Maintenance Tail Stand for Tail Draggers

[mv031161]

Question for all Do It Yourselfer,s.

Anyone have any ideas, plans, pictures or link for an tail stand with adjustable height for tail draggers? Need reliable tail stand for Maintenance. I should be able to hung tail freely for maintenance, Level the aircraft perfectly....any ideas will be greatly appreciated!

[Johnnybgoode]

Mitch,
There was just a thread within the last couple of weeks with pics of one built from metal and using a come-a-long. I have saved pics at home of a nice wooden one but am in Mexico City so no help now. I'll post them when I get home if no one has linked you to them by then.

Disregard - found them on iPad...

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ps498ae2bf.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ps2f1b2c6e.jpg
Patrick

[Smilin' Jack]

Mitch,
I would used 5 gal plastic pail and put a heavy duty ground stake in it and filled it up with cement
I actually used a wheel axel off a 6 foot mower deck, you can buy the 1/2 screw in stakes that have a screw in plate welded on the bottom they are about a foot long at Home Depot and you do not have to bend anything. NOT THE DOGGIE SPIRAL STAKE

Leave about 3 Inches out side the cement.. IF I did it again, I'd put 2 stakes in about 3 inches apart

When leveling
I take a ratchet strap and loop it around the tail wheel arm and fasten to the 5 gal bucket,and then raise the tail and put it on a couple of padded saw horses which are staggered under the rear bulkheads not under the skin it under a bulkhead in the tail section. With the strap already fastened prevents the aircraft from doing a nose dive into the concrete floor

You might put your prop horizontal and I even put a padded bench under the nose as another precaution when leveling there are several horror stories of the planes going over while raising the tails.

every thing changes level, tire pressure, weight so I shim the saw horses on the rear till I get the plane level.
Jack

[mv031161]

Thanks to all!!!!!!!! I use a 5 gallon Bucket with Speedy Dry now but was looking at something similar what Johnny posted! Thanks again! what you all do for tail wheel maintenance with this type of stand? SMiling Jack..Spot On!

[Smilin' Jack]

Mitch since the strap is around the tail wheel arm. To do routine maintenance on the tail wheel is no issue. In fact getting it up to level height help the old back here.

Jack

[DanH]

I don't have my engine assembly stand in use very often, so it spends most of it's time at the airport, converted to a tailwheel stand. Need two feet of 1" all-thread, two nuts, a piece of plate, and a few short lengths of angle to make the wheel cup. Rock solid, fully adjustable for height.

[Ironflight]

Lots of good ideas and things that work. Search for "Tailmate" to get another one - they are no longer available, but we love ours. It seemed expensive until we thought about what a wrenched back woudl cost.....

You coudl easily make one if you have welding skills.

Paul

[JonJay]

I use a Tailmate as well. If I am going to have it up for a while, I tie the tail to it and put a board across the bottom weighed down with a heavy vise.
An RV jacked from the wing tie downs will fly the tail even when tied to a stand unless it is weighed down.

[mv031161]

Originally Posted by DanH

I don't have my engine assembly stand in use very often, so it spends most of it's time at the airport, converted to a tailwheel stand. Need two feet of 1" all-thread, two nuts, a piece of plate, and a few short lengths of angle to make the wheel cup. Rock solid, fully adjustable for height.

Love this design! and that's exactly my assembly! tell me more about those ribs in the floor! whatcha building?

[claycookiemonster]

Just out of curiosity, how much weight is this tail stand holding? I can imagine many wooden or steel ways to hold the tail wheel up, I'm curious the load it's going to bear.