RunRyder - anyone ever repaired stripped ball link??

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Main Discussion > anyone ever repaired stripped ball link??

concept1
Key Veteran
Location: Youngstown, OH

has anyone tried to fix a stripped metal ball link on your mixing arms?
I had a unsuccess auto rotation on sunday, and thought i only cracked my landing gear, but after a 2 minute flight yesterday, one of my ball links pulled off on my pitch. ever see a heli fly with one good rotor? WOW, luckly i was landing and only 3 feet high, anyway I toasted a boom. I have upgraded the arms with brearings and hate to buy a complete new set but not sure I want to risk glueing the bolts back in or something.

the screws only go in about 1/2 through the threads so if i get a longer bolt their will be something to grab but their may be slop in the end closet to the ball. I know its best to replace, but its been snowing and crappy here and now it going to ba a good week, just hate to let it sit now.

thanks

04-09-2002 Over year old.

Waldo
Veteran
Location: Middle of the corn patch (Iowa)

With R/C airplanes I use what ever I can find to keep flying. With helicopters I order new parts and ground the beast until it's fixed right. My advice is replace the part.

[b]Bill[/b]

04-09-2002 Over year old.

Jared
Heliman
Location: Hickory NC

When I find myself in the same situation, it usually results in more sitting time later. It stinks to have to sit through a good week of weather, but how much would it stink to fly tomorow, crash due to part failure, sit out the week anyway, and have to replace boom, blades, etc? One time I flew my raptor with a substitute screw that was too short and some JB weld to keep it in place. The result was a loss of fore/aft cyclic control, and a very spectacular crash. Luckily I didn't hit anything other than the ground.

Option one: sit out week, and buy new part. Option two: sit out week, buy new part, and buy several other parts. The call comes into play when you have to decide whether your part will cause a crash or not. I'm not familiar with your helicopter, but if the part you are using is metal, are there any options for using a larger bolt with a freshly tapped hole, or perhaps a bolt with a nut on the other side?

04-09-2002 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

concept1
Key Veteran
Location: Youngstown, OH

well actually, i can order the new part, i have upgraded to metal mixing arms, but the one part that actually goes to the pitch is a hard plastic composite. and metal balls screw into it. I did find the old stock plastic parts and replaced for now, but do not like all the slop in them. so for now I will probably order a complete new set, and have extras. so hey whats another $20 when this crash cost landing gear, boom , rotors already, right?

thanks, figured thats what i'd do

04-09-2002 Over year old.

GMPheli
Veteran
Location: W. Bridgewater, MA USA

If you have enough room on the other side, use a long bolt and put a nut on. If you are concerned about balance, then do the same on the other side.

Alan

04-09-2002 Over year old.

concept1
Key Veteran
Location: Youngstown, OH

Alan,
i have plenty of room, the arm is about 1/4 thick and the ball only screws into it about 1/8 so still have 1/8 threads left,so i can put in a longer bolt, but i'm affraid the threads that stripped out will leave slop in the hole and the ball will wiggle under pressure? if this happenes I'm sure the ball will pull out

04-09-2002 Over year old.

concept1
Key Veteran
Location: Youngstown, OH

I just had anouther thought, the balls have a short neck on them, not just round balls, what if i drill out the hole in the arm to 1/8, just deap enough for the neck to fit in. so the neck fits into the hole and this should elimiate the slop, if i do both sides, this may be better than the way it is set up now. the balls should be more secure. I don't think i need the off sets the neck gives????

what are the thoughts on this?

also what does everyone use for loc- tite on plastic, I never use it for plastic parts but always do on metal, or nuts

04-09-2002 Over year old.

FlyinBrian
Veteran
Location: USA

Hi,

Unfortunely I had the same thing happen to a nexus a few years ago (it was at 100ft though). If you own a kyosho model check all the screws holding balls on, most of them are way too short.

You could probably fill the hole with thick ca and tighten the ball and screw down, once it set up it would probably be as hard as the plastic that was there.

To be honest I replaced mine with a used one I had on hand + some longer screws, along with the landing gear and boom (sheared the gear and the boom bent down from the impact).

For the fun of it send it back to great planes support along with a list of parts you had to purchase, there only one state between us and them so it should'nt take too long to get back. Include a detailed letter explaining what happend and you expect "all" the parts replaced since the crash was caused by a mis-engineered part.

04-09-2002 Over year old.

concept1
Key Veteran
Location: Youngstown, OH

yep, im running out to a new hobby shop north of here tonight, its supposed to have heli parts, unfortunatly nothing here locally for heli's. but im going to get some longer bolts for everything, i went home for lunch and tried a longer bolt and sinkingin the ball neck into the arm, it looks real good, can't even wiggle it. and it doesn't seem to interfear with anything. think it is better than original, but going to CA it also.

anyone see a reason not to do this???

04-09-2002 Over year old.

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