[TowerTalk] Yaesu GS-065 thrust bearing

[Mike Reublin NF4L]

Thanks George. My TB3 got converted to scrap. Not by me.

73, Mike

On Jun 2, 2014, at 12:41 PM, George Dubovsky <n4ua.va at gmail.com> wrote:

> I think I've mentioned it before on this forum, but I converted my TB-3 thrust bearings over to thrust bushings by machining them to accept inserts made from a dry lubricant-loaded composite, Nylatron GSM. No grit-trapping grease, no fretting of the race and no routine maintenance required. One has been in service since 2005 and one since 2010. From the outside they look identical to the stock TB-3. The only negative is that you can not use them on a foldover tower where the mast gets inverted occasionally, since there is no race of balls to resist "up" force.
> 
> Chunks of nylatron (or equivalent) turn up on ebay routinely, but you do need access to a small lathe to do the modification.
> 
> 73,
> 
> geo - n4ua
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jun 2, 2014 at 12:14 PM, Grant Saviers <grants2 at pacbell.net> wrote:
> McMaster has balls in stainless, 304, 316, and 440.  316 isn't the hardest but is the most corrosion resistant.  They are what I use for rotator rebuilds.
> 
> If you meant "cratered" which happens when the mast oscillates then it might be possible to smooth that out a bit with sandpaper since the bearing is pretty crude to start with.  Works for rotator races.  Adding a couple of grease fittings which get a shot of grease every year will also help a lot.  I like the TFE loaded full synthetic "Super Lube" formerly by Synco, now owned by Loctite.
> 
> Grant KZ1W
> 
> On 6/2/2014 7:20 AM, Charles Gallo wrote:
> Ceramic balls have an issue, they really really don't like jarring loads. Their failure mode is to break, vs rust
> 
> --
> 73 de KG2V
> Charlie
> 
> On Jun 2, 2014, at 10:00 AM, Mike Reublin NF4L <nf4l at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Does anybody know what size balls are in the Yaesu GS-065 thrust bearing? My cheap caliper isn't precise enough. Looks like 3/8". They're rusted and bumpy.
> 
> Has anyone had experience with ceramic balls?
> 
> The grease is so hard I'm having to soak it off so I can see the races. If they're crafted, I'll just replace the whole thing.
> 
> 73, Mike NF4L
> 
> 
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