Word of Warning, Thread Lock ! ! ! !

[Nigel142]

Hi All
I have just been setting up my used Hurri for the last couple of weeks and tonight was the night. I got her in the garden, all seemed fine, getting nice and light on the skids, just doing a last few bits of trim, when WHALLOP, :dontknowshut her down and one tail rotor was laying on the grass :thumbdown:.
On damage check up, boom had turned slightly in the frame and a broken tail pitch slider:shock:.
It turn out that the (previous owner,s) screws that secure the tail grips to the tail hub had not had "thread lock" "screw lock" applied.
The "Word of Warning" is if a metal screw contacts a metal part "THREAD LOCK IT"
"SCREW LOCK IT"
I think I was very lucky, if I had been, well do I need to go further ! ! ! !.

This may have been covered before but anyway it always helps as a reminder.

Cheers
Nigel

[Navajo31]

Too bad Nigel,

Hope you dont have to wait too long for replacement parts.
I lost part of a CNC head once (E-sky belt CP) due to lack of tread lock.

[chrise2]

My motor has come loose in mid flight. Twice. I lost three frame screws on the maiden of my Trex 450. I use thread lock now. :)

[JaggedEdge]

I've been using split lock washers on the motors for both my helis for some time now. No problems.

[bobbybe]

i was fixing my brother's belt cp and forgot to thread lock where the ball-links screw into the swashplate and when i was trimming it out it all the sudden went full right cyclic and wham!! lets say i never forget the t.l. anymore

[mysticmead]

after all the videos done by finless...and the countless times he's said to thread lock... it still happens.. hopefully anyone that reads this will understand.. if you get a RTF heli...or a used heli... take that sucker apart and make sure the metal to metal screws have loctite applied...

the OP got real lucky... when dealing with a heli in this size and larger it's even more important... these things can KILL you... not just smack... not just bruise.. but kill... a flying tail blade is like throwing a knife... 500mm blades are like big dull machetes

[truraza]

That thread lock that comes in a stick like a lip balm dispenser rocks! It's 248 blue and keeps from getting on everything...

I like to stick a few screws in it when am assembling.

[rotorhead58d]

after all the videos done by finless...and the countless times he's said to thread lock... it still happens.. hopefully anyone that reads this will understand.. if you get a RTF heli...or a used heli... take that sucker apart and make sure the metal to metal screws have loctite applied...

the OP got real lucky... when dealing with a heli in this size and larger it's even more important... these things can KILL you... not just smack... not just bruise.. but kill... a flying tail blade is like throwing a knife... 500mm blades are like big dull machetes

wisely spoken.

[xodarap1]

Yeah, these things can kill.. even if parts don't fly apart. Vibration with or without thread lock is a powerful force.

I'm not sure if this info will be helpful to anyone, but I like to use a little bit of whiteout applied with the tip of a toothpick to one side of the head of a fastener that matches another small similar mark on the frame. That way i can do my pre and post flight checks and at a quick glance and see if any of the fasteners have moved at all.

The whiteout is easily removed during maintenance and it does't damage the frame or parts.

[mysticmead]

that's also a great way to mark which screws have had loctite applied... that way you don't miss one :D

[Nigel142]

Too bad Nigel,

Hope you dont have to wait too long for replacement parts.
I lost part of a CNC head once (E-sky belt CP) due to lack of tread lock.
I should have known better, some months ago exactly the same thing happened with my HBK2, then there was NO :) damage, just screw the blade back in with thread lock this time.

Nigel

[rotorhead58d]

been there, done that nigel. :arggg: