Telling on myself... DUH moment... :-)

[coupe1942]

Yesterday, I was playing about with installing a motor onto the gearbox assembly for one of my planes. The gearbox comes unassembled in the package and no instructions as to what every screw or washer is for and how they all go together. A while back I had asked as to the assembly order at different web sites and had various responses and even one photo. I tried going through my photos to see the precise assembly of the various parts, but could not locate it. Time and again I searched through the tons of pics, but could not locate the elusive photo I needed. I then had the bright idea to simply return to old posts and see if I could track down my original one. I went to various web sites and spent quite a bit of time in re-reading older posts and usually having absolutely no luck in the various search engines tracking any word string for me............... drum role...........ta, ta, ta, ta, ta.......

The ah, ha moment or DUH moment finally arrived after all of this searching. I have a couple of Bixler planes and a couple of SC planes. For some odd reason or brain dysfunction, I was looking through all the piles of info on the Bixlers, but the gearbox assembly was for my SC, instead. Whoa, stupid me! The light bulb finally went on and I found the information with ease after that. Got my motor and gear box, plus some firewall mods made to the orange SC. I guess I can't say it was all wasted time and effort, as it is always good to re-read things in becoming familiar with these RC planes. At least I know now that the Bixlers don't have the gearbox as the SC does. :-)

Anyone else have a DUH moment in working with these planes?  Want to share or am I the only one?  :-)

[jklong03]

I once spent over two hours on the Internet trying to find motors that had the exact same size bearings as the ones that went bad on my turnigy sk3 motor on my Fun Cub. Gave up, and planned to go to LHS and just look dumb. They had a whole wall of bearings sorted by size and had just what I needed, duh.....

[Knackered Sailor]

I admire your perseverance coupe1942 if I bought a gearbox and it turned up in pieces with no instructions I'd have sent it back for a refund.

[coupe1942]

Unfortunately, that is the way they come from the factory. Check for yourself, but no instructions are included and everything is in pieces in the package. Other than the two small red washers, I believe I figured it all out though. I am guessing where those two washers go, but only my guess.

[flydiver]

Dec 20, 2013 13:42:52 GMT 1 coupe1942 said:

Unfortunately, that is the way they come from the factory. Check for yourself, but no instructions are included and everything is in pieces in the package. Other than the two small red washers, I believe I figured it all out though. I am guessing where those two washers go, but only my guess.

Someone needs to take a known properly put together stock gearbox assembly and take it apart with good photos. Then make it a sticky or note it somehow. GB assembly is a VERY common issue.

[coupe1942]

My camera was dead or I would have taken a pic of all the various parts included at the time and at least posted the position I felt each went to. Here are a couple of older photos, but in reality, there are more washers that are not shown. I believe the extra ones are for the long screws to the gearbox that anchor it to the firewall. The two red washers are likely to go on the two screws that secure the motor to the gear box, but that is a pure guess on my part. Of course, the four long screws are for securing the gearbox to the firewall, but I swapped mine out with longer 3mm ones that I inserted from the rear and they are attached with a nut so that any future change is actually easier to do. (No photo of what I mean, as my camera is dead until I get a new battery for it).  Hope this helps, but how difficult and costly could it really be to include some instructions in the packets? The second photo is not mine and does not show the two bearings that go onto the prop shaft. If anyone can add or if they have questions, please reply or take the photos here and make changes to them if something is incorrect. I don't have an unopened complete gearbox packet to show all the various pieces included. 

[coupe1942]

I got my old camera to at least shoot one more photo before it died out on me. This shows the 4 gearbox screws reversed so that the assembly can be removed easier and even tightened down a bit more securely in my opinion. I did put the 2 red washers on the bottom two screws, but I know they really don't go there at all. I was just testing some modification ideas with that.  I am of the opinion that those 2 red washers actually go to the two screws that secure the motor to the gearbox frame, but that is a complete guess for me. The orange SC only has the firewall lain into place in this photo and it is not really glued down presently. I plan to use some silicone to glue it into place this time around and see how that works out. On my stock SC, I used Gorilla Glue to do this with. I like my wired held back to ensure they don't somehow get near the prop, so I used a bread tie twisty that I had burned off the plastic covering and secured the wired a bit more onto the motor for this purpose. Not sure if it will work well or be a bust, but you can see the wire in this photo.

[kenninny]

you are correct the little red washers goes on the small screws that hold the motor on the gear box

[jklong03]

Sorry this isn't Cub related, but for me it was the ultimate Duh day yesterday. I quote from a post I made on 3si.org, a forum for owners of Dodge Stealth and Mitsubishi 3000GT sports cars:

"Like an idiot, I was just going to do a quick bolt tightening under my Stealth TT, so I didn't use Jacks stands or ramps. Of course I was only under the car 10 minutes before I felt the car shifting, and immediately knew I was in trouble. Sure enough I ended up pinned very bad across my chest. Breathing was nearly impossible and I could only manage feeble cries for help. After 5 minutes things were getting pretty serious and I couldn't reach my phone in my pocket. I was thinking what a stupid way to die!

After over 5 minutes and fading fast, one of the apartment maintenance workers came in on his day off to catch up on a few chores and he finally drove close enough to me to hear my pitiful cries for help. He grabbed one of the Jacks and was able to pull me out by my legs and I know he saved my life! X-rays were good but Dr said that bruising will get worse.

Kids, please don't take any chances even if you think you will be in and out in a few minutes, I did and it almost cost me my life!
__________________
1991 Stealth Twin Turbo"

[coupe1942]

I had a Plymouth Colt Vista when they first came out. I was changing the tranny filter when it jumped off the car jack and rolled off and almost on top of me. When it hit the floor of the garage, the tranny pan was within a quarter inch of my face. I got out from under the car with minimal trouble, but I use extra jack stands and support before I even think of getting under a car these days. I kept thinking at the time that my wife would be listening intently to her soap opera as I spent the last minutes of my life out on the cold garage floor shouting in a horse voice for her. It was a dumb thing to do on my part and it was indeed a brown shorts moment at the time. Glad ya' survived. I am also glad I did too. :-)

[hghost]

I worked in the car Industry for many years. I have seen cars fall off lifts and through garage doors to falling off side ways to the floor below and jacks for no reason descend downwards to even jack stands fold up...to trans and motor stands collapsing.....anything and everything can occur without warning, why it pays to check and double check everything, especially jacks and stands before you walk or crawl under a vehicle, no matter what the reason . Double the capacity never use just a jack and never use just jack stands use both and with Blocks/brick, whatever you can stack to keep it up while you are under it ,and always if you use a Hydraulic lift make sure the stops are secure and set correctly in the proper positions and the locks are set and the mounts in the correct spots on the frame, cross-members etc etc....Never take anything for granted.

Not even with your Planes, make sure the throttle stick is in the correct position you turn on the Tx before attaching the battery, if you are repairing make sure you keep hands from prop or better yet remove prop, check, double check....keep eyes on your batteries at all times, after flights , before you store them and while they are stored check them.Check them after you remove them from plane and before you ever install them. Check all control surfaces, control horns and all moving parts, and all screws, joints etc etc....again never take anything for granted.And if you have them hung up, check your mounts and ceiling hooks, straps whatever...take nothing for granted...a lesson well learned but usually never until a near miss or far to late.