The Inevitable Happened...

[ReidVaitor]

Originally Posted by cderk

The trim isnt much - maybe 1/2"... but I agree, its easy to remove.

Maybe I should ask the question a little differently - has anyone every installed the engine PRIOR to installing the landing gear?

If it was me, I would remove the landing gear put the plane on a dolly and roll it out of the garage, than I would move it to a location that is wider. When you put that engine on the plane it will be very heavy.. I would encourage a call to Vans to ask that question. I suppose using the packing crate and putting a high weight dolly under it would work, you could put another couple under the wings beams. I would be desperate to do that, you can always raise the plane and install gear later, but it sounds like you want to get it out of the garage anyway, so move it before you put the engine on and get the gear installed so you can move forward with the brakes and the order of the plans.

[cderk]

Originally Posted by ReidVaitor

If it was me, I would remove the landing gear put the plane on a dolly and roll it out of the garage, than I would move it to a location that is wider. When you put that engine on the plane it will be very heavy.. I would encourage a call to Vans to ask that question. I suppose using the packing crate and putting a high weight dolly under it would work, you could put another couple under the wings beams. I would be desperate to do that, you can always raise the plane and install gear later, but it sounds like you want to get it out of the garage anyway, so move it before you put the engine on and get the gear installed so you can move forward with the brakes and the order of the plans.

I?d rather not move it - its not ready. The minute it gets moved out of my garage, productivity will go down exponentially. I still have my engine to install, all my avionics and more fiberglassing work. Currently looking for garage space to rent in my town or neighboring towns.

[Kyle Boatright]

Originally Posted by cderk

I?d rather not move it - its not ready. The minute it gets moved out of my garage, productivity will go down exponentially.

Exactly. So, put it on low boy trollies or 2" diameter wheels and take care of everything else. Worry about the wheel pants in the driveway or at the airport.

[JDA_BTR]

Or put a 4" length of 2x4 bolted to the bottom of the main gear leg that puts the wood about 1" below the leg. The wood is on the ground, and the length is so short that it won't cause any trouble. To move it just put the stump on a dolly. When you want to install the wheel put a lift on the engine mount and lift it up with a block at the tail.

[rv7charlie]

Never done any work at all on a -10, but if references to a -7 help at all:

I put my -7 fuselage (taildragger) on the gear, fitted the wheel pants & leg fairings, and then removed the gear & returned it to the low dolly. I did the entire engine installation, including all the cowl fitting work, and all my wiring/systems work, with it sitting on stub legs, sitting leveled on a low dolly. *Much* less climbing up and down on step ladders, walk boards, etc. I suspect that doing the engine work with it on the gear would have doubled my engine install time.

With the motor mount on, it's been a simple matter to pick the fuselage up with either an engine hoist or a hoist mounted to ceiling structure. Lifting with straps at the two firewall top mount point make mine quite stable, and I don't worry about damaging the engine or mount.

Don't know if you can apply any of that to a -10 (might need some weight on the tail when hanging the engine), but if I were building one, I'd certainly try to find a way to do it just for the time saving; never mind the dimensional issues of removal from the work space.

FWIW,

Charlie

[Dbro172]

Originally Posted by cderk

Maybe I should ask the question a little differently - has anyone every installed the engine PRIOR to installing the landing gear?

Sure have.

[Jake14]

how about just canting the plane sideways as much as space will allow and then moving it forward at an angle until one wheel is outside the door ?