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VW Redrive Update

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NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:46 am Post subject: VW Redrive Update

Valley Engineering has been working on and testing  a update of the redrive that I have been using on my VW powered Kolb. The update  is designed to solve the harmonic vibration issue that I have had. This is the  same design of redrive that they are using on their V twin powered "backyard  flyer". I'm still asking questions but everything I have heard so far sounds  like a major improvement. The harmonic dampening comes from a spring loaded  tensioner on the slack side of the ribbed drive belt.  If everything  checks out I may be the first customer. Hopefully not a test pilot. They as  always are very good to me and will be offering a trade in/trade up on my  old drive for some unspecified, at this time, amount.  The attached is a  photo of their new redrive.

  

 Rick Neilsen

 Redrive VW powered  MKIIIC

ValleyRedriveSmall.jpg

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JetPilot

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1246

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:03 am Post subject: Re: VW Redrive Update

Belts are a problem, always breaking, or stripping thier teeth.   The are good for driving alternators etc.., but for spinning a prop I would much rather have gears.  Rotax did good when they put gears in all thier engines rather than going with some cheap, jury rigged solution.



Redrive units have a terrible record.  I hope you dont hurt yourself or tear up your plane when that thing fails.



Mike

_________________
"NO FEAR" - If you have no fear you did not go as fast as you could have !!!

Kolb MK-III Xtra, 912-S

jbhart(at)onlyinternet.ne
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:22 am Post subject: VW Redrive Update

At 11:03 AM 4/1/07 -0700, you wrote:

 	  Quote: 	
		  



Belts are a problem, always breaking, or stripping thier teeth.   The are good for driving alternators etc.., but for spinning a prop I would much rather have gears.


	


Ron,



139+ hours on the first belt and it still looks very good.



Jack B. Hart FF004

Winchester, IN

R. Hankins

Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 185
Location: Grants Pass, Oregon

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:46 am Post subject: Re: VW Redrive Update

 	  Quote: 	
		  Rotax did good when they put gears in all thier engines rather than going with some cheap, jury rigged solution. 	




Rotax did do well with their gear box design.  This, however, does not mean that a belt drive is a "cheap jury rigged solution." Besides, if it is jury rigged, is it really a solution?



Last year we replaced the gears in one of our chopping machines at work(45HP main drive) with a belt drive system of our own design.  We have not had a failure yet.  Before the upgrade we were losing  $3000 worth of gears every 2-3 weeks.  One must simply match the design to the application.  A well designed belt drive will outperform a poorly designed gear drive and vice versa.  



My two cents... Do Not Archive

_________________
Roger in Oregon
1992 KXP 503 - N1782C

NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:29 am Post subject: VW Redrive Update

Mike/All



I agree that a gear reduction drive would seem to be a better solution if it 

designed for its application. There are a few universal redrives available 

that might work for a VW but without the proper engineering there is a much 

better chance of it failing or causing something else to fail than with my 

old belt redrive. As for a universal statement that belts are cheap, jury 

rigged, and have a terrible record, this isn't the case. This drive 

manufacture has hundreds of drives on the market with a good record. This 

redrive has had only one failure that I know of (in my plane and no it 

didn't hurt me or the plane). The part that failed wasn't the belt, it was 

beefed up and is working well. All old drives and drives since now use the 

stronger part. This new drive is a evolutionary improvement. As with all 

their drives they install, they have more than one belt (my old drive has 

three) and test run with one belt to make sure it will carry the load by 

itself. Belts do wear and need to be replaced. My current drive belts have 

all most a hundred hours on them with no wear. If the new drive belts wear 

slightly more but give me a silky smooth operation its a good trade.



I'm not inclined to spend the big bucks for a Rotax motor. With all the work 

and money I have spent over the years I could have purchased a 912. But I'm 

getting close to a almost as reliable engine package with similar power that 

people can put together for one third the price of a 912 and rebuild costs 

will be less than a 912 gasket set.



Normally I don't respond to off the cuff comments like this but....



Rick Neilsen

Redrive VW powered MKIIIC



---

cspoke

Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Posts: 32
Location: Lillian, AL

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:21 pm Post subject: Re: VW Redrive Update

Rick,

I am very interested in this new drive for the VW. I am building a MK111 xtra and I am just about to the point of deciding which engine I will use. Do you know if Valley Engineering will be at Sun n Fun?

_________________
Craig Spoke
Mark111 Xtra
VW Redrive
Lillian, AL
cspoke@mediacombb.net

jrsmith2(at)triad.rr.com
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 5:14 pm Post subject: VW Redrive Update

Dear Jack, I know Rick Neilsen has a redrive VW powered MKIIIC





 139+ hours on the first belt and it still looks very good.

 

 Jack B. Hart FF004

Winchester, IN

captainron1(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 6:09 pm Post subject: VW Redrive Update

Hi Rick do they have a web site?              

         I need a price list.              

                       

         Ron (Arizona)              

                       

         ========              

                       

         

         ---- Richard & Martha Neilsen <NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net> wrote:



 =============

Valley Engineering has been working on and testing a update          of the redrive that I have been using on my VW powered Kolb. The          update is designed to solve the harmonic vibration issue that I have          had. This is the same design of redrive that they are using on their V          twin powered "backyard flyer". I'm still asking questions but          everything I have heard so far sounds like a major improvement. The          harmonic dampening comes from a spring loaded tensioner on the slack          side of the ribbed drive belt. If everything checks out I may be the          first customer. Hopefully not a test pilot. They as always are very          good to me and will be offering a trade in/trade up on my old drive          for some unspecified, at this time, amount. The attached is a photo of          their new redrive.



Rick Neilsen

Redrive VW powered MKIIIC

         --

kugelair.com

            

      [quote][b]

possums(at)bellsouth.net
Guest

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:58 pm Post subject: VW Redrive Update

At 03:22 PM 4/1/2007, you wrote:

  	  Quote: 	
		  --> Kolb-List message posted by: "Richard & Martha Neilsen" <NeilsenRM(at)comcast.net>



 Mike/All



 I agree that a gear reduction drive would seem to be a better solution 



 Normally I don't respond to off the cuff comments like this but....



 Rick Neilsen 	


 Me either - since 1999 - when I joined this list with 1,200 UL hours and was a 

 lot "smarter", about pretty much everything to do with ultalights, including 

 Kolbs, reduction drives, props, rivets, oil, VG's, etc. 



 The older I get, the dumber I was.



 So I was thinking about adding this as a "sign off" on all my emails -

 but, again it is too long. 



   Dear Sirs: 

  I would like to offer an apology for my actions of last night. There was no

  malice intended. I understand you may not appreciate the humor of my

  message; I agree, it was in poor taste and went entirely too far. Again, it

  was not meant for the "Kolb List" per se, but since the damage is already

  done. I'd like to stress that none of the people listed in my remarks had

  anything to do with the list, either by technical assistance or moral

  support-except of course "Big Lar", "Beauford" John H. and their like. I

  simply chose them because they are names you would recognize and I can

  blame (that's what friends are for]. I can't offer any proof of this, but

  ask that you accept it anyway. As this is the normal way we treat

  "yearlings"-(JetPilot - Put-your-name-here,- I have a whopping 100 hours on my 503).

  Possum First Class "yearling" would indicate 100 hrs or one year in service.

  But, again, I would like to offer my deepest apologies and my hope that the

  damage I have done (even though it was unintentional) can be fixed. 

  I ask that you use what influence you have to convince others that what

  happened was the work of a thoughtless individual, not an entire squadron and

  I am truly sorry. 



  I would like to be able to tell you that this sort of thing will never

  happen again, but frankly, I can't make that commitment, 



 

      [quote][b]

kiwimick

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 25
Location: ENGLAND

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:33 am Post subject: VW Redrive Update

Sorry but I think that is rubbish, I have hundreds of hrs on belt drive 

engines with no probs.

Also Harley and Buel motorcycles are belt driven and you don't see them 

snapping all the time and they are transmitting more power and more 

aggressively than a VW conversion turning a prop.



Mike Moulai

Jabiru Xtra

---

_________________
Mike the kiwi Kolber in England.......

captainron1(at)cox.net
Guest

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 12:01 pm Post subject: VW Redrive Update

That's a very good point!              

         Ron (Arizona)              

         =========================              

                       

         

         ---- mike moulai <kiwimick(at)sfmicro.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:



         =============

--> Kolb-List message posted by: "mike moulai"          <kiwimick(at)sfmicro.fsnet.co.uk>



Sorry but I think that is          rubbish, I have hundreds of hrs on belt drive

engines with no probs.

 Also Harley and Buel motorcycles are belt driven and you don't see them

         snapping all the time and they are transmitting more power and more

         aggressively than a VW conversion turning a prop.



Mike Moulai

 Jabiru Xtra

---

David Lucas

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 79
Location: Europe. based Amsterdam NL

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 10:18 am Post subject: Re: VW Redrive Update

 	  Quote: 	
		  Belts are a problem, always breaking, or stripping thier teeth. The are good for driving alternators etc.., but for spinning a prop I would much rather have gears. 	




Was comparing two ribbed drive belts the other day (about 3" wide x 24" circumference).  Could hardly tell the difference between them. 



One was brand new, the other had 1,000 hrs on it !

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