Todd, you know I respect your opinion. You are one of those people whose knowledge, opinion, practice and results I admire. That said, I`m pretty simple minded and while I`m no engineer have a good understanding of most things mechanical. So... forgive me if these comments run counter to yours as I`m not trying to be confrontational. I just feel that the free wheeling test assumes too much.
I don`t believe that spinning freely in the air is an accurate predictor of how the machine will work under an actual load. There are far too many other factors that help to determine whether the machine operates smoothly under a load, not simply the pad or a pad weighted with polish.
The motor itself, gear alignment and depth of engagement, bearings and their side or end load, tolerances and clearances that change under heat and pressure, the weight of the pad etc are all factors to be considered. These can all come into to play under real world use conditions. The way gears mesh under a load will always be somewhat different than when free wheeling. While the machine may operate smoothly in the air, I do not believe this is the sole or necessarily the best indicator of how it will perform while in use. I do however believe it`s a good place to start. Yeah, my 2 cents are probably only worth .5 cents. Once again, I realize that vibration wasn`t the emphasis of this test. Stepping down from my soap box.
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