Link modification: help needed

[Stoney]

Hi, All.

I am new to Helis, new to RC and new to anything related to this hobby(although I do have some actual flight experience in small planes and as a class 3 hanglider pilot), but the enthusiasm level is high! I have a Walkera 22e that has so far been a lot of fun, but, as expected, I've had a few crashes.

The latest bump required replacement of some rotor head parts, so I decided to just replace the entire assembly with a new aluminum upgrade. Unfortunately, the balls that accept the links are larger than the original plastic ones, and the kit did not come with new links. So, I want to open up the link openings a little bit to relieve the tightness in the ball joints. Can anyone suggest a good way to do this without destroying the links? I tried a small round file on one of them and it didn't seem to work.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Stoney in VT

[Danimal]

Hi Stoney
A quick and easy fix is to take a set of needle nose pliers and give the links a little squeeze. Do it to each link wile its on the ball in several places. Make sure that the other end of the link is swinging free so you can rotate and check the play. If the links pop on over the ball don't open that part up you don't want the link to come off in flight.They should be tight getting on and tacking off. But move freely on the ball.

[Stoney]

Thanks, Danimal!

I'll give this a try. The links go on with some difficulty, but I can get them on. Then, if I understand your method, I should squeeze the part around the ball a bit until it loosens up. Makes sense that this would open up the inner part of the "loop" without destroying the edges. When I tried to open it with a round file it wouldn't stay on the ball.

Thanks again. I should be receiving parts soon and will let you know how things work out.

Stoney