No More Crunchy Bearings - KDE Direct Thrusted Bearing Blocks

[KDE Direct]

One of the biggest complaints on the TREX 700 Nitro has been the longevity of the main shaft bearings, which can become crunchy and poor performing even after just a few hard flights. Not only are the axial loads on the bearings extremely high, but the drag during autorotations and pitch pumping robs horsepower from the blades during many maneuevers. To address this, I'm pleased to annouce the first product from KDE Direct for the TREX 700 Nitro, the TREX 700 Nitro Aluminum Metal Bearing Block Upgrade. Check it out at http://www.kdedirect.com/700SeriesProducts.html and the product comes with all the necessary hardware to get a fully thrust-bearing supported, high-performance bearing setup for your favorite 90. :thumbup:

I hope you all enjoy this new upgrade and the aesthetics have been designed to improve upon the already great looks and sweeps of the current Align heli!

[Ludde]

Yummy :-)

[LoveMyTrex]

those look like they work like the 700 blade grips. load sits on the radial, and the inner race of the radial sits on the thrust. do you see a real difference in power with these?

[KDE Direct]

Yes, the design incorporates a bearing setup similar to the 700 rotorhead, with a fully supported radial-bearing (inner race) to prevent wear and damage to the races. We have been test flying these on multiple 700 Nitros (including a crazy-powered 12S 700E) and the performance is truly evident, which is most noticeable during autorotations due to the significantly lessened drag on the rotorhead. The big performance gain has been the longevity of the radial bearings - I removed and checked the radial bearings after 30+ flights and they felt good as new. It only took 5+ flights or so with the stock setup to notice an immediate development of notchiness and drag, which only gets worse and needs replacing soon afterwards. If I can get my video camera to start working again, I'll try and post some videos of the findings! :thumbup:

[LoveMyTrex]

ok cool thanks, now you are going to make me check my main bearings, gah.

[jgeorgic]

VERY NICE looking and well thought out upgrade from KDE

[bloftin]

:drool::drool::drool::drool:

[Helirob]

The stock radial bearings in the TREX 700 don't last very long, even when you don't crash.

Hard 3D flying brinnels the bearings from all the axial loads we put on them from all the collective pumping we do these days. Finally, we can beat our 700's to death and not worry about destroying our radial bearings since the thrust bearings will take all the axial loads.

Thanks KDE Direct for coming out with another important upgrade for our heli's :)

Oh, and by the way, your frame braces saved my my TREX 500 again this week. I have not broken my carbon fiber frames since I put on your lower frame brace and battery mount.

[HoffY]

Nice one KDE! This is tempting. ;)

[skigolfmike]

What's the availability date?

[KDE Direct]

All three new products are available now: :banana

TREX 700 Nitro Aluminum Metal Bearing Block Upgrade
TREX 500 Series Aluminum XKit
TREX 500 Aluminum Metal Bearing Block Upgrade

[LoveMyTrex]

do the bearing blocks come pre assembled with the thrusts pre greased, or do we have to press the bearing in ourselves?

[Dr.VanNostrin]

Kegerator,

Those look like really nice parts! How do you think they compare to the Kasama blocks? I just ordered a set right before I saw your post!!! (doh!)......... But.. I could always use a spare set!

Thank you for making stuff for my Bird!

Dr.V

[LITHIUMSTATIC]

Wow! Sweet!!!!

[KDE Direct]

The bearing blocks do not come assembled, as pilots have different personal preferences to the grease he/she uses in thrust bearings (the radial bearings are pre-greased from the factory). On the other hand, the bearings are easy to assemble, packaged in separate bags, and installation instructions can be downloaded from my website under each product heading (look for "Installation Diagrams" in .pdf format). The bearings designs to be installed with a very light press fit, thereby allowing the bearing to not be locked vertically to allow the force to be transferred to the thrust bearings. This allows for the best operation of the bearings and is the correct design metholodogy (heavy-duty tranmissions and axles sometimes use this setup).

As for the Kasama set, I've never seen them in real-life, so I don't have a specific comparison for you. I've designed mine to be extremely strong and light using Finite-Element Analysis optimization, so I'm confident they are very competitive on the market.

[LoveMyTrex]

if they fit fairly loose what keeps them from spinning in the block?

[Shockwave 3K]

Why was this moved to manufacturers and dealers? I understand it's the place for this but i would visit this when im looking for a new part for my heli.
Just saying...

[LoveMyTrex]

hm, looks like no one has been reading it since it has been moved. great job :thumbup:

[WillJames]

You young kids are pretty impatient. ;)

We are working on a solution to separate the spam from the ham.

[LoveMyTrex]

well this one doesn't seem to be working to well, at least now yet. I think the idea of this forum is good, but no one is using it.

[WillJames]

well this one doesn't seem to be working to well, at least now yet. I think the idea of this forum is good, but no one is using it.

Actually it is working great for the spam. As for people viewing it, they are.

[cbdane]

Wow, took me a while to find this thread. Strange that it was moved but the G-Force adjustable clutch block wasn't (also posted by a vendor)? Not questioning, just wondering.

Anyway, I received this item and it is beautifully machined. Probably the best finishing on any aftermarket part that I've bought. Looks like it may have spent some time in a ball mill or similar treatment followed by a clear anodize. Very nice. The lower bearing needs at least green locktite to hold it in so it doesn't fall out during assembly.

But, here's the main reason for my post. These bearing blocks are not compatible with the Heli-Chris 700 electric conversion frame set. They interfere with the elevator arm that needs to swing between the top and bottom blocks. Just a heads up.

[WillJames]

Wow, took me a while to find this thread. Strange that it was moved but the G-Force adjustable clutch block wasn't (also posted by a vendor)? Not questioning, just wondering.

Anyway, I received this item and it is beautifully machined. Probably the best finishing on any aftermarket part that I've bought. Looks like it may have spent some time in a ball mill or similar treatment followed by a clear anodize. Very nice. The lower bearing needs at least green locktite to hold it in so it doesn't fall out during assembly.

But, here's the main reason for my post. These bearing blocks are not compatible with the Heli-Chris 700 electric conversion frame set. They interfere with the elevator arm that needs to swing between the top and bottom blocks. Just a heads up.

Thanks for the heads-up on the incompatibility.

One of our support team members moved it and thought he was doing the right thing. We can't have everyone who makes something posting it in the heli forum or you won't be able to find the heli posts from the spam. There are even sites paying people to spam here. As I said before, in this thread we are working on a way to solve this issue, thank you for your patience, a decision will be reached soon.

[cbdane]

Thanks for the heads-up on the incompatibility.

One of our support team members moved it and thought he was doing the right thing. We can't have everyone who makes something posting it in the heli forum or you won't be able to find the heli posts from the spam. There are even sites paying people to spam here. As I said before, in this thread we are working on a way to solve this issue, thank you for your patience, a decision will be reached soon.

Everyone is doing an extraordinary job! :thumbup: I can't imagine flying helis without the support of this forum. Thanks for all of the hard work!

[WillJames]

Everyone is doing an extraordinary job! :thumbup: I can't imagine flying helis without the support of this forum. Thanks for all of the hard work!

Thank you. We now have these Aftermarket Upgrade sub-forums. :)

Thanks for hanging in there, I think this will be the best way to keep track of the legitimate aftermarket parts and allow for their makers to support you guys who are flying their stuff.:thumbup: