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Cutting Spinner for Catto Prop

pilot28906

Well Known Member
Has anyone cut the Van's spinner to fit the Catto 3-blade prop or has everyone just purchase theirs? How difficult to cut the Van's spinner for three blades? Catto has stopped cutting the Vans spinner.

Thanks
 
I've cut several myself. It's not really bad. I think you can get the gap a little tighter by doing it yourself.
Like so many other things, just cut a little at a time until you get what you want. Put a layer of masking tape on the prop while fitting to avoid scratching the prop.
 
I too cut the Vans spinner to fit. Do as Mel says and protect the blades while trimming. It will take ALL day to get a nice fit.

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I was going to cut mine but I saw they had a carbon fiber one that looks amazing so I ordered it and it already fit perfect! I couldn't pass it up after seeing it.
 
I was going to cut mine but I saw they had a carbon fiber one that looks amazing so I ordered it and it already fit perfect! I couldn't pass it up after seeing it.

Ditto on the Carbon from Catto. They gave me the choice of primed or clear carbon for the same price. Eh, send me the carbon- I can always prime and paint if I want. Boy I?m glad I went for the carbon.
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Catto spinner

rockwoodrv9,

Did your spinner kit come with any hardware from Catto? Mine did not.
 
Sorry, I just noticed this question. I cant remember for sure, but I dont think it did come with hardware. When I mounted it, the screw holes matched perfectly the spinner plate I had. Thinking of that now, maybe it did come with a new plate?
 
Ditto on the Carbon from Catto. They gave me the choice of primed or clear carbon for the same price. Eh, send me the carbon- I can always prime and paint if I want. Boy I’m glad I went for the carbon.
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Hey Anthony,

I’m not seeing any screws attaching your spinner to a front bulkhead. Can you please tell me how you have it secured? I have that same prop and spinner that you have that I’ll be installing on my new -7 build and my spinner only has the holes drilled for the rear bulkhead as well. Does that carbon fiber spinner only require a rear bulkhead/spinner attach point?

Thanks,
Mark
 
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Hey Anthony,

I?m not seeing any screws attaching your spinner to a front bulkhead. Can you please tell me how you have it secured? I have that same prop and spinner that you have that I?ll be installing on my new -7 build and my spinner only has the holes drilled for the rear bulkhead as well. Does that carbon fiber spinner only require a rear bulkhead/spinner attach point?

Thanks,
Mark

Mark,

The spinner has a integral molded internal part that fits snugly inside the center hole of the prop. There is no front bulkhead required. Mine came with the rear bulkhead complete with nutplates and hardware installed and ready for final installation.

Anthony
 
Mark,

The spinner has a integral molded internal part that fits snugly inside the center hole of the prop. There is no front bulkhead required. Mine came with the rear bulkhead complete with nutplates and hardware installed and ready for final installation.

Anthony

Thanks Anthony! My spinner and bulkhead also came drilled and with nut-plates attached, but there?s no molded internal part that fits in the center hole of the prop. Are you running a crush plate? I?m running a Sabor prop extension along with crush a plate. My crushplate is solid and doesn?t have a hole drilled in it to accommodate any kind of internal spinner/fixture. With everything in place and staked up property...including a front bulkhead, there?s a small gap between the front bulkhead and the spinner. Even if everything were to fit properly I?m not sure how I?ll get the front bulkhead holes drilled in my spinner without possibly messing it up. On another thread Mel suggested that if the spinner were to fit snugly with the front bulkhead that screws really aren?t needed. So, in my situation I may try wrapping the outside diameter of the front bulkhead with some kind of material so that the spinner will nest snugly with it.

Mark
 
I looked back in my records and my carbon fiber spinner did come with the front plate with nutplates already installed. Mine does have the center pug that fits into the crush plate on the prop. It was a perfect fit as it came - no modifications needed. It really is very nice looking.
 
Mark,
I?m also using a Saber extension and a crush plate, but mine has a hole in the center that accepts the extrusion inside the spinner. I suggest a quick call to Catto and find out what you should do, if anything.

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Mark,
I?m also using a Saber extension and a crush plate, but mine has a hole in the center that accepts the extrusion inside the spinner. I suggest a quick call to Catto and find out what you should do, if anything.

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Hmmmm....interesting. My Saber crush plate is solid...and very heavy....I think it?s the heaviest one Sam makes, which may be why it doesn?t have the hole machined in the middle. I?ll give Catto a call though and make sure I?m on the right track with everything.

Thanks,
Mark
 
Pleas excuse this short digression from the topic. not sure if the pic below shows the final configuration for the safety wire. Bolts labeled 4, 2 and 1 are wired erroneously. I am not trying to be the safety wire police here, but this is somewhat important.

Break

I have cut my spinner a few times to fit the Catto props. Not hard. But the new spinner from Catto is great and come ready to install (including hardware). The blade cut out on the spinners are now done on the CNC machine. They also put it on a lathe and line everything up before drilling the holes on the aft bulk head so the spinner can be a true as possible. Being there and helping/seing this done makes me wonder why the cost is not more. It is a good value compared to the labor that goes into it.

 
I have ordered the Catto spinner with the prop. I also talked to Sam at Saber and there is no hole in the heavy crush plate that I have also ordered. He told me about a way to center the front bulkhead with the heavy crush plate. Give him a call and have him explain it; I will need to call again before installing it.
 
I have ordered the Catto spinner with the prop. I also talked to Sam at Saber and there is no hole in the heavy crush plate that I have also ordered. He told me about a way to center the front bulkhead with the heavy crush plate. Give him a call and have him explain it; I will need to call again before installing it.

I spoke to Nicole at Catto today and she has some kind of special tape that the outside diameter of the front bulkhead can be wrapped with that allows the spinner to nest down and fit snugly on and support it properly without having to put screws through it.

Mark
 
I sent an email off to Catto after our discussion yesterday concerning the missing forward bulkhead.
I have not heard back yet but I will report when I hear from them.
 
I sent an email off to Catto after our discussion yesterday concerning the missing forward bulkhead.
I have not heard back yet but I will report when I hear from them.


Mark,
Your spinner may have the integral molded internal part that fits snugly inside the center hole of the prop. If you have this type, from what I understand, there's no front bulkhead required.

Mark
 
I have ordered the Catto spinner with the prop. I also talked to Sam at Saber and there is no hole in the heavy crush plate that I have also ordered. He told me about a way to center the front bulkhead with the heavy crush plate.

Correct. I have the 20 lb plate but others have installed 13-14 lb plates; none I have seen have a center hole.

My fwd bulkhead is mounted just under the Saber plate (if I recall). Tried to find a picture but haven't taken one with everything except the spinner installed. I need to pull it soon for a post install re-torque and will snap a pic or 3 then.
 
Correct. I have the 20 lb plate but others have installed 13-14 lb plates; none I have seen have a center hole.

My fwd bulkhead is mounted just under the Saber plate (if I recall). Tried to find a picture but haven't taken one with everything except the spinner installed. I need to pull it soon for a post install re-torque and will snap a pic or 3 then.

Yes, starting from the front, it goes...1. heavy steel crush plate, 2. forward bulkhead, 3. smaller aluminum crush plate, 4. prop, 5. prop extension. According to Nicole, the small aluminum crush plate that goes between the prop and the forward bulkhead is suppose to be 5/8" thick...(I think that's what she said). I think the problem we're having is that that aluminum crush plate actually needs to be a little bit thicker. If it were a little bit thicker it would push the forward bulkhead out a little further which would allow the the spinner to nest better with it. This would also prevent the need to wrap the outside diameter of the forward bulkhead with anything in an attempt to increase its diameter.

Mark
 
My Apologies, it has been 5 years this month since the build.
I emailed Catto and Nicole said a front bulkhead should have been sent with the Catto spinner and she offered to send me one.
I checked some old photos and found a poor picture and sure enough I have a front bulkhead.:eek:
Seems a front bulkhead is needed with any prop. Just no screws in the front.
 
Not now Catto...

Ditto on the Carbon from Catto. They gave me the choice of primed or clear carbon for the same price. Eh, send me the carbon- I can always prime and paint if I want. Boy I’m glad I went for the carbon.
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Wow, Craig has come a long way....
I was ready to give a long dissertation on using sharpies and a roll of solder to help cut the Vans spinner, but after seeing Craig’s carbon model above, why bother?
Break out that Visa...
:)
V/R
Smokey
 
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