Final Report
The suggestions worked. I have run the motor since last week around this time, and not had a problem, or even bad sounds. Thanks one and all.
OK, now I understand how a thrust bearing works! I knew the original design had a problem and you all were very helpful in making the point that it was too tightly bound to the motor's shaft. AlephZero's picture clarified for me how I could disengage the shaft from the weight load while still...
I am unfamiliar with the 'flexible joint' of which you speak. As you can see I have a roll pin jammed into the bushing's set hole which also corresponds to a hole in the shaft. I think this is what is taking a good portion of the load and transmitting it through the motor, which is NOT what I...
>>What is the tolerance of the bushing diameter with the plastic diameter - are they rubbing together?
No they are not rubbing together, maybe about a 32nd of leeway all around.
>>And secondly, and probably more important, the thrust bearing should have no or minimal preload except for...
I wanted to use a disco ball motor to rotate an object weighing approximately 125lbs. The motor was rated for 25 lbs. Motors rated for higher weights had much higher costs, beyond what would be practical.
It was suggested that using an arrangment like the one described in the attached pdf would...