Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists › Forums › Cummins Marine Engines › Experience of running aground with Zeus › Trim Tab Ram Failure

July 20, 2019 at 3:23 pm #75589

David Amble
Participant
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland
Country: Australia

Trim Tab Ram Failure

I don’t think your failure is due to running aground.
From what I can see in the photos, it looks like the weld attaching the trim tab ram to the yoke has failed allowing the trim tab to drop down onto the running propellers; hence the damage.
In my boat (2012), I have three QSC 600 engines driving Zeus drives. I lift the boat at least once per year for routine maintenance and usually a 6 months later for a quick wash and an underwater inspection. I have very good support from Cummins in Queensland and it is due to their diligence that they noticed a crack appearing in the weld in one of my pod trim tab rams. All three rams were subsequently replaced with a new type whereby the ram and the yoke are machined out of one piece of metal; so no welds to possibly fail. These rams are Mercury parts but obtained and installed by Cummins.