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Prop guard

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bob888

Well Known Member
Does anyone have experience with the Prop Guard product sold by McFarlane? It is a plastic strip attached to the leading edge of the prop to protect against abrasion.
 
bob888 said:
Does anyone have experience with the Prop Guard product sold by McFarlane? It is a plastic strip attached to the leading edge of the prop to protect against abrasion.
Click to expand...

I've used it with mixed results - if you put it on a pristine, brand new prop, I suspect it will hold pretty well. We installed it on a prop that had been in service for quite awhile, and even though we cleaned the heck out of it, and dressed the leading edges before hand, adhesion was a problem, and we eventually took it off.

Paul
 
Adhesion wasn't a problem for me except at the curved prop tip which the tape couldn't be bent without folding into a crease upon itself. The problem I experienced was the tape would erode in one good flight through rain, requiring replacement.
 
bob888 said:
Does anyone have experience with the Prop Guard product sold by McFarlane? It is a plastic strip attached to the leading edge of the prop to protect against abrasion.
Click to expand...

I've had good luck with the 3M Polyurethane prop tape that Spruce sells by the foot. I don't fly through rain that much but the times I have don't seem to cause any appreciable issues. I replace the tape usually every two years when it starts turning yellow. Light use of a heat gun will remove it easily, clean with alcohol and reapply a new strip. Like Steve mentioned, the prop tip can be a challenge. I do it in two sections, the first long strip adjusts to the curvature of my Hartzell until about 2 1/2" from the tip. Then I cut and apply the last tip piece as a butt joint to the first strip. The butt joint matches up with the stripe paint line on the prop so you really can't tell it's two pieces until you get closer or when the tape starts getting older.

EAA has a nice video in the home builders section where Dick Koehler shows you the whole process.
 
Carlos151 said:
I've had good luck with the 3M Polyurethane prop tape that Spruce sells by the foot. I don't fly through rain that much but the times I have don't seem to cause any appreciable issues. I replace the tape usually every two years when it starts turning yellow. Light use of a heat gun will remove it easily, clean with alcohol and reapply a new strip. Like Steve mentioned, the prop tip can be a challenge. I do it in two sections, the first long strip adjusts to the curvature of my Hartzell until about 2 1/2" from the tip. Then I cut and apply the last tip piece as a butt joint to the first strip. The butt joint matches up with the stripe paint line on the prop so you really can't tell it's two pieces until you get closer or when the tape starts getting older.

EAA has a nice video in the home builders section where Dick Koehler shows you the whole process.
Click to expand...

I uses this on my catto and if you follow Catto's directions for prep and installation, it goes on very well. The edge at the tip will start to come off at around 100+ hours. YOu can use super glue to keep it there or replace it. I have flown numerous times in rain at 2700 RPM with no damage to the Catto when using this tape.

Be aware that ACS sells two versions of this, but I can't remember which one I bought.

Larry
 
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