Spider Gear Review

[forjer]

A set of the new Spider Gear was in my mailbox nestled in a USPS Priority Mail cardboard envelope when I got home today. Nice...more stuff! I had already made plans to fly today so I figured I'd just check the contents.

Here's the package that was in the package.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5277Large.jpg

And the contents.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5278Large.jpg

After flying, I started checking over the contents. Beefy! Definitely solid. The struts have sort of a crinkle coat to them that finishes nicely. Up close, the ribs that span underneath the heli's frame is a little rough on the inside of the lightening holes, but the more exposed outside of the ribs is good. The struts use a slotted spring pin as the pivot which is pressed into the strut. In between the strut and the rib is a plastic bushing. The spring pin slips through a hole in the rib and is retained via a shaft collar. There spring spans between the two struts on either side of the rib. There's another smaller spring pin in each strut which stops the spring from pulling the strut too far.

So how does the Spider Gear compare to the stock gear (see pics below)? Well...it's definitely heavier. My stock gear with screws and all (as pictured below) weighed in at 29.9g (1.06oz). Spider Gear weighed in at a whopping 123g (4.34oz). The skid diameter is .250" (6.35mm) versus the .207" (5.25mm) of the stock gear. Skid length is approximately 8.5" (216mm) versus the stock gear's 7.5" (190mm). The Spider Gear's stance is also wider coming in at 5.5" (140mm) as compared to the stock 4.5" (114mm). Ride height with the Spider Gear is also a little higher than stock at approx 1.800" (45.7mm) versus 1.70" (43.2mm) stock. With the rubber on the rear of the skids, it actually lifts the tail a tiny bit.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5281Large.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5284Large.jpg

How about a cheesy function test? I took a 13 pound power supply and set it on the Spider Gear on my counter top (with the gear's rear rubber removed). The power supply had enough mass that gently setting it on the gear would not compress the gear (stretch the springs) as shown here.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5285Large.jpg

But if I gently slid left to right, the weight of the power supply did compress the Spider Gear right around half way.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5288Large.jpg

Now is 13 pounds worth of support overkill? I doubt it. I'm sure someone with more time than I could calculate the force a little Rex can generate at full negative. Anyone? I was hoping to do some drop tests with a weight equivalent to that of an airworthy T-Rex, but I didn't have the time or the high speed camera which would have made it much more interesting.

Assembly was straight forward even though there were no pictures or instructions included. I mean come on...it's landing gear. How tough can it be? After removing the stock gear, I lined up Spider Gear's bottom plate to the T-Rex's landing gear mounting holes and they lined up nicely. The plate did have a slight bend to it most likely from shipping, but was easily straightened. I pre-assembled skids to the strut assemblies and starting with the rear strut, I ran a screw through a rib, through the bottom plate and threaded it into the frame. Oops...looks like I gotta cut a zip tie that I have wrapped around down there. No biggie. Three more screws and the the strut assemblies are secure to the frame. Then, with the skids loose, I slipped the rubber skid ends in place along with my heaviest battery and the canopy to check CG. I didn't check CG before removing my old gear, but I'm pretty sure that my CG shifted slightly forward. Not a problem though as the skids can be slid fore and aft to help balance the Rex. Last step, secure the skids via set screws. Be sure not to tighten the set screws too firmly as the aluminum skids mar easily. And don't forget the thread lock! Oh, and the Spider Gear also had a nice spot to mount my whip antenna.

So...how does it look? Judge for yourself.

Before

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/dCIMG5279Large.jpg

After

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/eCIMG5292Large.jpg

Before

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/fCIMG5280Large.jpg

After

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/gCIMG5289Large.jpg

And more!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/hCIMG5290Large.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/iCIMG5293Large.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/jCIMG5295Large.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/kCIMG5294Large.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/lCIMG5297Large.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/mCIMG5299Large.jpg

Overall, the gear definitely feels solid. The articulations work well on the bench and the spring rate should provide ample shock absorbsion to help cushion a bird from potential peril. This does come at a cost of weight though. No flights yet. According to the 10-day, I may not be able to fly till Thursday due to wind. I need a big shed!

More to come after a few flights. Thanks for the cool gear design Matt!

[xgearheli]

forjer, thankyou for the review so quick, get it in the air! One thing i forgot to mention is that I intended these to be used with the stock align rubber skid stops as well.

And before i get flamed for the weight of these again, I need to remind everyone that these are intended as the next step after training gear where weight is not going to be an issue, at my skill level I don't notice a difference between the stock gear and these.
The hot shot 3d pilots shed everything they can for power to weight ratio and when they crash, there isn't any landing gear thats going to do them any good as they are most likely going to total their heli. but a revolving (newcomers to intermediate)60%+ of the pilots can use and enjoy these gear knowing that their heli is going to stand alot more chance of not damaged nearly as many parts when they do land hard or do bad autos. Who wants to repair a rotor head just because a landing gear broke causing a roll over?

[xgearheli]

One other thing for future shipments, I'll protect the whole thing with bubblewrap inside the bags. Forgot the post office likes to smash things

[Cobra1002]

I also recived my Spidergear yesterday. Got home to late last night to do anything with them. So I got up @4:30 AM to put them on my bird.

Installation was relatively smooth. A very solid feel. These things are lighter than I had expected. The spring seems a little heavy. I am wondering if I should put a lighter set of springs on them

Later, I was able to sneak away from the office for a little while to a local field and get them in the air. My bird never even noticed the difference in wieght. I intentionally dumped the throttle froma about 18-24" form the deck to see how they handled the impact. I was landing on a hard piece of rubber matting I placed on the grass. These things work like a charm!

[xgearheli]

Cobra, glad you like them, feel free to experiment with your springs, thats the one bad thing about production work, it has to be made to fit the average person and not custom tailored for each individuals needs. I think that i'm pretty close with the spring that i chose for the job. For everyones info in case they lose or break a spring. The spring measurements are .250 dia x 1.5" x .032 wire diameter. Initial tension is 1 lb and the rate is 8.5 lb

[forjer]

Today would have been the perfect day to test out the gear if I had a beater heli...or someone else's. The wind has been gusting to 35 or 40 all day and I'm sure I would've slammed the Rex down. I'm just not sure that it would've been right side up! ;)

[forjer]

Well the wind died down...all the way to 15 mph so I figured, "What the hay...might as well run to the park."

I threw in the stock Align pack to start, flew around a bit, threw in some loops... So far I didn't really notice the extra weight. Did mostly FFF with some BIG loops with a bit of a "hang" at the top. Timer went off. Upon landing I like to come in fairly hot from the side and as the heli appraches, turn tail in, stop and land. Well...as I turned tail in and flared, the low voltage cutoff started kicking in and the heli quickly lost altitude and settled to the ground a little hard, but not bad.

I flew another pack as the sun was approaching the horizon and somehow decided y to throw my first flips! Ended up doing a couple dozen with one 3-in-a-row heart-attack! The backs were way more stable than the front. Anywho...I almost got a chance to really test the new Spider Gear as around the 6.5 minute mark, I lost orientation about 100' straight out and it was on its way down. I was about to hit the TH when I saw the Rex shoot right which allowed me to correct and power out! Needless to say, I then landed.

All in all, I didn't notice the extra weight of the Spider Gear during flight. I'm guessing this was because I've only flown for 2 months. And being in MN, there's not a lot of opportunity to fly without freezing in February and March. Today was the warmest I had flown in...52 deg F.

What I can say, is this gear is heavier than stock, and probably the majority of the other gear out there. Also, my Align pack has never hit the LVC at 7 minutes before today's maiden on the Spider Gear, but then again, I've never flown as hard as these last two flights so that could quite easily be a contributor.

My opinions...with my mechanical background, I like the workings of the gear. I like the looks of the gear and it looks at home on the Rex...the crinkle coat sorta goes along with the CG theme of the Rex.

Bottom line...I'll be flying this gear until I prove that I can pound the heli out of my Rex without crashing, or untill I get confident enough that I want to start shaving weight.

When I get my first hard "landing", I'll be sure to post up the results.

[forjer]

It seems this weekend has taken a toll on many helis, and mine was included. Saturday I had my first real crash.

Things were going good. My first flights with the Spider Gear were on the 16th. By the time I crashed (the 19th) I was doing flips, rolls, stationary rolls, some sort of sideways sweeping loops, half-a$$ed tick-tock attempts, and loop, flip or roll to a couple seconds of inverted. Wasn't there a thread around here about flying beyond your limits? Anyway, this flight was no different...except I got that feeling that someone was watching me. So naturally I was feeling confident (cocky) and was about 5.5 minutes into a stock Align 22C pack when I entered a stationary roll a little off kilter. Now I don't know exactly what happened, but next thing I know I'm 30" up, upside-down, and headed towards terra-firma. I'm pretty sure I was assisting it on its way with some collective...the wrong collective. I managed to get it right side up under 10' from the dirt and commanded full collective once more but it was coming down too hard, the battery was too weak, and I wasn't completely level. It hit really hard at about a 40 degree nose down angle...and bounced off the Spider Gear. Right as it bounced, I hit the TH and it rebounded about 5' and settled down nicely on the gear. I pulled off the canopy and looked at wreck.

All in all, the heli wasn't too damaged.

With the Align pack, I run it forward on the tray for balance. It took a pretty good hit and got lightly taco'd.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/0419081745Large.jpg

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/0419081745aLarge.jpg

From the top, you can see the Spider Gear took a pretty good hit. They are now swept back.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5302Large.jpg

Bent boom.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5304Large.jpg

Bent mainshaft and most likely spindle.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5305Large.jpg

Here's a bottom view that shows the ribs of the gear not so straight as well as showing the frame stiffener. The stiffener is key. It really helps spread crash forces out.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5306Large.jpg

I had to remove the canopy as it was still intact and in place. It has a couple cracks in the paint and some small bites out of it where the base of the canopy rests against the frame. Oh...and grass stains along the entire bottom.

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/mtn_lvr/RC/T-Rex%20450SE%20V2/Spider%20Gear/CIMG5319Large.jpg

The Spider Gear took the brunt of the blow and sucked it up nicely. I mean, that thing hit the ground hard at about a 40 degree angle, and aside from the gear, it's a mainshaft, spindle and a possibly toasted pack. I'll may also be replacing the main bearings. The Align pro wood blades didn't even get damaged! Nor did the frame, ESC, or flybar.

Someone else may be able to chime in here, but I'm pretty sure that if I had stock gear or possibly some other more flexible gear, that I might be replacing the frame or ESC.

X-Gear is standing behind their product and shipping me another set tomorrow. Thanks to the Spider Gear, my crash only cost me $9 if the pack is still good.

Oh...I almost forgot to mention that the hit was hard enough to nearly rip the gyro off the boom block so I guess there's another 50 cents for some foam tape.

[Moreflying]

Crashing vibes were in the air this weekend..Well, we know our numbers out there. We fix em and flying some more. I like the gear, looks good. BTW that canopy looks pretty good after the crash. Mine looks a bit more on the ragged side.

[xgearheli]

Jeremy, Your new gear will ship out tomorrow, maybe i should send you a steel set:). I am glad that they did their job for you even if it costs me a set of gear, I want customer satisfaction to be absolutely number one. Make sure to tell all your buddies about it. Customer satisfaction is going to be the number one driving force behind this new company. Again, thankyou all for your business and belief in my product.

[Grant_beltcp]

Will these be available in the UK any time soon?

[xgearheli]

hi, I am looking for dealers worldwide right now, but in the meantime, you can order direct from me, the total including shipping via priority international mail is $58.99 in U.S. Funds

[xgearheli]

$58.99 US = 29.78 GBP at todays exchange rate

[x RayoVac x]

Is there any right or wrong to which direction you mount the spider gear? I just got mine this weekend and put them on opposite to what Forjer did. I liked the springs to the inside.

Should I change it???

[xgearheli]

rayo, no, there is no right or wrong way, the only thing you are changing is the length between the front and rear arms, the skid length and position pretty much determine the stability, be sure to send pics!

[iflynething]

I have considered these. I want to know about the weight and how that will affect 3D performance.

They look freakin sweet as hell but still want some performance. I was thinking about the other gear set that doens't have the springs. They look a little bit lighter.

I"m sure only ounces, but it will make a difference on a helictoper this small

~Michael~

[xgearheli]

ifly, click this link, its a video on you tube showing that they don't hurt 3d, a customer posted this video on there, its hard to identify them as the spider gear, but i do promise that it is them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXI8_FLmrF4

[toypilot]

Thumbs up for this product ! I have a set installed on my E325 and I know it saved my heli from any damage after a hard slam strait down on asphalt the other night. They don't seem to do much until you hit the ground hard with them and that is what I like. Will be getting a set for my T-rex 450 XL.

Dave

[netsailor]

And the germans likes the SPIDER Landing Gear to. Works great, looks good. Nice Product ;-)
Greeting to Matt from Xgearheli
Achim