T-H Marine ATLAS 6 inch Hydraulic Jack Plate, Polished

The T-H Marine ATLAS 6 inch Set Back Hydraulic Jack Plate (part AHJC-6V-DP) is the polished-finish version of the industry's number-one hydraulic jack plate. 6 inches of setback, hydraulic actuation rated for outboards up to 300 horsepower or 625 pounds dry weight, the USA-made hydraulic actuator built into the plate housing, and the relay harness and rocker switch that you need to wire it up. The right jack plate for serious bass boats, flats skiffs, bay boats, and any high-performance application where engine height matters as much as horsepower.

What a hydraulic jack plate actually does. It moves the outboard up and down (and slightly back) on the transom while you're underway. Drop the engine down for hole-shot acceleration and low-speed maneuvering. Raise it up at planing speed for less drag, less prop wash, more top-end speed, and better fuel economy. Raise it all the way for shallow-water running where the prop needs to clear submerged grass, oyster bars, or sand bars. Hydraulic plates do this with the push of a thumb on the rocker switch from the helm, instead of the manual mechanical adjustments that older plates required.

The 6 inch setback is the right setback for most bass and bay boats. Setback moves the prop back from the transom, which lets the prop bite cleaner water in chop and at high speed. More setback is generally better for top-end performance but puts more rearward load on the transom. less setback puts more weight inboard but loses some top-end. 6 inches is the sweet spot for the typical 18 to 22 foot bass and bay boat with a 200 to 300 HP outboard. T-H Marine also makes 4 inch and 8 inch setback ATLAS variants for boats that need different setback geometry.

The single-piece machined housing with the hydraulic actuator built into the plate is the design innovation that T-H Marine introduced and that most competitors have copied. Older jack plates used external actuator cylinders that were exposed to the elements, hard to service, and prone to seal failure. The ATLAS integrates the hydraulic actuator inside the plate body, sealed from the elements, with the rod-and-slot lifting system that handles the heaviest engine loads in this class. Cleaner appearance, longer service life, less to fail.

The Rod and Slot lifting system is the patented internal mechanism that handles the actual lift. The hydraulic ram pushes against an internal rod, the rod engages slots in the moving plate, and the plate slides up and down on the integrated guide rails. The geometry is engineered to deliver consistent lift force across the entire travel range without binding, with the safety margin needed for 300 HP outboards over many cycles. The whole assembly is engineered for the harsh environment of the typical transom-mount install.

USA-made hydraulic actuator is the build-quality differentiator. T-H Marine builds the hydraulic actuator at their U.S. facility (their main competitors in the segment build actuators in China). The U.S.-built actuator uses higher-grade seals and machining tolerances, with the QC and warranty support that comes with U.S. manufacturing. For owners who care about where their parts come from and about long-term serviceability, this matters.

No regular grease lubrication required is the maintenance feature that owners notice over years of use. Older plates need periodic greasing of the slide rails and the actuator pivots, which is the kind of maintenance that gets skipped, which is what eventually causes the plate to seize or wear unevenly. The ATLAS uses sealed bearings and self-lubricating slide surfaces that don't need periodic grease. Install it once and it just keeps working.

Predrilled for shallow water anchors is the small feature that bass and flats fishermen love. The plate body comes predrilled with the bolt pattern for the standard Power-Pole and similar shallow water anchor mounts. Mount your anchor system directly to the jack plate without having to drill the transom or run a separate mounting bracket. Cleaner install, no unsightly hardware, no transom holes that you'd otherwise have to seal and worry about long-term.

Heavy-duty safety cable is the safety feature that the original ATLAS introduced and that has become standard across the segment. In the rare event of a hydraulic actuator failure that allows the engine to lift unexpectedly, the safety cable physically restrains the engine from coming up over the transom and into the cockpit. Without the cable, an actuator failure on a powerful outboard at speed could end very badly. With the cable, the worst case is the engine coming partway up and stopping. T-H Marine was first to add this feature, and many competitors have since copied it.

In-the-field actuator replacement is the serviceability feature. If the actuator does eventually need replacement (after years or many thousands of cycles), the design lets you replace just the actuator without removing the entire plate from the transom. Drop in a new actuator, wire it up, and you're back in service. Most other plates require complete plate removal for actuator service, which means dropping the engine off the boat and reinstalling, with all the labor cost that entails.

The polished aluminum finish (the DP suffix on the part number) is the cosmetic upgrade over the standard satin or anodized finish. Polished gives the engine a finished mirror-like appearance that complements the typical chrome and stainless of a high-end bass boat or center console rigging. Functionally identical to the satin variant. Cosmetically much more striking on the back of a clean boat.

Engine compatibility. Rated for outboards up to 300 horsepower or 625 pounds dry weight. That covers most modern 4-stroke outboards in the V6 class (Mercury 250 ProXS, Yamaha SHO 250, Suzuki 350 in some installs, the various 200 to 300 HP V6 4-strokes from all the major manufacturers). For larger outboards over 300 HP or over 625 pounds, look at the larger ATLAS Pro variants in the T-H Marine line.

Installation. Standard transom bolt pattern for most modern bass and bay boats, with the predrilled holes for shallow water anchor accessory mounting. Wire the included relay harness from the rocker switch at the helm to the actuator at the plate. Install requires lifting the outboard off the boat to bolt the jack plate between the engine and transom. Most installers can do this in a half-day for a typical install.

Limited T-H Marine warranty. Same-day shipping before 3 PM ET on in-stock units.