. Bennetts really are quite good.

 

[Holokai]

Both Bennett and Lenco sell kits to retrofit hydraulic tabs to electric. I’d stick with Bennett if similarly priced as the mounting, etc will be guaranteed to work. Lenco sells a kit specifically for retrofitting from Bennett’s but I haven’t looked too deep into specific model compatibility. Had Lenco electric tabs on another boat and they worked fine.

Whatever you go with make sure to put strain relief on the actuator power cables where they penetrate the transom; the previous owner did not on my boat and the edge of the hole in the transom wore through the jacket at the top of the actuator (too close to splice). This is also a good time to look at helpful options like a position indicator and auto-retract.

 

[hooked on Grady]

Hi Capt. Definitely rebuild what you have. it is not that hard to do and no new holes. I have swapped out pumps, rams and fluids, all have repaired aging parts to a like new system.

 

[ROBERTH]

My buddy has a 24' Sea Hunt and his Lenco's are constantly failing. He just finished replacing the control module and one of the rams, and now the other ram is not responding consistently, so basically, he will be replacing all the components. Just sayin....

 

[Hookup1]

I had Lenco's on my 42' Egg Harbor. Went thru two sets before replacing with Bennet hydraulic. Never had another problem. Never understood why you would put an electric motor under the water and rely on a o-ring on a exposed shaft to protect it. Electric tabs are ok if you are on a trailer and can replace them easier and cheaper then pulling your boat out on a lift.

My current boat had Bennet hydraulic tabs. As stated above, check fluid and make sure connections are good. They will last almost forever. I have never had an actuator go bad (blown seal). In 30+ years I may have replaced one pump.

I wouldn't recommend replacing them. Mechanically they would go in pretty easy but you need to get wires to them.

 

[blindmullet]

I have both and they have pros and cons. The Bennett's are better for boats that stay in the water and are cheap to fix. The bad part---so slow! The Lencos are great for trailered boats and much more responsive. On a small boat the footprint is much better.