3 Blade Hartzell CS Composite

[Northernliving]

Any pireps or opinions on the Hartzell 74 inch diameter 3-bladed, aluminum ?Raptor? hub and Carbon Fiber Scimitar bladed prop? I?ll be in the market in the next few months and looking at alternatives.

https://hartzellprop.com/wp-content/uploads/vansl.pdf

[N941WR]

That seams like a very large diameter for a three blades prop on an RV.

[Northernliving]

Originally Posted by N941WR

That seams like a very large diameter for a three blades prop on an RV.

I agree on the diameter. Definitely not a prop expert here, but the cord does look narrow on this 3 blade prop and perhaps that has something to do with the larger diameter.

I'll be very interest to see how this performs against their 2 blade CS carbon fiber prop or ever the BA prop that is pretty popular on the 8. I would welcome the smooth operation of a 3 blade and of course the ramp appeal, provided there isn't too much speed penalty.

Not sure they are really selling this yet. I'll call them on Monday and post what I learn.

Brian

[Flyhud]

This looks like a very nice setup, 69” on the O-320 would sure look sharp on my -4. Interested in seeing some performance numbers. Thanks for posting!

[Christopher Murphy]

Ive been hoping for a lighter hartzel for my 0320 RV4. Prefer 2 blade but id do this prop if they are actually selling it. No interest in the WW or MT but this one Id be interested in

Cm

[dreed]

Interesting- I wonder if that Hub is a lot lighter? I have the 2 blade composite Hartzell and as I recall it's just under 44 lbs (including spinner).

Surprised an extra blade would be 2lbs lighter. The spinner is some of that for sure, but seems pretty light for a 3 blade C/S prop

[Northernliving]

Originally Posted by dreed

Interesting- I wonder if that Hub is a lot lighter? I have the 2 blade composite Hartzell and as I recall it's just under 44 lbs (including spinner).

Surprised an extra blade would be 2lbs lighter. The spinner is some of that for sure, but seems pretty light for a 3 blade C/S prop

The cord on the three blade is *much* narrower than the two blade composite with enormous "paddles."

[MS19087]

I met with Hartzell at OshKosh this year. They said they are working with Vans to make this available for the RV14. No news yet, but i may be interested in this option. This is their marketing literature: https://hartzellprop.com/wp-content/uploads/vansl.pdf

[Northernliving]

I called Hartzell today and talked to them about the prop. The person that I talked to was helpful, but not very knowledgeable. Seemed like they were reading off the computer screen. I had to be transferred to another department for pricing. Here are the highlights they provided when compared to the blended airfoil prop. Specifics weren't great other than weight and cruise speed.

1) Total weight is 42lbs and is 16 lbs lighter than the BA prop
2) Better climb than the BA prop
3) Smoother than the BA prop with no RPM limitations
4) Better braking/steeper descents than the BA prop
5) Slower in cruise than the BA prop by ~2kts
6) Better looking than the BA prop by 25kts while parked (!) - my edit

You can have all this for a modest list price of $19,730. I assume this price doesn?t come with the spinner. They proceeded to tell me to call Vans to get a much better price under their OEM relationship. So I called Vans, and they initially they knew nothing at all about it, but then someone in the background chimed and said it would be available once they had a chance to test it, but it could be a while (months). Suggested I call back monthly to get a status. So there you have it. My guess is Vans might be 10-15% less than the Hartzell list price. Nice looking prop, but that will be at a serious chunk of change. More to come as I get additional info. Still interested.

[svyolo]

Do composite props pose less risk to the engine in the case of a prop strike vs a metal prop? I think I heard they did.