Tow bar and prop pulling for RV-6?

[John RV8]

I don?t have pictures handy, but to prevent having to keep a tow bar in the plane or push/pull on the prop I installed ?pull handles? they work great! A bonus is that I don?t put any undue stress on either the vertical or horizontal stabilizers by pushing on them.

I got them from BAS inc. they specialize in Cessna mods here is a link to their website. They no longer list the one for RV?s but suspect they could still make you a set.

http://basinc-aeromod.com/tail_pull_handles.php

I have No affiliation with this company, I?m just a happy customer.

[Toobuilder]

Originally Posted by BillL

I don't believe this...

1. Take one apart and report back.

And/or

2. I don't care... as long as you don't touch my prop.

[Caveman]

I'm not taking a position in this debate. Here is a little more info from Les Doud of Hartzell props to help others form their own opinion:

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...7&postcount=23

[BillL]

Originally Posted by Toobuilder

1. Take one apart and report back.

And/or

2. I don't care... as long as you don't touch my prop.

I wouldn't, and have learned each person treats their plane differently and respect them all. I just can not see the brinelling theory as plausible, maybe some other issue, but not that.

Originally Posted by Caveman

I'm not taking a position in this debate. Here is a little more info from Les Doud of Hartzell props to help others form their own opinion:

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...7&postcount=23

Les is the guy I would consider an expert, he's a great guy! He does note not to take 2 X 4's and twist the prop like some recommend. My composite is pretty thin and I only handle it by the root. This is only for the RV, too and is not unlimited.

Moderation and care is the key to longevity of many things.

[MountainU2]

Great information, guys. And thanks for the welcome!

Lars, I PMed you. I appreciate the offer.

I should have known opinions would span the spectrum on pulling by the prop. Can?t say I have terribly strong feelings about it, but there?s enough evidence for me to at least want a better tow bar. The pull handles are an interesting idea too, but I?ll need to read more about them.

In short, I plan to reduce my prop pulling as much as I can, and I hope I haven?t done any damage so far. I?d say it?s maybe been pulled 20 times by now. Any advice on what to look for in terms of potential damage? I know it?s not terribly likely, but, well...one engine...

Not saying I don?t buy the argument that the prop can handle it either. It?s a pretty light plane, and I?m not exactly the Incredible Hulk. But when I pull it out of the hangar, I need to make a 90 degree turn, which I?ve been doing by the prop. I?ve tried to be smooth and hold near the spinner, but there?s still been asymmetric force as part of the deal.

To provide a little more background, I started thinking about this a couple days ago after noticing a sort of wobble around the 900-1000RPM area during initial taxi out. It wasn?t terrible, and I was taxiing behind another plane at the time, so it could have been an airflow thing with his propwash. It also didn?t happen the rest of the day. But lying in bed later that night, I couldn?t help but wonder if I oughtn?t look into it further. Paranoia? Maybe. Regardless, I plan to go taxi around a bit when I get home this week and see if I can replicate it. I?m hoping I can?t!

Thanks for weighing in and helping a new guy. As an aside, this thread compelled me to end my lurking days and donate.

Keith

[Toobuilder]

Originally Posted by MountainU2

...To provide a little more background, I started thinking about this a couple days ago after noticing a sort of wobble around the 900-1000RPM area during initial taxi out...

My Hiperbipe had a pronounced "wobble" (spinner relative to cowl) at certain RPM and ground speeds. I attributed it to a resonance between the spring gear and the durometer of the mount isolators (mine were pretty soft). No such behavior in flight nor when stationary on the ground. Something to consider.

[MountainU2]

Originally Posted by Toobuilder

My Hiperbipe had a pronounced "wobble" (spinner relative to cowl) at certain RPM and ground speeds. I attributed it to a resonance between the spring gear and the durometer of the mount isolators (mine were pretty soft). No such behavior in flight nor when stationary on the ground. Something to consider.

Consider it considered! Did you do anything about it? Seems like as long as it can be pinpointed to a certain RPM range and reasonably attributed to something non-threatening, it?s NBD.

[Toobuilder]

Originally Posted by MountainU2

Consider it considered! Did you do anything about it? Seems like as long as it can be pinpointed to a certain RPM range and reasonably attributed to something non-threatening, it?s NBD.

I lived with it for a long time as it wasn't hurting anything. When the spinner started to dig into the cowl during hard acro however, I knew replacement isolators were needed. That fixed all the wobble.

[lr172]

Originally Posted by pa38112

The prop pulls the plane a whole lot harder than you ever could. Many people warn against it, but I am of the opinion that they either don't know what they are talking about, or think that by warning they will prevent you from doing it the wrong way. I do not see how even pressure on both sides of the prop, applied right outboard of the spinner, could possible hurt anything.

+1 here as well, but I have a fixed pitch prop. The root of the blades are very beefy and this is where I pull/push.

[Toobuilder]

FWIW, I have no issue with pulling on a fixed prop either - but thats apples/oranges to the OP.