Which machines work with our flexible shafts?

Introduction

Many of our customers inquire about which machines are compatible with our flexible shafts. In this article we would like to provide extensive information about our tools so that everyone can maximize the potential of their tools and explore all the possibilities and benefits they offer.

Specifications and flexibility

Our shafts are made by winding spring-grade steel in opposing directions on a single mandrel. This allows you to benefit from equal torque in both directions of rotation.

One of the primary distinctions between our flexible shafts and those from other brands lies in the flexibility of the shaft set. Our customers have informed us that our shafts are more rigid compared to Ridgid Flexshafts. And while Picote’s flexible shaft shares the same specifications as ours, our protective sleeve is thinner, so it will provide more flexibility than the one made by Picote.

Disclaimer

We manufacture our own brand of flexible shafts, and by chance our clients started adapting them to their Ridgid K9-102 and Ridgid K9-204 sewer cleaning machines. It’s important to note that we do not claim to offer replacement shafts for Ridgid Flexshafts, nor do we produce replacement parts for any other brands’ machines.

Our 102 and 204 adapters

Our customers informed us that they were using our shafts on their machines because our flexible shafts are more rigid and do not coil up on the inner diameter of the pipe when more torque is applied.

These adapters are made in our workshop for clients who requested that we make such adapters for our flexible shafts, providing us with specifications to use with their existing Ridgid sewer cleaning systems. We do not encourage you to replace your Ridgid machines with our tools but rather to use our tools to complement your Ridgid setup.

We wanted to accommodate our customers further by producing our flexible shaft with the102 or 204 adapter already crimped on it. You can find these sets at this link:

https://plumber-tools.com/102204-flexible-shaft-cable-set

Please see this instructional video provided by one of our clients where he replaces the shaft on his Ridgid K9-204 machine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtCs6VU88hs

Other brands’ machines compatible with our tools

Here we have listed the machines that are compatible with our flexible shafts. We also added additional information about the maximum shaft length and the type of chain that these machines use (lightweight or heavy-duty chain):

• Picote Super Midi uses a 12mm (1/2”) shaft (maximum length 20m/65ft) and a heavy-duty chain

• Picote Maxi Miller uses a 12mm (1/2”) shaft (maximum length 30m/98ft) and a heavy-duty chain

• Picote Midi Cleaner uses a 10mm (3/8”) shaft (maximum length 23m/75ft) and a heavy-duty chain

• Picote Mini Cleaner uses an 8mm (5/16”) shaft (maximum length 16m/52ft) and a lightweight chain

• Picote Mini Miller uses an 8mm (5/16”) shaft (maximum length 16m/52ft) and a lightweight chain

• Ridgid K9-102 FlexShaft® Machine uses a 6mm (1/4”) shaft (maximum length 15m/50’) and a lightweight chain

• Ridgid K9-204 FlexShaft® Machine uses an 8mm (5/16”) shaft (maximum length 21m/70’) and a lightweight chain

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL High Speed Flexible Shaft Machine uses an 8mm (5/16”) shaft (maximum length 25m/82ft) and a lightweight chain

We recommend looking at the following chains for your machines:

If you are descaling pipes in preparation for pipe relining, then our recommendation would be to choose one of our circular chains, specifically designed for PVC or metal pipes. If you are removing blockages in PVC pipes, we recommend our plain chain knockers, and if you are removing blockages in cast iron or clay pipes, then we suggest looking at our Croco and X-tip chains.

Conclusion

Even though we do not sell replacement parts for any other brand’s machines, some of our customers have decided to use our flexible shafts on their machines because our shafts do not coil up on the inner diameter of the pipe when a significant amount of torque is applied.

We do not advise our customers to stop using other brands’ machines. On the contrary, we always encourage our clients to maximize the potential of their tools and, if possible, use our tools to complement their current setup.