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  Rue pins instead of cotter pins for roller shafts

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Author Topic:   Rue pins instead of cotter pins for roller shafts
russellbailey posted 04-08-2011 04:14 PM ET (US)   Profile for russellbailey   Send Email to russellbailey  
My Outrage 25 is setup on a trailer with 11 Stoltz keel rollers, and is very easy to get on and off as long as I can get the back cross member into at least 18" of water. It is great.

Perhaps I'm just clumsy, but the straight cotter pins are irritating for me when I pull the shafts out to grease them. By the time I do all 11, I've cut my hand on at least one plus my hands are pretty greasy.

On a bicycle trailer that I bought, it came with interesting type of cotter pins, that I later learned are called "rue pins". You can see them here
http://www.pivotpins.com/catalog/RueRing.shtml

They are very easy to put off or on, hold securely, and are available in stainless steel in a 5/8 shaft size.

I have some coming for the keel roller shafts (lumped in with an order from the bicycle trailer manufacturer) and will put them on soon. There is a minimum order to buy from PivotPins - not sure if there may be another source.

andygere posted 04-08-2011 04:31 PM ET (US)     Profile for andygere  Send Email to andygere     
Neat solution, they will probably work nicely. I've often wondered if anyone manufactures a perforated hollow roller shaft with a zerk fitting on the end so roller shafts could be greased without removing them. That would be an even better solution.
L H G posted 04-08-2011 07:36 PM ET (US)     Profile for L H G    
Most people don't install cotter pins properly. Only the short leg is bent, at only one place, to 90 degrees, that's it. The long leg remains straight. The short leg looks like an "L" when done correctly.
Dave Sutton posted 04-08-2011 10:45 PM ET (US)     Profile for Dave Sutton  Send Email to Dave Sutton     
"Only the short leg is bent, at only one place, to 90 degrees"

Depends on the application. I'm glad you don't work on airplanes... ;-)


http://www.tpub.com/content/aviation/14014/css/14014_119.htm

Dave

cohasett73 posted 04-09-2011 08:23 AM ET (US)     Profile for cohasett73  Send Email to cohasett73     
Ya find alot of those rue rings along the road sides. Hmmm.
Tom from Rubicon, WI
Jeff posted 04-09-2011 08:24 AM ET (US)     Profile for Jeff  Send Email to Jeff     
Dave,

You made me chuckle. That is exactly what my father would say. "When you work on an airplane or helicopter you may only get one chance to do that repair right."

So, I set my pins your way as well...

Jefecinco posted 04-09-2011 09:54 AM ET (US)     Profile for Jefecinco  Send Email to Jefecinco     
Generally I replace any cotter pin that has been removed. An advantage of bending only one leg of the pin is that if you are unable to replace a removed cotter pin you can bend the other leg when you reinstall it. This, supposedly, reduces the chance of the leg breaking off due to fatigue from being bent twice.

Butch

Tom W Clark posted 04-09-2011 02:20 PM ET (US)     Profile for Tom W Clark  Send Email to Tom W Clark     
There are a lot of ways to bend a cotter pin. There is no single "proper" way of doing it.

In aviation there certainly are strict protocols for bending a cotter pins but in the context of a boat trailer's keel rollers, you bend it how it works best for the application.

Two good cotter pin rules:

- Never reuse a cotter pin.

- Never leave a cotter pin so that it can snag or lacerate.

contender posted 04-10-2011 10:25 AM ET (US)     Profile for contender  Send Email to contender     
I know some of you are going to laugh, but I use galvanized finish nails. I round off the end on a grinder per Tom's post they will cut you like a razor (Cotter Pins). The nails are very cheap, they do not rust, and I just cut them off with side dyke's to remove/replace them. I use a set of adjustable pliers to bend them around the shaft. They are one piece, are they stronger?, and no sharp edges....
Jefecinco posted 04-10-2011 10:37 AM ET (US)     Profile for Jefecinco  Send Email to Jefecinco     
Contender,

I've seen a lot of nails used as cotter pins over the years. I've used one or two myself when a cotter pin was unavailable.

The downside of nails, to me, is that tools are required to work with them. Diagonal cutters and channel lock pliers come to mind for working with nails. Cotter pins can usually be removed or installed with your hand unless they are large. Large cotter pins can usually be managed with needle nose pliers of similar. One small light tool vs two larger heavier tools.

I believe the real reason I prefer cotter pins is that as a mechanic and later a manager that is what we always used. Habit?

Butch

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