Main shaft grease ?

[tomatwalden]

Do most people put grease on their main shafts? In the manual for my Align 500 it only shows grease as being required on the one-way bearing (and the thrust bearings). Somehow to me though, this just feels wrong! What about where the slashplate moves around the main shaft for example? Or where the mainshaft passes through the main frame (though maybe this is covered by the radial bearings in the top and bottom brackets?

For the amount of spinning metal - I somehow think there should be more lubrication than shown in the build manual!

.. or am I worrying unnecessarily?

T

[heathy]

Main shaft grease ?

Tom. No. Don't use grease here! The bearings do that job. If you have to lube the swash / tail shaft. It only picks up sh1t anyway.

[tomatwalden]

Cheers mate. Now you say it, makes total sense!

[heathy]

Main shaft grease ?

Tom. Silicone grease on dampers / feather shaft. Thrust bearings main and tail. I would leave the swash and maybe check what others have experienced with your heli. I know some say to use tri flow on it and others say not to. I have also cleaned the grease out of my one ways and soaked in tri flow too.
Other than that best left alone.

[Gixxer]

It's metal against metal, regardless of whether or not the shaft is running in a bearing, the swash also slides on the main shaft... it should be lubricated.

[heathy]

Main shaft grease ?

Not with grease though. Get some tri flow Tom.

[Jamez]

Nitro or electric.. if it's nitro the oil from the fuel that liberally coats the heli after flying will do that nicely. If electric maybe a light spray of ptfe dry lube or silicon. Problem with grease is it picks up particles of dust and grit etc and will do a nice job of wearing away the shafts and bearings ....

[tomatwalden]

It's electric. Looks like I'll be ordering some lube ...

[Chris Boughton]

I use 3 in 1 on the main shaft of my electric, on the nitro i dont bother as it gets coated in nitro oil For the feathering shaft and dampers i use robbe silicon grease

[Jamez]

Yeah after re reading you did say it was a 500 sorry

[dani_r]

Main shaft grease ?

Tri-flow for me

[Rich_H]

Maplins Silicon Grease, does the trick!

Rich

[Gixxer]

Maplins Silicon Grease, does the trick!

Rich

Similar to what I use... spray on silicone grease with PTFE

[tomatwalden]

Cheers all. I definitely want to lube the main shaft somehow - just don't like the idea of metal on metal with no form of lubrication. I'll hopefully pop over to maplins tomorrow in town to see if they've got anything ptfe based that I can use.

Ta. T

[Delarado]

nothing for me. No issues so far on electric!