Jackson Kayak Flex Drive “FD” Lower Drive Unit Disassembly & Reassembly
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- Опубліковано 14 лют 2020
- Breakdown and reassembly of a Jackson Kayak Flex Drive lower unit. Exploration of the components and configuration of the assembly, and discussion of problems encountered with the flexible drive shaft.
I put a 30lb trolling motor on mine. Been giving it hell at 1500rpm. Got about 15 hours on it, no issues so far. Probably way faster than the e drive motor.
Thanks for doing this video, I just brought home a new coosa fd last week, I would have thought the prop cable would have been made in the way a weed wacker was, it also looks like in the photo of the upper unit could use a little more grease, and perhaps some zirk fittings.
i got my coosa FD 2 years ago and had small issue and they send me the new drive , i have not install it yet but i hear its better then old one in many ways . few of my friend switched to the new 360 and they are draining in the tears and they are not tears of joy . i never heard " thats regular ware and tear " from jackson. if i spend $5500 on kayak and in two mouths they tell me when something brakes or becames lose i swear i gassing up my truck and extra can and burn their factory down lol . i plan on upgrading to the new Big Rig FDHD
I also have a new 2020 Hobie Outback which I love. Hopefully it will remain problem free.
My new 3D Flex Drive is noisier than the previous drive... Feels like it may just due to very close or tighter tolerances of the gearing than before. I’m hoping it will just smooth out and get better with more use. When I called Jackson Tech Support the guy told me his was the same and adding more grease resolved it. They sent me another tube and I filled the drive but it didn’t make much difference. At least not yet.
I had that grinding noise on my last two trips. When I tried to go out again, the pedals would not move. The little "gears" at the top of the cable were stuck together and would not move. I soaked just the top of the cable (with the gears) in wd40 overnight. It now turns again.
The upper unit gets the bike grease every spring, but I have never done anything with the lower unit. (2 years)
I was on the fence about the Coosa FD....I’m gonna pass and go with the Hobie.
Do you still have kayak and was the updated one trouble free?
Really interesting video, thanks for sharing! So how is the new 3D version of the drive working for you?
Also curious about your feelings since this video on the Outback vs the Coosa FD. I fish in OK and the wind is a constant issue, so bring able to work shallow cover with instant reverse is really appealing to me. So I'm put off by having to manually switch until reverse and I really don't like the Outback seat design. It sits so low (which increases efficiency I'm sure) but is a bummer for flipping and pitching, etc. Also, that kickstand design for the rear seat...not sure what Hobie was thinking was there. The bow and bow hatch design on the Outback is also throwing me (concave designs + water = problems). Do you think the Mirage Drive is good enough to overcome those issues?
Thanks! Again, really interesting video. The mechanism is less complicated than I was expecting.
My new 3D lower unit had to be replaced after a couple uses... I had used it a couple times and went out of town for a month. When I returned I found that the drive would no longer turn. Further investigation revealed that the lower unit was locked and the prop/flex drive would not turn at all in either direction. Another call to Jackson and I find that some of the first new 3D drives were not built to spec with stainless bearings... sure enough, I disassembled and found that the main bearing was rusted tight... They sent me another replacement drive. I have also used this one only a couple times but it has been left for several months and has not rusted and locked up like the last one. Fingers remain crossed...
After having and using my Outback extensively I have come to prefer it over the Jackson. I would prefer and instant reverse without having to pull a cable, but I have gotten used to it and it’s not a huge issue. I too often fish in a lot of wind, but I’m super shallow most of the time and use My PowerPole micro and or anchor pin to hold position if the pedal drive becomes too much work to hold position. The Hobie is easier for me to pedal and maintain a faster more comfortable pace that I can maintain as long as I want. I have to stop and rest my legs more in the Jackson and it doesn’t go as fast at a comfortable pace. I would not buy one without the kick-up fins as I would have broken or bent them many times in the situations I fish in...
I too did not like the lower seating position. I remedied that by making some risers and now I love the height and it did not decrease stability imo. Risers were pretty easy to make and I have a posted video of my solution.
@@flaglerflats3494 Thanks for the reply and the honest reviews! In the interim I've decided due to budget and weight I'm going with a Bite FD instead of the Coosa or the Outback. It presents some rigging challenges with the top run rudder and lack of hull access but I'm not afraid of getting creative at that price point.
I guess now Jackson is shipping some FD's with ceramic bearings so that may be in response to issues like the one you're describing. I will say that they seem to have great customer service and are slowly working out the wrinkles with this system. That helps give me a little piece of mind.
Thanks again!
Did you notice any side to side play where the prop shaft goes into the housing? Just picked up a 2017 Coosa FD and feel like there is alot of drag that resembles gears that are meshed too tightly and didn't know if that was normal or if there was a problem.
You may need to clarify for me where exactly you mean. The wound metal cable fit snugly into the outer plastic sheath that it runs through, but it’s hard to tell how loose an undamaged cable would have been. The damaged one had unwound and was a much larger diameter than usual... The metal end caps that the wound shaft ran through, and fit over each end of the plastic sheath is what provided the bearing surface and closer tolerance on each end of the flex shaft.
Now if you mean side to side play between the assembled flex shaft and the two sides of the drop-down daggerboard which the drive shaft snakes through, then it wasn’t a super tight fit. It’s doesn’t really need to be due to the design. If I grab the prop and try to move it side to side at the end of the daggerboard then I get less than a 1/16” of movement or play. I can’t feel any side to side movement at the other end of the shaft where the spider gear connects to the upper unit.
Not sure if I answered your question or went off in the wrong direction.
I will say that the new “3D” flex drive they sent does have a different sort of rough feel to it and is somewhat noisier. It feels consistent through the pedal stroke but feels like the gears are very tightly meshed together and not super smooth. Feels a little tight. Almost like it will smooth-out after I use it more. Close and tight fitting is usually better than loose and sloppy though so time will tell what’s happening where those gears mesh together. Tech support sent me another tube of grease and told me to fill the upper unit. That somewhat muffled the sound and was easy to do using those new grease ports. My concern remains with the durability of the flex shaft though and I’m not really worried about the upper gearing.
We’re there any security things that had to be broken to open the unit. I was thinking of opening mine up to clean the bearing and regrease
No, it’s just standard screws and no tamper-proof provisions. Now that’s the lower unit… The upper unit has the grease fitting for lube and isn’t supposed to be taken apart. It has a rubber gasket between the two aluminum halves which could be misshapen once removed. I would not crack that open without a spare gasket…
Very good video. I have only had my Bite FD for about a month now with the 3D drive. I never noticed the lower unit making noise until my last trip. It’s like a grinding noise but sounds like gears turning inside. It’s not the upper unit, when I take it off and spin it, it is very quiet and smooth. Have you heard this type of noise from the lower unit? Thanks in advance.
I also noticed a couple grease points on the inside of the lower unit. I have seen some small metal shavings inside and the drive is not as easy to pull up and down, I’m a little disappointed so far
My new 3D Flex Drive is noisier than the previous drive... Feels like it may just due to very close or tighter tolerances (in the upper unit)of the gearing than before. I’m hoping it will just smooth out and get better with more use. When I called Jackson Tech Support the guy told me his was the same and adding more grease resolved it. They sent me another tube and I filled the drive but it didn’t make much difference. At least not yet.
My new 3D lower unit had to be replaced after a couple uses... I had used it a couple times and went out of town for a month. When I returned I found that the drive would no longer turn. Further investigation revealed that the lower unit was locked and the prop/flex drive would not turn at all in either direction. Another call to Jackson and I find that some of the first new 3D drives were not built to spec with stainless bearings... sure enough, I disassembled and found that the main bearing was rusted tight... They sent me another replacement drive. I have also used this one only a couple times but it has been left for several months and has not rusted and locked up like the last one. Fingers remain crossed...
So another question where are the actual bearings on the flex drive?
The bearings are a press fit in the very end of the flex shaft (opposite side of the prop).
Mine is making a grinding noise from the lower unit. Any idea what it might be
Probably the bearings. I would call Jackson tech support. They need to provide the flex shaft instead of having to replace the entire lower unit like they have done for me. I have been unsuccessful getting the old seized bearings out of the old shaft on mine. Would be nice to be able to replace just the bearings so I would have a spare.
Hello, thanks for the video ! I see that you have replaced the drive shaft cable and I would like to know where I can buy the cable only, no need of the complete piece ? Thanks
You would need to contact Jackson Customer Service to find out if you can purchase just the flex drive shaft. I’m not sure that you can. When they have replaced mine under warranty they sent an entire new lower unit.
@@flaglerflats3494 MERCI BEAUCOUP POUR LA REPONCE MAIS A QUOI CA SERRE DE FAIRE CE GENRE DE VIDEO SI ON NE PEUT AVOIR LE CABLE SEUL ?
I have a big rig fdhd and the cable rod came untwisted and came out of the hpusing . I called jackson and they said they only sell the complete lower unit and its $600!!! They said they dont sell just the cable... its so frustrating after spending about $3400 for a kayak!!!!
They have replaced mine for free and without question each time I reported a problem. Are you saying that they are not replacing the lower unit for you??
How did you order a replacement
Jackson customer service replaced under warranty.
OK I bought mine from a guy so I don’t know if it has a warranty anymore
I had also purchased mine used from another individual. To my surprise the warranty still covered me. Give them a call.