Hi all I am having a problem with my rear wheel hub motor face plate cracking at the bace of the Freewheel. I am on my second faceplate. Is any one else had this problem. I have read that it's the extra Talk put on by me peddling but my bike is made commercially it's a Fat bike with 500W rear hub motor with an 18amp controller with 36V 11ah battery nothing radical .I am looking into getting a steel one made to hopefully Handel the talk. It will cost $500
Hub motor face plate cracking
- Thread starter Eel
- Start date
It's a common problem if you use the higher speed sprockets on the freewheel, or if you put a lot of torque (not "talk") on it from a stop. It doesnt' generally happen except for that.
THere are a number of threads about broken covers, and some have proposed solutions, but the easiest solution is not to put torque into the freewheel when in the higher gears (which are unsupported by any bearings to the axle, and so flex the covers), where the chain is farther from the cover. Shift into a lower gear at the back, and a higher gear at the front, to do the same speed. If you can't, you might need different chainrings or sprockets with the right tooth count to give you the gearing to do this..
If you're already doing this or are otherwise using hte sprocket closest to the cover, then you have to add a bearing.
A much cheaper solution than a $500 custom-made steel cover is simply to put a bearing between the outer end of the freewheel and the axle, so it is supported and doesnt' bend the cover. You could probably do that just by looking around McMaster-carr's site in the bearing section (or asking them), after you measure the outside diameter OD of the axle at that point, and the inside diameter ID of the freewheel at that point. Slip the bearing in there and probably be all done with the problem.
Heck, even a brass bushing would work but it'd have more friction and waste more power as heat. But still cheaper than your new cover (which is still going to have the same problem, though it will probably take longer to show up, or to fail).
One search finds just a single thread
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=broke*+cover*&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
but this search
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=side+cover*&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
finds a lot more, and I'm sure there are others not found by either search.
THere are a number of threads about broken covers, and some have proposed solutions, but the easiest solution is not to put torque into the freewheel when in the higher gears (which are unsupported by any bearings to the axle, and so flex the covers), where the chain is farther from the cover. Shift into a lower gear at the back, and a higher gear at the front, to do the same speed. If you can't, you might need different chainrings or sprockets with the right tooth count to give you the gearing to do this..
If you're already doing this or are otherwise using hte sprocket closest to the cover, then you have to add a bearing.
A much cheaper solution than a $500 custom-made steel cover is simply to put a bearing between the outer end of the freewheel and the axle, so it is supported and doesnt' bend the cover. You could probably do that just by looking around McMaster-carr's site in the bearing section (or asking them), after you measure the outside diameter OD of the axle at that point, and the inside diameter ID of the freewheel at that point. Slip the bearing in there and probably be all done with the problem.
Heck, even a brass bushing would work but it'd have more friction and waste more power as heat. But still cheaper than your new cover (which is still going to have the same problem, though it will probably take longer to show up, or to fail).
One search finds just a single thread
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=broke*+cover*&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
but this search
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=side+cover*&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search
finds a lot more, and I'm sure there are others not found by either search.
dogman dan
1 PW
Pedal less may be the answer. Just not pedaling so hard when starting I mean. Or keep the bike in a lower gear, pedal only when going slow.
This should not be a constant problem, so I suspect some manufacturing problem with the particular motor you have too. Change brands of motor?
This should not be a constant problem, so I suspect some manufacturing problem with the particular motor you have too. Change brands of motor?
Hi all thanks for the help. I am going with the bearing on the outer side of the free wheel. And moving my chain closer to the hub and then look at chain ring . My bike isn't for speed never goes on the road I need the Torque for the soft sand (Black Sand )on our beach and some of the trails in the forest are steep so I'm on the peddles a lot. Tks eel
dogman dan
1 PW
Maybe then you just need a mid drive.
You never mentioned what brand of motor this was or what brand of bike.. nonetheless, it looks like their type of motor is a dud.. i would switch it out for another make/model of hub motor. This is not a common issue with hub motors, unless they're designed wrong.
