6.5 pads on PCXP?

The 6.5 in pads will work, just not as well. I started out using 6.5 in pads on my old style PC7424. IT took longer, but, still worked. I would recommend learning with them and as they wear out, replace with 5.5in pads and a 5in BP (or better yet, the 5 in Megs DA MF system).
 
I still use 6.5" pads on my PCXP to apply and remove wax
 
Rsurfer said:
It won't make a difference. My understanding is that the counter weights will make a difference when using sanding disks and not foam pads.
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Give this man a Cigar!! :props:

To be quite honest, with all the discussions regarding this subject I'm surprised to see that the 6 1/2 is still the standard and not the 5 1/2....
 
The counterweight on my old PC says 6in pads only. I use 3 and 4 in pads regularly and no problems. Probably even less vibration than 6 in pads (although it has been so long since I have used a 6 in pad on it, I am not sure.)
 
at first i got 6.5 pads. and after some input and research on the forum, "mark" , i exchanged for 5.5 pads.i also swapped out the pcxp for the g.g .
 
I have 5.5's, 6's, and 6.5's for my PC. Do not go for the 6.5's for this unit because a good 6" backing plate is too heavy for it. You MUST use the 6" weight even with a 5.5" pad and 5" plate, if you're not you are shaking your hands to death for no reason. The factory "5 inch" weight is only suitable for the light duty integrated pad the unit comes with; anything heavier will benefit from the larger weight. I wish PC made a 6.5 or 7" sized weight to handle the heavier backing plates that most of us use. This topic has been covered before and if you search for it you might turn up some real specification/guidelines for properly balancing your PC. Just to repeat this, even the 5.5" kit really does benefit from the 6" weight, and porter cables own specification suggest it should.
 
Wow! Im surprised to hear the PCXP cant handle a 6.5" pad. My old PC handled them quite well though I couldnt really bear down on them or they would stop rotating, but even the new pcxp is still that underpowered ?

Im glad I replaced my old pc with a griots because you can hardly stop the machine with a 6.5" pad and an absurd amount of pressure unless you're tipping the polisher.
 
Lasthope05 said:
Wow! Im surprised to hear the PCXP cant handle a 6.5" pad. My old PC handled them quite well though I couldnt really bear down on them or they would stop rotating, but even the new pcxp is still that underpowered ?

Im glad I replaced my old pc with a griots because you can hardly stop the machine with a 6.5" pad and an absurd amount of pressure unless you're tipping the polisher.
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It has plenty of power, the issue is you can't counter balance it with enough weight to be smooth with a 6 plate and 6.5 pad. By "stop rotating" I believe the author meant the dual action becomes single action as the pad moves in tight circles but stops spinning on its central axis. I don't have issues with this, but I guess if you need a lot of pressure to get the job done you might. If you do one car a week, it's fine. If you care about smooth operation and fatigue, i suggest a 5" plate, 5.5 pad, and "6 inch" weight. Under-counterweighted, the dual action PC become one hell of a massage implement at high rpm.
 
BobbyG said:
Give this man a Cigar!! :props:

To be quite honest, with all the discussions regarding this subject I'm surprised to see that the 6 1/2 is still the standard and not the 5 1/2....
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:iagree:

Ditto that Bobby. This is one of the rare instances where I think AG needs to provide a bit more direction and switch the standard to 5" plate and 5.5 pads. Defaulting to 6.5 pads is a disservice and confusing to the new user. I've used the 6.5 red CCS that comes free w/ Menz Powerlock and it's barely functional as a sealant spreader. I can't imagine doing a correction with the 6.5 fat pillows. If it wasn't for you and several others on the forum, I woulda made this mistake and been very unhappy.
 
Oh no, I just order Softbuff 2.0 and w68da for the pcxp .

I had called AG to change my order and the guy on the phone talked me out of it he said they will work fine for correction.

the pads and backing plate should arrive today.

Should I try them or just ship them back and get 5.5 LC Flat or Hydrotech?
 
Great. I just placed an order. Had I read this first I would've included some 5.5" pads. Guess I'll just have to place yet another order. Oh the horror! :laughing:
 
Be sure to order a 6" counterweight from AG Counterweight for Porter Cable 7424 Polisher

To reiterate my earlier post, the counterweights are based on attachment weight, not diameter. All 5 and 6 inch backing plates and pads combos are WELL IN EXCESS of the 6" counterweight recommendation from Porter Cable and ABSOLUTELY WILL BENEFIT from upgrading to the 6" counterweight! I know this from experience. You will have a much smoother machine if you are running anything heavier than the stock porter cable polishing pad which is about half the weight of a quality plate and foam pad.

Rsurfer said:
It won't make a difference. My understanding is that the counter weights will make a difference when using sanding disks and not foam pads.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make any sense to me. Sanding disks are lighter in mass than foam pads, if they are same diameter as a polishing pad they should require less counterweighting. Regardless, most of the weight is coming from the backing plate. The only backing plate + pad combo that is going to fall into the 5" designated counterweight range is a 3" or 4" setup. If you choose to use the white integrated buffing pad that comes with the PC, you can use either the 5" or 6" counterweight because it is right in the middle of the recommended weight ranges.

Porter-Cable 7424XP 5 Inch Counterweight 5" Pad Counterweight
#874011
For attachments between 95 and 105 grams.

Porter-Cable 7424XP 6 Inch Counterweight 6" Counterweight
#699933
For attachments between 125 and 135 grams.
 
Some reference info:

-A yellow urethane 5" backing plate = 113 grams
-A moistened 5.5 x 1.25 orange pad = 42 grams
Thus, the combination is 155 grams, 25 grams heavier than the 6" counterweight is designed for (55 grams heavier than the 5" weight)

Ideally, PC would make an even heavier weight for the PCXP. Clearly it is not designed to be used with 6.5 pads / 6" backing plates as they are even further outside of the specified weight ranges.

The 5" counterweight is 55 grams, the 6" is 65 grams. I would like to see a 75 gram counterweight made, but I'm not sure it's a design possibility (heavier alloy?).
 
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