Maverick or Stock Belt?

[fr4nk1yn]

A lot of guys at the LHS use Maverick blades.
I noticed a Maverick belt an. d asked about it once anthem counter guy said the Kevlar belts were great.

I think its time for a belt so was going pick it up until Idid some searching and saw they fray and break?

Is that an common issue or just an odd one for a few people?

Plan on picking one up later tonight. Thanks.

[Montana]

I had trouble with losing teeth on the Align belt but I don't have that problem with Mavrikk. I have snapped two Mavrikk belts- one in a crash and one in a hard landing with tail rotor contact with terra firma. I used to have problems with fraying, too, but some random tweak seems to have fixed that. The Align belts seem "harder" and the Mavrikk belts seem more "supple."

This question comes up fairly often but I think the consensus is that Mavrikk belts are better.

[flerpie]

Originally Posted by fr4nk1yn

A lot of guys at the LHS use Maverick blades.
I noticed a Maverick belt an. d asked about it once anthem counter guy said the Kevlar belts were great.

I think its time for a belt so was going pick it up until Idid some searching and saw they fray and break?

Mavverik belt, or kevlar belt? Which are you asking about?
I looked @ Mavverik belts and it did not say it was a kevlar belt.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

For kevlar I get mine from flying-hobby.

http://www.flying-hobby.com/shop/ind...hi8r213lkri5g6

Originally Posted by fr4nk1yn

Is that an common issue or just an odd one for a few people?
Plan on picking one up later tonight. Thanks.

I haven't heard of a kevlar belt fraying but that may not mean anything.
The belt in the above link costs $6.50 - less than a troo bloo Align belt.
Try it yourself since it's cheaper anyways!

[Montana]

"Will not fray or snap."

Is there a prize for snapping it?

[fr4nk1yn]

The counter guy said the Maverick was Kevlar. I took his word for it, I've done no research on that. So I'll assume its not Kevlar but still "good"(?).

[flerpie]

Originally Posted by fr4nk1yn

The counter guy said the Maverick was Kevlar. I took his word for it, I've done no research on that. So I'll assume its not Kevlar but still "good"(?).

That's exactly what I assumed. A good belt, but not kevlar.
I've tried to find the manufacturer's website and confirm it
but I couldn't find it. You'd think that if it had kevlar in it
then they would say so.

I'm also interested in static electricity discharge which
I think happens with a kevlar belt. They use different
rubber in the belt which doesn't make staticE.

Wish I could find some real tech specs on these belts.

[airjawed]

Back when I ran a belt on the tail I did use the Mavrikk for a long time. It was a great belt compared to the align. But then align improved their belt as well. Then I ran the align belt and it was just as good.

You'll notice that all the complaints for the stock belt were from a while back. I don't see much being said these days since align has changed the belt design/materials.

[fr4nk1yn]

My stock belt still seems "strong" pulling it,but the Maverick belt is tighter with no adjustment so the old belt must been stretched.

Thanks for the replies.

[DirtyDan92]

I got my V2 with a maverick belt, and after about 12 flights, it snapped on me in mid flight. Wasn't even flying 3D at the time that it happened, just flying pattern and doing some hovering when it snapped and sent the heli into a violent piro. Luckily I was able to work it down with the throttle (which I now refer to as UFO'ing) and it didn't cause any further damage to the heli. I replaced it with an align belt, and have since had at least 40 flights on it without any issues.

[zen]

I have used Align belts for years without any issues. The teeth can be stripped in bad crashes if you don't cut the power at the right time but in normal flight and properly adjusted they last a long time.

[WBFAir]

Not trying to bash Maverick here and you can take this for what you want but I remember a year or two ago I went with the Mavericks as everyone said they were so strong over the Aligns but at the time I think that could be said about just about any aftermarket belt.

But I found that the Mavericks would break on every crash I had too.

After one crash and having it break in several places, I decided to take a section and just with my fingers pull on in and I was able to snap the thing with almost no effort and then I tried the same on several other places and was able to do the same, and it was not a old or well used one either.

After loosing several of these and then seeing this and as for me nothing sucks worse then the work of having the replace a belt that really should need to be replaced from just a minor crash I decided to go with the XD-Belt from Tech Model Products: http://www.tech-mp.com/trex_450_parts.php

(its the dark orange one about 80% down the page)

With this belt I have yet to break one nor has anyone else at my club where they get used exclusively on our 450's.

The belt is needs no lube and is very flexible but still very strong.

Personally I wouldn't use anything else.

[DonDuc]

+1

on the failure pattern of the Mavrikk belts see this thread: https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=126120

P.S. it may have changed in the meantime but stay alert !

[fr4nk1yn]

The maverick belt is installed and the heli is going in a fuselage.
You guys are scaring me now ):

[Montana]

I've never had a Maverikk belt snap except on a crash or when hitting my tail rotor on the hard ground on a hard landing. I've also never lost teeth on an Align belt except for the same reasons. Yet, I still prefer the Maverikk belt.

I'm no pro, but since I crash and also hit my tail rotor on the ground more often than the experts maybe, ironically, I'm more of an 'expert' on this. Ha ha.

No, j/k, but I do prefer the "suppleness" of the Maverikk belt.

Either way, I wouldn't be afraid.

[flerpie]

For any part you can find a handful of people that have a bad experience.
And you can find an equal handful that glow about it.

I have yet to see any real data on kevlar...maverik or stock belts.
Let alone anyone that really knows about static electricity buildup.

I prefer a belt that states made with kevlar.
I have not seen this statement about maverik belts.

Wish I could do a belt blowout/showdown and put these belts
on a tension thingerdoodle and see what the actual break point is.
And run them through a Van DeGraff generator for static buildup measurements.

Ya pay the $ ya take your chances.
I buy belts that state kevlar since I have nothing else to go on
with any real data.

[BTB]

I ran the maverik belt for a while but I didnt like it. people spoke about how good they were and that they didnt fray which was not true in my case. after about 15 flights the belt started to fray and put little yellow hais all over the drive train and increased the amout of noise the heli made during flight.. I took a friend to spot for me before and after the belt change and as soon as the heli spooled up and took off the first thing he said was why doest the heli sound like that? told him it was a new belt and he said the heli sounded strange now. after I switched back to the align belt the funny noise went away and I have never used the two maverick spares I have left.

[BTB]

Originally Posted by flerpie

Mavverik belt, or kevlar belt? Which are you asking about?
I looked @ Mavverik belts and it did not say it was a kevlar belt.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

For kevlar I get mine from flying-hobby.

http://www.flying-hobby.com/shop/ind...hi8r213lkri5g6



I haven't heard of a kevlar belt fraying but that may not mean anything.
The belt in the above link costs $6.50 - less than a troo bloo Align belt.
Try it yourself since it's cheaper anyways!

Flerpie Fh doent say that the 450 belt is is made of kevlar. they sasy it a higher quality rubber, the 250 upgrade belt says its make of kevlar fibers. http://www.flying-hobby.com/shop/ind...oducts_id=5828 Im going to order some kevlar belts for my 250se to see they last longer than the stock align belt.