KDE Direct Precision Tail Upgrades for 700 Series Helis - No More Tail Slop!

[KDE Direct]

KDE Direct has just released the Performance Tail Upgrades for the Align 450, 500, 600, and 700 series helicopters, as well as the new Aluminum Elevator Servo Mount!The new performance tail upgrades offer superior tail control and precision for all flying styles, with a precise bore for the stock brass bushing and a new flanged, radial ball bearing supported tail grip.

The best part about the new upgrades: they are a simple retrofit for the stock Align parts. No need to purchase aftermarket tail grips, hubs, or other expensive items. Rather, these are a direct replacement of the stock plastic tail control links that are known to wear and generate slop in a matter of 10+ flights. Once you install the upgrades, you will notice an immediate reduction in slop and a truly locked-in tail for your gyro to take full advantage of. Add this to the accuracy of the new Aluminum Elevator Servo Mount (no more flex and significantly improved cooling) and you have the best performance setup possible on the TREX 700 series of helicopters.

Thanks to all for supporting the KDE Direct brand!

[masu]

Got mine a while ago. It really does help on the slop of the 700 tail. Had some problems installing it but thanks to the great customer service of KDE I got it right quickly. There's still one improvement needed and that's how the tail pitch slider attaches to the bell crank. Using a link ball and a hole in the bell crank does not provide a slop free solution. There should be bearing and a screw there also. These are both good products but there's more upgrades to develop!

[Rgoh]

Hi all,

I have a set of this tail upgrade. After installing it, I took it out for a test flight. I noticed my tail had this small/minor but high frequency tail wag. Then, I removed the radial bearings and flew it again, and the wag is gone. Im flying a T700 with stock plastic hub.(Mini-G + Align DS620) My buddy whom had this upgrade flew a T600 with stock plastic hub, had tail wag too. And the wag is gone after removing the radial bearing. Anyone out there has this problem as well?

BTW, i am not bashing KDEDirect. I love their upgrades. So... is it just my friend and I?

Cheers!

[Rgoh]

No one having this problem?

[nwolsink]

I'd like to buy a few sets but I do not want the radial bearings > I use Quick UK tails.
Is that possible as well? If so please send me a PM

[heliman001]

I had quite a lot of play in the upgraded Align ally tail blade holders, so decided to fit the KDE upgrade. On the bench it it was instantly noticeable that all the slop had gone. Flew the 700 on Sunday 13th and what a difference !!. I thought my tail was good but now it is even better !
So much so that until I get used to the way it flies ( tight and quick ) I have dialled in an extra bit of expo on the rudder.
Great upgrade KDE, keep them coming

[KDE Direct]

Originally Posted by masu

Got mine a while ago. It really does help on the slop of the 700 tail. Had some problems installing it but thanks to the great customer service of KDE I got it right quickly. There's still one improvement needed and that's how the tail pitch slider attaches to the bell crank. Using a link ball and a hole in the bell crank does not provide a slop free solution. There should be bearing and a screw there also. These are both good products but there's more upgrades to develop!

My original design concept was to use radial bearings on both ends of the Tail Control Link, but there is no bearing produced that will fit on the bell crank side. I tried numerous prototypes, but none of them yielded a high-quality fit and I actually found the sleeve bushing (with the proper bore geometry) produced the best results in testing when matched to the radial ball bearing on the tail grip side. Of course, it's always worth another look - I'm continually reviewing ideas to improve my designs and future releases.

Originally Posted by Rgoh

Hi all,

I have a set of this tail upgrade. After installing it, I took it out for a test flight. I noticed my tail had this small/minor but high frequency tail wag. Then, I removed the radial bearings and flew it again, and the wag is gone. Im flying a T700 with stock plastic hub.(Mini-G + Align DS620) My buddy whom had this upgrade flew a T600 with stock plastic hub, had tail wag too. And the wag is gone after removing the radial bearing. Anyone out there has this problem as well?

BTW, i am not bashing KDEDirect. I love their upgrades. So... is it just my friend and I?

Cheers!

Sorry to hear you are having problems with a high-frequency tail wag with the upgrades installed, I haven't seen or heard this before in the field once the upgrades are installed. There are a few items that could be causing the problem:

1. Did you make sure no loctite got into the sleeve bushing/Aluminum Tail Control Link bore? There is the shoulder screw that goes through this area and you have to be very careful to not get loctite into this area, while still having loctite on the threads on the opposite side of the tail control slider. Make sense?
2. Is the Tail Control Unit completely free of any binding? There may be another source of binding (such as on the Tail Shaft interface) that is now amplified with the major reduction in slop with the new upgrades. Sometimes slop in the system will mask other problems and with the new upgrades, excellent tail control is obtained, but you have to be very diligent in making sure no binding can occur at other parts.

I hope this helps and feel free to contact me via PM or e-mail (sales@kdedirect.com) if you continue to have problems. Tail wag can be caused by so many things, sometimes it comes down to a trial-and-error process until you find the component that is causing the problem.

[rubbersoul]

Received this upgrade. One link was a little too tight for the flanged bearing. Had to tap it into place. The other one was too loose. Bearings just fall out. I don't know which is better, but will test fly today.

[BigMc70]

I had the bolt to one blade grip sheer in less then 25 flights. luckly I landed my 700 with out crashing but it tore up around 250 dollars worth on the blade ejection. The very next weekend the V1 set I had on my 600n fell apart in the air but was unable to land that one 400 dollars later its back to flying but I am running stock everything from now on. KDE makes amazing things I just don't trust this upgrade anymore.

[tldd2]

Question: on the grip bearing ugrade how does the KDE 3 x10 x4mm bearing support the grip since the stock bearings are 5 x10x 4mm. On looking a the instruction is it the axial "play" that we are removing? Since the KDE "zip" washer goes between the stock thrust bearing and the smaller id KDE redial bearing. Does the "zip" washer have a 5mm hole so it is sandwiched and in contact with KDE bearing and the stock thrust bearing?

Bearings dimensions posted above in this order of: ID, OD and Width

[Steve Graham]

Well I just solved one of the last and most enduring problems I've had with my 700N. I have always thought the tail was the worst feature on the 700. It is so full of absolutely epic engineering fails it just boggles the imagination. The very idea of the pinch screws that go into the slider yoke and ensure that the shaft will bind up if you get them anywhere close to tight demonstrates a complete ignorance of fundamental engineering principles. Especially given the vibrations and rotation speeds of these components. The fact that Align blatently ripped off Patricks design and then charged customers an upgrade fee speaks more than words ever could regarding the integrity of this company. Not that they ever admitted their engineering fail in the first place.

Patricks tail upgrades have been on my 700 since just after I got the heli a little over 3 years ago. First I put the tail grip bearing upgrades on and when the full tail slider upgrade came out I put that on as well. The problem I spoke of that I haven't been able to solve was that the bearings in the holder that the slider collar goes into kept going bad. Today I resolved to figure this out as it cost me an opportunity to do a flight demo this weekend. I finally reallized that the spacer that goes between the bearings seemed to be too thin. I dug out my bag of parts that has been steadilly growing for 3 years and found one spacer that appeared to be just a little thicker. Sure enough the spacer that KDE provides with the tail upgrade is 4mm and the original Align spacer is only 3.5mm. ONE HALF MILLIMETER! Well that was enough. It caused the bearings to bind when the slider collar was tightened into the yoke. Put the whole thing back together with red lock tight and went flying. Perfect tail.

If I haven't already been clear enough I am grateful for companies like KDE that just provide a fantastic product and first class customer service. I only wish that someday Patrick could find the resources to do a complete helicopter but I realize that is a whole new level of resource commitment.

[Rob43]

Thank you Steve for sharing this. I've had my tail apart a few times on my first 700N (a very nice used aiframe which already has Patrick's tail upgrade. My slider yoke bearings seem fine, but I will keep this in mind to eventually check it. I was battling a relentless wag issue, but this wasn't in the cause path as best I can tell. I am tempted to rebuild the slider bearing arrangement, though in order to know for sure how freely it can operate.

[Mark17]

I have just installed the complete upgrade on my 700n dfc. I do have an issue I'm trying to figure out. After installing the upgrade the whole tail mechanics felt beautifully smooth and perfect. I cleaned everything with alcohol and was very carefully when blue lock tighting all screws. The tail has been done and setting for three days before today's shakedown spin up with no blades.

After the spin up I noticed the slid yoke had completely spun itself off of the t arm, that's what align calls it. I could not, and cannot get the pinch screws close to tight without the threaded end of the slid shaft binding on the tail shaft.

I cleaning the slid yoke, used red lock tight this time and again tightened the pinch screws as much as I could until it binded on the shaft then backed off.

I'm not very confident in set up at all right now. Do you think the red lock tight will hold that much better then blue? Is there any better solution?

[Mark17]