Bearing upgrades?

[madeye]

Just I realized that I lost the Y support bearing (haven't heard the sound from up close, could've been flying like that for a while).

Wonder what other bearings need to be checked at this point? Do the pinion bearings share the same fate as the Y support one at comparable time?

Belt guide pulley bearings have comparable RPM, but they won't have the same shear force acting upon them, does this sound right?

Tail rotor shaft bearings, on the other hand, will, but they're bigger, are they a point of concern?

And the $64,000 question is - does it make sense to upgrade bearings as they fail? If yes, what to? And what's a good place to get them from?

[Aryemis]

I wouldn't change any other bearings unless you have 200+ flights on your current bearings.
The pinion bearings pretty much never need changing (since they are only used when the OWB is freewheeling) we use them for the Y usually since they are the same size and the ones in the Y tend to go bad really fast.

You could check the guide pulleys and tail rotor bearings for notchiness though.

The bearings should easily last over 200 flights (unless you crash), except the Y support bearing.

These guys have good enough bearings at reasonable prices : http://avidrc.com/product/1/bearings/
Otherwise boca bearings is top quality, but it's expensive too.

I've personally stuck to the MSH ones so far because I haven't been able to find them at a reasonable price here in France.

[crickr1]

The Y support ,tail shaft,and tail idler are the bearings I find wear most often, otherwise rest hold up well. The Y support can be a bit of a pain, if the motor is not set properly you will experience premature wear. After motor secure with belt adjustment, and y support snug but not tight, I will spool up slightly, blades off of course, to help center/seat y support before I tighten it. Also couple drops of oil every 5-10 flights. I use scorpion motor oil on that as well as upper motor bearing, and idler bearings.
GOing to try the new Lynx Y support as it is aluminum and suppose to help dissipate more heat from that bearing

http://www.msh-direct.com/products/m...n-support.html

As far as replacement bearings, I typically use Bocca but they do not make that size