Square drives

[T.S.Davis]

I've seen them on gas boats. Never messed with them.

Anybody using a square drive where the flex is not permanently attached to the stub? Puts all the thrust on the strut.

[martin]

Most of the rtr electric boats from HK, Hor, TFL & many others come with square drive 2 piece flex & stubs. The plus side is you don't loose the hole assembly if a flex fails or coupling comes loose, down side their a pain to remove the shaft assembly to clean & re grease as you have to remove the strut to get the flex out & also dismantle the stub & dog/prop to get the stub out of the strut. This is why most swap these flexes out for aftermarket 1 piece shafts.

[Doby]

My Popeyes have them...I like the fact that you will never loose a shaft!

[martin]

I know a lot of friends use these 2 piece shafts that came on their rtr boats & after a while they get fed up keep taking the strut of so maintainance ends up not being done. The result is if & when they do take the shaft out its red rusty, also you loose your strut setting angles each time you remove the strut.

[T.S.Davis]

Maintenance would be a pain. Didn't think of that.

[martin]

I don't think theirs many when building a boat where you have a choice of hardware would go 2 piece square drive shaft. Some might but I wouldn't.

[ray schrauwen]

The simplest way to keep strut alignment with these setups is to remove the motor that is hopefully held in with 2 bolts. That said I'd never run a 2 piece setup. I'd rather fiddle with wire drive.... No, skip that too...

[rickwess]

To make this palatable, you'd need to run linerless and figure out how to attach a grease nipple to the stuffing tube close to the collet. The rotation of the flex, combined with it's wind, would draw the grease towards the drive dog.

[T.S.Davis]

Wire is okay for a limited mono but not for P. I'm building one of each and have the two piece setups. Think one will get a full brazed cable and the other a wire.

I prefer a stinger on these instead of a strut too. I'll probably change it on both.

[T.S.Davis]

You would still have to deal with the stub lubrication. Nuisance IMO.

[rickwess]

You would still have to deal with the stub lubrication. Nuisance IMO.

That's why almost everyone changes them out.

[martin]

To make this palatable, you'd need to run linerless and figure out how to attach a grease nipple to the stuffing tube close to the collet. The rotation of the flex, combined with it's wind, would draw the grease towards the drive dog.

The problem with a grease nipple is you still have water sat in the stuffing tube that will corrode the flex, flexes need to come out to be dried before re greasing & put back into boat. Common way is to remove & dry & leave out of the boat & refit on the day your going out again. Contary to the wind of the flex grease in the stuffing tube always works its way back up the tube into the boat the same as water does. The water pressure forced into the stuffing tube is greater than any auger effect pushing the grease down the tube.

[raptor347]

I run square drives. They have their pluses and minuses. Maintenance is a little more work. You don't lose props and you don't put any thrust load on the motor bearings. It does change the handling a bit.

[T.S.Davis]

All my boats have thrust bearings on the motor mounts anyway.

[ray schrauwen]

I run square drives. They have their pluses and minuses. Maintenance is a little more work. You don't lose props and you don't put any thrust load on the motor bearings. It does change the handling a bit.

That is interesting!!!