How do you change drive rotation on Bravos?
 

I've been reading another thread and now I have questions. How do I change my rotation on twin Bravos from inward to outward? Do I swap drives? Do I swap props then change the shift linkage? If so, how? Help, please! :confused:

You swap props and change the shift linkage. You can do that up at the controls. If you want to just test the prop swap then just swap the props and then work the shift levers in revers. This way if you swap back again it is eaier. If you like the swap then you can flip them up at the control. The Bravo is the ONLY drive that youc an do that with. Alpha's and TRS drives you have to swap the drive.

Jon

The concern is with spinning in- when turning, the outside will have a tendency to hook and be less forgiving at the limit/edge. Spinning out will have a tendency to spin out and slide being more forgiving. Going straight you will see a difference in how the boat rides- bow lift/stern lift.

Live and learn I guess. I already swapped the drives, but apparently all I really did was swap the props with the drives still attached. :o I've got a Gaffrig 4-lever set-up. Is it pretty obvious how to change the linkage at the controls?

It is no problem to do. My controls were installed angle back instead of forward. My X-mechanic said they would hit the dash if installed angle forward. Well this was just another lie from Dale @ Predator Marine in NJ. My buddies and I switched it around but it was a pain in the a$$, took about 1 1/2 hr but I also have the trim in the handle and had to take the whole assembly apart to get the handle with the switch on the inside.

When you say switch the cables at the control, does that mean at the shift plate on the engine or actually at the helm station controls?

BT

The easiest place to change the linkage is at the engine end. The helm station is ususally a pain to work in bacause of the space constraints.

If you are doing this type of work I would recommend getting the shop manuals for the Bravo dirves. Most owners manuals have a section at the back to order them. If you cannot find it, go to a Mrec. dealer and they can sell you a set. They may not want to, but they are required to.

Its not quite as simple as just switching the cable direction. You want to make sure they are adjusted correctly or you may cause damage to the cone clucth, clutch teeth, drive gear or shift collar in the drive. You can cause the sift fork to keep pressure on the shift collar after the unit is in gear, or cause the collar to not fully engage the clutch teeth on the drive gear. Its not a difficult thing to do, but knowing how they should be adjusted is important.

I bought a set of manuals back in 98' and I think they were around $150.00 for engine and drive. Its cheap and gives you the info to do a lot of things like we're discussing without paying a mechanic.

I'm an engineer and get off on this sort of thing. Sorry if I've stepped on anyone's toe's with the mechanic comment

Mechanics have feelings too, ya know... :(

I changed my cables at the controls up front and checked the adjustment in the back and found I needed to make adjustments to the shift plate at the back. I believe the Mercury Bravo outdrive manual has the instructions and this manaul is $35 from BAM.

How are you changing direction there? I looked at it and don't see how you get the opposite throw config.

I don't mean to get in the middle of this, but there is no provision at the shift bracket on the engine to change the rotation. As cramped as the helm end is, that is where the direction is switched. As h2owarrier says, you do want to confoirm the adjustment. If you just want to test, switch the props and run it in reverse, but be careful! This only works on a Bravo, not a TRS or speedmaster.

Thanks for the help. Working at the controls end was pretty easy. :D

Sorry for the confusion :confused: I went back and looked at the manual (wrote the initial post from bad memory). Just another good reason to have (actually use) the manual. :rolleyes:

I'll be replacing my trs drives in little while, was wondering which way you guys think i should have the props spin--towards center or to outside? I don't have any experience with either way considering just bought the boat and haven't really driven it yet. Just would rather not have to pull the boat back out after launching it

del - I'm new to this stuff too, but I believe it really depends on type of boat and personal preference. The boat will handle differently depending on rotation and only testing will tell for sure. I have a 30' cat and changing the rotation made it feel like a completely different boat!

You may want to start a new thread asking for help. Make sure to include info about the boat and the type of hull. Someone may have a similar set-up that can save you some work and testing.

Good Luck! :cool: