Pete Posted March 28, 2006 Report Posted March 28, 2006 I am interested to know how many people have had failures on their buggy. To keep it simple lets use the following format: Buggy: Libre V-Max Midi Chassis material: Galvanized Steel (powdercoated) Fractures: 0 Fracture locations: not applicable Axle bolt failures: 0 Axle bolt size: 20mm (Just Copy & Paste & Edit) I am hoping to gather as many willing responses as possible to see if any common failure modes exist in current buggy designs ie. 12mm axle bolts failing due to shear/bending. Hopefully this will give some meaningful insights for buggy pilots & manufacturers alike. :wink: Quote
nigel Posted March 28, 2006 Report Posted March 28, 2006 Buggy: PL Comp buggy Chassis material: Stainless Steel Fractures: 8+? Fracture locations: Foot peg to fork weld, Down tube to side rail( side rail weld), Rear axle to side rails (rear axle weld) Axle bolt failures: 2? Change them once bent,so kept breaks to min. How many bent ones? 8-10? All high tensile. Not SS bolts. Axle bolt size: 12mm allround Buggy: Libre Full Race Chassis material: Stainless Steel Fractures: 4, rewelded and gusset added, but broke again. Fracture locations: Foot peg to fork weld (on fork side) Axle bolt failures: 0 Axle bolt size: 20mm front and 20mm rear, with SS bolts and high tensile for various wheel sets. Quote
schmik Posted March 28, 2006 Report Posted March 28, 2006 Buggy: PL Comp buggy / 1.4m giga axle Chassis material: Stainless Steel Fractures: 0 Fracture locations:na Axle bolt failures: 0, How many bent ones? 3, all high tensile. Not SS bolts. Axle bolt size: 12mm allround I got this bug second hand so god knows how old it is. 1 bent bolt was due to the bolt coming loose. The other 2 where when the buggy caught 2m of air without me! Combine gusty wind, a 5m foil that has become tangled around the rear axle and a pilot that knowa when to hit the eject button! This bug will last for ages as I spend 90% of my time on a board. schmik Quote
SHEPPO3930 Posted March 28, 2006 Report Posted March 28, 2006 Buggy: PL Comp buggy with 1.4m giga axle (new design) Chassis material: Stainless Steel Fractures: 0 Fracture locations: N/A Axle bolt failures: 0 Axle bolt size: 12mm buggy is almost 12 months old, probably got 30hours in the seat of it, never had a problem. i weigh 75kg Quote
VB Posted March 28, 2006 Report Posted March 28, 2006 Buggy: PL Comp buggy Chassis material: Stainless Steel Fractures: nil Fracture locations: nil Axle bolt failures: 4? no fractures, just bent because of vibration on uneven tufty grass surface, which loosened the bolt marginally hence the bend. All high tensile. Not SS bolts. Axle bolt size: 12mm allround Side rail: the bend towards the axle has flattened thus making my ride a tad close to the ground......not nice with rocks hidden by longer grass eager to make my acquaintance!!! footpegs: spring loaded lugs that hold pegs in place in housing have broken/rusted Finally, and while not relevant to stress fractures as such, I would prefer a seat similiar to the Libra which gives better back/side support.....maybe I'll just purchase an old plastic seat like Gary's from trash and treasure and install it.....just my age coming out I guess! Quote
Frosty Posted March 28, 2006 Report Posted March 28, 2006 Finally, and while not relevant to stress fractures as such, I would prefer a seat similiar to the Libra which gives better back/side support! I have just replaced the standard PL seat with an XR seat. Much more support & comfort. Saw one in NZ with a backrest fitted in the seat so you sat on the backrest. It was made from material something similar to the XR seat. Quote
Frosty Posted March 28, 2006 Report Posted March 28, 2006 Buggy: Standard PL Comp buggy Chassis material: Stainless Steel Fractures: 0 Fracture locations: N/A Axle bolt failures: 0 Axle bolt size: 12mm Buggy is 3 years old. Probably don't spend enough time in it. Always on smooth sand. Quote
Longbow Posted March 29, 2006 Report Posted March 29, 2006 Buggy: Standard PL Comp buggy Chassis material: Stainless Steel Fractures: 0 Fracture locations: N/A Axle bolt failures: 0 Axle bolt size: dunno...standard havent had it that long, and im light, but i try to do the best i can to break things... :roll: Quote
Andy Mac Posted March 29, 2006 Report Posted March 29, 2006 Large list and not enough time. PL modified comp, Land Lizard, and a UK LL copy (A Rapid Rabbit would you believe . All stainless Main recurring failures = welds at axle, bent axles (Including standard short, mini-giga and giga-PL axles) and 12mm bolts failed. Other main failure was seats and stiching from absorbing landings (Also cause of bent axles I guess). Useless PL alloy rims that can't handle side loading (2 wheel stuff, back to plastic!). Oh yeah, downtube has too many holes drilled in it so it also twisted out of whack (Again due to nasty sideways landings). Bent forks (Impact - my fault). Home mods, Criags sewing, and a local welder sorted most of it. Go hard and shit happens..... Quote
Sand-Yeti Posted April 3, 2006 Report Posted April 3, 2006 PL Comp. - Wheel bearings (Made in china embossed on the seals) - 12 mm front axle shaft bent. - Front forks cracked & broke at points closest to the down tube headstock. - Steering bolt broke. - Down tube twisted - Down tube cracks appeared from holes used to locate side rails - Down tube to headstock welding broke. - Side rail clamps to downtube broke. - Side rail to down tube retaining bolts broke. - Side rails bent (just two weeks after using and on the flat). - Rear axles (both sprung & rigid) bent. - Sprung axle pillars for mounting shock units cracked. - Both sprung & rigid axle had the tube break off, which hold in the side. rails. - Rear axle Swinging arms broke at welds. - Plugs /bosses broke off of rear axles allowing wheel to drop off. - Seat fell apart soon after I bought the buggy. I know some other stuff has broken/cracked but this is all I could think of off the top of my head. A known problem occurs with the PL alu. split rims cracking. I took preventive action to prevent this happening by manufacturing a reinforcing ring. The front forks were dumped & I fitted my own design fabricated forks with 15mm front axle shaft. I have made my own headstock & down tube to replace the piece of rubbish that came with the buggy. Side rails have been rebuilt & reinforced. Rear axle has been replaced by my own design. I kept the suspension units. Quote
meteor27 Posted April 3, 2006 Report Posted April 3, 2006 Buggy: Peter Lynn Comp and Race (Stainless Steel - New Zealand made) Fractures: 0 Fracture locations: not applicable Axle bolt failures: 0 (but the odd few bent ones!) Axle bolt size: 12mm Pilot weight: 76kg Comp buggy has been jumped and extensively freestyled and has a bent rear axle. Still goes great - touch wood! Race buggy has been through two of the original seats and is waiting for a third. Otherwise ok but siderail design is not as nice as the Libre. Alloy wheels are light but get out of shape and can't handle pressure above about 25psi. Quote
Pete Posted April 6, 2006 Author Report Posted April 6, 2006 It is interesting to read through the various issues everyone has had. Failures occur in all mechanical devices and in this case some common failures seem evident. Hopefully this is useful for others to see the kinds of issues that arise and what things to inspect on a regular basis. If any buggy manufacturer reps are reading: Have you considered using a compressive sleeve over the axle bolts to take the dynamic, cyclic and static loading instead of using the bolt itself? It seems that bolts bending and shearing is common. Sleeving is a commonly used engineering solution for this issue. Also, have you done any tests on SS post welding to ascertain the structural deficencies introduced by the process? SS (unless using precipatation hardened SS from NASA or the like) is non-heat treatable and performs poorly in structural applications if joined using welding techniques. It has good corrosion & high temperature application properties, but poor structural performance as currently used. I hope our comments contribute to making our sport safer & therefore more enjoyable I also thank all the current manufacturers for their work in pioneering this wonderful sport and allowing use to enjoy it :!: Quote
Sparky21 Posted April 6, 2006 Report Posted April 6, 2006 Comp buggy has been jumped and extensively freestyled and has a bent rear axle. Still goes great - touch wood! Yes Wato but, you did forget to mention that you weight about 20 Kgs. Quote
meteor27 Posted April 6, 2006 Report Posted April 6, 2006 Gary, Actually, I always fly the kite above me so it can take my weight and I can trick the buggy into thinking that I only weigh 20kgs... If only! :wink: Wato Quote
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