KDE Direct's Thrust Bearings Kits for 700 and 600N

[Finless]

OK this review was some time in the making due to.... Well ummmm..... too many crashes? You'll see. Fireup had some bad luck I must say

Anyway here is some reviewage of KDE Direct's new main shaft thrust bearing blocks for the Trex 600N and 700. Have to say they sure are nice but not quite Kevin proof! I had some other guys test these this time for me to get more than just my opinion. It's good bling if you ask me and YES the thrust bearings do in fact make the main radial bearings last longer! It's a fact. Heck this is nothing new by the way Helis like Miniature Aircraft have been using thrust bearings like this for a long time.

Anyway here is a fun little review video!


VIDEO LINK -> REVIEW - KDE Thrust Bearing Blocks for the 600N and 700 (52 Megs)

Enjoy,
Bob

[snowking_141]

Great Vid Bob. But I 1 have ? for you.

WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A CAMERA ON KEVEN 24/7?

[Finless]

I have tried that! Seems when I am filming him he doesn't crash! Took me 2 years to get a video of him actually crashing.....

Bob

[TheBum]

* Deleted post *

[Finless]

Originally Posted by TheBum

* Deleted post *

Why?

Bob

[TheBum]

Originally Posted by Finless

Why?

Bob

I didn't actually watch the video and initially misinterpreted the product as an add-on thrust bearing rather than a full bearing block replacement. I was going to ask whether it would work on a Knight 3D, but obviously not. Now, if KDE would release a set for the Knight, I'd seriously consider getting it.

[vertol BV107II]

All i can say Bob is NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!





Keeep UP THE GOOOD Work





JIM

[vertol BV107II]

OPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

[KDE Direct]

BOB - that video was hilarious! Thanks again for reviewing the KDE Direct products and my wife and I were cracking up laughing towards the end. Make sure and tell Kevin we greatly appreciate the crash testing he is doing for our R&D work - I can't get my friends to match his level of committment! Everytime I ask them for crash testing, they respond back asking for my credit card number...lol

I've updated the website with links to the installation diagrams and review videos at:

http://www.kdedirect.com/InstallationDiagrams.html
http://www.kdedirect.com/VideoReviews.html

All the links can also be found on each product page, which includes more specifications and details for the design. I'll update the website tonight with this new video and some other links.

Once again - thanks Finless for all the great work!

[jimheliboy]

Originally Posted by kegerator

BOB - that video was hilarious! Thanks again for reviewing the KDE Direct products and my wife and I were cracking up laughing towards the end. Make sure and tell Kevin we greatly appreciate the crash testing he is doing for our R&D work - I can't get my friends to match his level of committment! Everytime I ask them for crash testing, they respond back asking for my credit card number...lol

I've updated the website with links to the installation diagrams and review videos at:

http://www.kdedirect.com/InstallationDiagrams.html
http://www.kdedirect.com/VideoReviews.html

All the links can also be found on each product page, which includes more specifications and details for the design. I'll update the website tonight with this new video and some other links.

Once again - thanks Finless for all the great work!

I got the bearing block upgrade for the T-REX 600E, It is very well made and adds strength to the frames.
Thanks

[syn90]

Hey Guys, I have sent KDE an email asking this question, but maybe one of you guys knows the answer. I have ordered a set of the KDE thrust bearing blocks for my 600N and as I started looking at the installation diagrams and the contents again, I noticed that there are only 2 bearing blocks in the kit. What about the third bearing block at the very bottom? I have the stock plastic ones and I was looking to replace them all, but now I'll have one that is still plastic. What is the reasoning behind only including 2 bearing blocks and do I need to worry about the third one? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I receved an email response from KDE and thought it might be usefull to post in case anyone was wondering the same thing. (I am prob the lone jackass that didn't know this........haha)

The third bearing blocks is unnecessary when using Aluminum thrusted blocks and can be removed from the assembly (reduces weight and excess parts). Align has found the third block to be redundant and all the new designs have the block removed (see the T700N, T600ESP, T500ESP, T450Pro, etc.). There is no change in performance or strength of the setup when the third block is removed.

[mapas]

Do you think that these bearings increase efficiency ? for example do they help during autos to maintain higher headspeed ?

I AM NO EXPERT but
I guess the idea is that internal race of the radial bearing is not exposed any more to vertical forces as it is supported by the thrust bearing (through the spacer).
When there are high vertical forces (e.g. full pitch climb) this will mean that the balls inside the radial bearing will not be VERTICALLY "compressed" between the inner and the outer race, so i guess they will move more freely.
However, now you need some more energy to turn the balls of the thrust bearing too.... so is that a gain ?

Of course in a crash, since the inner race of the bearing is supported by the thrust bearing you will minimise damage caused by vertical forces (e.g. when the collar will crash into the inner race of the bearing, the inner ring will not only be supported by the balls but by the thrust bearing too) ....

[c_forthofer]

Jesus, they LHS must salivate when Fireup walks in the door... Great review and, thanks to Kevin for being a good sport on film.

Chris.

[chadjay]

Kevin has to be by far THE BEST heli crasher I have ever seen! His level of commitment is just what this economy needs....GO KEVIN!

[sc204]

I just got a set for my 600E. I have 2 issues, the foward/rear cyclic arm (aluminum upgrade) hits the block. Also the lower bearings fall out when the block is put in the frame.
Anyone experience this? Is the bearing fit normal?
Thanks,
Stuart

[Gégépilote]

Hello, I have the same issue on my T600ESP. I thinks it's not compatible with Trex600ESP
Any ideas ?

[KDE Direct]

Hey Stuart,

For the 600ESP design, the forward/rear cyclic arm should not have issues clearing the upper block in most cases. Unfortunately, there have been a couple cases where clearance (~0.5% of units sold) has been an issue and I believe it's a mixture of tolerance in the part and in the frames which can cause this. I'm undergoing measurement of ten 600ESP frames and ten Upper bearing blocks to determine the appropriate tolerances and will be correcting this in future production runs. So far though, I haven't found the issue and all ten pass with ample clearance. Is there anyway you can send me an image of the problem you are having and be able to measure how much interference there is? It is probably very small, like 0.005" or 0.010" causing the binding problem - which can be solved quickly with a dremel and high-grit sandpaper if you want to fix it quickly.

The majority of the issues for pilots have been the use of QuickUK ball links, which are slightly larger than the stock Align links and will bind on the blocks.

In terms of the lower bearings falling out, this is actually the proper operation of the block, as you want the radial ball bearing to be able to "float" vertically within the housing to allow all the axial forces to be transferred to the thrust bearing. The best manner to install the main shaft is to first install the main gear case/set underneath, which will keep the bearings from falling out while the shaft/head assembly is installed. Do not use loctite on the bearings, it is ideal to allow them to float within the bore.

Hope this helps! Feel free to send me a PM or e-mail (sales@kdedirect.com) if you have any further questions.

Originally Posted by sc204

I just got a set for my 600E. I have 2 issues, the foward/rear cyclic arm (aluminum upgrade) hits the block. Also the lower bearings fall out when the block is put in the frame.
Anyone experience this? Is the bearing fit normal?
Thanks,
Stuart

[Gégépilote]

Many thanks for your reply
So, I tryed to assemble KDE bearing, and it's ok for me.... very hot... but ok
See the photo of my Trex600ESP :

[KDE Direct]

I'm glad to hear it worked out for you. The design has very close tolerances to the swing arm (< 0.5mm), which was purposeful to limit the amount of taper required on the upper block. I've received a few e-mails over the year from customers believing it will interfere (just visual inspection) without truly having an interference problem once it's properly installed.