Gotau's GPX 6000 Shaft Twist Remedy

[phrunt]

Now that I have aftermarket coils, an EMI fix to allow me to use my speaker and a nice working GPX 6000 there was just one more thing bugging me, the shaft twist.  Mine started off good, I was there gloating how mine doesn't twist but that didn't last long, a few times out looking for gold and it was twisting like Chubby Checker with a slight breeze. 

A while ago GotAU came up with an idea of putting little o-rings in there and he said it worked for him, such a simple cheap solution.  I kept meaning to try it and never got around to it, mainly because I had to remember to buy some o-rings and always forgot.

Well, I finally got around to it, I bought some and it appears to have worked well, my shaft no longer needs over tightened to make it secure.    It got to the point the only way I could prevent it from twisting was to use something like vice grips to tighten it up which I figured would end up breaking it in no time.

So, now I've done GotAU's recommended fix and I can say so far it's working fine.  For such a cheap price and simple solution it's worth giving it a shot for anyone having a twisting shaft.

I didn't bother to measure my shaft, I just bought a multi pack for a couple of bucks

You just dismantle the shaft, slide the little O-ring up over the shaft to the position you want to tighten up your shaft then tighten it up, couldn't be more simple.

Slide it up over the shaft and into position, a lot further back than this photo obviously.  I used ones that were quite small, they were smaller than the shaft but stretched over it.

So far so good, thanks GotAU for the great idea, you should be a shaft engineer at Minelab, although you might be over-qualified for the job.

The only downside is it's slightly slower to shrink it down as you have to move the o-ring by hand, maybe if I used a looser fitting one I wouldn't need to do that, I'll give it a try sometime, at the moment I'm just happy it's not twisting.

[Aureous]

Now that I own a 'Critta' aftermarket stem lock and shaft, I dont need this fix BUT.....I have the orig ML shaft and stem setup leftover after the changeover for use with the 14DD.....or maybe with my 'good' 11M once I (someday) receive the NF 12x7 mono. No sense it leaving the old stem setup unused. The O ring is a cheap fix and makes perfect sense. 

[Nedkelly]

Just me again,  got my 6000 in July 21, screwed the crap out of the lock bizzos , never changed again.  Hasn't moved since.  Maybe minor adjustments.?? Anyway never had all the problems everyone else has complaining about.  Just checked 11" stock coil cracked! They will both go back and get  the up grade  while still under still warranty  . Bring on the nuggetfinders?. Wasn't that  long ago people were saying we don't care if there not as sensitive , just need one that'll fit here and fit there. Well welcome to the real world. I love my coilteks , they work when nothing else will in this Mongrel wet red dirt . Less sensitively the better for me! Anyway 2 many JD's 4 me so I'll get off the soap box , cheers ? 

[GotAU?]

Glad to have helped, Simon! Now you can put those nut grinders away! ?

-Anthony 

[MSC]

phrunt, thanks for describing how to install the o-rings on the 6000 shaft, works great. 

[phrunt]

It's GotAU gets the credit for this one, I've since changed mine to the correct size O-ring and now I can use my shaft just as if the o-ring wasn't there and its just as easy to adjust as original but I have next to no twist at all, it takes a lot to cause twisting.

Perfect solution, it seems like the shaft was made to have the o-rings in there.