I've KM2P gearbox on my Yanmar. I notice the shaft spinning during sailing. I put gearbox to reverse to stop spinning but it still spin. So I put gear to forward and it stop spinning. Something wrong with my gearbox or Kiwiprop or both?
Kiwiprop spin when sailing
- Thread starter Ken13559
- Start date
I would sure contact the Kiwi Prop people to get their input. I have to put my trans in reverse to get my folder to fold but I then go to neutral, and there is no shaft rotation. I don't understand why your prop wouldn't feather right away when you put it in reverse.
I agree with Rick D - we had to put our transmission in reverse to get our Kiwi prop to feather. If I recall, once it feathered we could go back to neutral. It became a moot point once we lost the Kiwi in the Bahamas.
Here is Kiwis "input" http://www.kiwiprop.us/auto-rotation.html
Remarkable in its opacity. It seems Sailor Sue should write the manual cause it looks like she explains it in one sentence.
Remarkable in its opacity. It seems Sailor Sue should write the manual cause it looks like she explains it in one sentence.
Ken, I think Sailor Sue had the correct procedure. Turn off the motor put it in reverse, done! I have a Kiwi prop and never much thought about it, you got me curious so next time I'm out I will look at it. Motoring is (after pitch adjustment) much better than previous fixed 2 blade
I used to drop my trany in reverse (with the engine running) when sailing to get the MaxProp to feather (occasionally at 5kn or more). I believe it loosened the strut, which I had to rebed and resecure. I won't ever do that again. It feathers even better if I just shut down in forward.
That didn't work for me. I put in reverse and it still spin in reverse rotation. Had to put in forward to stop it from spinning. I've replaced the Kiwiprop with FlexOFold now. Will clean up the Kiwi and check and grease it.
Somewhere (maybe in my maxprop manual) I seem to remember that the engine should be shut down while in forward to get it to feather. That is the procedure I follow anyway, even if I am pulling into a slip and have to back down to get stopped and tied up. Before I shut down I put it in foward and then pull the kill switch whil still in foward. We have some pretty strong currents during max ebb and flood. I leave it in forward (assuming it is feathered) but now that people mention it I wonder if I should put it in neutral or leave it in forward? When I'm sailing I shut it down while in forward and leave it if forward. Does that sound right with a maxprop?
smokey73, I read the same thing in my maxprop manual. However, it has never feathered that way. I shut the engine down, then put the transmission in reverse, then back to neutral. The shaft has never rotated using this process. I don't worry about having a feathered prop in my slip.
Thanks Kappy, I'll try some different methods and see what works best. I try to get it feathered at the slip since we have about 8-9 foot tides here and the current can be up to 2 knots at times at the slip. I think neutral after it is feathered would be the best for when you are sailing since you're only going forward under sail. However, at the slip it would seem that it might need to be left in gear so the blades don't come out of the feathered position when the current shifts and comes from the stern. It also seems that once it is feathered, if it is then locked and the shaft doesn't rotate, it should stay feathered (thus the reason to leave it gear at the slip). Also, since it is feathered, there would be no appreciable load on the transmission. Just some random thoughts I like to hear thoughts on from those with maxprops.
I have a 3 blade flexofold. After installing it I took an underwater video of its operation. In neutral the prop was folded. When shifting into gear the prop was fully extended at less than 1/2 rotation. When shifting back to neutral the prop folded as soon as the centrifugal force ceased, which was almost immediate. When shifting to reverse it also opened at about 1/2 rotation or less. When sailing, I shift to neutral and listen for shaft rotation noise. It has never failed to fold.
Smokey, since I think the max prop is gear driven I would think once the engine drive is removed from the shaft the prop should feather almost immediately and consequently open almost immediately when the engine drive is restored.
Smokey, since I think the max prop is gear driven I would think once the engine drive is removed from the shaft the prop should feather almost immediately and consequently open almost immediately when the engine drive is restored.
Do a search of the archives. There must be a least a hundred posts if not more on this subject and there is a Yanmar service bulletin that says DO NOT leave the engine of gear when sailing. Maxprop says stop in forward and then shift to neutral.