yea, I've saved a couple that way....when the bend was obvious at least. the bend is usually at the collar anyway. In my case, I have the upgraded LG and bell hiller head with seperate electronics strapped on under the main gear...its a pain to allways be pulling things apart to get that slight vibe outa the works. It just bends to easily...like on a hard landing when nothing else breaks.

I want a harder main shaft.

Someone on another forum mentiong 3mm drill rod cut down and drilled for the pin holes.

...could use that with the Esky gear and I wouldn't have to disassemble the frame. its a thought!