Universal Joint Failure on my Drums
 

My double kick pedal has suffered a failure in the joint that drives the left pedal. Here's a picture of the joint with the rubber boot removed.

http://www.theexitwound.com/cutenews...s/drumage1.jpg

What happens is that it's fluid on one axis but the second axis is really really tight, and doesn't move unless under extreme force. A rubber mallet will cause it to rotate, for instance but a foot, and a hand, will definitely not budge it.

What causes a joint like this to fail and is there any hope for repair on a joint this small? They don't make the part anymore and new pedals are multi-hundreds of dollars.

Who knew?

Maybe submerge it in some penetrating oil overnight and see if you can work it loose, then find the root cause of the problem

How small is it? Why not just buy a new, generic, joint of appropriate size?

It's all one piece, from the bar to the joint. I'd have to weld it in place if I got just a new joint. I don't have welding equipment or the talent to do that :) The joint itself is about 1" - 1.5" in length.

It doesn't feel seized as much as it does broken, as if the clearances are no longer there.

What brand is it? You may be able to score a replacement rod from your local drum shop.

My Luwig double kick is packed away in my cases or I would look at that for you.

I would try soaking it in oil overnight. These are the same design as the 911 steering shaft joints and that sometimes loosens them.


Any pics of your kit?:D

Yep, soak it in pb blaster.....then work it work it work it.....
if it frees up keep spraying the heck out of it with pb until all the rust is gone.....
Clean it up with some brake cleaner, then oil it up......

The first thing I'd suspect is bad grease.
Every_single_thing produced these days seem to be made with bad grease.

The second thing I'd suspect is bad bearing clearances and/or procedures during a rebuild.

That thing looks brand spanking new all around.
There's no reason for premature failure.

kroil and new grease.

Real drummers use one kick pedal, btw.. :D

Go to sears.... Craftsman swivel.... Cut out old, weld in new....

What causes the failure is the lack of lube and the shock hitting the joint every time you bang the pedal. It seems almost like the pivot pins and other parts will do a "weld" once the lube gets squeezed out from the moving parts. I'd suggest getting an aircraft type of universal joint since the one pictured is probably the cheapest design the maker could come up with. Appears there is no way to lube it and if the angle between the two ends gets very large and any twisting occurs then it will surely seize. If you stay with this one, I'd suggest putting a hole in the rubber boot and every time you play, squirt a bunch of gun lube such as used on those dreaded assault rifles (CLP, Frog Lube, etc) in there to keep things wet and loose.

steering ujoint used on cars. you can even get them with needle bearings. bolt on and weld on. depending on brand can be expensive but should be able to find something at a junk yard that would work. around here you can buy any size ujoint used in the oilfield on reachrods.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1345860541.jpg

Here's a pic from a few years ago. The set is about 7 years old.

http://www.theexitwound.com/images/drums/layout.jpg

i'll give the joint a soak and see what happens. The seizing started during verse 1 of "All Nightmare Long" by Metallica, and by the chorus it had stopped moving. It was like thirty seconds of playing between working properly and stuck, not a long term slowing down. That's why I'm confused.

I can't play stuff like this with one pedal: Savage Circus - Evil Eyes - YouTube :)

Help an old guy out: what kind of drugs would I have to consume in order to enjoy that?

Yeah, that's pretty hardcore. Rmeinds me of Raven a bit.

Man, I need to get my kit set up again.:(

Hmm. It's not whether you enjoy it, it's whether I do.

Most of what I play uses both pedals. Without the left foot on bass, I'm left to about 15% of my music library. I don't mind playing the Misfits, The Sword, The Riverdales or even Weird Al, but my primary love is heavy metal.

It's a huge stress relief to get behind the kit. I feel incomplete without the left foot on bass though :( Here's some more stuff I enjoy playing if you're curious.

• Dream Evil - Break The Chains (Evilized) - YouTube
• Gamma Ray - Into the Storm [HD 720p] - YouTube
• Scheepers / Cyberfreak (2011) - YouTube
• Reviver-Fight Your Fight - YouTube

yer a drummer didn't you guys invent duct tape?

Wow, that aint bad. Thanks.

Gamma Ray kicks ass. \m/

All you need is a college kid at home. Then you start to 'preciate them tunes.

Lyrics are awesome, too.

For example

Then:

Crazy, I'm crazy for feeling so lonely
I'm crazy, crazy for feeling so blue

Now (well, just a few years back):

I push my fingers into my eyes.

Slipknot - Duality - YouTube

(I'm 56 - this peppy little tune rocks)

Been soaking the joint for a while now. I'll let you know how it turns out. I hope it's as simple as that.

If you like Savage Circus, you might enjoy Persuader. Same lead singer but much much heavy and not as fast. Persuader - Twisted Eyes - YouTube

What you said about feeling more broken than seized has me hoping for the best but expecting something less. Hope it works.

After a bunch of soaking, I attempted to play with the joint and while the X-axis is exceptionally smooth now, the y-axis was still tight. But moving it a few times broke something loose, and it moves now. It's still not smooth, and certainly not free, but I can move it in both axes much more easily than I could before.

So we won't be adding a rubber mallet to your arsenal? What would Neil Pert say about that?

Truer words yet to be spoken!

You, sir, have just opened my eyes to a whole new universe of playing! :eek:

The part is over 7 years old, though. Although it looks new, it probably has thousands and thousands of rotations.

From the one pic, it looks like a dry joint with press-pin construction. IE: no grease, no bearings. What are the measurements on the joint?

I would press out the pins, check for galling, polish each part as necessary and replace pins if necessary, press back together and truck on.

I wouldn't try to re-engineer it. By time you buy a joint and have it welded on, you would have spend half the price of just buying a new kick. Hell, a Yamaha DFP-9500 is only about $400 complete. A Taye 602 or Gibralter is half that.

What Cashflyer said.

Also. The U joint has three pieces from what I see.

Two rods. And a center joint piece.

I think it is a galling issue.

If the lube doesn't work - and I suspect it won't. You can replace the rods easily. McMaster Carr will have stock to buy for cheap if your hardware store doesn't.

The issue is if the center piece is destroyed you could make a new one with some steel stock a hacksaw and a drill. Better yet might be to drill out the holes slightly and move to larger diameter rod. Then you just need to peen over the ends. You might even just bend the rods on the ends? Easier than peening.

Last thought is lots of grease!

Good luck. This is not difficult to fix. It will just take some effort.

Larry

Youth

No drug will get it back for you

Mark, here's a little more proof that you might be a little out of touch

8.1 million You Tube views (this version).....and this is just a simple impromptu, unproduced drum solo

Joey Jordison of Slipknot, fairly local to me, really nice guy

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JopQMbr1lYU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Over 15 million views (all versions), just a gimmicky solo, but at ~2:10 you can see just how fast he can move the bass drums

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sp_PJrPgpk8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Nice set. Check craigslist if your peddle is beyond repair my buddy got a near new dw 3000 (i think) for under 100

Savage Circus is pretty cool, love Iron Savior though their new album kicked ass Gamma ray is indeed awesome.

I don't know how you drummers do that brutal double bass peddling it's like running a marathon lol

Thanks for all of the help guys. I'll let you know how things ultimately progress.

It *is* a workout. It looks simple and effortless but it's quite exhausting. Nothing like your heart pounding to the beat of a double kick :)

'Cause you were playing Metallica? Some of the kids who worked for me listened to that stuff. They seemed confused about everything .

Yeah not much by Lars is difficult to play. But I was in an odd mood that night. Maybe the drums were fighting back and revolted.

Drummers are about to become obsolete.

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X1jsU1lBZMc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That was sweet. I'd like to see less guitar hero -esque timing and some more spikes and leather.

Pffft..Stupid robot. Didn't even end the song right.:rolleyes:























They said we would become obsolete in the 80's too.SmileWavy

Yeah, but I'll bet this one's sober and not living in the dumpster outside his ex-girlfriend's apartment.

Touche

This is f**king weak. :rolleyes: