PaulvS
Well Known Member
Perhaps none have (yet) failed to the point of falling off of the ball, in RV's. However, Van's still specify the fender safety washers to be used on rod end bearings that are not captured on both sides by the structure. Some RV builders have also been concerned enough about the flap bearing to replace it with a different bearing plus a safety washer (per some VAF postings).How many of these have failed in the failure mode being discussed here? The RV12 has been around since 2006 and RV’s have used the same bearing on flaps for a lot longer than that. How many have failed to the point of falling off of the ball?
Presumably there have been instances of rod end failures in other applications; for interest see this Pegasus racing bulletin:
Why use Safety Retaining Washers? - Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies
Safety Retaining Washers from Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies can prevent a separated rod end or spherical bearing from turning into a catastrophe. Read this article to see an example!
www.pegasusautoracing.com