someones gotta know this!!! raptor 50 tail update

[Jeffs450SE]

i wa swondering what the upgade for the tail of the raptor 50 titan was for?

[capebob]

The new stainless steel rotor hub is a direct replacement for the stock aluminum hub. The new hub is secured to the tail rotor shaft by means of two set screws that go through the hub independently of the set screws that secure the tail rotor blade grips. The stock hub is aluminum and secures to the tail rotor shaft using the same set screws that secure the tail rotor blade grips. The new hub is much more reliable.

There is a little history to Raptor tail rotor hubs. The first hub "V1" secured the tail rotor grips to the shaft with long set screws. These set screws also supported the tail rotor bearings. This was a horrible design and almost everyone had tail rotor blades flying off of their machines including yours truly. The second iteration of TTs tail rotor design was actual the tail rotor grip system that was designed for the Raptor 60. It has been standard in all 30 and 50 Raptors since the original V1 tail rotor design was abandoned. This hub is secured to the shaft by the same long set screws, but the bearings are supported by the hub and not the set screw. The new or "V2" hub is much better than the "V1" but still not perfect. You would still hear of a tail rotor grip flying off from time to time. I had over 2000 flights on my Raptors and never had that happen but none the less it did to others. The new hub design works very well and why shouldn't it? It is the design that almost everyone else uses.

I highly recommend that you get that hub and I will never understand why TT doesn't use it as standard equipment. It's about $4.

Bob

[enahs]

The part number if you don't know it: PV0499. Well worth the extra few bucks.

[Jeffs450SE]

thanks for the reply. Thats the part I read abiut, they called it the SUS tail mod.

[BarracudaHockey]

I had two of them fly off, one nearly destroyed a V2, I had high hopes they would ship the Titan kits with them. I dont know why not, they added metal frame spacers around the main shaft bearings and stainless steel linkages etc, why not fix a known problem.

[ghtracey]

So for my own refernence (my Titan kit is in the mail) the first two upgrades I should get are:

PV0499 — Raptor 50/90 SS Tail Rotor Hub
PV0484 — R50SE Metal Main Rotor

What about the rest of the metal head components, grips, etc? Any other things considered "important" upgrades?

[BarracudaHockey]

Unless you want to do the whole head with a Kasama, I would say the Maverikk head block is every bit as good as the TT one and costs less. Definately do the tail hub, and consider a metal washout base.

Green paddles and hard (red or infinivation) dampeners when you progress into 3d and some decent blades.

[ghtracey]

Unless you want to do the whole head with a Kasama, I would say the Maverikk head block is every bit as good as the TT one and costs less. Definately do the tail hub, and consider a metal washout base.

Green paddles and hard (red or infinivation) dampeners when you progress into 3d and some decent blades.

The Kasama is definately on the table. The rest of the stock tail parts are fine I imagine? I see kits for complete CNC tail sets, or various other replacements parts, but I'm guessing these are mostly bling.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but its on topic. :)

[capebob]

Andy is right. The TT metal parts are way over priced and even the Maverikk heads, although better in price, will loosen in time. Now you may destroy the head before it loosens, but it will loosen given enough time. As far as I know the Kasama head is the only one that clamps to the shaft and therefore is the one least likely to loosen. BTW I've owned them all and none of them fly any better than the plastic one when the the plastic head is new. The bad news is that the plastic one is only new for about fifty flights and then it becomes a little loose on the main shaft. That doesn't affect flying that much, but it does make the heli feel a little soft and I think it makes it a little more subject to a boom strike. In other works don't expect that a metal head will make you a 3D expert.

Bob

[BarracudaHockey]

Thats true, if you want to get your helicopter to fly better, send more fuel through it.

[ghtracey]

Thats true, if you want to get your helicopter to fly better, send more fuel through it.

:lol: At lease you didn't say "If you want it to fly better, send it to me."

I'm in no rush for a metal head, I've just seen it recommended on here a lot. If its more of a "nice" than "needed" upgrade it will wait. The initial setup costs are through the roof already. :roll:

Fifty flights before replacement doesn't seem that bad to me, considering I'm a novice and really the "going soft" probably won't be noticable to me. I'll keep an eye on it for slop and at replacement time decide whether or not to upgrade. Barring any "unscheduled upgrade oppotunities" of course.

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll just grab the tail rotor hub.

[capebob]

No way a novice would need to change the plastic head after only 50 flights. The little bit of play that is developed on the head over time is for the most part harmless. The only time it's noticed is while doing extreme 3D and then it's not much. I fly my R50s pretty hard one with a plastic head with hundreds of flights and one with a Kasama head. The differences are insignificant. The little play in the head is mostly a perception problem. If it's a little loose then it must not be bad. Well, it's been my experience that that's just not so.

Save your money for fuel and when you get into heavy 3D then get a metal head that clamps on the main shaft.

Bob
Barring any "unscheduled upgrade oppotunities" of course.


No such thing. All upgrade opportunities are scheduled to happen at the most inconvenient time. :)


Bob

[ghtracey]

Cheers Bob. But don't tell the better half that, I may need to convince her that I need the bling because the other parts are wearing too fast and this will help reduce maintenance. :lol: Because, well you know, your car doesn't really NEED those chrome wheels either.

I'll stick to stock with the SUS tail until I'm confident enough to pretty it up :P

As for scheduled upgrades, well, anytime I crash will be inconvenient, since I live in northern Canada and parts will be coming from 1500 miles away.