driveshaft vs driving belt

[Sylvain]

Hello,

I would like to know which best the transmission between the driveshaft and
the driving belt ?

Which are the advantages of the one compared to the other ?

Thank you

[Steve R]

"Sylvain" <Sylvain.antispam@infonie.fr> wrote in message
news:fg2l07$87s$3@news.tiscali.fr...
>
> Hello,
>
> I would like to know which best the transmission between the driveshaft
> and the driving belt ?
>
> Which are the advantages of the one compared to the other ?
>
> Thank you
>
>

Hi Sylvain,

Both systems work well. Given a choice, I tend to prefer the driveshaft but
have owned and flown models with each type of tail drive and they both work
well. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of each, IMO, include:

Drive shaft - Pros: generally less power consumption, easier setup, rarely
needs further adjustment once it is setup. Cons: probably a little
heavier, higher parts count, more expensive to fix when damaged.

Belt - Pros: Basically the opposite of the drive shaft. It's lighter,
simpler mechanically. Cons: some systems are sensitive to belt tension.
Too tight eats power and too loose can slip which adversely effect tail
efficiency. "May" need further adjustments to belt tension as things wear
in but I haven't found this to be a big deal.

Others will probably add or subtract from that but it's my down and dirty
answer to your question.

FWIW! :-)

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

[Clive Sinclair]

Steve R wrote:
> "Sylvain" <Sylvain.antispam@infonie.fr> wrote in message
> news:fg2l07$87s$3@news.tiscali.fr...
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I would like to know which best the transmission between the driveshaft
>> and the driving belt ?
>>
>> Which are the advantages of the one compared to the other ?
>>
>> Thank you
>>
>>
>>
>
> Hi Sylvain,
>
> Both systems work well. Given a choice, I tend to prefer the driveshaft but
> have owned and flown models with each type of tail drive and they both work
> well. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of each, IMO, include:
>
> Drive shaft - Pros: generally less power consumption, easier setup, rarely
> needs further adjustment once it is setup. Cons: probably a little
> heavier, higher parts count, more expensive to fix when damaged.
>
> Belt - Pros: Basically the opposite of the drive shaft. It's lighter,
> simpler mechanically. Cons: some systems are sensitive to belt tension.
> Too tight eats power and too loose can slip which adversely effect tail
> efficiency. "May" need further adjustments to belt tension as things wear
> in but I haven't found this to be a big deal.
>
> Others will probably add or subtract from that but it's my down and dirty
> answer to your question.
>
> FWIW! :-)
>
> Fly Safe,
> Steve R.
>
>
>
Tail response can also be quicker with a drive shaft

--
Clive

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take.....
but by the moments that take our breath away.

[The OTHER Kevin in San Diego]

On Sun, 28 Oct 2007 19:39:01 +0100, "Sylvain"
<Sylvain.antispam@infonie.fr> wrote:

>
>Hello,
>
>I would like to know which best the transmission between the driveshaft and
>the driving belt ?
>
>Which are the advantages of the one compared to the other ?
>
>Thank you

Shaft drive - more complex, potentially heavier, pretty much set and
forget, less robust, more expensive to repair.

Belt drive - simple system, belt tension is always an issue, belt
condition is an issue, potential for static buildup if belt slides
along inside of tail boom. Pretty rugged, cheap but sometimes
involved to repair.

IME, minor tail rotor strikes don't seem to affect the belt drive
units while the shaft units tend to strip gears - even with just a
grass strike.

[Steve R]

"Clive Sinclair" <clive@cs.com> wrote in message
news:4LmVi.38975$c_1.8592@text.news.blueyonder.co. uk...
> Steve R wrote:
>> "Sylvain" <Sylvain.antispam@infonie.fr> wrote in message
>> news:fg2l07$87s$3@news.tiscali.fr...
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I would like to know which best the transmission between the driveshaft
>>> and the driving belt ?
>>>
>>> Which are the advantages of the one compared to the other ?
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Hi Sylvain,
>>
>> Both systems work well. Given a choice, I tend to prefer the driveshaft
>> but have owned and flown models with each type of tail drive and they
>> both work well. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of each, IMO,
>> include:
>>
>> Drive shaft - Pros: generally less power consumption, easier setup,
>> rarely needs further adjustment once it is setup. Cons: probably a
>> little heavier, higher parts count, more expensive to fix when damaged.
>>
>> Belt - Pros: Basically the opposite of the drive shaft. It's lighter,
>> simpler mechanically. Cons: some systems are sensitive to belt
>> tension. Too tight eats power and too loose can slip which adversely
>> effect tail efficiency. "May" need further adjustments to belt tension
>> as things wear in but I haven't found this to be a big deal.
>>
>> Others will probably add or subtract from that but it's my down and dirty
>> answer to your question.
>>
>> FWIW! :-)
>>
>> Fly Safe,
>> Steve R.
>>
>>
> Tail response can also be quicker with a drive shaft
>
> --
> Clive
>

I've heard folks make that claim but I'm not sure I agree with it, at least
not 100%. I've owned and flown a lot of X-Cells with shaft driven tails and
they were great. I've also owned a Hirobo Freya with a belt drive and it
had a tail rotor that was every bit equal to what I experienced on my
X-Cells.

That may not hold true for less some of the expensive models.

Fly Safe,
Steve R.

[Sylvain]

Thank you for your answers