I'll add to that, use W40 to get ride of the dirt before replying lubricant. At some point when break-in is done there is no dirt anymore and bearings become smooth.
What do you recommend doing for a tried 450 pro converted to belt drive? How do I maintain the belt? I got sick of stripping out torqtube gears so I swapped it to a regular 450 boom
Hi Colin, thanks for ur brill and helpful vids. The bolts that hold the main blade grips on that goes into the feathering shaft, how tight do they have to be? reason im asking is because im taking your advice and greasing the bearings, but i had my heli built for me before it were sent out "but wish i'd done it myself" but removing the bolts they were only finger tight, is that how they should be?? Thanks Matt
Hi Al, I recommend leaving them. They're greased from the factory, and the oil will wash the grease out of the bearing. After you apply oil the first time, you're forced to do it very regularly to keep the bearing lubricated. The grease will last several seasons though.
+Adolph Janssen No, I do not grease the feathering shaft on my 3D helis. Some people like to use a bit of grease in F3C or scale helis to allow the feathering shaft to move within the dampers a little bit easier.
RC Hobbyist Extreme Why do you figure that? Wheel bearing grease is made for higher pressure and tempatures than generic silicone grease. That said, I doubt you'd notice any difference in wear between the two for this application to be honest.
Colin Bell Regular wheel bearing grease is petrolium based where as the other is not. Petrolium as you know can break down certain plastics over time and can react to rubber as well as other components. Most hobby shops recommend silicone products and I myself avoid petroleum products if possible. Being a throw back from the Days of Working on Electric trains, we recommended synthetics ,especially on plastics. If you look it up, Petroleum based lubricants can damage plastics. There are many plastic parts on a RC helicopter so that risk is there. I dont go off half cocked on my reasons. Nothing personal but I would avoid petroleum products around plastics,any plastics.
You're assuming the gears are made of a certian composition of plastic, and the grease I'm using is petroleum based. I've used this particular grease extensively and can assure you it causes no harm to the plastic tail rotor gears. The material Align uses is very resilient to chemicals. Remember, they have to deal with being constantly soaked in oil from nitro models.
Colin Bell Thats the point. They ARE made of certain materials. Have you ever pulled an RC car out of storage after a few years? The oils and fuel usual have destroyed the plastics. I have seen it more times than I can count. As far as those nylon gears. If you look closely you can see cracks in the material, the material actually crumbles. Thats the oils reacting to the plastics. If you dont plan on keeping your RC stuff I guess it doesnt matter does it? I just had a guy the other day ask me about his Traxxas car. He had it in storage for 5 years. He called me back last night and informed me the condition of it was no longer worth selling. I dont make this stuff up in my head. I deal with it on a constant basis. I buy RC equipment all the time, sell, trade. Condition is everything when it comes to getting what you think something is worth, and what it is really worth. I threw out vintage HO trains a few years ago that would have been worth something, but the owner used the wrong lubricants,and used too much of it. It was kind of sad really. Live and learn I guess.
RC Hobbyist Extreme Thankfully this is not an r/c car that sits for years in fuel ;) I have 15 year old nitro helicopters that have thousands of flights on them, none of which have been ruined by the oils in the fuel. I've done a lot of trial and error testing over the last 20 years of flying these things.. I'm not BSing you when I say wheel bearing grease is best for the longevity of these particular gears. Do what you feel works best. But until you have put several hundred flights on this particular line of helis with a few different greases, there is not much evidence to back your claim. I have no experience with traxxas vehicles, so I can't comment on your findings.
i always lubricated my swashplate with 3 in 1 oil, then when i shot some electric rc motor cleaner in it, it spun around like crazy! the 3 in 1 oil was gumming up everything i put it on! i will NEVER use it again ever! you would be better off to use the spray cleaner and run it without any 3 in 1 oil. try it for yourself on any bearing!
Colin,i fly helis myself and i must say your videos are great,very thorough & well spoken which so helps.
Love Colins videos,keep them coming and a super pilot....one of the best! -Dan
I'll add to that, use W40 to get ride of the dirt before replying lubricant. At some point when break-in is done there is no dirt anymore and bearings become smooth.
What do you recommend doing for a tried 450 pro converted to belt drive? How do I maintain the belt? I got sick of stripping out torqtube gears so I swapped it to a regular 450 boom
Great tips, thanks Colin
Great tips Colin! Really appreciate them. Do you also grease the main gear? If so, what do you use?
Hi Colin, thanks for ur brill and helpful vids. The bolts that hold the main blade grips on that goes into the feathering shaft, how tight do they have to be? reason im asking is because im taking your advice and greasing the bearings, but i had my heli built for me before it were sent out "but wish i'd done it myself" but removing the bolts they were only finger tight, is that how they should be??
Thanks Matt
Use Super Lube - Silicone Lubricating Compound with PTFE - that's good stuff for plastic gears. For metal I use Tri-Flow
Hi Colin, Thanks for sharing, Can you specify the grease brand so i can locate it and buy it.
Thanks.
Great video! What about a drop of oil on the motor bearings?
Hi Al, I recommend leaving them. They're greased from the factory, and the oil will wash the grease out of the bearing. After you apply oil the first time, you're forced to do it very regularly to keep the bearing lubricated. The grease will last several seasons though.
Hi, where can I find this Grease for purchase. Thanks
Hi Colin, do you grease the feathering shaft together with the rubber grommets and why. Thanks Dolf.
+Adolph Janssen No, I do not grease the feathering shaft on my 3D helis. Some people like to use a bit of grease in F3C or scale helis to allow the feathering shaft to move within the dampers a little bit easier.
Nice video when I get my 700 I will do that for now 500 &450l :-D liked
Nice job buddy
Liking these videos. Thanks!
I fly every day not lubricated it yet but if you crash every once in a while like you should everything takes care of it self
hi ,how can i buy one??
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for the tips
thanks brother
Good tips but silicone grease would be better on nylon, not wheel bearning grease.
RC Hobbyist Extreme Why do you figure that? Wheel bearing grease is made for higher pressure and tempatures than generic silicone grease. That said, I doubt you'd notice any difference in wear between the two for this application to be honest.
Colin Bell Regular wheel bearing grease is petrolium based where as the other is not. Petrolium as you know can break down certain plastics over time and can react to rubber as well as other components. Most hobby shops recommend silicone products and I myself avoid petroleum products if possible. Being a throw back from the Days of Working on Electric trains, we recommended synthetics ,especially on plastics. If you look it up, Petroleum based lubricants can damage plastics. There are many plastic parts on a RC helicopter so that risk is there. I dont go off half cocked on my reasons. Nothing personal but I would avoid petroleum products around plastics,any plastics.
You're assuming the gears are made of a certian composition of plastic, and the grease I'm using is petroleum based. I've used this particular grease extensively and can assure you it causes no harm to the plastic tail rotor gears. The material Align uses is very resilient to chemicals. Remember, they have to deal with being constantly soaked in oil from nitro models.
Colin Bell Thats the point. They ARE made of certain materials. Have you ever pulled an RC car out of storage after a few years? The oils and fuel usual have destroyed the plastics. I have seen it more times than I can count. As far as those nylon gears. If you look closely you can see cracks in the material, the material actually crumbles. Thats the oils reacting to the plastics. If you dont plan on keeping your RC stuff I guess it doesnt matter does it? I just had a guy the other day ask me about his Traxxas car. He had it in storage for 5 years. He called me back last night and informed me the condition of it was no longer worth selling. I dont make this stuff up in my head. I deal with it on a constant basis. I buy RC equipment all the time, sell, trade. Condition is everything when it comes to getting what you think something is worth, and what it is really worth. I threw out vintage HO trains a few years ago that would have been worth something, but the owner used the wrong lubricants,and used too much of it. It was kind of sad really. Live and learn I guess.
RC Hobbyist Extreme Thankfully this is not an r/c car that sits for years in fuel ;) I have 15 year old nitro helicopters that have thousands of flights on them, none of which have been ruined by the oils in the fuel. I've done a lot of trial and error testing over the last 20 years of flying these things.. I'm not BSing you when I say wheel bearing grease is best for the longevity of these particular gears. Do what you feel works best. But until you have put several hundred flights on this particular line of helis with a few different greases, there is not much evidence to back your claim. I have no experience with traxxas vehicles, so I can't comment on your findings.
i always lubricated my swashplate with 3 in 1 oil, then when i shot some electric rc motor cleaner in it, it spun around like crazy! the 3 in 1 oil was gumming up everything i put it on! i will NEVER use it again ever! you would be better off to use the spray cleaner and run it without any 3 in 1 oil. try it for yourself on any bearing!
great stuff
The best preventative maintenance for a t-rex is a trash can.Or any other align helicopter.
ouch
we He I thank you cannot helicopter u-h33
Align helicopters are over priced junk. Mine broke before I even got to fly it.
wat heli was it?