Worst case scenario: How much is the torque tube hanging on

[marked23]

The boom clamp is 2.090 deep to the step. The front transmission shaft u-joint coupler sticks out .517 from the step.

The radial posts of the tube drive, when the other end is fully seated in the tail u-joint coupler are .375 deep into the tube. That means that if the tube drive is fully seated in the tail, and the boom in fully seated in the front, then the front posts are only hanging on by .142

Is that enough?

I have to imagine that the torque tube finds its own place to settle in, but should I make sure it starts out at some point in the middle?

-Mark

[DavidH]

Yes there is some endplay in the torque tube if the boom is fully seated to the ridge that is now in the boom clamps. The torque tube is engaged enough in the couplings on each end, even if it moves to the extreme one way, it is not going to disengage from the other end.
The problem with pushing the boom all the way in as far as you could if the ridge was not in the boom clamps. Is that when the torque tube would start spinning is that it would bow and flex inside the boom. That is the reason the ridges are in the boom clamps to fully seat the boom against when installed. Before the ridges were added to the boom clamps the standard procedure was to push the boom in as far as possible and then pull it back out 2 or 3mm. The boom clamps with the ridge now take care of that procedure and you just push the boom into the clamps till it stops against the ridge.

David

[marked23]

Ahh, that's interesting. I didn't realize that this part had been revised. I had heard about the "pull it back out" trick from someone at the field. He must have the older version. I read in the instructions not to pull it back out, and so I didn't.

Thanks,

-Mark