Flex 3401 or rupes bigfoot.

If Flex did a redesign of the XC3401VRG then making dual mode unit like the Malita BO6040 with free spinning and forced rotation modes would be the way to go. Use planetary gears for driving the backing plate instead of a geared backing plate. I sure would like to something like that happen. Just like I would like to see an electric version of the rupes lhr75.

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ww2717 said:
I sure would like to something like that happen. Just like I would like to see an electric version of the rupes lhr75.

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Rupes has got to have this in the works! I mean, they have got to know they are sitting on a gold mine if they can figure it out.
 
Get the Makita BO6040 it has a free spinning mode and a forced rotarion da mode. Bad is that it only takes 6 inch pads.

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Ah , the Makita BO6040 that ww2717 was refering too , sorry about the confusion there buddy .
 
FUNX725 said:
Perhaps this could be considered training for upgrading ones skills-set
towards being proficient at 'rotary-buffing' someday.
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I got the impression from a Meguiar's seminar that rotary skills will not be needed as much by most of the reconditioning business. With a DA, microfiber pads, and newer polishes, they can get the results needed by the business in general. (That was the DA+MF+D301 sales pitch).

You can train someone on a DA much more quickly with less risk of them damaging the paint in the process given has a fairly high turnover.
 
The Rupes LHR15 definitely takes some getting used to. On curved panels, that pad stops spinning easily!! I'm still trying to dial in my technique.
 
FivePoint0:
I am glad to hear that I am not the only person that has issues with the lhr21es and the lhr15e stop rotating in curvey side panels. When that happens to me I still go back to the good old xc3401vrg. SIDE panels not an issue with the 3401.')


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ww2717 said:
FivePoint0:
I am glad to hear that I am not the only person that has issues with the lhr21es and the lhr15e stop rotating in curvey side panels. When that happens to me I still go back to the good old xc3401vrg. SIDE panels not an issue with the 3401.')


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Yep, you're not alone. :dblthumb2:
 
FivePoint.0 said:
The Rupes LHR15 definitely takes some getting used to. On curved panels, that pad stops spinning easily!! I'm still trying to dial in my technique.
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Is this with the large pads or equally easy to stop with smaller 5.5" pads?

Does the 21 have the same behavior (do the 15 and the 21 have the exact same motor and torque?)
 
You might need to contact autogeek's enginnering department to find out specs on the rupes electric motors. With the KB washer mod I do get better performance on curved side panels than without it.

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If I'm not mistaking... And I may very well be... But here it goes anyways - the Rupes correction ability does not come from the pad actually rotating... It's the oscillation of the pad. The spinning is just basically a byproduct of the oscillation. So, as long as the machine is oscillating - it's correcting. Right?

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FivePoint.0 said:
The Rupes LHR15 definitely takes some getting used to. On curved panels, that pad stops spinning easily!! I'm still trying to dial in my technique.
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Wouldn't the KB washer mod solve this problem as it moves the backing plate away from the shroud to allow more effortless spinning??

From KB post on another forum: "However, a purpose-built shroud not only covers the driveshaft-mounted rotating components, but also slows backing plate rotation via drag-induced friction.

Marco (the Rupes® engineer that developed the machine) explained that excessive rotation could cause scouring of the polishing surface if the backing plate and buffing pad were allowed to freewheel spin prior to contacting the polishing surface. He also mentioned that excessive rotation was considered to be a safety hazard in some parts of the world. Understanding his reasoning, I nevertheless decided to install a spacer between the backing plate and mounting pad in hopes of restoring a maximum amount of backing plate rotation.

With the spacer installed, backing plate rotation increased immensely. While I was not able to verify exactly how big an increase occurred in terms of backing plate rotation or cutting power, I can say that it was a LOT. My best guess: backing plate rotation increased to 10-14 times per second, and cutting speed increased by about 50 percent.
If a rotary buffer outfitted with a wool pad had any sort of performance advantage over the Bigfoot, the advantage was nearly or completely negated after this easy to implement modification. This newfound cutting power elevates the Bigfoot to superstar status. I hope that Marco will not be overly upset by the addition of the spacer, and I am sure he is aware of the tremendous rotation potential of this machine (otherwise there would have been no need to design the shroud to contact the backing plate)."
Later in the thread KB verifies with Rupes that this mod does not affect the warranty.
 
I would suggest that you try the lhr21es and the lhr15e with and without the washer mod to see which one works best for you. Some have found that they like using the rupes without the washer mod.

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