longeron yoke

burgundyja · #1 05-09-2007, 05:37 AM

does anyone at the kane airport have a longron yoke that i can use? i found that i need it on the rudder. will i need it on the elevators?

jlfernan · #2 05-09-2007, 07:14 AM

You are going to find you'll need it numerous times. Buy one, it's worth the investment.

apatti · #3 05-09-2007, 07:18 AM

I agree with Jorge. I use mine all the time. I have a no-hole yoke (1" I think) that I also use a lot. I have a 3" yoke that I almost never use.

Brantel · #4 05-09-2007, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burgundyja

does anyone at the kane airport have a longron yoke that i can use? i found that i need it on the rudder. will i need it on the elevators?

You will need (OK not need but after you use it allot you will be glad you had it) it allot!

I would get one now. Ain't cheap but worth it. It is my favorite yoke! Should be standard in tool kits along with a pneumatic squeezer and a DRDT-2.

Jamie · #5 05-09-2007, 08:49 AM

I built my airplane without the longeron yoke and didn't wish I had it even once. You don't need it for the longerons...I simply turned the squeezer around the squeezed from the inside. You really can't squeeze that many longeron rivets anyway...only the ones along the cabin sides and the ones at the very aft end.

All you need is a long flat set which will sort of mimic the functionality of a longeron yoke. $5.50 from Cleaveland tool in various lengths. Plus there's no additional time spent swapping out yokes.

The *only* place where it would have been a little nice to have would have been the two aft bulkheads in the fuselage. Those are double-bulkhead (two pieces back to back, meaning a flange on each side).

Every tool in the world is a nice to have but this is one tool that is definitely not needed -- a nice to have certainly but definitely not needed. I asked a repeat offender builder about the longeron yoke and he had no idea what I was talking about. That sealed the deal for me.

And please..no tired cliches about the right tool for the right job. There are NO right tools for riveting. You can squeeze, buck, back-rivet, c-frame hammer rivets, buck with anything, etc. My preferred rivet method for 1/8 rivets is with the c-frame tool. As long as you have nice shop & manufactured heads when you're done you used the right tool.

Brantel · #6 05-09-2007, 09:21 AM

Jamie,

You don't need any yokes. But who wants to build that way, I don't. The term "longeron yoke" is just a term. The configuration of this yoke makes it usefull in dozens of places not just for longerons. One of the first places one can use it is on the rudder horn brace. Not required but makes this a 2 minute job. Try that one with a regular yoke and a long flat set.

It is not mandatory but sure is nice. I guess you never miss what you never had.

If I could only buy one, I would get this one.

Jamie · #7 05-09-2007, 10:11 AM

Cool Brian:

I just wanted to let any prospective builder on a budget know that they don't need all those fancy tools -- a DRDT, four yokes, etc. Yes, they are very nice to have but so are a lot of other tools that we don't even discuss. A lot of this is personal preference too. A -9A buddy of mine sold his pneumatic squeezer because he wasn't even using it. As for me, you can have my pneumatic squeezer when you pull it from my cold, dead, drilled hands.

The money spent on extraneous tools could be turned into an instrument or four for a panel which will certainly get more use in the long run. I guess that's the crux of my point.

Oh yeah...as far as the elevator horn...I just put the pop rivets in there that are called out in the plans.

Build on...

RyanM · #8 05-09-2007, 10:52 AM

You can always sell the tools later for a slight reduction in price. The loss of money is going to be minimal, so new builders should keep that in mind too. When I'm at the point of buying avionics, I could probably justify selling my pneumatic squeezer, probably.

Ironflight · #9 05-09-2007, 11:00 AM

I always like to go back to the original post in the thread once in awhile....here's someone who is asking to BORROW a longeron yoke....that's all. When I was building, I knew which local builder owned what yokes, and they got passed around as required. I borrowed a longeron yoke for maybe two nights .... very handy to have access to one, and very glad I didn't have to buy it for those few rivets!

Tool "Cooperatives" are really valuable assets - develop one in your town if there are numerous builders, and you can save a lot of money.

Paul

Brantel · #10 05-09-2007, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie

Cool Brian:
Oh yeah...as far as the elevator horn...I just put the pop rivets in there that are called out in the plans.

Point well taken on the true "need" for some of these tools.

I guess times have changed since I built my rudder. It was pre RV-7 (kit converted to a 7) so on the plans it calls for AN470AD4 rivets. I have not even looked at my new replacement rudder plans yet.