Possible shaft problems

[foreign object]

Refering to the post on Changing coils on the CTX and McClods reply about the shaft splintering on the end.

Not sure if it was here or some other site but shortly after the CTX came out i remember reading a post about the quality of the acrbon used in the lower shaft.Poster stated he had experience in the building of carbon shafts etc. and that the carbon used in these shafts were of low quality and would not hold up.At that time i blew it off as an early bashing and moved on.Well seems that he might have been right.
I tried once to remove my shaft when i was thinking of buying a new one for my 6" coil but had problems getting it out so quit and decided it was easier to just change the coil. Well after reading McClods post i think will try again and see what i have. Either way i am headed to home depot with shaft in hand and see if i can find somthing that i can sleeve the end of the shaft with.

When i am hunting i change locations a lot and collaspe the rod between locations. Between that and changing coils i maye be battering it up. Will also start being a little gentler when i do colapse it.

Ya know it bothers me that i keep reading post about other problems with the CTX and having to return them for repairs. Paid a lot of money for CTX. I am retired and live on a fixed income. With everything going up ever day except my income has got me to thinking about once the warranty runs out what the cost of repairs might be.The little man on my shoulder keeps me thinking.

Could be also that once you get past a certian stage with the CTX the eletronics lemon factor is reduced and all will be good. Seems like a lot of the problems with the CTX are showing up when the machine is new.
FO

 

[GKMan]

I was one of the folks that had a problem with his first CTX, right out of the box, and then farther down the line I had a coil problem that was probably more self induced which I admitted to Minelab and they really went out of the way to fix both of my problems without charging me.

So, I am not a guy that doesn't have an opinion without experience in "problems with the CTX" arena.

I feel that the vast and silent majority of folks do not have problems with their CTX, however when a problem does occur, they no longer stay silent since it spurs them to actually become a member of Findmall, or whatever other forum and tell their story. For example,on this forum, you will see the regulars posting over and over again chatting about settings, things they found, passing the time during the slow or no detecting season, and then you will quite often come across the folks that just registered or for the most part dormant members that just became active since they have an issue with their CTX that springs them into action.

What I am trying to say is this is that people that are happy with their machines are less likely to say something good about them just for the sake of it, but will jump in as soon as something goes wrong, and that is just the way people are. For evidence of that silent majority, just look at your view count already which is about eight. We only have about what 40 really active members spread across the US and I doubt many of them are looking at this forum at 6:30 in the morning...

Overall there has only been one or two software issues which where fixed via updates, and some hardware ones here and there which thankfully are still under warranty, I don't know how long I realistically expect a company to keep fixing a machine that is a completely new redesign, but like you mentioned sometimes when you buy a new car there are kinks you have to work out but then it will go just fine for the next 100K Miles

 

[foreign object]

Yea Gary i am an early riser. Posted the above at bout 5:20 my time. Never need an alarm clock which is a curse in its own way.

Not sure where i read the post about the carbon quality,might have been another site.
This is my 2nd CTX. Shortly after getting my first one i had some major health issues and after surgery the news was not the best and though that my short lived detecting carrer was over. Well almost a year later seems the doctors missed and things are good now so i bought another CTX this past Dec. Really like it. Dont get to hunt as much as i would like and dont have the history down my way you guys have but figured if i was going to detect i might as well have the best machine i could get. Hence the CTX.

With what time i do have on it i have learned more of what not to dig than i have what to dig which i figure is just as good.

I have learned that you cannot out guess the CTX. Listen and look at what its telling you and seldom will it lead you astray. In short trust it as it knows more than i do.

Best to all.
FO

 

[GKMan]

Your like me,I haven't used an alarm clock in years...no matter what time I go to bed,I wake up just before six...

 

[LandOLincoln]

I switch shafts on mine quite often when I use it. I have two shafts that I use. Haven't had any issues other that a they squeak when I swing. I'm always banging against corn stalks or trees and they have held up fine.

 

[jspeedy]

If you have issues, problems and or concerns, a forum is the place to start bc we all want to avoid having to send equipment back. Many returns can and have been avoided by utilizing the vast amount of information that comes from a forum. I believe you have read posts of those with problems and have seen the many ideas and tricks other members suggest.

The first CTX that I owned had no issues with the lower rod sliding in or out but I had problems removing the lower rod on the unit I just returned for repair (different issue). I would call minelab before you make any alterations to the rod.

 

[Rick(ND)]

I wonder how many people have a problem sliding the lower shaft out of the upper shaft to change the coil?? I did trying to get it together the first time and then trying to take it apart again only to find out that the lower shaft has to be turned 90 degrees so when putting it in and then turned back to the reg position again before it goes all the way in, this is the same way to take it off again.
MY first CTX I had a problem with as it false all the time and found that there was a bad cable where it connect to the control box, so Minelab had me send it to them on their dollar and send me a brand new CTX which has been excellent and being I know about the turning of the shaft now when putting together or taking apart it goes together and apart just fine now.

Rick

 

[McClod]

Here is a link to some photos I took of my lower rod shaft, the top of it, after removing it to change coils. I collapse the shaft when transporting so it will fit in my vehicle, but that shouldn't be an issue that would cause this kind of damage to the shaft and I have always been very careful with my detector. Purchased it new and received it November 9th 2013, so that's only 5 months old. As I mentioned in another post, I started noticing signs of something going on some months ago, probably before it was 3 months old, when detecting I could feel the shaft wobble and sometimes vibrate a bit when scanning, and when I would try to lengthen the shaft while detecting it would slide all the way out of the upper shaft, no more "KEY STOP" on the lower rod now it is completely gone. This is the first time I have ever totally removed the lower rod from the upper rod since buying the detector other than when adjusting its length and it would slide out all together, which it should not do! To remove it we are supposed to have to turn the shaft 90 degree's or something like that in order to allow the KEY STOP to slide out of the upper rod.

Foreign Object, you mentioned "When i am hunting i change locations a lot and collaspe the rod between locations. Between that and changing coils i maye be battering it up. Will also start being a little gentler when i do colapse it."

I don't believe WE are battering it up, I believe it is a design defect or some sort of defect in the material that allows it to wear down to nothing after a short time. As I've said, I noticed something wasn't right when my lower rod started slipping out of the upper rod when I was just extending it to hunt, which it shouldn't do. I will try to find the other post's from others that have had a similar issue with theirs. I thought they were on this forum, if they are on another forum I am not sure if it is allowed to post a link to a different forum or not? Hopefully it is but I will wait until I find out before posting a link if it is to a different forum..

The link below is to 3 photos I took of the lower rod top on my detector after removing it to install the new coil. I hope it works if not I'll fix it but it did when I tested it.

Thanks

http://s32.photobucket.com/user/Silversurfer57/library/CTX%203030?sort=3&page=1

 

[foreign object]

I wonder how many people have a problem sliding the lower shaft out of the upper shaft to change the coil?? I did trying to get it together the first time and then trying to take it apart again only to find out that the lower shaft has to be turned 90 degrees so when putting it in and then turned back to the reg position again before it goes all the way in, this is the same way to take it off again.
MY first CTX I had a problem with as it false all the time and found that there was a bad cable where it connect to the control box, so Minelab had me send it to them on their dollar and send me a brand new CTX which has been excellent and being I know about the turning of the shaft now when putting together or taking apart it goes together and apart just fine now.

Rick

Yea Rich i know about turning the rod to get it to line up. Determined to get it apart this morning i had to wiggle it back and forth while pulling. Once apart i found that a piece of the shaft material i guess from machining was wedeged in the lower part of the housing end of the shaft. Fell out as the lower shaft finally came out. I hd noticed at times when extending it that it would bind and only after retracting the shaft a couple times would it extend propperly.

 

[cahil_2]

I love everything about my ctx! I had a little problem with a sticky shaft, solved with a little lube on the shaft, works smooth now.

 

[Digger]

I take care of my metal detectors the same way I take care of my firearms......I know I need to clean them to maintain their reliability. I figure when I come home from a hunt, part of that "outing" is to recharge the batteries and wipe down the detector. And, just as it states in the manual, that includes wiping down the lower shaft with a damp cloth. I won't recommend anyone else do this....but after I wipe the lower shaft down (and dry it), I occasionally spray the portion that goes into the upper shaft with a very light mist of ultra fine dry powder graphite. I tried WD40 a couple times...but when I wiped it down after the hunt, it was obvious that the oil attracts more dust and dirt. JMHO HH Randy

 

[Bayoubug]

I've had mine for about a month or so now, and knock on wood, I haven't had any problems with my CTX so far. Sometimes I wonder if I am having a problem with it falseing but I've been hunting some dirty dirt. I've chalked it up as maybe it's just a new machine for me. I will give it a little more time of driving it before I start wondering a little more. I'm like most of you out there.. when it comes to spending the money we did for the CTX... it should be built like a tank and be able to punch back in tough conditions.

 

[foreign object]

I take care of my metal detectors the same way I take care of my firearms......I know I need to clean them to maintain their reliability. I figure when I come home from a hunt, part of that "outing" is to recharge the batteries and wipe down the detector. And, just as it states in the manual, that includes wiping down the lower shaft with a damp cloth. I won't recommend anyone else do this....but after I wipe the lower shaft down (and dry it), I occasionally spray the portion that goes into the upper shaft with a very light mist of ultra fine dry powder graphite. I tried WD40 a couple times...but when I wiped it down after the hunt, it was obvious that the oil attracts more dust and dirt. JMHO HH Randy

I have been using a silicone cloth that i use on my guns and so far seems to work ok. Might try out the graphite though.

 

[McClod]

I wipe down everything on my detector after every hunt, I take better care of it than my guns for that matter. For the key lock to be worn off in less than 6 months and probably much closer to 3 months is just wrong. Not my fault for lack of maintenance on my end. Maybe I should check the upper rod for sand paper, who knows but its not due to lack of being taken care of in this case and it has never been to the beach.