raptor 60 questions

[helihead]

Well I just traded up my beloved raptor 50 se for a raptor 60 w/tdg metal head, o.s. 70 engine & lots of spare parts. All I can say is no regrets so far. She flies very nice very predictable & quieter than my 50. Ditched the stock 60 muffler for a mavrikk 70-90 muffler for better breathing. So heres the questions. It came with MAH 690 c/f blades. They are beauts but stock blades for this model are 660-680. Am I still safe from a potential boom strike?
Tails are 95mm. Also can the o.s. 70 engine handle these ok? not that I am a 3d flyer yet.Also I flew 4 tanks on Sunday (gotta get the flyin in before the snow flies.Winter is comming early this year in Ontario)I broke a clutch shoe at the end.It has a standard 60 clutch bell installed liner still looks good. I also have two R90 clutch bells (lined) as spares. So do I opt for the 60 clutch shoe or change the clutch bell & get the 90 HD clutch? Is there a difference in performance or is it just durability? I think the 60 & 90 front frames are the same so fitting should not be a problem & can I use the stock pinion gear if I go with the bigger clutch? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Fireant]

I've owned 1 x R50, 2 x R60's and currently fly a R90 3D and never had a clutch fail. However, I do not fling the model around the sky as if its tail was on fire. It is possible the previous owner was a bit of a stick basher which may have been the root cause of the clutch breaking.

The 690's will be fine for gentle flying, but will load up the engine if any sudden pitch change occurs. you may also find the clutch slipping if the load was too great, but this is usually due to a worn pad in the bell. The other possibly problem might occur if you had a heavy landing resulting in a boom strike.

The side frames, pinions and main gears are the same for both the 60 and 90. I don't see any problem fitting the 90 clutch and bell into the frames. The best thing would be to measure them against the 60 clutch and bell first.

[swatson144]

If you stick with the .60 bell change the liner. I have come to believe that the clutch failures I have had (like you on new 2nd hand helis) come from hot runs or clutch burning crashes from the previous owner.

Compatibility? I'd DL the 90 manual http://www.acehobby.com/ace/manual.htm and compare the clutch parts to make sure to get the pieces I need. You probably won't have any problem just changing bell and clutch, but only one way to know. The only rub I could think of is starter shaft and I'm pretty sure the starter shaft and the pinion is common between .60/.90 but check to make sure.

Steve

[helihead]

Thank you gentleman for your input once again! I think I'll stick with the devil that I know & get the raptor 60 clutch & new liner just in case.