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Thread: Vdrive Plate Struts - Their Value?

  1. #1
    VDRIVERACING
    I run a cruiser in circle racing; not the best funded, but always looking for "critical" components and trying to understand their role. Attached is a pic of a vdrive with a support strut/plate angling from the drive at about 60 degress to the stringer.
    Questions:
    1) What, specifically, creates the need for this device, and what are the various designs intended to address that need? Got pics?
    2) Which directions would flex occur? For example, is it more fore-aft, is it flexing to one side, etc...
    http://www.***boat.com/forums/attach...1&d=1175533030

  2. #2
    WannabeRacing
    Lets look at some quick physics. Lets say the average boat on this site is 2000 pounds. The average horsepower is about 700 and climbing. Now, the prop is the single and sole propulsion of the boat. And every single ounce of energy to send the boat forward at the average speed on this page, which would be around 90 mph, is held by one little slim piece of aluminum. You can take that piece of aluminum between two blocks and stand on it and bend it. It is not that stout. Now look at the flex it could get if you put 2000 pounds on it with 700 horsepower of thrust. It will flex. No doubt. Too much flex can mis-allign gears and cause them to break, wear, etc. Can hurt the case, and can make the prop slip forward enough to hit the strut.
    Any method of making the v-drive plate flex less and disperse the energy propelling the boat forward to other spots on the boat is a good thing. The angle is nice. But an adjustable 4-link type of deal is better as it is adjustable.
    http://www.buzzzmiller.com/vbrace1.jpg
    http://www.buzzzmiller.com/vbrace3.jpg
    Here are some ideas

  3. #3
    adjones419
    I don't know why anyone would not run a v-drive plate brace! You can use the 4-link with the Heim joins and bars as shown above or the aluminum plates. On our P/E hydro, we have aluminum plates running from the v-drive plate to the front and the link bars running from the v-drive plate back to the engine plate and rails.
    A flex of the plate would cause a serious mis-alignment and you're just asking for trouble if you don't fix it. I've heard to always check the "passenger" side stringer to make sure the v-drive plate is secure because of the torque. Makes sense I guess?

  4. #4
    vee-driven
    yea what wannabe said, here is a pic of my setup when i was workin on the boat.
    http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...newboat006.jpg

  5. #5
    sawtooth
    [QUOTE=WannabeRacing;2477682]. But an adjustable 4-link type of deal is better as it is adjustable.
    Is this something that changes over time and needs readjusting or is it better for installation. Just asking because I have only seen the flat plate or solid bar fixed end type

  6. #6
    GofastRacer
    Well if you make decent brackets you don't need all that other stuff and you can keep it sanitary!..
    http://www.***boat.com/forums/attach...1&d=1175565265

  7. #7
    Racey
    Well if you make decent brackets you don't need all that other stuff and you can keep it sanitary!..
    http://www.***boat.com/forums/attach...1&d=1175565265
    Still not as strong as running braces, though in flat's it not quite as critical as most of the v-drive plate is down low at the load point, V-bottoms are worse when the v-drive plate is held in from up top, really giving the propshaft extra leverage to push and bend that plate. it is amazing how much any given peice of metal flexes under light or heavy loads, i hate looking at a v-drive boat without braces, just one of my pet peeves:devil:

  8. #8
    GofastRacer
    If you say so!..

  9. #9
    Racey
    I guess if you never break anything it's strong enough

  10. #10
    GofastRacer
    K boats with 1200 hp don't break em!..

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